Across the horticulture industry, business owners and their sales teams are looking for answers on how to navigate the uncertainties of the 2020 season. To help you and your sales staff through this period, we turned to three members of our North American ICL Specialty Fertilizers sales team. Here are their tips to help your sales staff weather these times:
Tim Brubaker, ICL-SF Mid-South Territory Manager, advises that staying relevant to the current situation is key to meeting your customers’ needs. “This situation is evolving day to day,” Tim says. “We’re in uncharted territory right now.” He offers these tips for adapting and achieving, especially during times of change:
- Understand customer pain points. With this spring’s challenges, your customers’ problems have likely shifted away from the labor and growing issues that were top-of-mind. It’s up to you to identify their pain points and respond. “Instead of being focused on nutrition to keep plants looking their best, customers may be in maintenance mode or survival mode,” Tim says. “You need to understand where they’re at now and help relieve the pain.
- Always have a mission in mind. This goes for virtual visits and phone calls as well as in-person calls when normal times return. “Don’t just be the guy who shows up with donuts,” Tim says. “Know your agenda.” For him, that might be orchestrating new, improved Osmocote trials or simply letting customers know he’s there to help. “Keep your mission in mind, know your agenda and follow through on it,” Tim recommends.
- Develop technical expertise. Tim recalls a customer’s story about a competing sales rep who stopped by to “look at a problem” and never turned off his truck. “Identify and solve the problems that other people overlook,” he says. “Go after the technical stuff. Understand their crops and their water quality and their growing media.” Then make yourself available for seminars, webinars and other events where you can share that expertise with customers.
Craig Whatley, ICL-SF North America Business Lead, says it’s vital to stay focused on what’s within your control. “How we do our jobs has changed a great deal for salespeople used to being on the road, and change is never easy,” Craig says. “But at the end of the day, we’re still tasked with finding ways to keep our business moving forward.” He offers these tips for day-to-day sales activities:
- Don’t lose touch with your customers. “Whether you’re a nursery, greenhouse or distributor rep, don’t lose touch with your key customers,” Craig says. He advises writing your top 10 or 15 customers a personal note—a practice he says salespeople have gotten away from over the years. “You’re not asking them for an order,” he emphasizes. “Say, ‘I’m thinking about you. I’m here if you need me and I hope you stay safe during these times.’ A handwritten, personal note goes a long way.”
- Stock up on sales leads. “Even if you can’t travel and be on the road, there are things you can do internally,” Craig says. He recommends spending time combing your CRM databases, ranking your leads, and developing a very strong pipeline of sales leads. “Develop that pipeline and have a solid plan, because when you get back on the road, you’re going to be behind,” he says. “Having a solid lead plan is vitally important in order to finish the fiscal year strong.”
- Don’t stop selling. Just because you’re off the road, it doesn’t mean you stop selling. Craig recommends reaching out and asking customers if they need anything. “Let them know you’re working and you’re there to provide that level of service if they need it,” he says. Use digital media, webinars and conference calls to offer support or training. “Don’t lose your visibility in the marketplace,” he says. “Find a way through digital media to maintain or increase your levels of visibility with your customers. It’s very difficult regain your visibility once it’s lost.”
Nelson Gonzalez, ICL-SF North America Eastern Region Business Manager, emphasizes focusing on sales essentials. “I think the things that work for now are the same things that work during regular times,” Nelson says. He offers these tips for sales success:
- Educate your customers. Nelson believes the best way to present yourself is to be a true resource for your customer: “When you walk in, you want them to say, ‘Great. I’m glad he’s here.’” To be a resource they turn to—whether it involves your product line or not—Nelson advises looking for new ways to educate customers and being prepared. “Know your products back and forth. Know their businesses better than they do,” he says. “Whatever you can do to be a better resource for them, whether that’s stepping up your business acumen or whatever, you’re halfway there.”
- Try and be everywhere. Whether it’s social media, YouTube, LinkedIn, email marketing or phone calls, Nelson says if it puts you in front of your customers, you need to be there. “When someone thinks of controlled-release fertilizer, when they think herbicide, I want them right away to think ‘Nelson.’ I want them to think of ICL,” he says. “You need to be everywhere. If they don’t know you, they can’t buy from you. You’ve got to be in their mind when that topic comes up.”
- Set goals for everything. Nelson recommends setting personal goals, business goals and goals for each individual account—along with annual, monthly, weekly and daily goals. Before you talk with a customer, have a goal in mind. “Go in to help the customer, but have a goal of moving the sales process forward,” he says, warning against falling into a “milk run” mentality. “If we do it more intentionally, I think that helps us be a better salesperson,” he says. “That applies during normal times and now.”
Perhaps more than ever before, your customers need to know that you and your staff are there for them. At ICL-SF Americas, we want you to know that we’re here for you. If your team needs a sales webinar, product training or a trusted voice on the line, our team is here to help. If you need product, we’re here for that, too. At ICL, your success is our success. We’ll make it through these times—stronger together.