If It Isn’t Good for the Hive, It Isn’t Good for the Bee! [Academy]

Marcus Aurelius, a Greek Stoic and philosopher who lived from 121 AD to 180 AD said, “That which isn’t good for the hive, is not good for the bee.”

He believed that every part of the Universe is interconnected and part of a larger whole. He was one of the first to say he was not just a citizen of Rome, he was a citizen of the world. The idea that you are just a bee in a hive is the same concept. If you do something that is not good for the community you live in, it probably is not good for you either.   

So what keeps a beehive healthy and strong?

It’s getting every bee to believe that whatever it does needs to be good for the hive.

As a sales rep working with farmers, what kinds of things do you do that are good for them as a whole?

We know that not every sales rep is helping the farmer hive become stronger and more health by the things they are offering farmers. In fact, over the last 20 years the farmer hive has become increasingly unhealthy leading to the loss of thousands of bees, I mean, farmers.   

Offering programs, technologies and cheap prices in lieu of helping farmers raise yields continues to destroy the farmer hive.  Farmers don’t need new varieties, new technologies, programs, or cheap prices. They need help making more money by increasing production. 

As you start the new sales year, think about what you’re going to do in 2024 to enhance your hive of customers and the entire farmer hive by changing your sales approach.

Decide what new values you can offer outside of products, technologies, programs and price that will make every farm operation healthier.

Decide what your message is going to be during seed delivery.

Are you going to be there, taking the grower to each field to review the field by variety cropping plan?

Are you going to give each grower a calendar of events that will take place with you through 2024?

Are you going to be at every customer’s planter, do post planting report card visit, ride harvesters and so on?

Stop setting goals or new year’s resolutions for 2024 and start deciding what you’re going to do to enhance the health of your entire hive of customers. What new values are you going to bring, starting with your own personal appearance, your sales approach and sales story.

As Marcus Aurelius said over 2000 years ago, you’re connected to every part of the hive and what you do affects the entire hive, In return the hive, your customers take care of you.

Happy Selling,

Rod