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INDUSTRY ABM receives grant The USDA recently awarded Advanced Biological Marketing (ABM) an $80,000 grant for its innovative research in fungicides. ABM was one Marketing system BUYING AND selling agricultural chemicals can be an easier process thanks to a new Web-based service from AgChemAccess, an independent international agrochemical Service-selling tips WHEN SELLING to a customer, you must illustrate value, and to keep a customer, you must prove value over time, says John Wagner, president of AgRePlan Treat seeds for success SINCE THE INTRODUCTION of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits in corn and soybeans, ag retailers have seen a huge shift 4 ideas for coping with ASR WORK HARD to manage growers' expectations about Asian soybean rust (ASR), advises Duane Mol, chemical manager for Crop Production Services, Galesburg, Court good customers WHAT'S THE best way to keep good customers coming back and to attract new ones? Fix annoying problems The first step is to focus on frustrations, says Strip-till's profit boost AG RETAIL businesses wanting to expand sales should investigate new ways to help current customers become more profitable, says Dan Towery, ag consultant, Variable-rate review GLOBAL POSITIONING systems (GPS) and variable-rate technology (VRT) have been available to ag retailers and their farmer-customers for more than a decade Price hike for services FIGURES FROM the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicate that between the last week of February 2005 and the last week Aerial detective DEALERS INTERESTED in applying variable rates of crop inputs based on current crop conditions have another service option in 2006, courtesy of John Deere Protect valuable machinery Shrinkwrap protects idle equipment PROTECT IDLE equipment and machinery from dirt and damage with shrinkwrap. Dr. Shrink offers premium shrinkwrap in Unlimited calling THE CHATTER Bug is about the size of a computer mouse, but it has the power to provide unlimited long-distance calling in the U.S. and Canada for $9.95 The first impression Finding reputable home remodeling and repair companies is never easy, but after we decided to replace all the windows on the front of our 30-year-old Managing what you know What do we know? I might say I know my customers, but what does this mean? Do I know these people socially, and do I have deep knowledge of their business A fresh approach We need to look from the outside in to step back and reassess how we are conducting business, says retailer Tim Sanders of the DeLong Company, Clinton, The meaning of full-service dealer At a recent international conference, my Brazilian pesticide stewardship counterpart, Joao Rando of the industry-run organization inpEV, described in Win back lost customers If you could increase your chance of selling to a particular customer group by 20 to 40%, would you pursue it? According to research from Marketing Metrics, Shifting loyalties I like orange juice in the morning as part of my breakfast ritual. What made me think about that was a study done at the University of California Berkeley Urban opportunities URBANIZATION HAS contributed to the demise of some ag retail operations. But for retailers able to adapt to the changing landscape, it has opened new 3 ideas to help you keep customers THESE DAYS it's extra challenging to satisfy and keep customers, says Nancy Friedman, president, Telephone Doctor, St. Louis, MO, an international customer Complete systems THE WORD may cause some ag retailers to cringe, but not Rod Miller, seed systems manager for Crop Fertility Specialists (CFS), Rossville, IN. Miller says Dry run IN 2005, agricultural retailers confronted grower fears, procured adequate fungicide supplies and developed plans for rapid application, all for a disease Looking to lenders CROP INPUT financing programs have become as competitive as the products themselves, and all signs point to a continuation of this trend. The crop input Stay ahead of your customers WITH THE fast pace of change nowadays, identifying your customers' needs may seem like trying to hit a target moving at the speed of a Japanese bullet Memorable field days FIELD DAY season rolls around again in just a few months. Farmers will attend, knowing they will more than likely get a good meal and a seed cap. But Energy anxiety AFTER HURRICANE Katrina battered the Gulf States in August of last year and inflated the nation's energy-related prices, some ag retailers were caught Communicate 24/7 Creative agricultural retailers have learned that the Internet, once feared to be the potential source of unwanted competition from afar, has turned out 6 steps to capture customers online Most agricultural retailers have Web sites, but they rarely use them effectively as a business-building tool. That's a shame, because a Web site has the Computers don't get tired The sole purpose of Tri-State LLC, located in Fairmount, ND, is to supply either raw or blended fertilizer for other retailers. For that reason, it has Design inspiration AN EXCELLENT company Web site is much more than a billboard in cyberspace. Instead, it creates an inviting and easy-to-use environment where prospective Cherry-picked software solutions WHEN MIDLAND Co-op Inc. and Impact Cooperative Inc. became partners in 2002, the partnership, called Midland-Impact LLP, faced the challenge of integrating 3 steps in creating a company brochure WHEN YOU create a brochure for your company, the act of identifying the benefits your customer receives from your service is, in and of itself, a valuable Achiever or Struggler? THE FUTURE of agriculture is likely to look dramatically different in the next 10 years, says David Kohl, professor emeritus, agricultural finance and Courting the young customer Ag retailers trying to determine how to sell to their younger customers should not make assumptions about their motivations or buying habits. Some [young It's not all about you According to business speaker and coach Donald Cooper, most businesses make the mistake of defining themselves by what they sell and by how they do business 5 ways to build referrals How can I get more referrals? is a question that Colleen Francis, president of Engage Selling Solutions, a sales training company based in Ottawa, Ontario Covering new ground Venturing into new markets can have its ups and downs. Some ag retailers have successfully added lawn and garden or hobby farmer product lines, for example Contract savvy As more products with valuable output traits come out of the crop technology pipeline, so, too, should come new opportunities for ag retailers and growers. Free online course APPLY'S SISTER publication Delta Farm Press has launched a free online course providing one continuing education unit (CEU) for American Society of Agronomy Preserving identity MANY CONTRACTS that retailers make with processors to deliver specialty grains specify that the retailers must have identity-preserved (IP) capabilities, Win free seed GARST SEED Company is celebrating its 75th anniversary in the seed business by giving away 75 acres of free Garst brand seed corn to 75 growers. Growers