Snowden Tatarski

"Don't go to a street fight with a tinker toy"

One of the things that amazed me about Kevin (and really about most of the older guys in the company) was how immaculate they looked. Kevin was always in pressed khakis and a company polo or dress shirt. If the event was a big one, he wore a blazer. His readers were always perched impossibly far out on his nose. His hair was a perfect salt-and-pepper coral reef formation that did not move or change or seemingly grow. It reminded me of the plastic hair of a Ken doll or Mr. Potato Head. I worked with Kevin a long time, and other than the single occasion I saw him in jean shorts (horrifying), he was the model of professional dress, except his shoes.

Man, those were some tired-looking shoes. He walked constantly—across the office and in the airport and across the dealer’s used equipment boneyard. The man never stopped moving, and the shoes showed it. When we got to the field, he would change shoes in a Mr. Rogers sort of way but the shoes he changed into were nearly identical—they just had a slightly thicker heel. On trips to see machinery running, he also traveled with a crisp company fleece and jacket pretty much all the time.



He was the picture of the company marketing man out with the customer—riding in the buddy seat, bouncing across the field with hair that stayed perfectly in place. Customers simply adored him and for good reason. He built strong and enduring relationships extremely quickly, and farmers trusted him. What people may not have known is he behaved this way everywhere. He was unusually close to the family that owned the local Quiznos. He knew details about their family and shared with them the advantages of added capacity, threshing and separating in the newest Gleaner, whether or not they were interested.



Kevin was a relationship guy in a relationship business. It’s funny. I’ve consulted sales and marketing professionals across a bunch of industries and more than a few years and that seems to be the common high mark of praise: “He’s a relationship guy.” It means he’s likable. He’s trustworthy. People enjoy having a relationship with him and find it worthwhile. And all of that illuminates the second side of all this. If you’re in sales and marketing, but you’re not a relationship person, what exactly are you? The answer is what some might call a left-handed compliment.



When you work in sales and marketing but struggle to build needed relationships, you get termed a “numbers person,” and it’s normally preceded with the words “well, he’s/she’s a great . . . .” I’ve known plenty of high-achieving accounting and finance folks. They’re often referred to as brilliant, clear-headed, thoughtful and unbiased. A few I’ve worked with are the most likable and trustworthy people I know. They’re not called “numbers people” because their job makes it clear that they know how to work with numbers. I’ve also worked with plenty of people who are great with numbers inside the marketing function—pinpointing demand, dissecting customer data and calculating programs. There is no shortage of great people whose numerical ability makes the machinery move. But the term “numbers people” is a consolation prize for people who can’t get the relationship side of the business done. We call sales and marketing people “numbers people” when they can’t form the needed relationships the right way, but they’re in a job that requires that skill. It’s a way of trying to excuse that they’re in a relationship job but aren’t relationship people. It’s an insult with just enough candy coating that folks won’t choke when it when they have to swallow that pill.



Kevin saw sales and marketing as an art and science that was refined over years and through experience. He spent decades studying selling techniques, learning new marketing approaches and then directly applying these techniques in the fields where he worked. He experimented, observed, adjusted and created systems from those results. He did it over decades and with a lot of success.



For Kevin, being a high-performing marketing manager was as simple as three steps:



1) The degree of command you have in knowledge of the consumer, marketplace, product and competitive landscape.



2) The ability to put the right people in the right roles and then coach, nurture and extract great work from them while not wearing them out or driving them away.



3) The ability to create, resource, communicate and execute strategies that people can understand, embrace and act on.



These three things require building relationships. You’re not going to understand the market beyond a spreadsheet if you can’t go out and immerse yourself in it. You can’t find, recruit or position the right people if you can’t recognize or attract them. And if you can’t inspire people to follow a strategy, they’re left aimlessly wandering.



Kevin saw marketing as a natural complement to the selling process. He believed that the processes and content of the marketing apparatus should be just as professional and just as technically savvy as the selling process. For this reason, he had very little patience with marketing that didn’t care about supporting the salespeople on the front lines. He made a point of calling out content that was tone deaf to the marketplace, inaccurate in its technical depiction and a waste of company resources.


