Sales and Service

Drivers or salespeople often fill the primary role as the first point of contact for sales and services with farm or rural non-farm customers.

Product sales and services alone do not guarantee long-term marketer success.

Farmers who store vehicle fuel on-site are affected by regulations in terms of both water quality protection and fire prevention.

Drivers bring news of new products, services or equipment.

Dealer Representative

Drivers are the front line salespeople for the marketers.

Rural customers make first and last impressions from drivers.

Friendly, courteous, knowledgeable service is the marketer's desired image.

Information Source

Farmers tend to rely on marketers as the primary source of new information related to their products and services.

General knowledge of regulations is a must, since farmers use the driver as a "confidential source" to avoid problems with regulators.

Drivers are viewed as trusted sources of information and must be responsive to customer concerns.

Drivers form an information network within an organization, which can be an opportunity to keep abreast of regulatory change and customer concerns.

Agent of Change

Drivers and salespeople help customers adapt to new regulations and other changing forces that lead to use of new products and services.

Marketers' representatives must combine knowledge of new regulations and new products or services to meet customer needs.

Marketers' sponsorship of educational opportunities for rural customers is often most effectively promoted by the "personal touch" from direct contact with drivers.

Key to Marketer Success

Marketers are only as good as the drivers are representing them.

Marketers must be committed to ongoing driver education and training as a part of the overall strategy of competitive sales and services.

Credibility with existing customers and access to new customers is the result of continuing, long-term commitment to the delivery of what customers really want and need.

Address for this site: http://www.wisc.edu/farmasyst/private/petro/tip3.html
Created by: Richard Castelnuovo, rcasteln@students.wisc.edu
Last modified: February 10, 1997