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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
Holistic Farming
"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..
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<blockquote data-quote="CornishTone" data-source="post: 5373430" data-attributes="member: 4147"><p>I’ve been on that side of the conversation and it’s a sh!t place to be. Spent a few months as a fert rep for a well known merchant in the SW. I didn’t stick it for long!</p><p></p><p>There is tremendous pressure to sell at all costs, which leads to unscrupulous practices. They’ll tell you it doesn’t, but by f**k it does! 95% of dedicated fertiliser salesmen are little more than used car or double glazing salesmen with very limited technical knowledge of their product. I did my FACTS course with a whole bunch of them just after uni and it was just a joke to them. They had zero interest in learning or using the knowledge. They just had to pass so they could carry on selling. They just have to get as much stuff out the door as quickly as possible, and some of them are very, very good at it.</p><p></p><p>I made the mistake of trying to do the job right, get to know the customer and their situation and offer the correct advice and product, only to be undermined by the next guy who is 50p/t cheaper, has no understanding of the product, just made a phone call and read from a price list. It’s at that point that you realise what you’re worth to the farmer who’s taken your advice but given his custom to someone else, so why bother. Just flog the sh!t to whoever will buy it! Well that vicious circle didn’t, and has never, sat right with me. Unfortunately, some farmers are their own worst enemy in this respect. You get what, or who, you pay for!</p><p></p><p>Luckily I passed my BASIS crop protection certificate fairly soon and told them to shove it! Went to work for a very good little company where selling the correct technical solution was more important. But that’s another story.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CornishTone, post: 5373430, member: 4147"] I’ve been on that side of the conversation and it’s a sh!t place to be. Spent a few months as a fert rep for a well known merchant in the SW. I didn’t stick it for long! There is tremendous pressure to sell at all costs, which leads to unscrupulous practices. They’ll tell you it doesn’t, but by f**k it does! 95% of dedicated fertiliser salesmen are little more than used car or double glazing salesmen with very limited technical knowledge of their product. I did my FACTS course with a whole bunch of them just after uni and it was just a joke to them. They had zero interest in learning or using the knowledge. They just had to pass so they could carry on selling. They just have to get as much stuff out the door as quickly as possible, and some of them are very, very good at it. I made the mistake of trying to do the job right, get to know the customer and their situation and offer the correct advice and product, only to be undermined by the next guy who is 50p/t cheaper, has no understanding of the product, just made a phone call and read from a price list. It’s at that point that you realise what you’re worth to the farmer who’s taken your advice but given his custom to someone else, so why bother. Just flog the sh!t to whoever will buy it! Well that vicious circle didn’t, and has never, sat right with me. Unfortunately, some farmers are their own worst enemy in this respect. You get what, or who, you pay for! Luckily I passed my BASIS crop protection certificate fairly soon and told them to shove it! Went to work for a very good little company where selling the correct technical solution was more important. But that’s another story. [/QUOTE]
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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
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"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..
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