How to build a list of the best agribusiness companies

27 December 2022

With global markets in turmoil, an ongoing war in Ukraine and another year of unpredictable weather conditions ahead, agribusiness companies have mixed feelings about the future.

Market forecasters around the world are predicting a financial recession as early as this year. At the same time, they predict a record year in terms of production and demand. The world’s population is getting hungrier every day, and there is no doubt that demand will increase. It is no coincidence that the 20s years of our century are already being referred to as the “roaring years”.

Among the major trends in the agribusiness market, experts include:

1. The unpredictability associated with China

China and the US have been bound by the terms of a trade agreement that expired at the end of 2021. What happens next remains a mystery, as this country may well continue to buy at 2021 levels simply out of necessity

However, given the toxic war in Ukraine, which Russia is trying to invade, and the tightening of sanctions by the US, agricultural companies have every reason to wonder whether there will be a second phase and what future deals might be, as China has publicly stated its intention to become less dependent on foreign grain in the future.

2. Pricing

Cereal (especially wheat) and fertilizer prices are in turbulence mode. Uncertainty in fuel supply is causing prices to break records.

With supply chains still struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and global agricultural supplies from Ukraine and Russia unstable due to the ongoing war, manufacturers, suppliers and buyers around the world are not quite sure what to do about the mixed price situation.

3. Inflation

As 2022 is ending, inflation shows itself more and more – it will undoubtedly affect every element of the agricultural industry, as credit is key not only for crop production and business, but also for financing equipment, which has risen significantly over the past two years.

4. Robotics

The role of robotics in strengthening supply chains is one of the most important trends in agribusiness that needs to be addressed. With labor shortages and increased demand for food, agrirobots are increasingly being used in agriculture.

They can already perform tasks such as harvesting fruit and vegetables, herding livestock and even milking cows! This trend is expected to grow in popularity in the coming years as technology improves.

5. Vertical farming

Another important trend worth noting is the development of vertical farming. This type of farming involves growing crops vertically in a controlled environment.

Vertical farms use less land and water than traditional farms and can be located close to urban areas, reducing transport costs.

6. Plant-based alternatives

Plant-based alternatives are also expected to expand. These include both plant-based meat and dairy products as well as other ingredients made from plants.

7. Data, Internet of Things and blockchain

Finally, the trend of using data for decision-making is expected to grow further on.

In the same vein as robotics, in the agritech space, the use of data and IoT technology promises to help make agriculture and agricultural supply chains more efficient and, in turn, more sustainable.

The use of blockchain in agriculture is also expected to rise dramatically. In the past, blockchain has been used mainly in the financial sector. But its potential application in agriculture is huge. For example, blockchain could be used to track the origin of food, ensure its safety, and even help farmers get better prices for their crops.

As you can see, agribusinesses are in for a challenging time. And yet these are times of opportunities. Using modern digital tools for efficient prospecting will transform the dynamics of your business from a manual mode to the digital one. With EasyList you are in position to:

1. Generate a list of suppliers – leading agro-producers and exporters in 70 countries worldwide.
2. Generate a list of buyers – distributors and importers of agricultural products, fertilizers, machinery and other products from 70 countries worldwide.
3. Generate a list of competitors – companies that compete with you in the markets.

This is why building up an accurate list of potential partners can be crucial to performing your sales or purchasing tasks.

What is a marketing list?

Marketing lists are lists of potential business partners, usually in the form of data tables, which are used to establish first contact with a client and guide each lead through the qualification process.

These lists are used to build a strong client database, actively contact potential clients and find ways to develop long-term professional relationships.

Good quality data are vital for marketing lists as they can help prioritize and ensure prospect contacts are credible and up-to-date.

What are the best prospecting methods?

Let’s take a look at the best methods for prospecting:

Cold calls

Although the popularity of cold calls is on the wane, their effectiveness is definitely not diminished: 82% of buyers agree to meet when contacted by a sales rep, making it clear that cold calling is alive, safe and sound.

Unlike many other prospecting methods, cold calls allow you to have a one-on-one conversation with a potential customer and approach him directly. However, the effectiveness of your cold calling efforts will depend on the quality of your data.

Make sure you’re reaching out to the right decision-makers, using the right solutions to engage potential customers and enrich your data with accurate and verified information. Then develop a winning and flexible scenario for your sales team.

If you focus on making contacts rather than reading scripts, you can get a lot out of cold calls.

Warm calls

You can increase your chances of success by pre-warming your list of potential clients before you start calling.

Try contacting potential clients via email or social media to set up a time to talk. This will help familiarize potential clients with your brand and solutions before you call. Then your potential customers are more likely to agree to communicate.

How to generate a list of potential customers

Here’s how to build your list of leads step by step:

Step 1: Identify your audience

If you’re looking for potential customers, you first need to target the audience and to determine who they actually are:

• If you offer agricultural machinery, then your market segment is agricultural producers.
• In case you offer handling and storage equipment, your segment is warehouses and elevator owners.
• If you are looking for buyers of frozen fruit, mushrooms and berries, you should identify importers of these products in the countries you are interested in.
• If you are looking for fertilizers and seeds – select producers of these products.

Identifying the right target market can increase the efficiency of your entire sales or purchasing process. EasyList is an online targeting and lead generation tool. With it, you will generate your marketing lists in a few clicks.

Step 2: Find the right decision makers

Once you’ve identified the right companies, it’s crucial to reach out to the right decision makers at those companies.

Using EasyList’s filters, you’ll be able to identify both front line and back office decision maker contacts in purchasing, sales, importing, exporting, and so on.

Step 3: Create your contact information

Now that you’ve identified your potential customers, it’s time to figure out how to contact them.

EasyList is a unique yet simple lead generation tool that allows you to export all the necessary contact information in a file according to your criteria. Lead generation is no longer a painful process.

Thanks to its huge and accurate database, EasyList makes it easy to find your ideal customers. Using its search criteria, you can filter through millions of business contacts to find leads that match your ideal customer profile. It doesn’t just show raw data in spreadsheets – it generates comprehensive profiles that help you quickly qualify leads before contacting potential customers.

Conclusion

Marketing lists are a must for lead generation and building a customer database. With the right prospect lists, you can find new customers and suppliers and develop marketing campaigns to convert these leads into business partners.

If you want to generate leads quickly and with guaranteed data quality, use EasyList. This digital solution will help you build up marketing lists in few precious minutes.

Agriculture & Food b2b data marketing Prospecting trends