You want to build a career you’re proud of, but this can often seem easier said than done.
What you do for a living can set the pace for the rest of your life. That’s why it’s so important for you to work in an industry you’re passionate about at a company that rewards your effort.
RDO Equipment Co. has been in business since 1968. Over the years, our account managers have created value for customers around the U.S. and driven our company into the future. Working as an account manager in one of our agriculture locations is a great fit for the right person. You’ll build relationships with the people who feed the world, earn a stable living and get flexibility to fit your work around your life.
Our account manager job isn’t necessarily for everyone, though — more on that later.
If you’re considering this as the next step in your career, this article explains our agriculture equipment account manager position to give you a better feel for what this role could be like for you, including:
- What an account manager does at RDO
- What a typical day consists of
- The best parts about this job
- Common challenges ag account managers face
- Who’s a good fit for an ag account manager position
Let’s get started. . .
What Does an Account Manager Do at RDO?
Account managers at RDO work in a customer-facing sales position. In this role, account managers work to develop lasting relationships (partnerships) with customers in their territory. Through these relationships, account managers fit RDO’s solutions (parts, equipment, services) to each customer’s needs.
Account managers in an RDO agriculture location sell John Deere machinery to farmers and ranchers in their area. While these team members do many things in a day, they are primarily responsible for overseeing the entire sales process (from prospecting to purchase to post-purchase account management).
What Does a Typical Day Consist of as an Ag Account Manager?
Every day is different as an agriculture account manager here. While that’s one of the best aspects of the position (if you like that sort of thing), it also makes it harder to give you a sample of a day.
However, on a given day, you can expect to do any number of these things:
- Prospecting
- Calling on prospects
- Traveling to farms/meetings with customers
- Giving product demonstrations
- Building quotes
- Doing company-sponsored product training
- Doing administrative work/emails
- Meeting with your manager
- Collaborating with the service and parts department
- Working with internal stakeholders to fill customer needs
This is a fast-paced career where anything can happen in a day. One minute, you might be creating a quote for a prospective customer; the next, you could get a phone call from an existing one asking for assistance. In these situations, it’s your job to organize your time and priorities to satisfy every customer.
How Much Time Is Spent on the Road?
As an RDO ag account manager, you’re responsible for maintaining a healthy pipeline of deals at all stages. In the agriculture industry, large equipment sales are often done on the farm site or at a customer’s location. Although it varies week by week and month by month, you should expect to spend 60-70 percent of your time outside of the office meeting with customers and prospects.
How Are Account Manager Territories Determined?
This will vary by location. Usually, the local sales team manager will determine who’s responsible for which territory. Every territory is developed based on current business needs and the sales potential of the area.
The Best Parts About this Career
If you’re looking for a rewarding career where you can see the impact of your work firsthand, this could be for you. RDO account managers create meaningful value for the people who feed and clothe the world.
Farmers and ranchers provide an essential service and work hard every day.
They need trusted, knowledgeable partners to help them succeed in all aspects of their business. This is what they get from RDO account managers. This is what you’ll get to do.
In this role, you’ll work alongside customers to provide solutions and services to help them become more efficient. Then, watch how that solution creates value and efficiency for them throughout the next growing season.
Another great part of this job is always having something different to do. No two operations are the same, so it’s your job to problem-solve alongside customers to make sure the solutions you provide fit their needs.
Challenges an Account Manager May Face on the Job
Although working as an agriculture account manager is a great fit for many, there are challenging aspects to this job.
Challenge 1) Generating New Business
Generating new business can be difficult, especially if you’re just getting started. It can take a while to get your first sale and you’ll hear quite a few “nos” along the way. There’s a lot of competition out there, which will make this even harder.
Sticking this out and not getting discouraged when things aren’t going to plan can be tricky. Keeping your funnel full (from lead to qualified lead to opportunity) is a great way to overcome this.
Challenge 2) Learning the Products
Learning the products is another thing you’ll have to work through. This isn’t just a one-time thing, either. John Deere’s machinery is constantly changing and every time they release a new product, you’ll need to spend some time learning about its value and who it fits best. As a solutions provider knowing the equipment you’re selling will make you a better solutions provider.
Challenge 3) External Factors Can Impact Your Success
Another challenge you’ll encounter in this role is that external factors like economic conditions impact business spending patterns and, in turn, your ability to sell. This can certainly be frustrating, especially since some of your compensation is from commission. Unfortunately, this is out of your hands. All you can do is control the things you can (like building out that pipeline we mentioned).
Who is a Good Fit for RDO’s Agriculture Account Manager Role?
Now that you have a better understanding of what an agriculture account manager does at RDO and what the benefits and challenges of this job are, let’s talk about who’s a good fit for this role.
Many people from a variety of backgrounds can be successful in this role. Here are some characteristics of our most successful account managers:
They have some connection to the farming/ranching industry.
Having a background in farming can give account managers a leg up. Knowing what stressors and forces (like seasonality) affect a customer helps account managers provide valuable insights and partner with them.
For example, we have an account manager in our Webster, SD store who grew up on a ranch. As a result, she’s very knowledgeable about hay production, equipment and the needs of that customer base and has been very successful.
Account managers with this background also have an easier time connecting with our customers and “speaking the language,” so to speak.
They have a background in sales.
Ultimately, this is a sales position. It is important to come into this job with an understanding of sales processes and how to manage a sales funnel. While this can be learned over time, some of our most successful account managers come into RDO with some sort of sales experience.
They have good professional skills.
Both technical computer skills, organizational skills and soft skills like interpersonal communication, being self-driven and having the ability to switch between multiple kinds of tasks in a day are important to success in this position. A hunger to get better and learn something new is another skill we look for in our account managers.
Interested in an Account Manager Position at RDO?
Account managers working in our ag division do meaningful work alongside their region’s farmers and agriculture professionals. This is an important job where you get to develop lasting relationships, earn a stable living and see the impact of your work daily.
Although it can be discouraging and difficult to get started, if you have good professional skills, a background in the ag world and/or a history in sales, this could be a great fit for you.
Learn more about what it’s like to work in sales at RDO by reading A Day in the Life in Sales at RDO Equipment Co. next.
If you’re ready to get started, check out our Sales Careers website page for more information on what to expect in this role and how to apply.
Have questions for us? Contact the RDO Equipment Co. careers department here. We’re more than happy to help you on your journey to build a career you’re proud of.
