Case Study

Optimizing Sales Through Contract Sales Teams

Overview

The crop protection landscape is becoming increasingly crowded, while the acres in production agriculture remain relatively flat. This combination has made identifying and creating needs, and responding to marketplace opportunities, more critical than ever.

Our client’s portfolio had expanded rapidly over the prior few years, creating more opportunities (and work) for the sales force. This contract sales program was developed to expand the customer reach and maintain more consistent contact with key retailers.

The Challenges

Ease the burden on the client’s sales force by centralizing administration of a temporary, contract sales force who will support overall company sales and marketing goals.
Extend the reach and frequency of the client’s sales force.
Strengthen the relationship between the client, the client sales representatives, and retail customers utilizing a virtual sales support team.

The Goal

The goal of this program is to assist the client’s sales force by providing additional “boots on the ground.” Our duty is to conduct customer calls to help build awareness of and demonstrate the need for the client’s products.

Solution

AgCall's strategic recommendation included:

Recruit, train, and hire six contract sales Associates for high-opportunity, low-penetration territories.
Centralize administration of temporary sales employees to support overall sales and marketing goals.
Contract AgCall Associates part-time (400-800 hrs/yr) based on crop protection sales experience and agronomic background.
Select Associates with expertise in agriculture and cropping systems within targeted regions.
Assign a dedicated AgCall project manager to lead and coordinate the team, ensuring project needs are met.

The Associates involved in this program had an average of 35 years of crop protection sales experience at the distributor, retailer, and/or manufacturer level. The team was tasked with a variety of activities, including educating customers, managing customer/grower events, monitoring test plots, setting up trials, gathering market intelligence and managing product performance inquiries.

Results

Client sales reps were able to track and attribute increases in sales directly to the team. Notable accomplishments:

Product sales among four large retailer groups increased by more than $500,000.
Associate influenced approx. 17,000 acres in sales of a new herbicide product.
Associate conducted a product mixing demonstration with several growers and secured orders for 2,600 acres of product.
Based on its success, the engagement became a multi-year effort.

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