Farm4Profit Podcast

The Best Customers Make the Most Profit

Episode Summary

We talk with Ale Frick, @Engineer_Farmer, farmer from Northeast Texas about how always trying to improve the process makes his farm more profitable then review the conversations with our network about how being a great customer can make for farm more profitable. Thank you to @SmartBarnOhio, @TomHadley55, @SmithAgConrad, @Bkitch1Bodie, @ConservisKacee, @td_sampson, @mitch_giese, @ksufearless for your contributions!

Episode Notes

How to become the best customer for your salesperson

• Introduction
  • Like, Rate, Review, Share (@farm4profitllc)
    • Read Review “Really enjoy the variety here and the information is enlightening” – RR
• Listener feedback and questions = Contributed to farm4profitllc@gmail.com
  • Who do you know that we could talk to about their successes in growing their farming operation? – Listener feedback question on how to get bigger and growing a farming operation.  Get better first then get bigger.
• What’s working for Ag – listener or farmer feedback
  • Ale Frick - @Engineer_Farmer (Lake Creek Texas, from Central Europe, degree in mechanical engineering)
  • What is working on your farm that you feel is helping contribute to high profitability, more efficiencies, margin management, or any other positive momentum?
    • Tandem grain carts, custom made planter, wheat drill, metal fabricating.
  • Is this a mentality/mindset, hobby, training, luck?
  • Advice to on how to get started others who could see a few changes like this making a big difference on their farm?

