Case Study

FarmCall® Programs

Overview

According to USDA reports, there were nearly 6 million acres of wheat grown in Montana in 2014, 2.5 million of which was winter wheat.

Our client had two customer-facing sales people covering the entire state, whose primary focus was on building relationships at the seed house level.

With the introduction of a new two-gene technology, our client identified a need to provide education at the grower level, but needed more resources beyond their two reps.

The Challenges

Historically, this client’s crop protection system had been a product used to fix a specific problem, like cheatgrass or feral rye, and the perception was that these varieties did not perform as well as conventional varieties.
The latest of the seed varieties manufactured by the client, which use two-gene as opposed to single-gene technology, performed as well, if not better, than conventional wheat varieties, indicating need for improved education at the grower level.

The Goal

Extend the reach of the client’s limited sales force to build relationships at the grower level.

Solution

Boost demand and double seed variety acres in Montana from 300,000 to 600,000 in 2015.
Provide local insights to influence customer purchase behavior for the client's wheat technology.
Reinforce the client's image as a grower partner.
Increase sales, market share, and customer satisfaction.
Support agronomic solutions team in converting competitor acres.
Build and enhance grower relationships in Montana.
Continue capturing customer information and market data.

The strategic recommendation from AgCall to accomplish the client’s goals was to implement a three-phase approach

Phase 1

Conduct 400 FarmCall sales visits to introduce and promote the client’s wheat varieties and support its products – including email follow up.

Phase 2

600 phone calls to follow up as a second touch point and promote other relevant products from the client.

Phase 3

Measure the success of the program by contacting (via phone) a representative sample (25%–30%) of growers, after use, to determine purchase quantities, product satisfaction, future intentions, etc., reporting on overall program.

Results

Captured planting history and intentions for nearly 687,000 acres of winter and spring wheat.
Captured commitments for 95,055 acres of client winter wheat varieties and 16,354 acres of spring wheat.

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