“Many producers are used to using manual equipment. It is necessary to do a gradual field work, showing our products and offering a test drive for them to actually see how much better it is to rely on portable motorized tools, from STIHL.”
Elisangela Correa, Sales promoter

In Brazil, the South region of Minas Gerais stands out as the main coffee producer, for its mountainous topography. The largest coffee cooperative of the world, Regional Cooperative of Coffee Producers from Guaxupé llc. (Cooxupé), works there, with a history of almost 90 years. It currently relies on more than 15 thousand members, of which 95% are small producers who live of family agriculture.

In the company for seven years, she says the work with the cooperative is extremely important to reach potential customers. “We are always paying close attention to opportunities, visiting producers who are cooperative members and breaking paradigms. Some of them had never even thought of using motorized solutions and now are extremely satisfied,” she stated.

Top 3 for a good performance with coffee producers

1. Quality
Reinforce the quality of the STIHL brand. The coffee harvest occurs only during a certain period of time and, if the equipment is not available in that moment, the producer cannot work. That is why there is nothing better than relying on world-class and low maintenance solutions.

2. Field work
The producer must see the product working. Make visits and demonstrations. Also take advantage to leave machines for a test drive. This way, the customer can see in practice the performance of STIHL solutions for the coffee market.

3. Warranty
With a two-year warranty, STIHL products draw the attention for their quality and after-sales service, relying on specialized technical assistance in STIHL dealerships. All these points must be highlighted.

Campaign directed at cooperatives 

There is a campaign being released in Brazil in cooperative newspapers of the coffee growing region, radio and digital media to make the 2021 coffee harvest even better with STIHL. There are discounts being offered for the multi-function tools KA 85 R and KA 120 R (with or without implements and accessories at the moment of the purchase).

To get the discount, customers must visit a specific site of the campaign, register and head to a STIHL store.

Developing a marketing plan makes the difference to any business that desires to grow. The teams from Chile and Equator are well aware of that and tell us how the implementation is taking place in their countries.

The Chilean experience

Luciano Barberis, Manager of Emaresa, in Chile, believes it is very important to rely on a marketing plan, since it establishes our direction for the entire year. However, he highlights that it is essential to have clear goals, aligned with the brand communication objectives, and to have them shared with the entire team.
He also emphasizes that the plan makes it “mandatory” to define product, sales and communication strategies, in such a way that they are coherent, measurable and achievable. “We concentrated our resources – money, time, effort, etc. – in a more assertive and efficient way. Many times, with our busy daily schedules, it is hard to analyse where we should target our efforts, that is why planning is essential,” he says.
Another aspect reinforced by Luciano is that the plan contributes to the development of a long term pathway. “When there is a marketing plan every year that means you are looking beyond the end of that year. That’s how a leading brand should look at things in a world with so many changes, always seeking to meets it’s clients current and future needs.”

The Equator example

To Iver Paredes, Sales and Marketing Manager of Inmeq, from Equator, the development of a marketing plan is essential to achieve the established goals. “STIHL Equator has been creating increasingly more challenging plans, which help us become more competitive, improving our participation in the Equatorial market,” he emphasizes.
According to him, the tool has been very valuable to maintain schedules and actions for the end consumer, increasing loyalty and brand preference.
The development of STIHL Equator objectives followed the guidelines from “Smart Objectives *”, which makes the activities more challenging. For 2021, the main goals are:

⦁ Brand awareness, positioning and preference.
⦁ Strengthening the relationship with our distribuitors and end customers.
⦁ Development of digital platforms to facilitate commercial interaction.

*SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely

Planning the future requires responsibility, to assess the current situation in order to project the future scenario of where one wants to be. The year of 2021 will still be strongly impacted by the effects of the pandemic on a world scale. Planning, control, and possible stock management within the network shall be regularly assessed, as efficient cutting-edge communication (distributors) with importers and subsidiaries, shall play an important role in the quality and the speed of reaction to market demands.
The STIHL team has been meeting to jointly draw up a consistent action plan that shall take the brand even further. The first step has already been taken, the scenario and sales plan with the quantities and turnover as expected for 2021 is ready. The development of the marketing plan with structured and consistent market actions are also a key to success in such challenging times.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR SALES AND MARKETING PLAN 2021 COMPLETE?

Online activities are growing around the world, which is why investments in digital marketing today are so important, even more so in this time of the pandemic. To take advantage of its presence in the virtual environment, STIHL Mexico created STIHL Contact in 2018, a versatile platform that has since presented increasingly better results, supporting those interested in buying the brand’s products online and bringing them closer to the nearest distributor, taking into account its geolocation.

CONSTANT COMMUNICATION

“STIHL Contact” is present in all STIHL communications in Mexico, which informs customers of all contact possibilities: WhatsApp, phone call, chat, email, or SMS. After the service center talks with the clients through any of these channels, the indicated distributor is informed about the consumer’s data (name, when he will go to the store, which product he needs). STIHL then verifies if the sale was successful and three months after purchase, contacts the customer to assess his satisfaction and after-sales service requirements.

Access: contactostihl.com

STIHL CONTACT HIGHLIGHTS
• Only in 2020 (in late August) 1.327 items were sold through this platform, representing a turnover of USD 455.000 for our distributors.

• 1 in 10 contacts converts to a sale.

• WhatsApp is the customer’s favorite channel, responsible for 60% of contacts. Easiest way to follow up.

SALES PERFORMANCE PER WAY OF CONTACT
1. Google Adwords: 51%

2. Facebook: 41%

3. Organic (WhatsApp, direct contact): 8%