Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
presents a job description for a typical entry-level feed salesperson position at a large
farmer-owned cooperative.
Direct selling responsibility
Direct selling
is the traditional and most basic function of the salesperson. The direct selling
process involves prospecting for new customers, pre-call planning, getting the customer's
attention and interest, making presentations, handling objections, closing the sale, and serv-
icing the account. These steps may be carried out in formal or very informal ways. Many
companies require sales personnel to document activities or time committed to each of these
functions. The information collected provides the salesperson and the fi rm with important
insights about the specifi c customer or prospect at the time of the call, and over time.
Indirect selling responsibility
Interestingly enough,
indirect selling
may take more of the agribusiness salesperson's time
than direct selling. Indirect selling includes the service functions and follow-up provided by
the salesperson. A long list of activities falls in this category, as shown in
Table 7.
1.
Market intelligence
Market intelligence
is a common responsibility of the salesperson. It may be a formally
stated responsibility or an informal expectation, but in either case the company recognizes
that the salesperson is in a position to know what is going on in the fi eld. The salesperson is
expected to keep the company informed about competitors' actions, market prices, product
performance, the “mood” of customers, weather and crop conditions, key customer trends,
and product inventory levels. Many companies even require a weekly (or more frequent)
marketing intelligence report to be prepared by their salesperson for the supervisor. This
information is extremely valuable for supervisors and managers when they are making
company-wide or division-wide decisions.
There are a variety of resources for a salesperson to tap in order to gain market intelli-
gence. Many agribusinesses subscribe to market research reports that assess their market and
benchmark activities of all competitors within a market segment. Monitoring competitor
websites for promotional concepts or new products/services is yet another tactic for gather-
ing market intelligence. Even monitoring a state-wide agricultural newspaper or magazine
for articles or advertising can provide key clues to understanding what your competitors
are engaging in as they compete for your customers' budgets. Combined, the information
collected can help you and your company prepare to sell effectively.
Technical and product information
Being well versed on
technical and product information
is a fundamental part of a sales-
person's job. Customers expect professional salespeople to be fully knowledgeable about
the agribusiness's products and services. The salesperson must become an expert on the
company's products, and understand how the products bring benefi ts to the customer, regard-
less of level in the marketing channel. Many companies provide intensive product informa-
tion training for new salespeople during the fi rst few months on the job and then regular
ongoing training throughout their career. Typically, salespersons are given a wide array of
