STOP Thinking So Small [Academy]

Greetings Everyone, Rod Here

 

One of the biggest challenges seed sellers face is setting valid sales goals that are commensurate with the potential sales that are available to them. 

In fact, it would surprise most seed sellers if they knew how many units of seed are actually planted in their market area and what a small percentage of that business they currently have. Very few seed sellers know those numbers.

That’s why it’s so important to set valid sales goals.

It forces reps to know the only number that really matters and that is, the potential of the territory they’re selling in.  A valid goal is not picked out of the air or based on what the rep sold the previous year. It’s based only on the actual sales potential of each product they’re selling in the territory. 

But because true potentials aren’t known, most sales goals are simply a guess and everyone guesses too low. They base the number on the imagination of the seller and what they perceive is possible based on what they’ve sold in the past. 

The seed business seems to be one of the few where sales goals are always set on the ultra-conservative side. They perceive that since farmers have gotten larger, more independent and harder to sell that sales goals and increases in average order size is harder to get.

When done right, that’s not true.

Seed sellers need to stop setting goals on what they THINK they can sell and start basing them on the sales potential of the product they’re selling in their territory. Then they need to put together plans on how to achieve those goals through new customers only. And once the sales increase is achieved from new customers only, any increase you get from current customers will be a bonus.

Stop thinking so small.

Every seed seller has more potential for growth than they can capture in a lifetime so go after it.  Set “unachievable goals”, you know, the ones other sellers laugh at because they have no idea how they would achieve those kinds of goals or reach that kind of success.  It’s all just a matter of not thinking so small.

Happy Selling,

Rod