Farming

As I drive around central PA, I have the luxury of passing many farms.  There is a calming effect to seeing a farm – the fields, the silo, the barn, and the farmers working in their fields.


I find the farm and the farming industry as a whole, to be invaluable as to what it can teach those in the business community.


Earlier in the year, farmers could be seen planting seeds.  The farmer knows that he must put forth lots of effort in the beginning before he can see the results of his labor.


The farmer also knows that it takes much more than his efforts to make a productive crop.  Farmers rely on fertilizer, rain, and sunshine in order to have a healthy crop.


It amazes me how farmers can know this key to success – and yet a person in sales does not get the point.  Often salespeople (and many people in other lines of work) want the heat from the fireplace before putting in the wood.


One must spend time putting forth the effort, learning their product line or learning their craft before they can hit their sales goals or climb the corporate ladder.


Just like in farming, it takes more than YOU to complete the transaction.  In sales that means, good customer service from the ordering, logistical and shipping areas.  A salesman can lose a customer quickly if there is poor inventory control or challenges in the shipping department.


If you are in the service industry YOU will need to rely on the people handing phone calls, scheduling appointments, making follow up calls and the administrative staff doing the invoicing.


The whole point here is that it takes more than YOU.  That is why we hear stories of quarterbacks taking their offensive line out to dinner at the end of a season.  Often it is the linemen in the trenches who enable the quarterback to make the big plays – to look good. 


We also can learn from farmers that there are seasons for planting and seasons for harvesting.  If your sales numbers look flat – go back 6 months and look at what you were doing to cultivate the prospect / soil.


Farmers also spend time fertilizing the soil in preparation for next year’s crops.  Ask yourself these questions…  Are you doing anything to strengthen your business relationships?  Are you doing anything to ensure your clients will buy from you again?  Small gifts are nice. Hand written note cards are a huge difference maker.  Referral business for your client is also a good way to strengthen that relationship.  The key point is RELATIONSHIP.


Farmers also use the days they cannot be out in the field to repair and maintain equipment.  We should all ask ourselves if we are maintaining our equipment…..  If you are in sales - that translates into spending time learning more about your product, what sets you apart, what makes your product more efficient.  If you are in a service oriented business, you should be looking for ways to improve your service, streamline things, and / or become more efficient.


And, lastly – take a lesson from the old show Green Acres – many times Mr. Douglass would consult with Hank Kimble, the agriculture specialist to learn about new and improved products, methods, etc.


Have a great week………


Ron Orendi