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Using DISC in Sales Using the four personality styles to improve your selling skills &  Which Style makes the best Salesperson?   If you are looking for a quick way to improve your selling approach with customers, take a look at the DISC Assessment.  Most of us have gone through a personality assessment of some kind in our life.  There’s Myers Briggs, Gallup Strength Finders and hundreds more.  They are all good in their own way.  However, DISC has its particular advantages for salespeople.  Listen in as we cover the 4 reasons DISC is so important for salespeople and the 3 Steps you need to take when using DISC   _______________________________________________________________________________________   Register in advance for this webinar:                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce objections. “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

6 Moments of Confidence in Sales How to sell with confidence when self-doubt is screaming at you   Confidence Moment #1:  Making the phone call or turning down the driveway on a cold call Confidence Moment #2:  Going back or calling a prospect to gain the second appointment Confidence Moment #3:  Asking a Closing style question It’s estimated that 50% of all sales calls end without the salesperson asking a closing style question.  I believe it.  My personal goal in life is to make that statistic zero for everyone I work with. Confidence Moment #4:  Confidence in your knowledge of your products, your company, or your industry Confidence Moment #5:  Confidence in your products or services Confidence Moment #6:  Confidence in your company   If you are interested in building your team’s confidence when selling, let’s host a group discussion with them.  Email or call me.  We’ll cover these six areas.  In addition, we will cover the 9 thought processes that help salespeople gain more confidence in what they provide to their customers.  These are view points and mental angles to provide your team with a continuous source of confidence in what they do for your customers.   _______________________________________________________________________________________   Register in advance for this webinar:                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce objections. “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

7 Ways to keep the Sales Fires Burning Whether it’s the dead of winter, the dog days of summer or the middle of a pandemic, you need to keep pursuing the sale But How?  I’m tired…. seeing little progress…. customer complaints are piling up…. Selling in agribusiness is playing the long game.  We typically need to call on a prospect many times before selling them.  Prospecting can seem futile as we try and try, but see little progress.  Motivation can diminish as the days go by without a sale or breakthrough. In training sessions, I like to explain that it’s like building a fire.  You have to start small, build your base and then keep adding to fire as it grows.  If you drop the ball and let the prospect’s interest (the fire) go out, then you have to start over again. Listen in as I discuss the 7 tactics to keep the sales fires burning in your territory:       _______________________________________________________________________________________ For those that completed the 21 Day Challenge, I promised a free webinar on Sales Productivity.   Congratulations! and here is the link to the webinar I will be hosting next Thursday, Feb 11th from 12-1 pm central US time You are invited to a Zoom webinar. When: Feb 11, 2021 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Topic: The 21 Day Challenge on Sales Productivity   _______________________________________________________________________________________   Register in advance for this webinar:                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce objections. “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

The 3 Stages of your Selling Skills Development Most salespeople stop at stage 1 or fall victim to 3.5   In previous articles, we covered the journey segments of a sales career.  In a four-part series, I went through the life and times of the early years, all the way to the later years of a sales career.  See: The Life & Times of an Ag Sales Professional – the Early Years   Today, we cover the selling skills development stages.  These are how you learn to sell, learn to manage a territory, learn to become a positive brand to your customers and ultimately remain top of mind as the go-to salesperson in your market.   Stage 1:  The Hard Skills Listen in as we walk through the development stages _______________________________________________________________________________________                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce objections. “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Price Objections – The first 2 Steps to handling them How to get comfortable handling the #1 objection salespeople face   Price objection remains the #1 problem sales teams face on a daily basis.  In my workshops, coaching sessions and presentations, price objection is still that one area that every salesperson wants to solve. While it will never go away completely, these two skills will help you deal with them.  whether you are out there in the field, in the farm shop, standing at the counter or sitting in your customer’s board room, these skills will help you remain calm and keep the conversation going. Keep this thought in mind when dealing with price objections:  In my estimate of personally dealing with them for 30 years, and working directly with dozens of salespeople I managed, and working with thousands of salespeople in training workshops, I would estimate that over 50% of price objections are not comparing equal products or services.   Listen in for more info on the first two steps you can take when dealing with price objections! _______________________________________________________________________________________                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce objections. “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

