b'LAURA BURTNYKPROJECT MANAGER, CREATE SIMON WATTlburtnyk@seedworldgroup.com CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION OFFICER, ACTIVATE AG LABSsimon@activateaglabs.comactivateaglabs.comIts All About the Story You Tell File Our Name UnderHAVE YOU EVERthought about your favorite bookOh Thank Goodnessand why you love it? Why you chose it, what kept you reading, wanting to know more? A good author sharesin Your Contact Listmany of the same qualities as a good salesperson. They know how to grab your attention, draw you in and keep you thinking and focused until the end. MY NAME ISSimon Watt. Imtime, money and effort when they Storytelling is one of the most powerful toolsproud to be the chief technologyoffload to us. Second, we offer fully marketers and salespeople can have in their arsenal.and innovation officer at Activatecustomizable projects: the solving It helps build trust and credibility with your audience,Ag Labs. If you havent heard ourof technological problems through which can lead to more sales. Here are three tips toname before, dont worry: we haveseed coating formulation, from help you use the power of storytelling to up your mar- every intention of changing that.efficacy to safety to sustainability. keting and sales success:We are a group of five scientistsWere especially excited about who together envision a betterimproving environmental outcomes 1. Tell a Story People Want to Hear solution for seed coating researchthrough microplastic-free coatings, Its simple: people buy based on emotion, not logic.and development. Between thethe potential in biodegradation and Being able to connect with someone on a human level isfive of us, we have more than 35the increased use of biological and key to building trust with them and ultimately closing ayears of experience working in themicrobiological compounds and sale. This means building a rapport and selling yourselfall areas of seed-focused science,organisms.and your company as well as your product or service. including physics, chemistry, Last week, after chatting for microbiology and soil science.an hour over coffee in my office, I 2. Speak to Your Customers Needs and Wants Weve all worked with big ag-sci- led a potential partner through our Take the time to get to know your customer andence companies, from major activewarehouse to tour our R&D biolab. communicate in a way that resonates with them. Thisingredient suppliers to seed breed- Our warehouse is functional but no requires extensive exploration into your customersing. From that experience, we knowobject of beauty. When we stepped needs and wants, as well asunderstanding whatthat, while big companies ofteninto the biolab, however, I had the problems they are trying to solve or goals they arehave impressive capacity and excel- pleasure of seeing their eyes widen. trying to achieve. lent ability to build active ingre- We may be a small company, but dients, their size makes it difficultwere big in both multi-disciplinary 3. Be Personal for them to be nimble and creativeexpertise and lab capacity. No one wants to be just another statistic so make suresolvers of problems.Our biolab, which is currently that you tailor your presentation and offer to addressThats the niche where webeing upgraded, is equipped to a the key issues shared by your customer. By remindingfit. A year ago, we set off on ourlevel that would make even multi-them exactly how your product or service can get theown, very intentionally creating anationals proud. From mixing and job done for them, your chances of sealing the dealcompany that is small enough toapplication equipment to produc-increase significantly. be ultra-flexible, responsive andtion-size machinery for scale-up Using a story to build connection helps peoplefully independent but experiencedruns, to dust testing and abrasion understand who you are and why they should careenough to tackle big challenges.machines, to a seed vigour machine about you, your company and the products andWe see our role as fulfilling twothats ultra-unique, were fully services you offer. Doing it well is a masterful skill andneeds for large-scale partners. First,set-up to efficiently, cost-effectively powerful tactic to help you stand out from the crowd,we offer services: quality control,and creatively solve our partners leaving a lasting impression on your customers andgermination, etc.essentially,unique seed coating challenges, more sales for your company.the areas that save our partnerswhatever those challenges may be. OCTOBER 2022SEEDWORLD.COM /25'