Episode 176, Seeds or Weeds. Grow your business like a farmer.

Simplify Your Sales and Business meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She has over 35 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to motivate and inspire your sales team.

 

Episode 176, Seeds or Weeds. How learning to plant crops like a farmer is good for your business.

 

Are you a farmer? 

Farmers know and understand that if they want a crop, they have to plant seeds. If they don't plant, they won't get a crop. No seeds, no crop. Real simple. The same is for our business. Every day we must plant seeds in the minds of our clients and new prospects. 

 

It takes focus and time to grow our Crop of clients. The best kinds of seeds to plant are the ones you want to grow! What are you looking to achieve in your business? Increased sales? Repeat customers? No matter what you are looking to achieve, always plant seeds of value. Be and offer value to your current and future clients.

 

While the old analogy, "what you sow is what you reap," probably comes to mind, you might wonder what we can learn from digging in the dirt. 

 

The similarities and processes but also in the mindset needed to be successful. Your ideal clients now have plenty of options and access to the information that will help them make that choice. If you want them to choose you, give them a good reason to pick you. You do this by building relationships and establishing trust. 

 

Here are six business stages we have in common with farmers.

 

Planting Stage

Long before you begin planting, you must plan it out. You must identify the ideal crops you want to plant. Who is the perfect customer for you to focus your efforts and time? Remember, we want to work with companies with the resources to implement your recommendations.  

A client that we can help meet their business needs. We don't want to throw down any little seeds. We want to plant seeds that will create a large harvest. I recommend taking the time to discover your ideal customer and create a system or plan to connect with them.

 

Hold yourself accountable for what needs to get done for the day.

When planning your days, ensure you understand the tasks you'll be doing and what it will take to complete them. Put the most important tasks at the top and the least at the bottom.

 

The hardest thing about growing our business is the time it takes. Day-to-day business can get in the way of achieving long-term growth goals. As you begin, ensure you have a strategy to keep your vision focused.  

 

Preparation Stage

The preparation stage in farming includes collecting all the tools and seeds you would need to carry out your plan. What have you discovered as a reason for a client to converse with you? What research or industry trends can you share with them that could impact their business? Why should they buy your Crop? How can buying your Crop will help them?

 

Seeding Stage

How do you stay top of mind in your client's mind? When you have finished planning and prepping your farm, it is time to plant the seeds. You have to keep planting seeds as to how you can help them. It's a process that takes time to build trust and nurture relationships. Most crops need a growing season of at least 90 days. The growing season can last the entire year. It takes an average of 8-10 attempts to connect when looking for new clients. Remember that most people we call on may be happy with their current vendor.  

 

One way to market your Crop or get noticed is through video. Video is an excellent way to give your ideal clients a sense of who you are and how you can help them.

 

Maintenance Stage

We have planted, and now is the time to maintain our farms. The weeds are the things that are getting in our way of farming our business. We may have to get rid of the weeds. 

 

One major weed is our digital distractions.

It is easy to be distracted by our phone, laptop, or computer notifications.

Digital devices have become more and more of a distracting force. 

 

Here are a few strategies to stay weed free.

• Screen your phone calls and answer only essential calls
• Organize and schedule uninterrupted focus time
• Check your email at set times. Answering emails throughout the day can be a time-draining activity. Avoid checking your email too many times. It is easy to get sucked into a problem that can wait until your current task is complete.

 

Harvesting Stage

You have put the work in, and now it's harvest time. Stay close to current clients with intentional touch points by scheduling time on your calendar to meet with them and continue to help them with their business needs. Once you have developed a relationship and established the trust of your ideal clients, you will be the person they turn to when they need someone who does what you do.

 

While some people will be ready to buy immediately, some may need more time and communication, especially if it is a more significant investment. It is so important to keep planting new crops/ clients. Keep in mind that some crops go bad, or in our cases, clients cancel and select another vendor. 

 

 

Analyzing Stage

Like farming, sales require us to continually evaluate and fine-tune our plans and processes. The most successful farmers always take the time to analyze what worked and didn't at the end of each season. This process of analyzing allows the farmer to tweak their plan to ensure they are even more fruitful next season. We, too, must learn from all our experiences to grow our clients more quickly. We must be flexible, willing, and able to adapt as necessary to keep your business relevant and profitable.

 

Just like farming, no instant miracle grow will take you from seed to fruit. It requires dedication and devotion that will create a successful crop. You must be consistent, dedicated, patient, and attentive, planning for long-term success.

 

The hardest thing about growing our business is the time it takes. As you begin, ensure you have a strategy to keep your vision focused on developing new clients daily.

 

Learn more about Simplifying Your sales meetings using 3-word topics at http://www.threewordmeetings.com.