Does the idea of selling make your skin crawl? The reality is your business cannot run without sales.

Conquering Sales Obstacles

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” – Bobby Unser

The shed was quiet after the final service. Jim looked at the calendar – If he waited to call clients until the season was already starting, he’d be on the back foot for his existing customers – let alone any new ones that might enquire in the coming weeks. So he picked up the phone early – calm, specific, and ready to lock in his regular work now!

That’s the move in tough times: Stack the wood before winter.

Plan Earlier Than Feels Comfortable, Debrief Immediately After

Many contractors are finding the Winter ‘quiet’ time is shrinking. Even if this is the case, being on top of your work pipeline is critical to avoid being in a price scrum and having messy scheduling with their farmers.

  • Pre-season touchpoints: agree likely hectares/blocks, service windows, ground conditions and work type.
  • Mid-season updates: brief notes on machine availability, current turnaround times and how things have gone so far.
  • Post-job debriefs: capture results while they’re fresh and pencil in what needs to change for next season straight away.

Sell by Making Risk Small for your Farmers

Status quo wins when change feels risky to a farmer. Shrink the risk and you don’t need a pitch.

  • If the farmer is risk averse, offer the same method they are currently getting, with better service.
  • If they are interesting in trying something new only you offer – great!
  • Agree on some important metrics upfront that you can collect without drama
  • Record the data and show them the result!

“Let’s run a two-block comparison so you get a clean read. If our setup doesn’t perform, you have risked one paddock. If it wins, you roll it out.”

Replace Generalities With Specifics

“Went well.” “Bit expensive.” None of that provides certianty

  • “When you say expensive, compared to what spec? Passes, layers, machine class, speed?”
  • “Went well: great. What did we agree to do next, and by when?”
  • “What else needs to be clarified before you’d say yes? Timing, budget?

Keep Your Tone Steady 

You don’t need charm. You need calm.

Before you ring or visit, ask:

  • “How can I genuinely improve their operation?”
  • “What useful 60-second value can I add?”
  • “Which precise questions will help them decide?”

Make Your Network Earn Compound Interest

In every market (good or tight), how you stay present matters.

  • Send a short useful note each fortnight (capacity signals, field conditions, transport realities). Not trying to sell.
  • After a clean job, ask for a potential introduction to any mates that could benefit from your services. Keep the ask tiny: “Would you mind a quick text intro to?”

What the Research Says (and why it backs this approach)

Lincoln University (Dan Smith, Professor Alan Renwick, Dr Victoria Westbrooke) recently profiled NZ rural contractors across hay baling, fertiliser application, fencing, spraying, and cultivation. Their case studies found that contractors themselves credit internal drivers such as: operational excellence, efficient management, and effective delivery as the primary sources of success, more than external factors like regulation or competition.

 

A few takeaways you can use today:

  • Control what you can control. Contractors prioritise the parts of the business within their reach: planning, time management, execution quality, and client relationships.
  • Owner-manager reality. Input costs, seasonality, and the “do-everything” time squeeze are real, so the systems that lighten that load (clear agreements, simple metrics, steady comms) matter.
  • Mindset wins. Many contractors reported satisfaction, both in their work and from their customers, anchored by industry experience, entrepreneurial drive, and attention to the details, wins.

In short: nurture relationships, plan early, manage time tightly, and be the best at what you do. That’s exactly what service-led selling operationalises: you turn quality and reliability into visible, low-risk decisions for the farmer.

 

Bottom Line

Selling your services in tough times isn’t easy. It comes from regular communication with customers, always picking up the phone with a positive energy and most of all, a strong reputation that your team will go above and beyond to get the best outcome – even if there was a stuff up or two. The research reinforces what the best operators already know: focus on what you can control and make excellence obvious. Truth + proof wins.