The 21 Day Selling Skills Challenge Better than a New Year’s resolution and much better than looking back at the highs and lows of 2020 Bonus – For those that complete the challenge – read to the end   If you read my articles or been through one of my training workshops, then you know I am not a fan of new year’s resolutions ( Be the Biggest Loser in your market ).  Most are made while recovering from a hangover from the New Year’s Eve party.  The reason I’m not a fan is that they don’t work.  Forbes statistics point to roughly an 80% failure rate within the first 45 days.  The number one reason given is will power to sustain the resolution.  In addition, after making resolutions myself and watching many people make them, I am convinced the resolution (goal) setting process is the problem.  We focus our attention on this massive life changing resolution (goal).  Yet, we never figure out the small intermediate goals nor daily actions to get there. That’s why I want you to make an easy first step by completing a “21 day selling skills challenge”. Email me your daily challenge at :  Greg@GregMartinelli.net     _______________________________________________________________________________________                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce objections. “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Who Ya Gonna Call??? Your customer should answer…. “You” In the 1980’s famous song by Ray Parker Jr, he shouts out, “Who ya gonna call”.  Of course, everyone knows the next line to be “Ghost Busters”, a classic comedy.  The lyrics to this song point to a very important concept in selling in agribusiness.  They refer to all of these scary situations: ghosts in your house, creepy occurrences, something going wrong, etc.  The question posed throughout the song is; When this happens, who are you going to call?  That’s when, we all yell the answer, “Ghost Busters!” As an Ag sales professional, what are those very scary things that happen to your customers?  What are those moments of truth that your customers have?  When they don’t know what to do.  When it really matters and all is on the line.  When they really just need to call someone.  What name would they yell out?  Would it be your name? Some examples: When your animals are sick and dying, who ya gonna call? When interest rates go up and you want more land, who ya gonna call? When your milk production slips for no reason, who ya gonna call? When your combine is down at harvest, who ya gonna call? When your seed selection didn’t yield enough, who ya gonna call? Instead of “Who ya gonna call”, the real question is, “Who do you trust to help you with this situation?”  Although that doesn’t make for very catchy song lyrics. _______________________________________________________________________________________                                      Go from being a Good Salesperson to a Trusted Advisor This virtual training course takes you through the process of becoming that trusted advisor to your customers. Establishing yourself as the Go-To Salesperson to buy from.  Learn how to build your brand in the market to reduce  “I bring everything I have to this course to show you a clear path on how to overcome the most common problems salespeople have in agribusiness. Along with my 30 years of selling and leading sales people, I pull from thousands who have gone through my training programs in the last five years.” Click on the links above to watch the free webinar and enroll in the course to go from a good salesperson to a trusted advisor _______________________________________________________________________________________ If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Alone in a Sea of Customers  Isolated among customers, kids and COVID It’s Thanksgiving week.  You haven’t physically been in front of a customer in weeks or months.  Covid is hitting closer to home than the first six months of the pandemic.  Your rural community has a spike in cases.  Your customers have family members coming down with it.  At your companies’ local facility, several have come down with it and your office is closed.  Your own family may have a case or two. All of this is causing isolation at one of the busiest times for agribusiness sales.  Post-harvest is when producers know their yields.  They meet with their accountant to decide where to spend or not to spend.  January ushers in the show season.   However, these are all virtual for January through March.         Listen in as we learn how to help customers through isolation!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Sales Math  The 4 most important equations you need to know Sales math is a really fun version of mathematics.  It’s easy, it’s rough estimating at times and it gives you that big picture view needed to make major business decisions in your selling efforts. No accounting degree needed.  No debits and offsetting credits to confuse you.  Just basic math equations: plus, minus, multiply, divide and once in a while a percentage thrown in there. The 4 Sales Math Equations: 0 X 100 = 0:  In sales, there is a constant tug of war over margin versus sales.  If you are in charge of pricing, you may be very proud of big margins.  Yet, big margins X zero sales still equals zero.  If you are in sales and you are pushing hard to drop prices to sell more units, then the reverse of this equation is also true.  Zero margin X 100 units = zero margin.  If you want to be trusted with setting margins and growing the …         Listen in as we learn how to calculate these simple but helpful equations   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

The 7 People you meet when setting sales goals Learn how each of them can help you on your journey Last time, we discussed how you can view goal setting in regards to growing your sales.  Here’s the link to the article “Goal Setting in Sales” and the Podcast.  This article will help you understand the seven individuals we talk about today. Listen in as we discuss the Crab Pot Theory, the Aim bigger coach, the enabler, and all those internet memes you see flying through your LinkedIn or Facebook feeds         Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

How to use Goal Setting in Sales The Ladder Method versus the Mountain Any great achievement in our sales career most likely started off as a goal.  Maybe you went to the annual sales meeting and saw people on stage getting awards for their selling success.  You decided right then to make that your goal.  Maybe you decided you wanted to be a manager, VP or CEO of the company after a successful sales role. These are all great reasons to set goals.  However, if you don’t know how your mind works, those lofty dreams can crush your desire to even try. Before we dig into that last sentence, let’s review a few goal-setting quotes and thoughts. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step” “Aim for the stars” “Set your sights high, higher.  No, higher” “Quit sandbagging” “Success is built on a series of failures”         Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Go from Vendor to Member Change your mindset on who you are in your industry The shift from being a vendor in your industry to being part of your industry is a subtle, mental shift in your thinking.  However, it has a huge impact on your confidence and what you bring to your customers. Often, we consider ourselves spectators in the industry we sell into.  Since we are not grain or livestock producers, we feel almost like an outsider when it comes to our industry.  For some reason, the fact that we sell and ask for money, makes us feel as if we are not truly in the trenches of the business.  We can feel almost marginalized.  This feeling can be so strong, people don’t want to be described as salespeople.  When I begin working with sales teams, there are those on some teams who will tell me very loudly and emphatically, “I’m not in sales!  I don’t do the sales thing”.          Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

