FS University

When you grow. We grow.

As part of FS PARTNERS ongoing commitment to employees and customers, we are pleased to offer FS University- a unique training program designed to enhance the skills and abilities of staff members, ensuring the most professional people are driving up the laneways of Ontario's farm businesses.

FS University logo

Employees who have completed the necessary programs will be awards one of two certificate programs:

Professional Sales Certificate

The Professional Sales Certificate is an educational program of the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA). This program requires the successful completion of three courses: Selling to Farm Businesses, Thinking it Through, and Marketing to Farm Businesses. The objective of the certificate is to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and approaches used in consultive selling. Participants also learn to use these approaches in the development of a strategic sales plan for a new prospect. recipients of the Professional Sales Certificate are eligible to become Certified Sales Professionals. for more information on the Professional Sales Certificate please go to www.cpsa.com .

Certificate in Agri-Marketing

The Certificate in Agri Marketing is an educational program of the Canadian Agri Marketing Association (CAMA). This program requires the successful completion of three courses: Marketing to Farm Businesses, Strategic Agri Marketing, and Agri Marketing Application. The objective of the certificate is to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of marketing and contemporary marketing concepts. Participants also learn to use these concepts in the development of a marketing plan for their own business. Current certificate holders come from all sectors of Canadian agriculture and all parts of the country. For more information on the Certificate in Agri Marketing please go to www.cama.org .

Programs currently offered by FS PARTNERS include:

Marketing to Farm Businesses
Strategic Agri-Marketing
Selling to Farm Businesses

1. Marketing to Farm Businesses

Marketing to Farm Businesses (MFB) is an intensive three-day course designed for managers responsible for developing and/or implementing marketing programs to farm businesses and/or businesses that sell to farmers. Participants who take this course will learn:

The role of marketing in determining and meeting buyer needs
How to attract new customers and retain existing ones
How to analyze and select profitable growth opportunities
How farm businesses make purchasing decisions and how this can be used in building marketing programs
Practical approaches to segmenting markets and selecting high potential targets
How products and services can be designed to create value for targeted customers
How to manage products and services through their product life cycles from market introduction to growth and maturity
Effective approaches to establishing profitable pricing strategies
How to build integrated marketing communication programs using a broad range of promotional techniques
Easy-to-use, yet powerful approaches to determining the financial success of marketing plans
How the market environment in agriculture is changing and the implications of this for developing marketing plans
How to build a marketing plan for a local, regional or national market
Participants learn the fundamentals of marketing and market planning, and then using case studies, they learn to apply these concepts to current agricultural marketing situations. This approach has been proven to increase the ability of participants to make real-life decisions pertaining to their own businesses.

2. Strategic Agri Marketing

Strategic Agri Marketing (SAM) is an intensive four-day course designed for managers responsible for developing and/or implementing marketing programs to farm businesses and/or businesses that sell to farmers. Participants who take this course will learn:

How to segment markets using approaches such as demographic, psychographic and benefit segmentation
Effective targeting strategies that provide real focus to a marketing strategy
Procedures for developing and introducing profitable new products
Approaches for developing and managing strong brands
Strategies for managing products and services through their life cycles
How to analyze competition and develop proactive and reactive competitive strategies
How to measure and use price elasticity in developing pricing strategies
How and when to use cost-oriented pricing, demand-oriented pricing and competitive pricing
How to design/redesign distribution systems (marketing channels) that are cost-effective and meet the needs of targeted customers
Effective procedures for dealing with management issues in distribution systems such as compensating and motivating channel members, measuring performance, and dealing with channel conflict
The components of an integrated communication program and how they should be blended to achieve reach and frequency goals
Techniques to model marketing decision situations that will enable managers to estimate the likely outcome of various strategies before implementation
Participants learn concepts related to marketing strategy, and then using case studies, they apply these concepts to current agricultural marketing situations. This approach has been proven to increase the ability of participants to make real-life decisions pertaining to their own business. Although there is not an educational requirement to take this course, it is taught at the same level as most MBA marketing courses.

3. Selling to Farm Businesses

Creating Value Through Communications and Consultative Selling

Selling to Farm Businesses is an intensive three-day course designed for professional salespeople who work with farm businesses and/or businesses that sell to farmers. Participants who take this course will learn:

How farm businesses make purchasing decisions and how this can be used in developing effective sales strategies
What constitutes effective communications and how salespeople can improve their presenting and listening skills
How to read nonverbal communications and use this in interacting with customers
The different type of customers in the market and how sales approaches should change for each type
Various approaches to prospecting for new customers and how to establish priority for these prospects
How to develop a sales strategy for each customer and a call plan for each sales call
Methods that can be used to open a sales call
Methods salespeople can use to discover the broad range of needs a buy is attempting to meet
How to effectively present the features, advantages and benefits of products and services to address specific buyer needs
Approaches to deal with buyer concerns
Successful approaches to close sales
How to deal with complaints
Strategies to provide effective after-sales service
Strategies to increase the amount of business done with current customers
Participants learn concepts relating to the fundamentals of selling, and then using multi-media case studies, they learn to apply these concepts to current agricultural selling situations. In addition, after completing this course, participants may participate in a follow-up course (Thinking it Through: Creating Customer Specific Value) which focuses on the application of concepts to a selling situation relating to their own work environment.
This course is designed for new salespeople, salespeople who have not been formally trained in the fundamentals of selling, and experienced salespeople looking to refresh their skills.

FS University

When you grow. We grow.

Professional Sales Certificate

Certificate in Agri-Marketing

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