Business-Building Action from Terry Brock
I often say that relationship marketing is very much like farming. That is why I use the term “Relationship Farming” to refer to what you and 
I go through in the course of building relationships for business.
A farmer needs to conduct several steps in the process of farming. These steps include:
- Study the market.
- Study the soil.
- Till the soil.
- Sow the seeds.
- Water the seeds.
- Fertilizer the seeds.
- Protect the growing seedling from dangerous weather.
- Protect the growing seedling from dangerous predators.
- Take care to ensure optimal growth.
- Harvest.
That is a lot of work for the farmer. In each of those steps there is a metaphorical step that you and I will take in business. In this article I want to focus on the Importance of step number four, sowing the seeds.
Any salesperson or entrepreneur knows that you must sow a lot of seeds. In order to get results these seeds must be sewn in the right soil and they need proper care and nurturing. You don’t get to harvest immediately after sowing seeds.
But there’s also a problem. What about those times when you sow the seeds but they are wasted? You put all the time, money, and energy into selling those seeds and then nothing happens. They turn into “wasted seeds.”
It is disappointing that you have put so much time and effort into the venture but nothing happened. I would submit that you have not wasted your time, your money, or your energy. “How is that?,” you might ask.
This feeling has been reflected by many, including the late, great John Wanamaker who said:
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
John Wanamaker, US department store merchant (1838 – 1922)
I submit that the “seeds” you planted were not wasted, if you handle it right. Yes, you lost the value of those seeds and will not see their fruit in harvest. However, you can learn valuable information from the efforts that you put into sewing those seeds. You can learn what you did wrong. Successful sales people learn from their mistakes so that they don’t replicate those same mistakes in the future.
Think about those sales that you’ve lost. What went wrong? Are you keeping a journal so that you can track what happened? It is good to think about it yourself and keep a record of this.
It can be even more valuable to hear from others what went wrong. If you have colleagues with whom you’re jointly involved in the sales process, always hold a debriefing session to understand why it succeeded or why didn’t succeed.
Even better, if you can find out from the prospect who turned you down why they turned you down, it can be very beneficial. Often they will give a subterfuge answer and not the real reason. That’s okay also. Read between the lines so that you can get more information and learn more about this prospect. That information can help to begin a better relationship in the future.
Even if nothing comes from that direct prospect now or anytime in the future you can still avoid “wasting the seeds.” If you learn from the experience, you have simply paid the course tuition in the school of relationship farming.
Turn every setback and lost sale into a powerful learning lesson and you’ll never go wrong. Keep learning. Keep planting. Keep cultivating mutually-beneficial relationships in business.
All the best,
Terry
Terry Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE
Member, Professional Speaker Hall of Fame
Certified Speaking Professional
www.TerryBrock.com
Terry@TerryBrock.com
+1-407-363-0505
@TerryBrock
Facebook.com/MarketerTerryBrock
