IMPORTANCE OF THE VETERINARY PHYSICIAN'S COMMERCIAL STRATEGY DUE TO THE COMPETITIVE EXPANSION OF THE AGRICULTURAL MARKET

Abstract

The general objective of this investigation was to emphasize the importance of the commercial strategy of the veterinarian who proposes to act as a technical consultant, taking into account the increasingly aggressive challenges given the accelerated expansion of agribusiness in Brazil in recent years. A questionnaire consisting of eight questions was applied to the following groups of people: shopkeepers, professionals in the purchasing sector, clerks and veterinarians responsible for technical agribusiness establishments in different cities in the State of Rondônia. This study had the collaboration of 72 people working in interstate and intercity networks and independent commercial establishments. The survey indicates that most respondents are sales clerks (68.1%) and consider knowledge about the products (79.2%) as a motivation for recommending them to end consumers. Information provided by the veterinary industries about the benefits and applicability of their products occurs sporadically (59.7%). Respondents prefer to receive instructions through technical visits (66.7%). One fact that could be observed in the routine of the technical consultant is the little attention paid to those products that did not have a turnover between cycles of visits. It was demonstrated that an emphatic action plan to leverage visibility and consequent sale of these products stopped in stock, falls short of expectations, and alternative attitudes to change this scenario happen rarely (47.2%) or never (5.6%) . Reading package inserts and product labels is encouraged by 51.4% of technical consultants, on the other hand, only 50% of them show concern with the display and organization of products in their portfolio at points of sale. Dewormers were identified as the most sought after class of drugs (36.1%). The collected information highlights the need for improvement in several areas of the agribusiness industry sector regarding the preparation of the professional who will act as its ambassador. These results offer valuable insights for manufacturers, representatives and other professionals in the agribusiness sector, highlighting areas for attention and opportunities for improvement. For a broader view, it is important to consider regional and contextual particularities, in addition to carrying out additional research and studies to obtain a more delineated view of the needs and preferences of the agricultural market.