The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Wednesday, the 8th of November 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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Don't underestimate yourself

We go through life where self-doubt rears its ugly head all of the time. Some never get over it, and others get better at putting it to bed. Not totally, but better. Self-doubt will hold you back. Worrying what others will think is a form of self-doubt. This is probably the most common one. I remember, in my early 30's, I was trying to establish a business, and I had to deal with a group of Corporates on a 25th-floor board room of this company, and I was full of self-doubt. The self-doubt I felt was that all these guys in the room were smarter than me and they would see right through my idea. I was overwhelmed, and my self-doubt meant the meeting went pretty bad, and my proposal never went any further with that group. I have since had many meetings with Corporates, and I learnt over time that they aren't any smarter than me. They just look at things differently from what I do. We all breathe the same air. Tell me about your self-doubt moment/s. Reply to [email protected]

The follow-up

In Agriculture, we have to sell things. If we don't sell, we don't eat. Selling is not a dirty word. It's something we all do. Some are very good at it, and others not so. St John Craner is a Rural Sales trainer with Agrarian, a business he started that helps companies that deal with Farmers, to give those Farmers a better sales experience. He said this about following up, "You already know that 80% of sales are made in the 5th -12th follow-up, but polite persistence isn't enough to land the deal. When you follow up with your potential Farming customers - and you'll have to follow up many times, trust me. You need a specific follow-up formula. You don't just need to mix up your messages but also your mediums. Email inboxes are chockers, texts are more immediate and calls or voicemails are fine so long as you have a clear purpose for that phone call. Be different. Show you care. Show them you have been thinking of them. Show them how you add value". We have talked about following up before. I don't know about you, but I think it's one of the most important skills to grasp. Reply to [email protected]

The race that probably no longer stops the nation

I remember when I was at Primary School, we always stopped to listen to the Melbourne Cup. If we were at school, it mustn't have been a holiday (Victorians have a holiday for Cup Day now) back then. I remember going to the Cup for 25 years in a row, it was a ritual, a must-attend, and it was fun. But now I don't bother. And I just get the feeling it doesn't stop the nation like it used to. I mean, people still take the holiday, and being a Tuesday, many take the Monday as well. Like all sports now, Horse Racing competes for eyeballs and bums on seats. Racing is now a 7-day-a-week industry, and it has arguably saturated itself out of the market, like Cricket. People now go to the races not because they love Racing, but because it's a good place to go socially. I don't fear for the future of Racing. It still has a spot in the market. But the Melbourne Cup just doesn't stop a nation like it used to. Have you ticked the Melbourne Cup bucket list off yet? Reply to [email protected]

Un-Green infrastucture

I had an email reply from a Farmer who travelled through South West Victoria a week or so ago. South West Victoria is a Windmill and Power line hotspot and a big part of the Government's green push. He said this, "The infrastructure required is so un-green it's not funny. Apparently, the towers get stress fractures and have to be replaced every 15-20 years. Blades also. And the saddest thing is you see lots of derelict houses. i.e. no more community". I have travelled through that part of the world, and it's starting to look like that. I just wonder what will happen when it comes time to replace Windmills. Will they just replace them, or will there be something else? Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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