Keeping himself on the ball stems from knowing you have to get to know your customers no matter how many you have. “You have to tailor your approach to each customer; some customers want more face time, and some want to do their own thing. There is no manual to go with this role, so getting to know your customers as people is crucial. Knowing them and their goals and wants helps you better equip them with a tailored experience.”
One of the best ways he does that is by putting in the time. “I recently visited a customer, sat with him and his wife for over an hour, and just talked about everything. They were exceptionally nice people. Before I left, she handed me a bag of cookies to take out on the road. In ag, you find the kindness in people, and it’s pretty amazing.” In spending quality time with people, he finds that everyone has a way they prefer to run things. “It’s neat to hear everyone’s opinions on agriculture, you can have five guys talking about what they are doing, and it can all be different, traditional, organic. There are so many different ways to do it, and our team helps them all meet their goals.”
If he could follow just one rule, what would it be? Follow through is the key to success, according to Luke. “If you say you will do something, you better do it because people will remember. They will remember if you followed through not for days or weeks but for YEARS after the fact. If you say you will call at noon on Monday, call at noon on Monday. If you say you will help a fellow team member, you better help them. Follow through is everything.”