Patio Pondering: Partnerships That Pull Their Weight

There’s a chill in the air this morning. I’ve got a jacket on as I enjoy my coffee and watch the sun crest over the horizon. The clear sky promises another beautiful day here in Northeast Indiana.

As I continue building my consulting business, I’ve been thinking about partnerships — what makes them work and what doesn’t. Since 2007, I’ve worked with dealer networks in both technical support and direct sales roles. Some dealers were 100% brand loyal, while others mixed suppliers. Over those 18 years of sales calls, one question kept surfacing again and again:
“What are you, as the company representative, going to do to help me get more business?”

That’s a loaded question.

As livestock farming and the feed industry have evolved, there are fewer customers and more competition, and the sales process has changed dramatically. When I was asked that question, I had to pause and think: how much effort has this dealer put in on their own? How committed are they to the partnership? Do they offer services their market truly needs?

With proactive, full-line dealers, those conversations often led to detailed joint sales plans. But when a dealer sat behind the counter waiting for customers to walk in, blaming the company for not driving business their way, I didn’t waste much time.

The best partnerships always came from those who understood a simple truth:
If you help me grow, I’ll help you grow too.

Whether it’s farming, feed sales, or any business, real success starts when both sides lean into the harness and pull the traces.