Market agents and buyers

Market agents are taught from day one that the producer is their main client – and rightly so. It’s the producer who pays their commission. But what about the other side of the coin – the buyer?

- Advertisement -

It used to be common practice for market agents to call on their buyers at their place of business. This helped to build relationships and smooth the way for future sales.

I know of a few market agents who still do this, but through my training sessions I have found that far too many young salespeople ignore this important part of their jobs.

This does not imply that market agents don’t communicate with buyers. They are constantly on their cellphones, discussing potential offerings to their buyers. But the fact remains: there’s no beating the personal touch of a courtesy call.

- Advertisement -

Makes sense
Without buyers, there would be no sales. It therefore makes good business sense to allocate a sizeable percentage of time to buyers and their needs. As a farmer I would like to know my agent is doing this. Calling on a buyer will help the agent to better understand the buyer’s business and requirements.

It’s also an effective way of promoting the brands or producers that the agents represents. I always tell my students that calling on a buyer could be as simple as ‘popping in’ on your way home in the afternoon. Or it could mean making an appointment and calling on a buyer at his business in a distant town.

Market agents constantly travel to visit farmers – why not stop in the local town and chat with the buyers who support your market?

Plan your visits
A lack of time is no excuse. There is enough time; you simply need good planning in order to include one or two buyers in your business trips. A market needs as many buyers as possible. It is the buyers who not only purchase the products but contribute to determining the price in a free market.

The more buyers, the better the competition, the better the price determination and, ultimately, the better the sales!
Getting to know your buyers is part of an agent’s service to both buyer and producer.