Remember all those brainstorming sessions where the leader told you to “think outside the box”? Leaving the conference room, you were often directed to “color inside the lines.” Oh! And remember to “stay in your lane.”
The problem with being asked to “think outside the box” is that much of the time, the box works. It’s safe. It can be boring. But it does the job.
2025 Will Be Tough on Farmers
2025 is going to be a tough one in agriculture. It’s probably the best time for us to think outside the box, stick our noses out of the fence, and see what other solutions are out there. In other words, it’s a great time for market research (hint, hint).
Great market research can help identify other solutions or needs you didn’t know existed. Let’s face it: We are all doing the best job we know how. Sometimes a boss comes along and gives us a new path or idea; sometimes a consultant actually knows a thing or two. And sometimes a fresh perspective is all we need.
Listening to Your Customers
Listening to your customers and prospects provides that new way of looking at things most times. It has to be done the right way, of course. Most people don’t listen; they are too busy thinking of what they are going to say next. I’ve seen marketers and engineers get defensive or dismissive when talking to customers, and believe me, that shuts a farmer right down.
Farmers don’t need to persuade marketers and engineers. They make their own decisions. Sometimes they make their own equipment. Sometimes they go down the street to the next supplier. They don’t want to do that. It makes their lives harder, when being heard could have made their lives easier.
Let Us Stick Our Noses through the Fence
I like sticking my nose through the fence, exploring the needs and beliefs of the farmers I talk to. Everybody has a story – you just have to be able to draw it out. Everybody wants to tell their story – they just need to be heard.
If you’ve got the inclination but not the time, let Millennium Research stick its nose out for you. You’ll be surprised what’s going on out there.
Get in Touch
If you’re struggling to understand what farmers need right now, get in touch.
If you liked Putting Our Noses through the Fence, you should also read:
Farmers Make It Work
Farmers are skeptical, because you see, they have to “make it work,” to coin a Project Runway phrase. If what they are doing is successful, they are not going to jump at the newest idea. They’ve seen too many so-called revolutionary products come and go. Some of these products – after years of hype – have fallen flat right out of the gate. Farmers are also very careful about who they take advice from and can take apart performance data from the get-go. Read more.
Farmers Are an Endangered Species
Most people can’t stand a lot of stress. Farming is full of it. Farmers are some of the best people I’ve seen at understanding what they can and can’t control, and letting go of the past, good or bad. They can remember every season like the back of their hand but still have somehow gotten to the stage of acceptance. Some tell me they would have a heart attack otherwise.
How to Build Relationships with Farmers
Farmers want relationships. To them, relationships are real important. How do you start and build relationships?
Talk. Ask questions. Be genuine.
If you live in a big city, the world is transactional. You don’t see the same checker at the grocery store every week (if you see one at all); you don’t see your insurance agent at the Rotary meeting; you can go to church and not talk to a soul. Read more.
