Are You a Cultivator or a Harvester? > NetSparsh - Viral Content you Love & Share

Home
>
Sales
>
Are You a Cultivator or a Harvester?

Are You a Cultivator or a Harvester?

As a result of providing marketing consulting, training and coaching to a variety of individuals and industries over the years, I have come to recognize that people generally approach the business building process in one of two ways. Everyone tends to be what I identify as either Cultivators or Harvesters. The problem is the business building process requires both cultivation and harvesting. Read on to determine which you are and how to assure that you are both cultivating and harvesting new business.

Harvesters are the great sales people of the world. These are the people that don't mind, may even enjoy, spending two or three hours a day cold calling. They willingly spend a day starting at the first floor of an office building and visiting every office on every floor to try and get an appointment. Harvesters will close business. However, they also tend to leave a lot of green fruit on the tree because their approach is geared towards those individuals who have a need now and are willing and able to purchase ? the so called low hanging fruit. Harvesters tend to move from orchard to orchard seeking out and picking whatever fruit is ripe at the time. They are constantly seeking out a new orchard that might have ripe fruit.

Cultivators tend to rely on the other elements of the promotional mix such as advertising, direct mail, networking and public relations activities to develop business. Cultivators prepare the soil, plant the seeds, nurture the seedlings, and provide care to the fruit as it ripens. They grow their own orchards so they have an ongoing supply of ripe fruit. However, Cultivators sometimes are so busy tending to the orchard that they forget to pick the fruit, leaving it either for the Harvesters as they make their daily rounds or to rot on the tree.

Clearly, in an ideal world the Cultivators and the Harvesters would work together to assure a constant supply of ripe fruit and to be sure that the ripe fruit is picked daily before a competitor picks it or it spoils. That is why in large corporations you will find both a marketing function and a sales function. However, most small businesses don't have the luxury of two separate functions. Many small business owners have to both cultivate and harvest new business as well as oversee or even implement the myriad of other functions required to keep a business going.

The purchase decision involves a process of moving from unawareness to awareness, awareness to preference or liking and finally to conviction and purchase. Promotional activities such as advertising and direct mail are most effective in the awareness building stage. Public relations activities and networking tend to be most powerful in the preference and liking stage. Direct selling tends to be the activity that actually closes sales.

Blair Singer in his book Sales Dogs says "The more marketing you do, the less selling effort you have to deal with. Prospects put up their hands and come looking for you instead of your having to sniff them out. It's the art of having sales opportunities come to you" In effect what he is saying is the more effort you put into cultivating your orchard, the less time you have to spend out looking for fruit in other people's orchards. The challenge for Cultivators is to make sure they call on the prospect once they've raised their hand.

If you're a Harvester how can you develop cultivation skills? · Implement activities to develop awareness that allow you to reach many potential customers in less time than it would take you to reach each one individually.

. For example send out a predetermined number of letters each week to prospective customers you have not met and that may not yet be aware of your product or service.

· Develop systematic ways to stay in contact with prospects that are not currently ready to purchase such as a regular newsletter.

· Develop credibility through active involvement or a leadership role in a trade association or organization that your potential customers are involved in.

If you are a Cultivator how can you assure you are harvesting the rewards of your work?

· Initiate one-on-one follow-up when someone expresses interest. Don't expect even very interested people to follow-up with you.

· Don't approach the initial meeting as a "sales" meeting. Rather than trying to sell, use the initial meeting as an opportunity to really learn about the prospects, their problems and their needs.

· Learn to love objections. If someone has an objection to your product or service at least they have an interest. An objection is easier to deal with than a lack of interest any day.

· Rethink your attitude toward closing a sale. Think of it as gaining commitment for an action.

If you are a Cultivator, the harvest will never be your favorite time of the growing season. If you are a Harvester you will never relish the work it takes to grow and ripen the fruit. However, successfully building new business requires both.

Julie Chance is president of Strategies-by-Design, a Dallas-based marketing consulting firm specializing in marketing programs including marketing coaching for professional service providers and specialty retailers. If you are interested in additional information about how to develop more leads, turn those leads into loyal customers, and obtain a greater return from your marketing investment, Julie invites you to sign-up for their free marketing tips newsletter at http://www.strategies-by-design.com.