“I don’t live in a world with pink frilly things”



Kevin very much disliked the tendency to substitute high production value, glam marketing and empty sparks as a replacement for a strong selling concept. It’s not to say he didn’t embrace production value—he did, and his work showed it—but he was resolute that any marketing we created had to be clearly connected to the selling objective.



In a similar sense, Kevin tended to dislike marketing programs that seemed more focused on process than result. Marketers can be so enchanted/entertained by the creative process that they ignore the fact that it actually accomplishes very little, but no one wants to say that out loud because of how much it costs.



For the Biener, sales and marketing was a calling. It was the combination of nature and nurture that made him likable, credible and effective. He could put points on the board like few others, but you’d never call him a “numbers guy” because he was so much more and did a job that required so much more.



Kevin would speak in pretend voices when telling stories from his past to illustrate the characters they contained, but they were all the same voice: his former drill sergeant and the lady at the hotel desk , the guy who wanted to buy a tractor at the Sunbelt show and the person he just got out of a meeting with. His imitations were terrible. But no matter who he was trying to imitate, the Biener kept on showing through. He was genuine in his task and purpose and more than prepared. And wherever he went, there was a group of folks ready to join his team and further his cause.



Relationship people tend to have that effect.

You’re Not Getting Any of This Are you Richard" is the story of one remarkable salesman, marketer, leader and friend told by those who worked by his side for years. It’s a collection of raucous accounts, emotional stories and needed lessons to inspire hearts, instruct minds and incite laughter. There will be a limited print release of the book available for purchase here: http://sn-ta.com/book-interest/

I owe a lot of folks for their encouragement, kinds word and help in getting this book written- not the least of which, Willie Vogt contributed a foreword. As the final version heads to the printer today, I have a lot of gratitude for the great people that have supported this effort. If you haven’t gotten your order in, we’re still taking them and will get you in the first batch of shipments if you get it in soon. .

