Hi, everyone, thank you for tuning in to my podcast. So, I received a question from Manjunath. He sent me an email and told me that he has a solution that he wants to market to farmers, but there are too many middlemen. He wonders if there is any way to educate the farmers directly about his solution and cut out as many such as dealers and distributors as possible.
Understand how farmers receive information
I completely understand your frustration. It would be great to talk to the buyer about your products directly. Let’s hit the core and going to the decision-makers who can make the buying decision. That sounds like a great approach. Well, there is one thing you need to do first. You need to know is how your farmer audience receives their information. You need to understand the paths they go through to receive the knowledge or get themselves educated.
Some questions that come to my mind that you need to find answers:
- Can they easily access the Internet to get the information they need?
- Do they go to some sort of local gatherings and get information by talking to other farmers?
- Do they have dealers or distributors they talk to get information from them?
I’d suggest that you talk to as many farmers as possible to learn how they get information. Then, you can determine what channels you should use to reach them. Obviously, you have a solution that you want to sell, right? Depending on the channels they use, you can determine what formats of content you want to create to reach out to them. You may use collateral, videos or personal show-and-tells.
Understand how farmers buy
Regarding your question of cutting out middlemen, I don’t think you can totally cut them out if farmers have been buying through them. Chances are that’s how they buy, I am not sure that you can change their buying behavior overnight. Rather than cutting them out, can you think of a way to leverage these middlemen and get them to be your partners and help you sell your products? Take advantage of the system instead of going against it. Understanding how farmers buy will help you determine how you can leverage the middlemen.
So, here are the key takeaways:
- Understand how your farmers receive knowledge. Document the journeys and create your content according to them. Make your content and information available to them.
- Understand how your farmers buy. Identify their touchpoints and contacts and see how you can leverage them.
I am aware that different farming communities receiving knowledge and buy products from different sources. I get its’ complicated. I’d start small and test your communications approach in a small city or area first. Talk to as many farmers as possible, determine their learning journeys and test out your content. The best marketing is grass-roots marketing. Selling products to farmers is a long play. You need to be patient and optimize your outreach as you go.
I hope I answer your question and best luck with your endeavors.
If you like the podcast, please share with your friends and colleagues, leave a review and comments on iTunes. It will mean a lot to me.
Again, if you have any questions, please send them my way.
Let’s continue to learn from each other. Have a great day!
Before you leave, make sure to check out the previous podcast episodes!
What can Pam Didner do for you?
Being in the corporate world for 20+ years and having held various positions from accounting and supply chain management, and marketing to sales enablement, she knows how corporations work. She can make you and your team a rock star by identifying areas to shine and do better. She does that through private coaching, keynote speaking, workshop training, and hands-on consulting. Contact her or find her on LinkedIn and Twitter. A quick note: Check out her new 90-Day Revenue Reboot, if you are struggling with marketing.