• Main Topic: What if your salesperson disliked spending time with you as much as you disliked them coming around? Could the way you behave, react, or think help the relationships you have with sales people?
  • We aren’t insinuating that you don’t like all the sales people that you deal with, but we all know there are some that are better than others.  How about we flip the script?! Do sales people like all their customers?
  • What could you be doing as the customer to make you their favorite customer to do business with?
    • What happens when you are the favorite?
      • First to get a call?
      • Late night, odd hour service?
      • Discounts?
      • Honest advice?
        • Could any of those make you more profitable?
  • Episode #1 was titled Traits of Top Performing Farmers.  We didn’t include being a good customer, but maybe we should have.  We reached out to sales professionals and sales un-professionals around our networks and came up with some common traits of their favorite customers.  If you don’t have these traits and feel like you aren’t getting the service you deserve, maybe there are some changes that need to be made?
  • Matt McCune @ksufearless (farmer & sales agronomist in Hays, KS & storm chaser)
    • Return every phone call.  –and timely!
    • Reduce lying, better to just not lie.  – helps get to the reason behind needing the answer
    • Aren’t offended by “20 questions” -  I will ask a ton of questions to find a way to do whatever they need, but sometimes I need more information to get them the answer.
    • Are honest about delivery time frames/windows - When a farmer calls me and asks be to deliver something, I ask "when do you need this by", and quite often they will say "oh, tomorrow or the next day".  When I first started I would drop everything and go running to them; which impresses them, but was sometimes unnecessary due to their scheduling or caused a logistics issue on their farm.
    • Realistically understand the importance of their needs - I will answer my phone ANYTIME. If it’s something that can wait until business hours please do, but I have guys call me just to talk life at 9 pm, and I am there for them.  This game is 90% mental.  Be there for your customers
    • Respect the efforts of going above and beyond. - I have been known to deliver product at stupid odd hours.  One night a customer called me, said he didn’t realize he was low on glyphosate.  I arranged to take him a shuttle at midnight, so that i could also be spraying at first light. He was delighted and it worked out.
  • Mitch Giese @mitch_giese  (John Deere Salesman, Sheldon, IA and farm kid.)
    • Ones who treat me as their peer.  They share information willingly because they know that the more I know about them and their business, the better I can understand their goals and make recommendations accordingly.  
    • Include me in their Advisory Team - They trust me to provide advice that is in their best interest.  
    • Understand my sales position is my JOB - They allow me to make a reasonable profit because they know that sustainability of the industries supporting them is vital to their own survival and pays them back in the long run.  
    • Aren’t confrontational - They don’t make business transactions needlessly confrontational.  They sometimes buy elsewhere if I can’t offer what they need or someone else’s offering is more attractive, but they treat me respectfully when they do. 
  • Todd Sampson @td_sampson (Insurance agent with Midwest Insurance, Nevada IA) 
    • There needs to be an openness with your sales person - so they know what is important to you.  Being able to articulate the goals of the farm today and the long-term plan of the farm’s future helps the professional have a better idea of what they can do to help make that a reality.
    • Are open to suggestions and implement them: - Most companies will have a risk management meeting with the clients on occasion to make sure the processes and procedures to reduce risk are in place.  Contracts, employee handbooks, safety checklists, etc. are all ways that farmers and ag business companies can reduce their exposure to claims.
• Kacee Bohle @ConservisKacee (Regional manager for Conservis, traveler & Ag Lover)
  • Be open minded to new things in agriculture, like technology. There are so many farmers who were successful in their prime years ago that are still thinking "this is what I have done and it worked and so I am going to keep doing that", which is not keeping them competitive.  
  • Have a plan to change:  we know that it takes time to implement change, and those clients that understand there needs to be a plan, goals, and a timeline of implementation as well as reflection are usually more successful than those that assume things will just magically work over night.
• Bodie @Bkitch1Bodie (Regional Business Director for Next Level Ag, central Indiana)
  • 1.) Personable and beyond business – are just as interested in learning about me and my goals as I am about them and their goals
  • 2.) Engaged and challenging- they aren’t argumentative they are just eager to learn, but also don’t let me slide by with a poor or lazy answer.
  • 3.) Genuine in what they do and say. – being straight forward and truthful
• Conrad @SmithAgConrad (West Central Illinois, Sales Manager Smith Agri-Service)
  • You can’t communicate with me enough.  If that means you need call me 3 times a day or text me 10 times a day to keep me abreast of what’s happening then do it.  My ability to plan & make efficient decision is predicated on how well the producer communicates with me. Many failures occur simply because of a breakdown in communication”.
  • Transparency which goes hand in hand with communication right? Their expectations based on the service level they pay for should match what I can deliver. Things work well when I’ve earned a producers trust to the point where we can sit down and take an honest look at yield history, market prices, expenses & make a decisions that fit the farm.  
• Tom Hadley @TomHadley55  (Territory Manager for Gerinhoff heads – Southeast IA)
  • Treat me like a family member - My favorite traits of a farmer that I have a great relationship are the ones that start off as “cold” and “hard to get to know”. After a while it turns into you are almost a family member after you break down the walls and show that you want them to be profitable with you not you making profit from them. 
  • I like to be face to face - and don’t like texting. I want to hear your voice – the tone or confidence/worry. What can I do to make your day better?
  • They don’t dismiss early – The worst traits of most Farmers is they always have a reason why it’s not time to buy in the first minute of a conversation without the question even being brought up.  Our time is just as valuable as yours.
• Andrew Klein @SmartBarnOhio (Owner of Smart Barn – wireless sensors Dayton OH)
  • First off, be nice and treat others like you want them to treat you. You’d be surprised (or maybe not surprised?) how often I’ve been mistreated on the first phone call. When I’m working with a potential customer, I always treat them kindly. But man does it get tougher if they treat me like garbage. And honestly, I avoid new business from people who are assholes, go find another asshole who wants to help you, I've got plenty of work and I'd rather work with people who like me. 
  • Second, don’t treat me like a highway robber. My prices are my prices, and while there’s some room for negotiation, I’m giving you the best deal I can afford already. If you genuinely can’t afford my product, or don’t see the value then please let’s do each other a solid and just walk away.
  • Finally, communication! Tell me your concerns, thoughts, gripes, things you like, in a calm, adult way, and I guarantee we can figure out a win-win. I can help a lot better if we’re communicating. Honestly I always go above and beyond and think most sales people do, but if you follow the golden rule its way more likely your salesperson is going to go way above and beyond!
• ME (Tanner)-
  • Aren’t afraid to tell me “NO”. – saves me time, effort, and worry if you just fill me in.  It won’t hurt my feelings, I am a professional that gets told “No” a lot.
  • Schedule the meetings when they can. -I have more clients than just one, so my favorite ones call to schedule an apt, or if its last minute at least call to let me know they are coming
  • Meals and Beverages not necessary, but it is a perk.  For the same reasons like to bring food the field and treat my clients to lunch.  It leaves a lasting impression. (in laws cooked lunch for mechanic)
• YOU (David)-
  • Leave Online reviews – You help make me look good and ill work extra hard to make you look good
  • Trust me. -I will work hard and in your best interest for you.  It does me no good to hold information that would benefit you until a later time.  When I learn something I will tell you.
• Challenge
  • Figure it out, are you doing these or do you have areas to improve?  The next time you “want something” from your sales person, try using one or multiple of the suggestions.  Then let us know how it turned out! @Farm4profitllc
• Conference Update
  • It’s on for December 4, 2020!