You can order here: https://sn-ta.com/book-interest/

Foreword: Remembering Kevin Bien

How do you put into words a giant personality? How do you capture a sense of passion with no measure? Those are the challenges I face with this foreword. To help you know why the subject of this book is worth your time. I know every moment I spent with Kevin Bien was an education in itself.
You see Kevin, or the Biener, was a teacher, mentor, friend and advocate to many. My work with him as a member of the agricultural media involved learning about new products from AGCO.
In the 40 years that I’ve been covering this business, I’ve met some great people and count many as friends, but Kevin was special. I sought him out when were at trade shows. It was a time to catch up, but also to learn. What was happening in the industry? Off-the-record moments helped me better understand just how this crazy farm equipment industry works.
It was always a comfort to see Kevin at an event because you knew he had a ready smile; he was excited to see you, too. And when you talked to Kevin you felt like you were the only person he saw even when thousands of farmers were at the same farm show. He brought that singular focus to all he did.
He was a kind of mentor to me, though I’m pretty sure we really didn’t act that way. We talked, gesticulated (we both like using our hands) and probably got pretty loud. A good laugh with Kevin could be a kind of soul-lifting experience. We first met years ago when I went to Germany to learn more about Fendt tractors. It was an interesting trip with journalists and dealers. We enjoyed a lot of beer in the region. Marktoberdorf is very near Munich, in a beautiful part of Germany.
Part of that trip was meeting many young men from the U.S. involved in a kind of immersion training on the new tractors. Kevin immersed himself into this family company acquired by an American conglomerate. While I didn’t witness it directly, I believe he endeared himself to those local engineers because at the end of the day it was all about product engineering and quality, and that was a passion for him. His love of excellence probably did a lot to endear him to those very particular German engineers who at first were skeptical of being acquired by AGCO. Really skeptical. But Kevin cut through that.
Then he made a slight career shift and moved to a long-time AGCO brand that was kind of languishing in the company stable — the Gleaner combine. There’s an old joke that this galvanized machine would not be painted until “perfected.” That joke came back to bite the brand a bit when AGCO had to start painting the machine because galvanized steel apparently comes in many colors. The new gray finish was a huge improvement, but for Kevin the work was just beginning.
Over the next decade, with what I am sure was a tighter research and product development budget than other brands, he started tweaking. He engaged engineers to make a tuck here, a nip there and give this machine an internal refresh. No part of that combine went untouched, with an aim to turn it from a good wheat machine to a solid, light-footed corn and soybean combine that offered the performance of a much heavier harvester.
He succeeded. The Super 7 was a jewel in a career crown for someone who understood what the farmer wanted and worked hard to get there. That machine remains a solid performer in the combine line.
I often wonder what Kevin would have thought had he been around to find out that the Gleaner may also be the perfect h**p harvester. I ponder those grower meetings and that passionate explanation of just how the rotor working perpendicular to the crop was perfect for a hot new crop. Of course, he also would have been quick to point out that h**p has been around and valuable to farmers in the past and Gleaner would build on that legacy. I’m guessing, but I might not be too far off.
You see, the Biener was a teacher. He wanted you to understand both the way a piece of metal was bent and why. Every change or improvement to a machine was for a purpose, usually for the customer.
In the world of marketing and business, there are a lot of great ideas. But someone has to do the work. My background is as a navy brat, and my father, a navy chief, knew that while officers gave orders it was chiefs who did the heavy lifting, working with enlisted men and women to get the job done. Kevin was a kind of chief, taking orders from the officers in headquarters, then moving forward to get the job done. He didn’t move up the ladder too far, and I suspect he was quite comfortable in his role directing product development at the company. Often people let themselves be promoted to their highest level of incompetence.
For Kevin, working on the day-to-day of product development and perfection was all the satisfaction he needed. And it showed.
Enjoy this book, with its look at someone who might have flown under the radar but was never out of sight for the brands he handled. He was funny, he was jovial, he was a teacher, and he was driven. And that made a difference in a lot of peoples' lives.

Willie Vogt

Editorial Director, Farm Progress, and Friend

Book Interest | Snowden Tatarski You’re not getting any of this, are you Richard? Thank you for your desire to purchase You’re Not Getting Any Of This, Are You Richard? Writing this book was an incredible experience full of memories, laughter and important lessons. I hope you enjoy this book for years to come. Please click the ...

I started writing this book at the beginning of the Covid-19 shutdown, but I’ve been thinking about it for years. I needed time for the lessons and legends to settle into a more consumable format and the slowed pace recently gave me a chance to do just that. It’s been a great adventure writing this book. I remembered some great moments that would otherwise have been forgotten. I made some new friends, who had their lives blessed by Kevin and they reached out to me to share a story or photo. More than anything, it got me thinking about the things in life and business that are honorable, courageous, successful and sustainable-- the things that really do matter-- at a time when I really needed some sunshine on such things.

This is the 4th business book I have written and it has certainly been the most fulfilling. Rather than the secluded experience of writing the first three was, this effort included remarkable friends and colleagues. There were great discussions and laughs and with such, it has very much been a team effort.

My books have never been designed to make money. They’ve always been more about sharing ideas and perhaps a few chuckles. If the revenue covered the expenses, we would consider such very fortunate. While I did post the chapters online over the past week, I have received numerous requests for an actual book.

Therefore, I am asking for people who want a copy of this book to raise their hand and be counted. If the resulting numbers add up, or at least come close, we will order, print and ship an initial run. This has never been about getting rich, so if there is any profit from this initial printing, it will be donated to a veteran who wants to study agriculture. I think Kevin would like that.

The following link is simply to reserve your book, not to place an actual order. We will follow up with you via email to complete the purchase and get any inscription information you would like written in the book (yes, I’ll inscribe each of the books from the initial order to you or a person of your choice).

Let me offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who shared photos, offered a story or simply lent their support. These efforts helped keep me energized and determined through the writing process. This story belongs to those who had the thrills, occasional terror and delight of knowing and working with such a great guy.