In The News:

Large-screen TV sales soar up to 100% as World Cup fever grips fans MoneycontrolConsumer electronics makers as Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic have reported up to 100 pc jump in sales of large-screen TVs (55-inch and above) ...

7 Ways Sales Teams Can Set Better Goals Harvard Business ReviewMost sales forces use sales goals to focus attention on what's important and give salespeople direction about what to do. Goals energize people and encourage ...

Maruti Suzuki Alto Leads Segment Despite Massive Drop In Monthly Demand In May 2019 CarDekhoThe entry-level hatchback segment saw a major dip in sales in May with a nearly 22 per cent drop in MoM demand.

Toyota Fortuner Retains Top Spot In Premium & Large SUV Segment In May 2019 CarDekhoWhile the entire auto industry is struggling, the large SUV sales have seen a growth of 7.7 per cent in the month of May.

This week in Auto: India watches as China EV sales cool down; car sales slump by 21% MoneycontrolHere's a list of all the major developments in the auto space.

Father's Day 2019: Best Sales and Deals to Celebrate Your Dad at Walgreens, Home Depot, T-Mobile and Sears NewsweekJune 16 marks Father's Day—the one day of the year that you can celebrate the old man, or men, if your life. To help you with gifts, Newsweek has scoured the ...

Automobile sales drop 7.5% YoY in May 2019, two-wheeler worst hit: FADA Business StandardAutomobile retail sales dropped by 7.5 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in May 2019 to 17,71,920 units from 19,14,795 units in May 2018. Earlier this week, the ...

Real estate index gains the most as sales volume picks up pace LivemintNew launches under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act have seen a sharp rise, leading to higher sales.The once unorganized real estate sector is ...

Tata Harrier, Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV500 Demand Drops In May 2019. Is This The MG Hector Effect? CarDekhoAll SUVs except the Tata Hexa registered a drop in month on month sales.

Strong Retail Sales Report Counting Upward Revisions MishTalkThe May retail sales number missed expectations slightly but the Census Bureau upgraded April from -0.2% to +0.3%.

Cars, trucks worst hit as auto sales race downhill in May LivemintTumbling auto sales in May reinforce the gloom surrounding auto firms. Data released by the Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers Ltd on Tuesday ...

Maruti Ciaz sales surpass Hyundai Verna and Honda City in May 2019 RushLaneAmong the C Segment sedans, Maruti Ciaz, Hyundai Verna and Honda City scored at the top 3 position in terms of sales in May 2019, controlling more than 80 ...

Production cuts restrict decline in retail sales of vehicles to 7.5% in May LivemintNew Delhi: Retail sales of vehicles across categories declined by 7.5% to 1.77 million units in May, impacted by a slowing domestic economy and continuing ...

How BMW is trying to spark plug-in hybrid sales Automotive NewsBMW is relying heavily on its growing lineup of plug-in hybrids to cut its fleet CO2 emissions in Europe to avoid stiff EU fines.

Soaring temperatures fire up sales of ACs Times of IndiaIndia Business News: NEW DELHI: AC sales are on fire, charged up by the scorching heat across many parts of the country.

Pharma sales growth hit 19-month low in May as product launches slowed down Business StandardThe domestic pharmaceuticals market clocked 7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in May, the lowest since October 2017, when it registered a growth of 4.9 ...

U.S. Retail Sales Increased in May The Wall Street JournalAmerican shoppers ramped up their spending in May, a boost to the economy this spring. Retail sales increased 0.5% last month.

Fresh woes for Tata Motors as Jaguar Land Rover’s sales drop across regions LivemintJaguar Land Rover Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Tata Motors Ltd, is not out of the woods yet. The 12.2% sales decline in May makes it the twelfth consecutive month ...

Ford Freestyle Sales Down To A Whopping 75 per cent GaadiWaadi.comCompared to May 2018, sales of Ford Freestyle last month witnessed a drop of whopping 75 per cent, while the car registered an above 30 per cent drop in ...

