FAQs for the Ag Salesperson

如果你遵循Coach’s Corneror my weekly blog, you know how important I feel it is to ask good questions. I see salespeople fail everyday by not asking good questions. The reasons they fail in this key selling area are many. They’re not aware they should ask. They don’t know the right questions to ask. They feel like it’s too pushy or nosy to ask questions. They’re too focused on telling their customer about their products.

无论是什么原因，我一起召唤了三个简单的焦点区域“未能提问。”同时进行骑在有限公司aching session with a salesperson, these are three areas that I will ask the salesperson every time. I do this because it tells me if the salesperson knows their customer. Also, the answers to these questions chalk the playing field for how to approach the customer. Please understand that the questions below are not necessarily the exact wording I recommend. You might have to ask in different words or use a series of questions. However, the answers are critical to your success at helping your customer.

1. How do you buy?
   这是您可以在您的前景中发现最基本的重点领域之一。您正试图揭示世卫组织以及如何做出决定。谁实际上是决定？谁对决策者的影响？他们什么时候开始考虑他们的决定购买？
   农业综合企业是非常季节性的，一些购买决策只有一次每年一次（作物保险，种子选择等）。但是，如果您销售了10美元的狗粮，则可以在任何地方制造购买时，他们意识到他们是从狗食中的食物。
   With large purchases, like a $150,000 tractor, there might be multiple steps and multiple people involved in the decision. I don’t think it’s intrusive at all to ask, “So, what factors do you consider when deciding on a tractor? How do you figure out the best tractor for your operation? Who all gets involved in picking the best tractor for your farm?” Notice, I never asked, “Who’s the decision maker?” That’s a salesperson focused version of the question. If someone asked me that verbatim, I would probably end the sales call as fast as possible.
2. 你在哪里获得信息？
   再次，您必须重新填写这个问题，通常需要一系列问题来获得完整的答案。您正试图找出谁在您的行业中影响他们。如果是粮食营销，他们遵循哪一个流行的交易员？
   此信息如此重要的原因是您现在可以了解他们可能会筹集粮食时的理解。如果他们遵循国家已知的粮食营销顾问John Doe，您可以追随John并查看他推荐的内容。你现在有很好的洞察力，当你应该联系到这位客户时。
   除了他们遵循谁，您需要询问信息存储库在产品线上的位置。例如，如果您是乳制品营养师，有关键的大学和协会“在营养上写下书”。了解这位客户所遵循的一个。再次，它可以让您了解您可以与此客户讨论的营养产品或实践。
3. What industry events do you attend and social media do you follow?
   This provides insight into your customers information sources and how they make decisions. This information is helpful with both this individual customer as well as your whole customer base. If everyone seems to be following a particular web site on your product line, you should be as well.
   The latest posts from these web sites or the latest speaker at their event gives you topics to explore with this customer. Here’s the important part of this line of questioning and it’s often missed by salespeople.您需要将大幅放到农场层面。How does the world politics, trade negotiations or the farm bill affect this customer, regarding your product, at this point in time?
   If you don’t do that, you’re not selling. You’re just having a conversation that will likely go nowhere. They don’t need you for that. They need you to make sense of the big picture and what they should do on their farm. If you don’t know, you can ask them what they think of it. And if neither of you know, then I suggest changing the topic to something more productive.

帮助您的客户的能力与您了解客户特定的农业运营/农业智能的能力成正比。为此，您必须成为提出问题的专家。知道合适的问题只是一个组成部分。知道何时询问，如何言语问题，以及您对答案的回答是成为专家的一部分。无论你不问好问题的原因是什么，你需要克服它。以上三个问题是与您的客户发现的非侵入性但深刻的洞察力区域。

They give you the insight needed to ask further questions and add value to your relationship with them. This sets you up to get deeper into the high-value questions, which lead to effecting change with your customer. One of those changes is becoming your lifelong customer.

—Greg Martinelli.