Read this article on CRM in the agricultural industry. What is the benefit of adding CRM as an approach to business? How did the banking and agricultural industry meet business objectives using CRM?
When dealing with the resale of agricultural machines, the marketing strategies are generally focused on the product; as they are convinced that their product is the real differential between it and that of the competitors, it is advisable to establish their own information database, including information that is more relevant to the agricultural machinery sector and the area served by the concessionaire. It is not easy to create, maintain and update a database of the existing and potential customers. It should be started with the insertion of the data regarding the clients from a municipality, a specific area or a single vendor. Gradually, all the customers will get included.
It is crucial to update and train all the staff to enable them to utilize the database. If merely collection of the existing information is the goal, and planning its use does not feature in the plan, then the time and money invested in creating the database are wasted. In the scenario of the resale of agricultural machinery, the data is gathered principally through the sellers. The salespeople have the most contact with and the confidence of the customers. Sellers should be in a position to bring in the initial information required for first creating the database and then updating it.
A log must be created to record the vendors' visits and calls. All the new information in the database must be entered by them, for which they must be rewarded. The important farmers in the region serviced by the seller must be identified and investigated; sellers may also be given incentives for focusing on the farmers who may be the wealthiest, most influential or those who more frequently make changes in their implements.
By implementing CRM and through the commitment of all the employees at all levels of the company to this strategy, it is feasible to get to know and segment the clients. It then becomes easier to plan and systematize all the contacts made and followed up with these clients, and maintain a history of the conversations with them and a record of the employees' perceptions of them. These communications enabled the company to know if the customer is satisfied with the products and services it offers, and if the company has met the customer's expectations. This can also help to raise the degree of trust a customer reposes in the company, by maintaining contact and evincing concern with the lived experiences between client and company.
Creating an agribusiness customer information base offers several significant benefits. One advantage is that because this sector depends greatly on human capital, which is migratory, the information stored becomes useful. Most frequently, companies in this industry lose information on the history of the customer and his purchases when a seller or representative neglects to serve a particular area. Therefore, when a database is set up and records the customer contact history, including basic information like contact address and phone number, even a simple glance through a visitation journal will afford the company some information; however, minimum, which would encourage it to continue its strategy, and provide the customer his needs, and meet his expectations.
Post-sale follow-up is another noteworthy aspect while planning and implementing CRM in an agricultural machinery dealership. All data on the customers and their purchases need to be stored in the system, in addition to the first usage impressions (which must be gathered by the vendor after periodically accessing it, post-sale) and the maintenance history. Resale must be a proactive process and the customer must be accessed at the specified time of preventive maintenance, constantly updating the customer's judgment on the product. These steps must be taken with the intention of bolstering the image of resale as a problem solver, rather than it being recalled to memory only at the point of exchange of machinery. According to OLKOSKI et al. regarding the case study of a car dealership, the post-sale was perceived as the significant factor in customer loyalty. The data of the concessionaire highlighted the fact that the customer could be periodically accessed at suitable times, which are normally when the clients change their cars or when preventive maintenance is required.