Ep 78 - Stop Pushing, Start Pulling: How Great Ag Salespeople Create Demand | Bonita Everts, Netafim Australia

<p>What separates a good agricultural salesperson from a great one?</p><p>For Bonita Everts, Grower Business Development Manager at Netafim Australia, it starts with listening.</p><p>Originally from South Africa, Bonita has built her career across fertiliser, vegetable seed and now precision irrigation — learning how to sell into agricultural markets where relationships, trust and credibility matter.</p><p>In this episode of <em>Selling in the Paddock</em>, Georgia and Bonita unpack the difference between <strong>pushing a product and creating genuine pull from the market</strong>.</p><p>Bonita shares why the best salespeople don&#39;t walk onto farm and unload everything they know. They listen first, understand what the grower actually needs, and then offer the right solution.</p><p>They also explore the complexity of selling through a dealer or reseller network. How do you create demand with the grower while bringing the dealer along for the journey? Bonita&#39;s answer is simple: get alongside them. Jump in the ute. Visit growers together. Educate. Support. Make it easier for everyone to do business.</p><p>And then there&#39;s the part of sales nobody avoids forever: <strong>when things go wrong.</strong></p><p>Bonita shares the story of a major fertiliser delivery that didn&#39;t arrive when a customer needed it. After a heated phone call — and admitting she didn&#39;t handle the initial conversation particularly well — she chose to face the situation head-on, drove to see the customer and worked to make it right.</p><p>That customer ultimately became one of her best clients.</p><p>Georgia and Bonita discuss why difficult conversations can actually strengthen relationships when we&#39;re prepared to show up, take responsibility and work towards a solution rather than putting our head in the sand.</p><p>They also dig into persistence, confidence and one of the most valuable questions a salesperson can ask:</p><p><strong>“If you&#39;re telling me no, I want to understand why.”</strong></p><p>Because a no isn&#39;t necessarily a failure. Sometimes it&#39;s feedback. Sometimes it&#39;s timing. And sometimes it&#39;s simply a delayed yes.</p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li><p>Why great salespeople listen before they sell</p></li><li><p>The difference between push selling and creating pull</p></li><li><p>Selling effectively through dealers and resellers</p></li><li><p>Becoming the “voice of the grower”</p></li><li><p>Why product knowledge alone doesn&#39;t make a great salesperson</p></li><li><p>What to do when something goes wrong with a customer</p></li><li><p>Managing expectations and having difficult conversations</p></li><li><p>Persistence without simply pushing harder</p></li><li><p>Why you should understand the reason behind a “no”</p></li><li><p>Bonita&#39;s journey from South Africa to Australian agriculture</p></li></ul><p>A brilliant conversation about sales, agriculture, relationships and the willingness to keep learning — because ultimately, great agricultural sales isn&#39;t about pushing product.</p><p>It&#39;s about understanding people.</p><p></p>