You’ve Got the Skills and the Drive to Push Through.

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“Sales is best defined as helping clients succeed. When we help our clients succeed, we succeed as well. In times like these, it’s easy to start thinking about and acting on what is important to us: our quota, our commission, our needs. Clients can sense this immediately and will back away.”

That’s a quote from a Forbes article published March 17, 2020, titled “Put Your Thinking Caps On: How to Sell During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” During these difficult times, your current sales skills may need more attention and a little fine tuning, and this article presented two key takeaways to consider.

First, and always relevant to your day-to-day interactions with farmers, is your ability to listen. You’re already an accomplished listener, or you wouldn’t have the success you have. But there’s always room for improvement. Now is the time to really think about how you’re engaging your customer, who may be quite distracted, to make the most of your conversation.

Real-life application: As some of the largest landowners in your territory, Asset Optimizers are highly aware of their investment in the soil. Starting a conversation by engaging them in an overall assessment of their land’s health and then moving to the nutrient benefits of a fungicide is a good way to get, and keep, their attention.

The second takeaway from the Forbes article is a call to make the most of your meeting time. As you’re already aware, a farmer’s time is precious right now, so be prepared for shorter meeting times with hard stops. And don’t wing it. Let them know beforehand you’ll be going over specific information and doing a lot of listening for the remainder of your time together.

Real-life application: For Tech Leaders, proof is essential before they’ll make a purchase. Line up your research and current test plot data before your meeting. That way, you can package it up and present it early, so you leave yourself enough time at the end to answer questions and address concerns.

These are just a few tips to get you thinking about slight adjustments you can make to your sales strategy during the current unusual circumstances. You know your farmers best. We’re simply here to be your support system and resource. If you’re interested in using your valuable time to talk to us, please reach out to your local BASF sales rep. We are here to grow your business and can help you move forward, even with your most challenging farmers. Ask questions, bring up topics and don’t forget to let us know your successes. Let’s use the trials of 2020 to set you up for successes in 2021.