“Do what others won’t!” Two of the greatest quotes from one of the greatest leaders Last time, we went over one of the great quotes that stuck with me and can help you as you develop your selling career.  If you missed it, here’s the link “When in doubt, prospect”  also as a Podcast. The second key learning that I received from this leader was based on a discussion about success.  He had successfully managed and lead several big turn arounds in the company as well as several very difficult projects.  We discussed why he took on such challenges where so many had failed.  He gave us this career advice.  “Do what others are not willing to do”.  It was almost a throw away type comment.  He didn’t focus on it in our discussion, but it stuck with me.  Later on, I had more discussions with him on this concept.         Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

“When in Doubt, Prospect!” Two of the greatest quotes from one of the greatest leaders When you think of great quotes from great leaders, you might think of FDR, JFK, MLK, or maybe Gandhi and Churchill.  I’m sure they said some good things.  But what do they know about selling to farmers, livestock producers and agribusinesses?  Exactly; not much.  That’s why I like to reflect back on some of the great leaders and salespeople I had the privilege to be around. This particular quote resonated, stuck with me and has served me for over 20 years.  It shows the power of what you might say as a leader and what ...       Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

4 Ways to increase sales through your Coachability Skills Just how coachable are you? As a sales trainer and a sales coach, I find Coachability to be one of the most important characteristics for long term success in sales.  Good and bad times will come and go.  Customers and prospects will come and go.  Entire segments of your industry will come and go.  However, the ability to engage the four behaviors listed below will enable you to remain effective at selling.           This message is a fit for all salespeople, but mostly written for the mid-career to the more experienced sales people on the team.  The new salespeople are typically open to coaching as they begin their career.  They are well aware that they don’t know everything.  However, it’s in that mid-career (8-10 years) when we begin to think we have it all figured out.  How could ...       Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

3 Ways to get more from sales training And 3 methods to improve long-term learning       Want to get more out the next training program you attend?  Even if you think you know everything the instructor is going to talk about, you can still get more out of the program.  In many cases, you can be the one that helps guide the training session to make it a better event.  As an attendee, here are three ways you can get more from your next training session. Attend and sit in the front row: University studies done on what it takes to get better grades found there were two critical steps for getting better grades in college...........       Listen in as we learn more about how to get more from your training and how to make it Stick!   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

The most competent salesperson in the market And the 4 levels of competence        In any training workshop, there always comes a time when a bit of comedy breaks out.  The chart above seems to always draw out one of those moments.  When the subject turns to competence and consciousness, we tend to make a lot of jokes at our peer’s or manager’s expense.  The chart looks lofty and more like abstract theory.  Yet closer scrutiny reveals an interesting concept in how we learn.  And how we stop learning as we progress through our sales career. Across the board in the pre-workshop surveys and assessments, the number one motivating factor for Ag salespeople is to be most competent salesperson in their market.  Mostly, this refers to technical competence and the ability to grow the most-best crops/livestock, to be the most competent ag lender, the most knowledgeable on tractors, crop insurance, etc.  This is great and definitely part of our jobs; to be competent with our products. To achieve this level of competence, we need to have a steady diet of learning.  However, learning is a challenge at different stages of our career.  Let’s examine what happens from the beginning of our sales career, through the middle years and into the later years.  I found the Competence-Consciousness quadrants to be helpful to understand the stages of learning we go through as adults.   If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Laser Focus in Ag Sales The 3 customers who are killing your sales productivity Both light and water can be so focused that they cut through large blocks of steel.  Amazing when you think about it.  The same water that you swim in for recreation, can be focused through a high-pressure nozzle to cut steel.  The same light that you can’t even touch, can be focused to perform surgery or cut through hardened steel. As an Ag sales professional, your use of time is no different.... Listen in as we become more effective at using the most critical resource we have to offer, Our Time!     If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!    

6 Ways to Add Value when selling in Agribusiness Are you struggling to stand out and getting caught in price resistance?        Listen in today as I discuss the importance of selling on the Customer's Value     If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!

Is the on-farm salesperson essential? 2 Takeaways from the recent Farm Journal Survey        Listen in today as I discuss the recent Farm Journal Survey     If this podcast helped you on your journey to being more effective in your selling, I ask you to share it with those who might also benefit from it. Sign up for my weekly blog and podcast using the links on this page As a final request, take a look at the newest book on the market written specifically for you!    A Season for Sales:  Your Guide to Ag Sales Success  The only book written specifically for the Ag Sales Professional, by an Ag Sales Professional!