Written by Dwain Duxson
Earning the trust of farmers is not an easy thing to gain.
They can be the toughest eggs to crack as far as business people are concerned.
That’s why entering agriculture from the outside is nearly impossible: many just don’t get it.
Farmers get a lot thrown at them, and unless it scratches an itch or solves a problem, they’re simply not interested. We’ve found this ourselves, at DelayPay and Farm Tender, where we’ve put certain things into the market thinking they would fly, only to see them drop because they didn’t achieve the above criteria.
Ag Tech is a great example: we see start-ups come into the Ag space with their guns blazing, only to leave with their tails between their legs.
As farmers, you’re also fiercely independent; you all skin the cat differently and like to work things out for yourself. Having a one-size-fits-all product or service for Ag is very rare.
Gaining trust in the Ag space requires hard work and results. But once you have it, simply repeat it over and over again.
Here are our 3 key ways to earning trust in the Ag space
- Really understand your customer – know their situation what they’re after back to front – and then some.
- You need to think on your feet when talking to farmers – don’t rely on a script.
- Don’t push the sale on them – they’ll turn around in an instant. Build that trust and offer them a solution, not a sale.
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