Facebook: Oculus Quest content sales hit $5 million in 2 weeks VentureBeatFacebook's VP of AR/VR Andrew Bosworth reportedly said that Quest had seen $5 million in *content* sales in the first two weeks of launch.

Hyundai Venue Almost Neck And Neck With Vitara Brezza In May 2019 Sales CarDekhoThe Venue's arrival has dealt a serious blow to the Vitara Brezza's monopoly in the segment.

Two-wheeler inventories up as May sales dip 8.6% Economic TimesMumbai:Inventories of two-wheelers at dealerships have piled up with the addition of 300,000 more units in April and May with most manufacturers avoiding ...

Daily Deals: FF7 Pre-order, Apple Deals and Awesome Father's Day Sales IGNBy Shawn Saris and IGN Staff Welcome to IGN's Daily Deals, your source for the best deals on the stuff you actually want to buy. If you buy something through ...

Tesla Makes Last Hard Push To Break Record Sales This Quarter OilPrice.comTesla is well on its way to having a record sales quarter, and is currently delivering a thousand cars per day on average this month.

China's excavator sales falling in May - Xinhua | English.news.cn XinhuaBEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Sales for China's major excavator producers declined in May, the first drop in 34 months, industry data showed. The country's 25 ...

This Weekend's Best Sales: H&M, Wayfair, Urban Outfitters & More E! NEWSWe love these products, and we hope you do too. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold ...

French EV Sales Up 34% In May 2019 CleanTechnicaJune 15th, 2019 by Jose Pontes. The French plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market scored 4,051 registrations in May, up 34% year over year (YoY), with fully ...

Colorado has now made more than $1 billion from pot sales CNNColorado, the pioneering state for pot peddling, has now made more than $1 billion in revenue since it legalized marijuana sales in 2014.

Lake Martin area May home sales up 39% from last year Alabama NewsCenterSales: Lake Martin area residential sales totaled 86 units during May, up 38.7% from 62 sales in the same month a year earlier. May sales were up 7.5% ...

Auto sales go from bad to worse, fall 21% in May LivemintSales of passenger vehicles register the steepest decline in nearly 18 years.Top carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki have been forced to close factories ...

Madonna’s Promoter Combats NY Post’s ‘Absolute Lies’ About ‘Sluggish’ Ticket Sales VarietyAfter a New York Post story about Madonna's supposedly "sluggish ticket sales," Live Nation fought back against the paper's "absolute lies."

Dothan-area May home sales up 9% from last year Alabama NewsCenterSales: According to the Southeast Alabama Multiple Listing *Service* Inc., Dothan-area residential sales totaled 148 units during May, up 8.8% from 136 sales in ...

Patanjali's global ambitions hobbled by missteps; sales plunge for 2 consecutive years Business TodayPatanjali's sales plunged 10% to Rs 8100 crore in FY18, and in the last fiscal year, it likely deteriorated further, say analysts.

Tata Motors Group global sales fall 23 per cent to 82,374 units in May 2019 India TodayTata Motors Group's global sales have fallen 23 per cent to 82,374 units in May 2019. The figure includes the units sold by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) as well.

Raptors Savor LeBron-Style Sales Boom After First NBA Title BloombergIt's been a banner two days for sports merchandisers, as two first-time champions have delivered massive sales numbers.

Sweltering summer is pushing up AC sales, but will margins improve? LivemintAnalysts are pegging AC sales growth at 20-25% year-on-year in April and May, based on dealer feedback.This is welcome news for investors in these firms, ...

China's Retail Sales Beat Expectations—Here's Why Market RealistOn June 14, China released several economic data points. While the country's industrial production and fixed asset investment data were below expectations, ...

Tata Motors' JLR sales decline 12.2% in May on weak demand in China Business TodayJaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK subsidiary of Tata Motors, on Tuesday reported a decline of 12.2 per cent on year-on-year basis in retail sales in May at 42370 ...

My Perspective on the Murk of Official Retail-Sales Inflation, with Some Surprising Illustrations WOLF STREETRetail sales, not including sales at restaurants and bars, in May rose 3.1% from a year earlier, according to the Commerce Department this morning. That's not ...

