The season for planting is in the air and many of us will be toiling the soil and planting gardens during the next few months. With this in mind, there are many similarities to gardening and sales. Here are a few strategies to apply.

Proper Selection Makes a Happy Gardener
Normally, we select our garden plants based on what we love to eat. If we love tomatoes we should plant them. There is nothing like picking a ripe tomato off the vine and eating it. The same holds true for customers. If we prefer accounts that require frequent production of blue widgets in large quantities we should select and pursue accounts that require them. The same joy of eating a fresh ripe tomato will be felt when a blue widget account is landed. It is up to sales management to help sales people plant the right seeds for our needs, wants and profits. Otherwise, it will be a painful growing season for everyone. Imagine what it would be like if we hated beets and all that was planted in our garden was beets. Now that would be an ugly and long season.

Training and Development Improves Performance
As tomatoes grow they need support or they will flop to the ground and our fruit will spoil. A trellis needs to be constructed to keep the vine growing the way we want it to grow. Constant attention to the plant and working the vines through the trellis will keep our tomato vine healthy for a long growing season. The same is true with our sales team. They require training and a system of learning new skills to keep them abreast of opportunities for sales. If we have areas we want to grow the business towards, we must train our salespeople to understand the best ways to sell the services we offer. Keeping a sales team trained requires constant interaction and tools for development. Access to a resource library with audio and video sales training tools for this purpose will aid in development.

Sales Territory Plot Planning
We should plan our garden plot and select the best environment for growth. We shouldn't plant tomatoes in poor soil such as hard clay because it inhibits growth. Tomatoes are acid loving plants and require rich soil with good drainage. An extreme example would be to plant flowers in the desert sand of Mohave. Certainly they wouldn't get the water they require and the desert sun would burn them to a crisp. The same holds true for business accounts. We wouldn't go into residential areas to find prime accounts for business. Using a target account system for growth such as SIC codes is a more efficient method of account planning. You don't have to look far in your own business. One of the best places to look is in your account files to establish target customer profiles you prefer. This method allows you to duplicate your existing success.

Drip Marketing and Watering Improves Growth
Watering a garden too much or too little will inhibit growth. For example if we water a tomato plant too often, yellow leaves will form and the fruit won't develop properly. Too little water and the plant will wither and dry. It is the proper balance of water timed appropriately that will yield the best fruit. In outside sales our similarity would be to manage our contacts appropriately. ACT or any contact system will help manage this. We must handle our follow-up according to the best practices of sales. Business accounts can be contacted in different ways and we should use as many as we can. Our tools for a follow-up schedule should include personal visits, e-mail, telephone, fax and personalized notes or letters. Using only one method is not as constructive. Additionally, high profile or our high profit accounts should receive better attention because they yield the most fruit for us. This is where a key customer account program can help.

Remember, gardens and sales both take time. You can't expect to eat salad or enjoy sales tomorrow, if you don't plant and nurture your garden today.