By Jim Farrell, Farrell Growth Group
For 35 years, I worked in an ag business where we sold no product. Rather, we provided an intangible service and became our clients’ trusted adviser. To be honest, being a trusted adviser didn’t strike me as a difficult role to assume until we started to hire people who came from banks, implement dealerships or ag retailers. Most knew the basics of how to sell, but learning to be a true trusted adviser was often a challenge. Acquiring these skills separated the successful from those who were unsuccessful.
Since starting with Farrell Growth Group in early 2020, I have spent a lot of time learning about ag retail and the opportunities and challenges this industry faces. One common theme I have heard in conversations with others is the companies that survive the next five years will have become true trusted advisers to their farmer-customers.
What makes a good trusted adviser?
It starts by changing the mindset from selling product and custom services to focusing on the long-term success of your customer. Besides the basic principles of a successful sales strategy, here are key steps you can take to become that trusted adviser:
1 Be truly engaged in your customer’s long-term success.
Use an investigative or consultative approach when meeting your customer. Rather than telling customers what they need, ask thought-provoking questions that help them identify their own pain points. What are the issues they face today in running their operations? Longer term, what are their goals and objectives for their operations? Be a consultant to your customer.
2 Focus on the customer’s goals and objectives.
Don’t focus on selling products or services. This seems like a poor approach to a sales call, but customers recognize when your goal is to sell them a product or service. Instead, focus on the customer’s goals and objectives from step 1 and how you can help achieve them.
3 Make recommendations based on your experience and training.
Your recommendation may not include your products or services. When you look a customer in the eye and say you recommend a certain course of action regardless of where he or she buys the needed service or product, it has an impact. You are now acting more like a trusted adviser than a salesperson.
4 Trusted advisers focus on their customers’ success first.
How can you help them trim costs, increase efficiency and earn better margins? Most importantly, you can provide your customers the peace of mind that you, their trusted adviser, will always recommend what you think is in their best interest and the best interest of their businesses.
Using a consultative selling approach to become a trusted adviser requires a paradigm shift from the traditional sales process. The payout, however, can be huge if you are successful as you will build a solid customer base that will stay with you well into the future!
