Dan Schultz encourages ag retailers to think differently about their businesses and differentiate themselves. He says just being better isn’t good enough, and retailers need to use strategy to market what is different about their business. He details more in The Scoop Podcast.
As the first steps, he says it’s realizing marketing is more than where you put field signs and your SEO gameplan. There is a mindset shift that has to occur to combat the influence and margin erosion being experienced in ag retail.
“If a business is going to continue in this competitive environment, you have to stop trying to pedal faster than everybody else, and start pedaling in a different direction,” he says.
As an example, he talks about his work helping retailers step back from being product focused and instead think about problems to solve.
“It’s a process. Every business is different–there is no one size fits all,” he says. “But if you’re going to start somewhere, pick one thing that will make the most meaningful difference.”
You can find more ideas from Schultz in his newsletter, Ag Done Different.