KTM beats Harley Davidson in sales – Now aims to overtake Kawasaki RushLaneFor the first time, KTM has managed to beat Harley Davidson in sales. KTM is on a record growth today, and a big part has been played by Bajaj.

Routt County real estate sales total $14.5M for June 7 to 13, 2019 Steamboat Pilot & TodaySTEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Routt County real estate transactions totaled $14549900 across 29 sales for the week of June 7 to 13. The sales total is up 19% ...

When are US monthly retail sales figures and how could they affect EUR/USD? FXStreetFriday's US economic docket highlights the release of monthly retail sales figures for the month of May, scheduled at 12:30 GMT. Following the previou.

Florida Company Sued Over Sales of Skimpy Health Plans The New York TimesA lawsuit accuses Health Insurance Innovations of defrauding consumers who were misled into buying plans that left them with thousands of dollars in medical ...

Apple iPhone Sales Could Struggle in Light of Broadcom’s Troubles Barron'sChip maker Broadcom's full-year sales guidance reduction may point to poor iPhone sales, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Apple is Broadcom's ...

Tractor sales plunges for fourth consecutive month in May ETAuto.comThe industry pins hope on the upcoming union budget New Delhi: Signaling no relief to rural woes, tractor sales continue to decline in double digits in May 2019.

AVA Group eyes Rs 500 crore sales volume from Medimix brand MoneycontrolThe Kerala-based company would also expand its product portfolio by adding hair oils, shampoo and body wash in the next two years.

Summer Sales 2019 Highsnobiety*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit ...

Untangling the Yemen Arms Sales Debate LawfareThe fight over U.S. involvement in Yemen is shifting to new legal terrain: the president's authority to engage in arms sales.

Mercedes elevates Santosh Iyer as head of sales and marketing MoneycontrolIyer, who is currently Vice President of Customer *Service* and Corporate Affairs succeeds Michael Jopp who assumes the new responsibility of head of sales and ...

Thomson eyes 300,000 product sales, Rs 500 crore revenue in FY20 MoneycontrolFrench consumer appliance firm Thomson is eyeing sales of 300,000 television units in FY20 and revenue of Rs 500 crore by the end of this fiscal in India.

Chinese auto sales post worst-ever monthly decline as trade war intensifies Economic TimesBEIJING/SHANGHAI - China reported the worst-ever monthly sales drop in the world's largest vehicle market on Wednesday, exacerbating concerns over the ...

After a poor start, Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicts record output, sales in Q2 LivemintMountain View (US): Tesla CEO Elon Musk is assuring the company's shareholders that the electric car maker is on pace to set manufacturing and sales records ...

Maruti Swift Demand Improves In May 2019; Hyundai Grand i10, Ford Figo Sales Drop CarDekhoThe mid-size hatchback segment did not see drop in sales in April, but it seems to have lost that momentum in May.

Future Retail’s sales growth up, but rising debt plays spoilsport LivemintThe company's net debt stood at ₹2301 crore as on 31 March, rising almost ₹1260 crore over a year ago.Overall, Future Retail's revenue increased by nearly ...

China's Car Sales Aren't Just Falling Anymore, They're Crumbling Market RealistCar sales in China, the world's biggest automotive market, fell year-over-year in 2018 for the first time in more than two decades. Automotive sales have ...

Car sales in India at its lowest in 18 years Autocar IndiaThe Indian automobile industry has reported a slowdown in sales in May 2019 as well. Click here for more details.

Arkansas store owner halting sales of Confederate flags New York Daily NewsKerry McCoy, a Little Rock, Ark., owner of a flag store, will no longer sell Confederate flags.

Should Plummeting Car Sales in China Bother Metal Investors? Market RealistCar sales in China have fallen on a year-over-year basis for 11 consecutive months. The automotive industry is among the biggest consumers of metals like ...

Huawei Mate X pops up in highly dubious sales listing Notebookcheck.netThe Huawei Mate X has reportedly appeared as a retail item on a Chinese retail site. This is highly suspicious, however, particularly as the OEM has announced ...

State Department Defends Saudi Arms Sales Before Hostile House Panel The New York TimesR. Clarke Cooper, a top State Department official, defended the use of an emergency declaration to sell arms to Saudi Arabia against Congress's will.

