The Need

Golden Harvest faced challenges in the seed industry. Large competitors dominated the seed market. Sales trends were flat and new customers were hard to acquire. Selling through a front-line sales force made up of part-time farmers/dealer sales representatives, Golden Harvest was competing for their attention and mindshare. Using in-person meetings to develop salespeople had become unrealistic and costly. With enormous geographical territories, District Sales Managers and their sales reps often had to drive for hours to reach a common location. People were just too busy to spend this much time developing their sales skills and tactics, so they simply didn't buy in and do it. Golden Harvest needed a timely solution that could train their team on the fly - whenever, wherever.

The Solution

Golden Harvest turned to HSI to create product-specific and seed-selling-specific video-based training that could be delivered and accessed from any mobile device. They had a training solution that was convenient, practical, engaging and was able to be delivered to dealers with and without high-speed internet access. In a flash, sales reps were consuming important courses, reinforcing the lessons by taking exams, and would discuss strategies and thoughts with their District Sales Managers on conference calls and in meetings. HSI's custom video solutions were a set of curricula for three levels of seed dealer certification, as well as a host of electives covering seasonal calls and special development needs. And the results...

The Results

Significant sales ROI! Here are some of the biggest highlights for Golden Harvest and their employees as told by their head of Western Division Sales, David Dam:

• "We were able to secure 4,500 new customers...our previous record had been 1,650."
• "Our salespeople have more confidence knocking on doors, and have vastly improved sales skills."
• "It's taken us three calls less per customer to sell them on our products, and I tie a lot of that to the training."
• "It was the best year in the company's 117-year history!"

Overview of Their Solution

• The Need for Custom - Completely custom content focusing specifically on Golden Harvest, their products, and their sales approach to customers.
• Targeted Training - 45+ courses in sales, advanced sales, field staff training, electives and Agronomy Up Front^®.
• Far-Reaching Curriculum - Courses were used for training, coaching, refresher learning, sales meetings, performance support and many other important avenues within the organization.
• Accountability - Readily accessible DSM tracking report on course views and test results for every sales representative.