You’ve heard it all before, this product will help you do “X” or optimize “X” – with little or no proof to back it up. What if a company could prove it to you before you make the purchase?
WinField United has it figured out: Seeing is believing. We are bringing our unmatched collection of data, insights and technology to our retail-owners and the farmers they serve to show product results – in real-time and in real life.
WinField United’s nearly 200 Answer Plot® locations and the Innovation Center in River Falls, Wisconsin, along with additional product development fields and lab research, provide valuable data and insights that can be used to address specific problems and drive grower profitability. The trick is figuring out how to share that knowledge and equip retail owners with the expertise and proprietary insights to best serve their growers.
Enter Clinics
A clinic takes all the data and insights extracted from our vast seed testing and spray analysis system testing and puts it into an easily digestible and visual demonstration to reveal insights to owners that lead to best recommendations. A WinField United sales representative or agronomist goes onsite with a retail-owner or grower and brings a table-top demonstration or can provide a sprayer walk-around version to show how specific products would work in the field.
For example, MasterLock® is an adjuvant that improves the effectiveness of spray applications, specifically with fungicides and insecticides. It helps by cutting down on fine particles and allows the spray droplet to stick and spread across the crop canopy -- covering more of the crop while also reducing spray drift. All of this sounds really great, but at a spray clinic, attendees would see how the drift reduction portion of MasterLock works through the table top sprayer.
Clinics are also a huge learning opportunity for retail-owners. They are a way to provide training and education on WinField United products and the latest application practices, so they can go out and have expert knowledge when selling to growers.
Benny Guerrero at GreenPoint Ag explains “They (clinics) drive confidence and help streamline one message on how to make everything work together. It’s a great way to reach key growers multiple times a year and tell a strong confident story. It drives a direct connection with that grower because every year their fields change, and this helps us with educating that growers on changes they could face in the near future.” Results from 2017 show that owners who held clinics had more ROI and growth in business than those who did not participate. This also goes for growers -- there is a significant ROI for them if they take what they learned at the clinics and put the right adjuvants and plant nutrition products in with their applications.
“We had 50 people in attendance and WinField United reps Darrin Holder and David Larew on hand,” says Greg Simpson at Southern States Co-op. “The presentation was excellent and the growers where very receptive to the products and knowledge that was shown. As a result, we took orders this afternoon for 280 gallons InterLock®, 180 gallons StrikeLock®, 755 gallons of Class Act® NG® and 120 gallons of PowerLock®.”
More clinics available in 2019
In a world that is increasingly digital and screen-focused, sometimes the power face-to-face interaction with measurable results is the value-add that owners are looking to find. WinField United is looking to build on the success of this year’s spray clinics and is committed to host many more around the country in 2019.
That’s not to say that digital won’t be an option. We know that sometimes it’s just not possible for owners and growers to schedule time for a live demo so we’re working on making virtual clinic options available.
Either way, the clinics will combine the latest data, trends and insights to help address the hottest issues impacting growers. The will be focused on hot topics that highlight/bring proprietary insight to the industry If you are interested in a clinic opportunity, please contact your local WinField United representative.
The Bottom Line
This strategy has helped our owners sell a richer mix of crop protection products and helps them maintain their position as trusted advisor and innovative leaders in the marketplace. It also allows owners to differentiate themselves and be able to educate sellers and growers on best agricultural practices.