DMart’s e-tail arm still in the red, but sales are growing Economic TimesMUMBAI: Avenue Supermarts, the firm that runs DMart retail chain, saw its online sales more than double during FY19 to Rs 144 crore even though it operates in ...

Toyota, Hyundai halt hydrogen car sales in Norway after filling station explosion The Financial ExpressA hydrogen filling station in Norway has exploded which has brought the safety regarding HCEVs into question. Toyota and Hyundai have halted sales of their ...

Two-Wheeler Sales At Dealerships Offer Hope Amid Auto Gloom BloombergQuintDemand for two-wheelers at dealerships offered some hope even as wholesale volumes of automakers continued to decline in May amid a consumption ...

Amazon India, Flipkart's smartphone sales up despite FDI policy QuartzSmartphone shipments through online channels in India were at their highest ever share of 43% in the January-March quarter of 2019. Online shipments grew ...

Early Oculus Quest Data Suggests Solid Sales, But No Blockbuster Numbers VarietyEarly indicators suggest that Facebook's new Oculus Quest VR headset is seeing solid sales, but it doesn't seem to be a blockbuster. Still, some estimate that ...

Car sales plunge in China ahead of emissions rules Financial TimesCar manufacturers in China saw their sales fall by nearly a fifth last month as consumers in the world's largest vehicle market remained reluctant to purchase due ...

Auto pain spreads: Stocks bleed after May sales plunge to 18-year low Economic TimesNEW DELHI: Auto and auto ancillary stocks plunged in Wednesday's trade after industry lobby Siam on Tuesday reported a 21 per cent drop in passenger ...

Hawaii real estate sales Honolulu Star-AdvertiserDerived from the state conveyance tax data. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read more. Mahalo for reading the Honolulu Star-Advertiser!

Car sales skid again in May as consumer demand remains sluggish LivemintTata Motors reported a drop of 26% in its domestic sales in May 2019.Maruti Suzuki India said its overall sales for May declined by 22%

GSK may be reviving incentive pay for sales reps, but it's not returning to its old ways: executive FiercePharmaWhy did GlaxoSmithKline roll back its strict ethics measures for sales reps? It had thought other companies would follow its lead on nixing incentive-based pay, ...

Survey finds 89% of marketers seeing increased sales using location data Marketing LandLast year, Lawless Research and Factual found 87% of marketers were using location data or targeting in their marketing campaigns. A new follow-up survey ...

Amazon halts sales of new Blink XT2 video camera after mixed early reviews The VergeAmazon has temporarily stopped sales of the recently launched Blink XT2 smart camera. The XT2 is the first new Blink camera since Amazon acquired the ...

Heatwave brings respite for AC makers as sales surge LivemintSales were especially strong in parts of south and east India, according to air conditioner makers.If the sales momentum continues, 2019 could turn out to be one ...

EUR, NZD, AUD Crash Lower After U.S. Retail Sales Investing.comThis has been a great week for the US dollar and the US retail sales report was the icing on the cake. The greenback soared against all of the major currencies ...

Zara owner Inditex profits from expansion with record sales Financial TimesInditex, the world's largest clothing retailer, posted record first-quarter sales and a rise in profits as it benefited from taking its Zara brand online to Brazil as part of ...

Cars In Demand: Toyota Glanza’s May 2019 Sales May Not Clearly Indicate Its Demand CarDekhoThe Baleno and Elite i20 continue to be the most popular cars in this segment, but it remains to be seen how the Glanza affects Baleno's popularity in the future.

Royal Enfield pins hopes on new bikes to push sales LivemintNEW DELHI: New 650cc bikes and a renewed thrust on ramping up its sales and distribution network in India will spearhead the turnaround plan of Eicher ...

Oculus sold $5 million worth of Quest content in first 2 weeks on sale TechCrunchFacebook's Oculus Quest standalone VR headset hasn't been out long, but VP of AR/VR Andrew Bosworth says the company is already selling a substantial ...

Airbus readies A321XLR jetliner launch, sees A330neo sales ReutersAirbus sought on Friday to heighten anticipation surrounding a new longer-range version of its A321neo and hinted at new orders for its larger A330neo plane ...

