Category: Grow your Business

Producer meetings are an integral part of your business for several reasons. They provide information, allow for camaraderie among people
of like minds and interests and perhaps most importantly, they give dealers the chance to offer support to their customers.

People like to know that they are appreciated. Furthermore, customers like to know that they are valued as a customer when taking their business to a particular company or brand. Beyond the appreciation factor, customers want to know that support will be available to them after the sale.

That’s where producer meetings add value, they are the continued support after the sale and the beginning of a great conversation that will start the support prior to a sale (see Know Your Customer for more). Read up on three ways that a producer meeting can offer support.

Discover Customer Needs

One of the best things about a producer meeting is that you gather your customers together collectively and find out their goals and needs at the same time. If you are in a drought area, many will obviously have the same concerns. Some customers will have unique goals that you will need to address individually, but coming together in a meeting setting, providing a meal and inquiring about your customers’ goals for the year shows that you care, and you appreciate them.

Exchange Ideas

Since you have this group together, encourage them to share ideas. This shouldn’t be a problem; it’s just a larger gathering of their local coffee shop chatter. Remember, if you have potential customers at your meeting, it is a good idea to have some of your most progressive customers prepared to speak about the products that work for them to help reach their goals. After all, most producers want to be like the guy or gal that is highly respected in the area for having a successful operation. Make sure what these spokespeople have to say is genuine and doesn’t come across as rehearsed, or it could be a turn off.

Introduce New Products

Finally, make sure you talk about any new or improved products that you know are coming down the pipe or any new services you will be offering, especially if they will help your customers reach their goals. Be sure to share the key benefits, any key ingredients and any research that you are aware of. Of course, if it is a product that includes Amaferm®, it is always good to provide a refresher on the Amaferm advantage.

Customer support and appreciation goes a long way. It can often be the difference between repeat customers and unhappy customers. Make sure to host a productive producer meeting that shows that you are available to your customers. Show them the support they are looking for and watch your business grow!

Producer meetings serve multiple purposes. They are a great way to interact with customers and meet potential customers. They serve as an educational tool and a way to say thank you. However, did you know that they can also help you meet your sales goals?

That’s right. Producer meetings can help you meet or exceed your sales goals. There is no better time to ask for the sale than when customers and potential customers are excited about the products. Perhaps you had your ASM or someone from BioZyme come in and speak at your meeting. Or, even better, maybe you had some local, loyal customers share about their results with the products you offer. That will get the other attendees excited, because if the products work for XYZ Customer who everyone in the tri-county area strives to be like, then it is likely to generate interest in those same products at your meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting, offer pre-order discounts for products that were discussed at the meeting. Make sure these discounts are attractive enough to make them worthwhile to the customer, but still at a level where you will be profitable. If you are taking bulk orders, the sales should help you meet your sales goals.

1. Clearly Outline Pre-order Terms: The night of the producer meeting announce the pre-order opportunity to your customers. Make it exciting and let them know they are the first customers to have this opportunity, which makes it even more exclusive. Let them know how much they owe up front, and that they can’t back out of the order once it has been placed.
2. Offer a Discount: Who doesn’t like a good deal? Offer a discount for their pre- order business! Perhaps their discount is one or two percentages greater than the discount you will run in the store the next week since they took the time to attend your dealer meeting.
3. Create a Deadline: All good things must come to and end, and so do these specials. Maybe you run the special for two weeks or through the end of the month. Whatever deadline you decide, stick to you, but make sure you announce it to everyone through your advertising and marketing efforts and stick to it. When the pre-order deadline closes, it is over.
4. Follow up: If you have customers at the Producer Meeting who are on the fence about the products and are not sure about making a pre- order, follow up with them with a simple phone call or better yet, stop in and visit with them. See if they have any questions and if they are ready to try the product. Remind them there is no better time to try it than when it is on sale!

Yes, Producer Meetings might serve as a great source for education and fellowship, but they can also help you meet your goals.