I Mourn for Those Who Have Nothing to Sell [Academy]

How Much Do You Vary in Value?

I feel bad for sales reps who lose their ability to sell seed. I mourn the fact that if they once had that ability, can no longer do it. The tenure of these seed sellers often comes to an end because of their own actions, or should I say, inactions. 

This year is no different from most years in agriculture. In fact, it’s getting so you can’t tell one year from the other when it comes to the problems and complaints farmers have. With depressed markets, high prices and the possibility of below average crop yields in many areas, there’s increasing pressure on sellers to justify their value and the value of their products because farmers are so focused on saving money to stay in business. Having pressure from down markets is one thing, but when competitors make it worse by giving farmers whatever they want, value sellers can easily feel ganged up on. That causes even the staunchest of value sellers, the ones who know THEY are the real value, to question the value they are actually bringing to a sale. 

I see this every day in my training sessions. As soon as I remind everyone THEY are the only value a farmer gets when he buys seed, I can see the lack of belief in their eyes. I tell them farmers can buy anything they want from anyone they want, at any price they want, but they can’t get the sales rep. Many don’t believe they bring that kind of value to a grower. 

But even those who KNOW THEY are the only value farmers get during a seed sale, often allow their own value to fluctuate with market prices, farmers’ attitudes and farmers’ search of ways to save money. Their belief in themselves and what they can bring to farmers wavers and that can’t happen because farmers always win that game.

A friend of mine who was a very successful seed seller for years always said, “When the markets are down and farmers are in a bad mood, and the going gets tough, the tough get the hell out of town.” Of course he said that in jest. But his point was that so many reps give up the fight when things get hard, stop selling value and make themselves into a commodity. 

What good are you to customers if you don’t bring value outside of your products and services. A robot can deliver the products and services. Farmers need a knowledgeable rep who can apply production principles farmers can’t apply on their own because they don’t know how. Top seed sellers know how to take farmers to new levels of profitability, regardless of what the markets do.

If you give in and give up your own value, you become useless to your company, yourself and most of all your customers. They need the value you bring now more than ever. Don’t disappoint them. Don’t let your value vary with farmer attitudes. Instead, stay consistent and use your value to shore-up farmer attitudes and keep them on track to profitability. Use your talents to help them make more money. After all, you’re the only one who can do it.

Happy Selling,

Rod Osthus