A Precision Farming Dealer Staff Report

The group of precision farming professionals who participated in the roundtable covered a lot of ground, but a few key takeaways stood out. “The majority of our time was spent discussion optimization packages, specifically proactive optimization packages,” says Jaime Paquin, general manager of Reichhardt Electronic Innovations, who moderated the roundtable.

These packages can be an aftermarket product themselves, selling service to the customer. It may be a line item added to a product purchase the first time it is sold, but it can become a revenue generator that absolutely retains customers and leads to future sales. 

One takeaway from the discussion was clear — the importance of maintaining relationships to be able to support third party hardware. Events such as the Precision Farming Dealer Summit were identified as perfect opportunities to network and build relationships. Then the key is to maintain those relationships, even with competitors in order to provide solutions to your customers. 

The group agreed that seeking out quality customers over volume of customers and using the 80/20 rule to improve time management is critical. Time management not only helps the dealer but the customer as well and provides opportunities for customer retention leading to sales. 

Read full coverage of the Precision Farming Dealer Summit presentations, from how to recruit and retain precision employees, to developing a standalone precision business, to managing customers’ data, in the March 2017 issue of Farm Equipment.

Roundtable Discussion Topics

1. Precision Peer Groups: Your External Support Network
2. Tips, Tricks & Tactics for Selling Data Management Service
3. Does My Precision Ag Business Need to Have a CRM?
4. Putting on a Successful Precision Ag Field Day
5. Market Corrections: Lessons Learned During the Downturn
6. UAVs: Ready for Takeoff? Or a Grounded Technology?
7. Aftermarket Opportunities: What am I Missing? (currently viewing)
8. Where Can I Find My Next Precision Hire?
9. Bundling Service: What to Include & How to Price
10. Better Advice for Selling RTK Subscriptions
11. Probing the Moisture Sensor & Water Management Market
12. 7 Considerations for Succession Planning for a Precision Farming Business
13. Autonomy in Ag: What Role Will I Play?
14. Bridging the Hardware Gap: Adding Agronomic Services