When it comes to selling nitrogen stabilizers, there are many hurdles. Retailers often have difficulty getting buy-in due to common farmer perceptions of the category, and many retailers have their own perceptions that make them hesitant to start the conversation with their farmers in the first place.
So, how can retailers overcome these selling hurdles with nitrogen stabilizers? Industry experts from Corteva Agriscience™ weigh in on key tips that help address the common challenges when selling stabilizers.
“A lot of products in the nitrogen stabilizer market say they’re going to work, but they don’t,” said Bekah Bankson, Territory Manager, Corteva Agriscience. “On top of that, the category is crowded, so it is very challenging for retailers to know which product to have confidence in.”
There are so many brands and so many claims. How do you know what product is right for your customers AND will deliver on what they say? Your best bet is to choose a nitrogen stabilizer that meets specific benchmarks — that it is backed by university research, has been studied through multiple trials and meets tough standards of the Environmental Protection Agency. N-Serve® and Instinct® nitrogen stabilizers are two choices that meet this criterion and stand out from other products in the category.
“Many farmers believe that because nitrogen stabilizers are an add-on product, they can manage without the help,” said Bankson. “However, it is critical to sell stabilizers alongside fertilizer as a complete nitrogen plan to protect acres from loss.”
Bankson continues, “For my retailers that sell seed, I compare this to their experience that when they sell seed, they typically pair that with a seed treatment package. Do the same for nitrogen and don’t leave it unprotected. You wouldn’t sell seed without seed treatment, so don’t sell nitrogen without a stabilizer.”
Undoubtedly, a main challenge with selling nitrogen stabilizers is that the science of the product can be difficult to grasp without deeper study. Because the product works below the soil, you cannot see how the product works in a way that can be simply demonstrated to your questioning customers.
“If a retailer is trying to sell to a grower, it’s hard to understand something working below the soil,” said Jeff Ellis, Market Development Specialist, Corteva Agriscience. “When you use our stabilizers it’s not always apparent on the corn plant during the growing season that it’s working. But at the end of the season, you will see the increase in yield and quality of grain.”
While you don’t need an advanced degree to master the chemical process that makes stabilizers work, a thorough understanding of the nitrogen cycle and how nitrogen stabilizers interact with it is important. In addition to that, use local data and resources that help explain how that process impacts the acres in your specific territory. It makes you better prepared to answer tough questions from farmers and encourage their belief in a process they cannot immediately see.
“In tough economic times growers are concerned about every dollar they’re spending. We need retailers to share the story of why a stabilizer is the right choice agronomically and economically to preserve the nitrogen in the soil,” said Bridgette Readel, Market Development Specialist, Corteva Agriscience.
Nitrogen stabilizers do more than just protect nitrogen. They can boost yield potential, which in turn can positively impact a farmer’s bottom line, and they benefit the environment by keeping nitrogen in the soil for crop uptake. In this way, retailers, farmers and the environment win — multiple benefits that are hard to pass up.
“Those that use nitrogen stabilizers year after year see the multitude benefits and know they are protecting their nitrogen and impacting yield. They will continue to purchase because they know it works,” said Ellis.
Selling nitrogen stabilizers to your customers is hard. But it doesn’t have to be. By taking the time to learn as much as you can about the science, identify the benchmarks that signify a proven nitrogen stabilizer, understand how stabilizers are part of a nitrogen fertilizer package, and know that they offer a multitude of customer benefits, you’ll be more confident in tackling the hurdles and will be well on your way to positively impacting your customers.