The SalesPartners Florida Blog
To be sustainable, you have to understand what you’re cultivating.
Some crops, like massive fields of grain, are harvested mechanically with combines. A lot of fruits and vegetables, like these cantaloupes, are still harvested by hand. Some, like $4000 Japanese mangos, are harvested gingerly and laid on velvet pillows. Others, like...
People that say they don’t have any competition are delusional
Sure, they could indeed be that elusive category of one. Have some patents on a truly novel product. Have no direct competitors. But there is always competition. Seed companies are always coming out with new varieties. Sweet corn, for example... "There is no one else...
“I only work through referrals,” is not the flex you think it is.
Referrals are great. By far the lowest cost of acquisition of any client. Sales cycles are faster, and conversion rates are higher. And most people understand why. Whether from a client or trusted referral partner, they are lending you their trust and credibility with...
We often try to propagate sales by asking for referrals.
I saw a lady complain about her tiny pineapple the other day. She had grown it from the top of a pineapple she bought - and in so should be commended. It's a two-year process. But she didn't seem to understand why it was so small compared to the one she had originally...
How, and who, can you uniquely serve today?
Differentiation isn't just key to positioning and branding. It's key to what you offer and how you serve the marketplace. What is your unique value? Who can you best service because of your specific combination of talents, knowledge, skills, and experiences? There are...
How long have you been cultivating opportunities?
It literally took 100,000 years for our ancestors to go from nomadic hunter-gatherers to farmers. And yet in the 10,000 years since, we've left the planet and uncovered the smallest particles that makeup reality. Because the people who did those things didn't have to...
You have to plant even when conditions aren’t right, because the window of opportunity is closing
This happened to dad with green beans this year. A super wet September meant they had to be planted in mud. It was risky, and this time it didn't work out. So now it's replanting and running the risk of frost before Thanksgiving... But those are calculated risks. Then...
Your brand is not a differentiator. What it represents in the minds of your prospective clientele is
Something safe, something they can trust, but ultimately, a brand represents an easy choice. A small health-food startup can easily differentiate from McDonald's. But only with a certain audience. For Sally, the over-stressed soccer mom with a car full of kids that...
Why will some people never be able to get value from your offer?
Because it's not moving the needle they need to have moved. First, an allegorical rant about hydroponics... I laugh and then get aggravated at these videos glorifying indoor hydroponics farms. Not because they're not awesome. They are absolutely incredible and should...
Ratings, Reviews, References, and Testimonials are bull$h… I mean organic fertilizer.
It's a common practice to apply fertilizers as you prepare the soil, before you plant, and then again as your crop begins to grow. However, what's needed more at different times is important to understand. Many plants need more Phosphorus early on to put on strong...
People pay for problems to be solved…
Their problems. Things that cause them some level of psychological, emotional, mental, or physical pain. Removing things that inflict and aggravate. Fulfilling unmet desires. Avoiding anxiety. Marketing and Sales are often maligned because they position solutions to...
Don’t plant in mud (generally).
Water to seed is like social credibility to a sale. And everyone down to preschoolers knows that when you plant a seed, you have to water it. Seeds need moisture. They absorb it from the soil around them, and it sets off a series of amazing biochemical reactions that...
What kind of fertilizer should I use in my garden?
"What kind of marketing should I use in my business?" is kind of like asking, "What kind of fertilizer should I use in my garden?" I get asked these kinds of questions a lot. And I'm usually happy to oblige. You can't escape a degree in agriculture education. Folks...
Sometimes you have to thin your opportunities.
On the small scale the farm produces fall sweet corn, we just use a push planter. The wheels turn a plate that picks up a seed and drops it into the hole. But if you get the wrong plate, you won't drop enough seeds, or you'll drop too many at once. That's what...
Beware of the environmental blocks to closing sales
On the farm you can get in a bind - you haven't moved the produce you have on hand, and so you put off harvesting for a day. With things like okra and zucchini, you can do that for a day at most. Any longer and those #1's (top quality, highest price) have become...