Having been born and raised in Niagara, I feel as though many take our region’s beauty for granted. Living in one of the most picturesque areas of the world sure has its perks, from famous waterfalls to scenic parkways to an overwhelming number of activities to enjoy. One of the most intriguing aspects of our region, however, has to be our farmers. Revered around the world for their award winning wine and fresh produce, Niagara farmers are often unheralded for the role they play not only in our economy, but in embodying our region’s hard-working and diligent spirit. Let’s be honest though, a farmer’s life surely isn’t an easy one. Early mornings and long nights coupled with unpredictable weather that can kill a crop in an instant are just a few worries that farmers deal with on a daily basis. Regardless of circumstance, it’s a farmer’s ability to stay the course and remain focused on the long term that leads to yielding a harvest.
Sound familiar? It’s probably because a lot of these same lessons can be applied to business. No matter the industry, there are certain lessons that any business should be aware of and practice. These lessons, while relatively simple, could be the difference between the success and failure of a company. Be sure to take all 3 of these lessons to heart and apply them to your approach.
Similarly to a farmer sowing seed for the upcoming season, business owners need to invest time into developing their business and, more specifically, their marketing strategy. Put it this way, if you were a farmer and wanted to grow corn would you just throw any seed into the ground and hope that corn grows? Of course not! Strategic planning involves developing a concrete plan of attack where you outline your goals, break down your target segment to its core and then create a blueprint of how you plan to attract them. Keep in mind that it’s critical to not overlook the severity of this step as it gives you a reference point when making decisions about your company and ensures that you don’t get distracted and fall off course.
Now that your seed is in the ground it’s time to nurture your crop so that it grows. Just like watering, nurturing and protecting plants from insects and inclement weather, you too need to nurture your marketing plan. Investing valuable resources like time and money are important factors when cultivating your plan, as without these two components it’s very unlikely that you’ll yield a worthwhile result. Taking the time to develop and then invest into your marketing channels will make the world of a difference when generating and converting leads, which leads us to the best part.
Now it’s time to reap the benefits of all the hard work and investments that you injected into your marketing plan. It’s crucial in this last step to ensure that you don’t lose focus, as you still need to convert those coveted leads into actual sales. Keys components of this step include quickly responding to potential clients and remembering that your goal should be to educate consumers, not push them into a purchase. If you do this then the sales will naturally start to flow in.
Business, like farming, is never as easy as it looks. It takes time to build your plan and cultivate your audience. Remember that the key to any successful business plan is to stick with it and ignore any temporary setbacks that you will inevitably experience. If you stay focused on the end result, then your harvest will come!