Agricultural Consulting Procedures

Agricultural Consulting Education

ASFMRA is the only professional society that offers Agricultural Consulting education to meet the needs of ag professionals today and into the future!  ASFMRA provides the opportunity for you to set yourself apart from others and gives you the ability to clearly differentiate yourself in the marketplace.  No other professional organization offers the quality of education that ASFMRA provides.  Our ag consulting education is peer-developed, peer-reviewed and geared towards the professional that considers themselves to be one of the best!  Becoming a designated Agricultural Consultant will help you take your career to the next level and provide you with the skills to not only serve your current clients - but also provide you with the skill sets needed to gather new ones!  Increase client satisfaction, share of wallet and your income!

Take a look at the education we have offer. Then take a look at our education schedule to see what is being offered near you!

If you have any questions about the approvals of the courses, you can contact Deanna Ilk at 303-692-1222 or dilk@asfmra.org

Agricultural Consulting Procedures

Class I – Advanced Consulting Theory

  • Creative team building/group introduction
  • Identify the role of the consultant
  • How to identify the client's goals
  • How to identify stakeholders
  • Learn how to manage consulting projects, using advanced project management techniques, as well as consulting project management models

Class II – Analytical Methods and Theories of Consulting

  • Learn to use the SWOT Analysis
  • Learn to use Porter's Five Force method of evaluation
  • Learn how to us other analysis tools
  • Introduction to other templates, checklists and other resources
  • Case Studies

Class III – Fundamentals of Data Gathering

  • Why does the consultant gather data
  • How does the consultant gather data?
    • Gathering data to fulfill deliverables
  • Introduction to Tools to gather data
    • Identifying questions you need to ask (scope)
    • Utilizing open-end questions
    • Fact finder (capturing information)
    • Who (stakeholders) do you interview?

Class IV – Advanced Concepts in Technology for the Consultant

  • How to utilize the technology as a consultant
  • Other technological tools available to the agricultural consultant
    • How to make your presentations looks better

Class V – Designing, Delivering and Evaluating the Consulting Solution

  • Does there need to be a review of the scope and of the data?
  • Setting strategies, goals and targets
  • How to present a solution that will be accepted, gain buy-in
  • Providing ROI for changes made
  • Maintaining the consulting solution (quality control)
  • Describing the problem, determining most important factors that contribute to the problem, visualizing what success looks like and creating actions to lead to success.

Class VI – Negotiating the Consulting Engagement

  • Identify the scope of the project
    • Fact finding that leads to the appropriate scope
    • Determine the most appropriate and relevant issues
    • Outlining the deliverables
      • In depth review of the various theories of negotiation
      • Writing the consulting agreement
      • Relevant role playing to enable practicing

Class VII – Selling the Consulting Process

  • Selling cycle
    • The participants strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to focus their business to target markets, as well as identify areas to improve
  • Marketing plan
  • Personalities
    • What is their personality type?
    • What are the characteristics of each personality type?
    • What are the physical needs of each personality type?
    • What are the emotional needs of each personality type?
    • How to work with each personality type
  • Body language analysis
  • Negotiating
    • Study of body language and the connection to negotiation
  • Communication
    • Written and oral, emails and text messages, frequency of communication, mode of communication, etc.

Contact Hours: 24 hours

Accreditation: This course is required for the AAC

List of Approvals