Technical selling is no longer enough

How to build sales teams that generate trust, data, and results in animal health

Jen, AgenciaAGRO’s Empathy Engineering AI agent, talks with María Fe Palacios about the new role of technical selling, the true value of a key account, and turning information into meaningful business decisions.

For years, in-depth product knowledge was a technical salesperson’s main credential. Today it remains essential, but it is no longer enough. Buyers access the same information, attend the same conferences, and assess proposals against increasingly complex production, economic, and strategic factors.

In this environment, selling is no longer about explaining what a product does. It is about understanding how the customer’s business works, which indicators need improvement, who participates in the decision, and what evidence will sustain a solution over time.

To explore this transformation, Jen—our AI agent specializing in Empathy Engineering—interviewed María Fe Palacios, AgenciaAGRO’s new Associate Consultant for Latin America. An animal scientist, sales executive, and data science specialist, María has built her career at the intersection of technical knowledge, strategy, trust, and results.

Part 1 · When the product is no longer the focus

JEN · What is the clearest sign that a sales team is still using an approach the market has outgrown?

María Fe:The sign appears when every conversation begins and ends with the product. The salesperson may know its mechanism of action, indications, and technical benefits perfectly, but if they cannot connect them to the customer’s production and financial indicators, their message lacks context. Today, buyers are informed too. They may be production, animal health, or purchasing managers, or even executives, each looking at a different dimension of the business. Change happens when the team stops asking “How can I present my product better?” and starts asking “What problem does this account need to solve, and how can I demonstrate that our proposal contributes to that outcome?” That is when technical selling becomes consultative selling.

JEN · If several companies offer technically sound products, where does the real competitive advantage shift?

María Fe:It shifts toward the ability to build a complete solution. The difference may lie in well-designed training, a properly conducted field trial, a laboratory analysis, an understandable statistical report, or disciplined follow-up. It also lies in understanding the person across the table: some people value technical evidence first; others need to see the operational or economic impact, or even the reassurance the proposal brings to their decision. This is not about manipulating emotions, but recognizing that every human decision combines reasons, priorities, and perceptions of risk. A company that integrates these elements creates a more relevant value proposition that is much harder to replace on price alone.

Part 2 · Empathy is also a business tool

JEN · In a complex account, what usually fails first: the technical argument or the understanding of how the customer decides?

María Fe: Understanding often fails first. A key account rarely has just one decision-maker. There are technical users, influencers, buyers, finance leaders, and executives. Each has different questions, incentives, and risks. If the account manager speaks to everyone in the same way, they are probably leaving value on the table. Sales empathy means diagnosing how each person thinks, what information they need, and what that solution means within their responsibilities. This requires listening, asking good questions, and mapping decisions. When we understand the account’s human system, technical knowledge finds the right place to make an impact.

JEN · Trust seems intangible. How do you recognize when it starts becoming a real business asset?

María Fe: You recognize it when the conversation goes beyond a purchase order. The customer begins sharing plans, forecasts, constraints, and next steps because they trust that the information will be used thoughtfully. For a supplier, knowing production cycles, stocking estimates, portfolio changes, or future needs makes it possible to plan inventory and respond reliably. Trust then translates into better planning, fewer surprises, greater continuity, and deeper relationships. But friendliness alone does not build it: delivering on commitments, following up, and providing useful answers—even before a sale is ready—do.

Part 3 · A large account is not always a key account

JEN · What question should a company ask before calling one of its largest customers a “key” account?

María Fe: It should ask whether there is a real opportunity to create value together. Volume matters, but it is not enough. I would look at three dimensions. First, strategic value: whether the portfolio can solve relevant problems and whether that account can become a reference. Second, total economic potential, not just current purchases. Third, the possibility of building a deep relationship. Some very large customers prefer a purely transactional operation: quote, price, and delivery. That is valid, but it does not necessarily justify investing in a Key Account Management model. A key account needs openness to sharing information, developing trials, measuring results, and sustaining a solution-oriented relationship.

JEN · What is the most costly mistake when designing a Key Accounts program?

María Fe: Appointing someone and believing the program now exists. A Key Account Manager needs to understand the industry technically, plan the business, build trust, and coordinate multiple resources. But they also need a company that supports them. Without technical support, competitive intelligence, analytical capabilities, and aligned internal processes, they will eventually revert to the old model: a technically trained salesperson visiting large accounts. The program must define segmentation criteria, roles, objectives, decision maps, account plans, follow-up routines, and concrete resources. It also requires patience, because trials, budgets, and regional decisions follow their own timelines.

Part 4 · Data and AI: from promise to decision

JEN · What distinguishes a team that truly uses data from one that simply presents more charts?

María Fe: The difference is whether analysis helps people decide. A dashboard can look flawless and fail to answer any relevant question. Data must start with a problem: what happened in a trial, which variable explains a result, where a portfolio opportunity exists, how a market is moving, or which account deserves greater investment. There is also an important responsibility: if a customer entrusts us with their data, we must return a rigorous, understandable, useful analysis. Statistics should not be used to impress, but to reduce uncertainty and improve the business conversation.

JEN · Where does artificial intelligence add the most value, and where can it destroy credibility?

María Fe: It adds value when it expands our ability to learn, analyze, and create. It can help write code, explore a database, build a dashboard, design a calculator, or solve an operational problem. But it needs human judgment. Copying and pasting an answer without verifying it is the fastest way to lose credibility, especially in a technical industry. The question is not whether to use artificial intelligence; it is how to use it responsibly. We must frame the problem properly, review results, check them against experience, and recognize what information must not be shared. AI can accelerate work enormously, but it does not replace reflection or professional responsibility.

Part 5 · Leading in a changing regional industry

JEN · What changes when an account no longer really belongs to a single country?

María Fe: The entire sales architecture changes. Purchasing may be managed from one country, a technical trial conducted in another, the financial decision routed through a regional headquarters, and the tender handled in English from a different time zone. In that context, the local manager cannot work in isolation. They need to coordinate colleagues, technical specialists, supply teams, and regional leadership. They must also understand fiscal timelines, approval processes, and cultural differences. The account becomes a network, and managing it requires a systems perspective. That complexity is precisely one reason the key account model is so valuable.

JEN · After more than 25 years in your career, which habit still makes the difference?

María Fe: Continuing to learn with humility. A professional degree is a starting point, not a permanent competitive advantage. That advantage is built every day by talking with customers, taking advantage of company training, learning from suppliers, and updating tools. I decided to study data science many years after graduating because the world had changed and I needed new capabilities. Experience is valuable when it does not become rigidity. A relevant professional connects what they already know with what they still need to learn.

Part 6 · A new chapter with AgenciaAGRO

JEN · What opportunity do you see in combining your experience with AgenciaAGRO’s regional platform?

María Fe: I see a highly complementary combination. My experience is in the industry, sales team development, key accounts, and data analysis. AgenciaAGRO brings brand strategy, communications, digital marketing, demand generation, and a network specializing in agribusiness across Latin American markets. Together, we can support a company from its sales assessment through positioning, content, and concrete business opportunities. The idea is not to offer isolated training or disconnected campaigns, but to integrate strategy, people, data, and execution so growth is measurable and sustainable.