Oswald No-Till Farm Cleghorn, IA | As my subject line shows, I sold seed from 1987-1997 for Pioneer. That was during the height of the Pioneer market share and right before things began to slip in terms of market share. It was some of the most rewarding and most troubling work I have done. No doubt, it was a learning experience that would be tough to replace.
Here are some general thoughts to consider but be sure to read the very last one!
1- Is the culture of the company in line with your values as a businessman? That is, are they behaving as someone you would want to do business with if you weren't selling for them? Are they saying one thing and doing another?
2- Product does "sell itself" to a point. And, it loses sales itself when something bad happens consistently. If the products you have to sell aren't "working", eventually sales will decline no matter how hard you work. Can you tolerate spinning your wheels from a financial standpoint? If so, how long can you stand it.
3- Seed is sold to perform a job.... that job isn't always obvious or what you think at first sight. Perception of product value is different for each person.... this goes for the products they use now as well as what you are trying to get them to use. Dollars per acre of predicted return that you believe you are selling may not have much value at all to some guys. For example, to a person who loved the looks and sound of a green poppin' Johnny, a smooth running red 4 cylinder "M" Farmall might never turn their head.
4- As much as seed is sold on performance data, the quick turnover in hybrids makes it very difficult to predict outcomes. Top management tends to believe the best in the yield data they see on a product and often expect you to sell it like there is nothing better. Too often, the grower who didn't like that product has a good reason. Don't always assume that the grower is uniformed and needs more education. Don't underestimate the intuition of experienced farmers. The data you have to support your product doesn't always trump his experience in general.
5- You will be living/dying to a degree on how favorably Mother Nature treats the products you sell. Luck is a real issue as you are selling genetics impacted by environment. Should the products you sell perform poorly or out and out fail, how much of the customer heartburn (said and unsaid) do you take home at night?
5- My first DSM told me that "people buy from people". I think there is truth to that. But in this age of online purchasing, this may be waning. Relationship selling is still real especially when you earn the title "trusted adviser". Trusted adviser is a really rewarding place to be. The rock and hard place is when YOU no longer trust a product you are told to sell. What's good for your customers may not be what's good for your sales.... you need to know when to say "when" on a product.
6- Be careful assuming that doing a good job is good enough. This goes to the culture of the company and the people working above you. The politics within the company may have more to do with your relative success than what you provide to your customers. Favoritism for the "brown-noser" by the DSM can mean you get to explain to your customers that a hybrid is in short supply while another rep gets all he wants. Can you handle frustrations like this? It's likely you will run into this to some degree just like any other "job".
7- You just never know how things will turn out. The seed business is a tough business. Mother Nature can make a fool of a product no matter how good it is supposed to be on paper even in the best run, most honest and righteous companies with what should be the best data available.
8- THE MOST IMPORTANT Thing you need to understand is if you have the personality to enjoy selling. I seriously encourage you to take a Briggs-Myers (Google it if you don't understand this) personality test and find how it relates to career choices. As Dirty Harry once said, "a man's got to know his limitations". There are born salesmen. There are learned salesmen. There are people who sell by educating and becoming advisers. Your success will come from how you navigate the storms of your career choice. Knowing your strengths will help you structure your approach and business. You may find that selling only seed doesn't work and you may need to diversify into consulting for example like others have said. There is nothing wrong with flexing the business to fit you. Bending yourself to fit the business is likely not sustainable.... the money may not be enough. Know how you define "rewarding" as you think about the work you choose.
Sincere best of luck with your decision. For more discussion, my email works.
Edited by notilltom 12/29/2009 02:59
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Seed dealer ?
