Agronomy Sales Specialist- Lamoni, IA/ Cainsville, Mo Region

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: Include but are not limited to the following:

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Minimum of an associate’s degree or equivalent experience in agronomy.
• Strong negotiation skills required. Must possess or develop sales skills.
• Certified Crop Advisor certification preferred.
• Must be licensed and insurable to drive. Class A CDL (Commercial Driver s License) with tanker and HazMat endorsement required.
• Commercial pesticide handler’s license required.
• Must possess an array of interpersonal communication skills for interacting with varying personalities, roles, circumstances and emotional status of teammates, customers, and contractors.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Understand the seasonality of the farm supply business and the in-season time commitment.
• Complete knowledge of custom application and similar agronomy equipment.
• Must possess proficiencies of common computer programs and processes.
• Must understand common mathematics associated with agronomy application processes.
• Possesses problem solving capability and understands the operational processes.

Agronomy Sales & Customer Service

• Present customers with agronomy services and products that meet the needs of their operations. Understand specific product and service offerings well enough to make unbiased, customized recommendations.
• Provide unmatched customer service before, during and after the sale. Balance achieving sales goals with servicing customers.
• Identify potential customers and work to build relationships with prospects.
• Understand and work to achieve personal, regional, and company-wide sales goals. Periodically provide reports to agronomy region manager, as necessary.
• Work to resolve customer disputes as needed. Escalate disputes to agronomy region manager for assistance when necessary.
• Assist in creation of SOILMAP recommendations, yield mapping, and NRCS nutrient management plans.

Agronomy Operations

• Assist with agronomy operations as needed to service customers in a timely fashion.
• Communicate new agronomy product offerings or procedures with location managers, operations team members, customer service specialists and others involved in the customer lifecycle. Work as a team to provide excellent service.
• Support loading and delivery of agronomy orders.
• Communicate customer needs to location managers and operations team members.

Learning & Development

• Remain knowledgeable and involved in sales marketing programs of agronomy departments.
• Become proficient in cooperative’s sales, accounting, and booking processes.
• Identify areas of opportunity in agronomy and collaborate with other agronomy team members to capitalize on them.
• Expand knowledge of seed, plant nutrition, chemistry, and the cooperative business model. Adopt a mindset of continuous improvement.
• Attend various agronomy trainings to deepen knowledge of products, services, and plant health.
• Seek additional opportunities to grow knowledge of agronomy and sales strategies.

Other

• Promote the company culture that is focused on providing complete sales, service, and employee development.
• Written and oral communication to Location Managers, Agronomy Region Managers, and Agronomy Department Manager as required.
• Maintain a strong professional network to connect with future potential talent or customers.

Basic Employment Expectations:

Safety

• Performs work in a safe manner at all times and uses the appropriate PPE.
• Checks the work area for hazards and corrects/reports unsafe conditions.
• Considers the safety of oneself, and other employees, and customers.
• Follows all safety protocols and seeks advice from supervisor when uncertain.

Communication

• Maintains open communication and cooperates with supervisor, departments, and fellow employees.
• Communicates with supervisor and others immediately when unexpected problems cause absence, lateness, or the need to leave early.

Accountability & Professionalism

• Abides by policies set forth in the employee policy manual.
• Carries a fair share of the workload.
• Promotes NEW Cooperative through positive, friendly, and professional interactions.
• Is punctual, follows directives, and works in an efficient and timely manner; accepts personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of the work.
• Understands that satisfactory attendance is essential to the efficient operations of the work environment.

Customer Service

• Continually works to satisfy customers to address questions/concerns through effective communication, solving problems, responding to questions, and managing their expectations.

Personal/Professional Development

• Establishes personal performance goals and works toward these goals.
• Continually upgrades and demonstrates knowledge of the job.