Madonna fans dub Madame X 'album of the decade' after ticket sales claims Metro.co.ukMadonna fans have declared her new record Madame X the 'album of the decade' as the singer celebrates hitting number one in 58 countries. Not too shabby.

AVA Group targets Rs 500 crore sales turnover in FY20 Economic TimesThe company, celebrating its 50th anniversary, has lined up a string of new products for the future.

Legislature Sets Sales Tax Holiday Weekend | Bostonomix WBURThis year's sales tax holiday will fall on the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18.

Revealed: The most and least expensive house sales in April Coventry TelegraphThe most expensive house sold in Coventry in April changed hands for over half a million pounds, according to figures. A property on Howes Lane in Finham ...

Ford's Plan To Boost Mustang Sales Will Make Buyers Happy CarBuzzFirst of all, the Ford Mustang continues to be a strong seller for the Blue Oval and unlike traditional cars in its lineup, such as the Focus and Fusion, there are no ...

Top Cocoa Growers Halt Sales Amid Drive to Agree Minimum Price BloombergThe world's two biggest cocoa producers halted sales for the harvest that will begin in October 2020, pending an agreement with buyers on a minimum price.

Carmakers Hold Steady on Fuel-Cell EV Sales Despite Norway Blast Greentech Media NewsAutomakers are still selling fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in Norway despite a blast that wrecked a hydrogen filling station on Monday.

Flat beer sales push brewers to tap their creativity CBC.caA closer look at the day's most notable stories with The National's Jonathon Gatehouse: brewers are getting more adventurous with their products and marketing; ...

Second generation Apple AirPods had weaker than expected sales in Q1 Phone ArenaWhile Apple continues to dominate what is called the true wireless hearables market thanks to the AirPods, the second generation version of the device had ...

India car sales analysed: May 2019 - CarWale CarWaleThe Indian auto industry has been struggling with sales numbers for a while now, read below to learn more -

Tighter control on vape sales Daily ExpressThe government has no plans to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vaping, instead will increase control to curb health risk that may arise ...

Isle of Wight Festival boosts welly sales 907 per cent Isle of Wight County PressWITH the Isle of Wight Festival kicking off today, shoe shops have made booming trade on wellington boots.

Raptors' sales boom trails only LeBron after Toronto's first win BNNBloomberg.caIt's been a banner two days for sports merchandisers, as two first-time champions have delivered massive sales numbers. One day after the St. Louis Blues won ...

Hudson’s Bay sales slide as chairman pursues take-private bid Financial TimesHudson's Bay swung into a profit during the first quarter thanks to asset sale gains. However falling sales and margins are likely to bolster its chairman's case to ...

Why auto stocks are racing ahead at a time when sales volumes are in reverse gear LivemintDespite decelerating sales volumes reported by most auto companies, their shares have been trading higher. Down more than 23% in the last one year, the Nifty ...

Mahindra Electric sales double – New investment to increase production RushLaneMahindra Electric has revealed that they have seen a huge jump in sales for the FY 2018/19. Sales have grown 2.5 times in just 1 year.

Group 1 launches online sales platform Automotive NewsAfter experimenting with more than half a dozen digital retail vendors over the past several months, Group 1 Automotive launched AcceleRide, its online ...

Auto retail sales down 7.7% in May ETAuto.comPassenger vehicle reported a dip of 1.46 per cent at 270,048 units in May 2019 as against 274,037 units in the same month last year. New Delhi: Indian ...

Irvine, Tustin home sales tumble 16% in O.C. worst slump since 2012 OCRegisterHomebuying in Irvine and Tustin fell 16% in what was Orange County slowest nine months of sales since 2012. For nine consecutive months through April, ...

Dubai Summer Surprises 2019: Beat the heat with activities and big sales Gulf NewsVisitors and resident will be able to enjoy host of entertainment and special sales.

Bosses hope new Nelson e-hub is Smart move for sales Lancashire TelegraphA NEW e-commerce operation has been launched by an East Lancashire sports supplements venture.

Are You a Cultivator or a Harvester?

Sales Sales