The Demographics of Ag Technology Sales … Simplify and Execute
October 7, 2026 Have you ever attended sales training?
One thing I’ve noticed in my career is how sales training focuses on different personalities, but not really on the different approaches to change, risk, communication, and technology adoption.
A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a father-and-son farming operation about how each of them made buying decisions and how they wanted to interact with their vendors.
The father was still fairly traditional. He wanted to meet face-to-face, develop a relationship and communicate regularly.
The son was different. He preferred texting and online communication. He wanted to hear from a vendor when they had key information for him, have important business conversations, and key buying decisions. There wasn’t really a desire for the same personal relationship his father valued.
Neither approach was right or wrong. There were similarities. But there were considerable differences.
I’ve seen those same differences throughout my career of buying and selling technology. In my experience, there are three useful ways to think about technology buyers.
Why Do They Change?
Dr. John Maxwell, Pastor, Leadership Author, and Speaker, identified three reasons people change:
- When they learn enough, they want to.
- When they receive enough, they are able to.
- When they hurt enough, they have to.
That framework provides an interesting way to look at technology adoption.
The traditional adoption curve identifies five groups. I’ve simplified that into three categories:
1. The “Toys” Group. These customers are willing to take a chance on new tools and technologies. They want to find the advantage and figure out how it can benefit their operation. When a new product, service, or upgrade comes out, these are often your first calls. They are willing to take the risk on the “bleeding edge” technology.
2. The “Show Me!” Group. These customers are interested in technology, but they need to see value. They ask questions. They want proof of concept and ROI. They are willing to take a risk, but it’s calculated risk.
3. The “Forget It” Group. This group isn’t looking for technology. They “just want to farm.” They generally won’t consider a technology purchase until the problem becomes so significant they have no other choice. Even then, they may still resist.
These two perspectives — how people handle change and how they handle risk — actually complement each other. That distinction matters because you can’t sell all three customers the same way.
Never Assume
Here’s another demographic that many people assume plays a major role in technology adoption: Age. We often assume younger people are going to adopt technology more readily because they grew up with it.
Conversely, we tend to assume older growers won’t.
In my experience, that assumption can be wrong.
I’ve seen salespeople decide not to even introduce a technology product or service to an older grower because they assumed the grower wouldn’t be interested. When the conversation finally happened, the grower not only adopted the technology but sometimes implemented it across the entire operation.
The lesson? Don’t let age determine who you think is a technology buyer. Instead, learn how the customer thinks about change, risk, value, and their business. When you walk onto a customer’s operation, do you know which type of technology buyer you’re talking to?
Understanding this should determine how you approach the conversation, what information you provide, how much proof you need to demonstrate, and ultimately how you help the customer make a decision.
Subscribe Today For
