34 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2017 HOW MANY AG sales reps forecasted a sales increase this year? All of them. How many will actually achieve that goal? Less than 5 percent. Why? Because the other 95 percent will not use the No. 1 secret to achieving their sales goals every year — the calendar. After my first few years selling seed, I decided that working so hard to achieve my sales goal was either going to kill me, destroy my family, or both. I found that reacting to what someone else wanted me to do took me away from what I needed to be doing. I discovered that every day on the calen- dar that did not have my name on it, didn’t belong to me. It was free for the taking by anyone who wanted it, whenever they wanted it. For example, a meeting would be called on a day that I had originally planned, in my head, to go out pros- pecting. Since my plan was not on the calendar, I went to the meeting, giving up an entire day planned for selling. Also, often a customer would call me with a problem and want me to come to see him. Since I had not committed that day on my calendar, I’d say yes. If his call wasn’t an emergency, and I already had that day planned on my calendar, I could have offered him a different day. Instead, I’d let him take that day from me. Once I realized that the secret to achieving my sales goal was controlling my calendar, I never missed another goal again. Before they start each sales year, why haven’t 21st -century ag leaders insisted their entire sales team possess a fully- planned calendar, filled with unchange- able actions designed to generate sales? Why 95 Percent of Sellers Will Miss Their Sales Goals This Year ROD OSTHUS R.C. THOMAS COMPANY PRESIDENT @RodOsthus • rod@rcthomas.com • rcthomas.com Why haven’t they scheduled every meet- ing for the upcoming year that will effec- tively divert those field reps from selling before the selling season ever starts? Ag sellers need to be protected from themselves. They have an aversion to planning their days, weeks, months or years in advance. I get all kinds of excuses from them not being able to plan, ranging from sudden changes in weather, to custom- ers who have last-second needs. But there are no legitimate excuses. Time is not spelled t-i-m-e, it’s spelled m-o-n-e-y. They need to wake up and use the No. 1 tool to sales growth and profit — the calendar. WHETHER YOU’RE A business execu- tive, agronomy technician or weekend war- rior, if you have a major activity in the works, it’s helpful to do a mental walkthrough in the time leading up to it. During this walkthrough, envision how you expect things to play out and your reaction to the events. Then, reflect on it: What could happen differently than envi- sioned? How would you react if it went differently? What can you do to preempt both foreseen and unforeseen problems? These mental walkthroughs are impor- tant because they help you to mitigate risk and to develop Plan B. The mental walkthrough allows you to “experience” and “solve” potential issues before they happen. I serve as a facilitator at a community- based leadership academy in my home- town. I typically facilitate a session on planning, and we talk extensively about the concept of a mental walkthrough. The basic premise for this “lesson” is that to move forward effectively and efficiently, you must know the costs involved. This includes not just currency but also time, people and other resources. If you don’t know at least the basics of what should happen, you might find yourself in a worri- some situation. For researchers and trial managers, I recommend using this same exercise prior to planting season, harvest and any other important project. Since harvest is just around the corner, let’s focus there. First, picture the ideal harvest season. Harvesting gets started right on time, there are no weather delays, and no equipment issues. All the data you need is collected without issue, and everyone is relaxed and ready to move on to the next project. Sounds perfect! But, since we don’t live in a perfect world, we need to envision something a little different. Imagine that harvest gets underway, How to Hit a Curve Ball TAMRA BOUCHER HALDRUP USA MANAGING DIRECTOR tamra.boucher@haldrup.net • haldrup.net and then the issues start. One of your staff members misses three days of work. Then the rain starts. A full week later, you are ready to get back at it and you run into mechanical equipment issues. Now it’s a whole new ball game. How do you react? How does this impact the rest of your harvest? What does this do to your costs? The questions can go on and on, but it’s important to have asked them in advance and have a plan. This allows you to best control the things you can and be prepared for those you cannot. Inevitably, something will happen that you didn’t plan for; likewise, a problem you anticipated won’t happen. Using the mental walkthrough will better prepare you to respond because you will feel as if you have already experienced and dealt with the curve balls that are coming your way. Stay poised; the sooner you identify it, the easier it is to knock that curve ball out of the park.