It’s not my story. I’m just glad I had the chance to get it.

You can let us know if you are interested in purchasing the book here:

http://sn-ta.com/book-interest/

“You're not getting any of this, are you Richard?”

This book was written during the beginning of the Covid-19 shutdown in 2020. The slowed pace of businesses and life gave me time to really think and then put the words down on paper. Yet, much of the book’s content was being discussed, structured, and recorded much earlier.

I have reflected lately on Kevin and the impact he made in both my personal and professional life. The result is 21 separate guides to help me and anyone who reads them be more like the Biener. They are the things many others and I watched him put into the day-to-day workings that made everything a little more effective, efficient, fair and fun. Most, though not all, correspond with the chapters in the rest of the book.

To Be Like The Biener

1) Get your priorities straight, stick to them and defend them. Make sure they’re in the right order.
2) Have the right attitude about your position and responsibility. Make sure your actions reflect a sense of humility, service and dignity.
3) Don’t lie, cheat or steal and don’t tolerate it from others.
4) Get out of your office (or meeting) and be the expert on and in the market you are selling to.
5) Be passionate and professional. Don’t show up to the selling situation with half efforts.
6) Focus on the selling strategy and ex*****on and turn down the volume on everything else that is not directly aimed at making profitable sales.
7) Don’t put your people in harms way for personal gain. Instead, put your self at the bottom of the pyramid and help them be their best.
8) Make strategies that survive contact with reality and make changes where needed. Focus on differentiation, demonstration, customer benefit and authenticity.
9) Focus resources on the points of most impact towards the selling objective.
10) Be a good citizen and treat your teammates with genuine care and compassion. But don’t tolerate a bully and don’t hesitate to call one out.
11) Build and maintain strong, mutually beneficial relationships with strategic vendors.
12) Fight, but fight fair. And fight for what’s right. Use better information, stronger strategies and deeper insight rather than deception, cronyism or viciousness.
13) Lead without needing or pulling rank. Let the strength of character, results, potential and empathy attract people to your cause rather than threats, edicts, policies or position.
14) Be honest with your results and expect honesty from others. Don’t mislead customers, peers or managers with unclear or untruthful data.
15) Marketing is a relationship business. The people who do it should be able to form and nurture good relationships across the many people they interact with.
16) Manage up with honesty and empathy. Don’t simply blow smoke. One of the most loyal things you can do is tell the uncomfortable truth to the folks in charge when no one else will.
17) Don’t eat the seed corn. Have a sustainable selling strategy. A dependency and focus on discounts has short-term benefits and long term risks that are hard to repair.
18) Make every meeting have an objective, agenda, report and time limit. If it’s not important enough to have these things, it may not be important enough to meet about.
19) Love your job enough to work hard with a smile on your face. Make it fun. If you can’t do that, get a different job.
20) Actively admire and appreciate those on the front lines of the business.
21) Work hard to raise up the next generation of the organization but more importantly, raise them up right.

The working world can be a funny place and perhaps that’s best. We often give our jobs more of our time each week than our faith, family or friends. But what Kevin showed so beautifully is that it doesn’t have to necessarily be so. We can let our beliefs about kindness; truthfulness, fairness, servant leadership and mercy permeate our working lives. We can clarify our priorities and be clear of what we stand for. We can build the kinds of personal relationships and bonds, those truly great friendships, when we act with empathy and integrity.

Kevin lived an extraordinary life. He lived rich life full of adventure, love, accomplishment and happiness and much of that was because of his choice to see what’s great in nearly everything and everyone he encountered. On behalf of myself and my many friends and colleagues that shared some of that life with him, I’m glad we were there and had the blessing and good fortunes, to “get it”.

"You’re Not Getting Any of This Are you Richard" is the story of one remarkable salesman, marketer, leader and friend told by those who worked by his side for years. It’s a collection of raucous accounts, emotional stories and needed lessons to inspire hearts, instruct minds and incite laughter. There will be a limited print release of the book available for pre-order. You can sign up to pre-order here: http://sn-ta.com/book-interest/