1. Sales material preferences of retail seed dealers Kathy Brostrom

2. Situation  Investigate preferences of dealers selling multiple seed brands  Target retail dealers (co-ops)  Gather input on effectiveness of sales materials  Compare materials from the companies they distribute

3. The Seed Dealer  The Company’s link to the customer  Guides customer to make most important purchase decision of the year  Represents the brand at personal level

4. Sales Support Materials  Any item designed to help a dealer sell  product catalogs & brochures  mailers & posters  incentive or promotion items  Company spending in line with industry – 18% of marketing communication dollars

5. The Question Do retail seed dealers express a preference for specific types of sales support materials?

6. Mail Survey  Sent to 350 retail dealers in company database  Eight key Corn Belt states  Blind survey (student)  62% response rate

7. Results  Retail dealers do have strong preferences for specific types of sales support materials

8. General Product Catalog Product Datasheets Tokens of Customer Appreciation Average Ranking of Sales Support Materials -- Top 3 Items Most Useful

9. Least Useful Average Ranking of Sales Support Materials -- Bottom 3 Items Counter Card with Literature “Pocket” In-Store Display Items Counter “Mat” with Product Message

10. Product Catalog  Type  89% prefer smaller “localized”  5% prefer larger “comprehensive”  Format  72% prefer 8.5” x 11”  15% prefer pocket-size

11. How Much Agree/Disagree? “Sales materials provided by seed companies have a direct influence on which brand of seed I’m most likely to promote.”

12. Influence of Sales Materials Influence of Sales Materials on Promotion of Brand by Dealers

13. Other Information  21% ranked the company as doing the “best” job of providing sales support materials  72% prefer to receive materials from seed company representative  73% have designated space for display

14. Summary  YES, retail dealers DO have strong preferences for specific types of sales support materials  Seed catalog is most important item  Promotion of brand is influenced by sales support materials provided by seed companies

15. Recommendations  Discontinue production of least useful items  The next catalog should be “localized” vs. “comprehensive”  Conduct follow-up study on product catalog effectiveness at both dealer & customer level