Why Writing Matters (And Why It Doesn't Happen)
Understanding the documentation gap and its cost to trust
Introduction
Welcome to Session 5.
In Session 4, we learned that effective farm visits have four phases—and that most advisors skip Phase 4 (Reinforce). The reinforcement that builds trust almost always requires writing.
This session explores why written follow-up matters so much—and why it so rarely happens.
By the end of this session, you'll understand:
- Why farmers strongly prefer written information
- The cognitive science advantage of reading over listening
- What you lose when visits go undocumented
- Why writing feels hard (and how to make it easier)
Reading vs Listening: The Science
The Speed Difference
Here's a fact most advisors don't know:
Reading speed: 250-300 words per minute Listening comprehension: 50-60 words per minute
Wait—listening is only 60 wpm?
Yes. Because listening requires real-time processing. You can't pause, rewind, or skim. You have to keep up with the speaker.
Reading is 5x faster because you control the pace.
The Comprehension Difference
Research consistently shows:
- Written information is retained better than spoken
- Readers can revisit complex points
- Readers can process at their own speed
- Listeners forget most content within 48 hours
For farmers making high-stakes decisions, this matters enormously.
The Control Factor
When you speak, you control the pace.
- Farmer has to keep up
- Can't rewind confusing parts
- Can't skip what they already know
When you write, they control the pace.
- They skim what's familiar
- They slow down on complex parts
- They revisit when making decisions
- They share with family/partners
Writing respects the farmer's autonomy.
Why Farmers Prefer Written Information
What Farmers Tell Us
When researchers ask farmers how they prefer to receive technical advice, written information consistently ranks at the top.
Why?
1. They can revisit it when deciding
- Decisions don't happen during your visit
- They happen later, often with family
- Written information is there when they need it
2. They can share it
- With spouses/partners
- With family members involved in decisions
- With other advisors for second opinions
3. They can verify details
- Application rates
- Timing windows
- Product names
- Contact information
4. It proves the conversation happened
- Documentation for their records
- Reference for future years
- Evidence of due diligence
5. It signals you care
- "They took time to write this"
- "They want me to get this right"
- "I'm not just another stop"
The Trust Signal
Here's what written follow-up communicates:
You send written follow-up =
- You remember the conversation
- You follow through
- You care enough to invest time
- Your advice is worth documenting
- You're professional and organized
You DON'T send written follow-up =
- You might have forgotten already
- Your word is unreliable
- You don't care enough to invest time
- Your advice might not be that important
- You're disorganized
Farmers notice the absence of writing.
The Documentation Gap
The Hard Numbers
Estimate honestly: What percentage of your farm visits get documented with written follow-up?
Industry research suggests:
- 10-20% of visits get documented
- 80-90% never result in written communication
That's a massive gap between what works and what actually happens.
What Gets Lost
When visits go undocumented:
For farmers:
- They forget key details
- They can't share advice with family
- They lose context over time
- They question whether advice was serious
For you:
- You forget what you recommended
- You can't track what worked
- You repeat yourself (ask same questions)
- You lose credibility (appear unprepared)
- You can't learn from patterns
For the relationship:
- Trust erodes through inconsistency
- You're stuck at thin trust
- Farmers don't implement
- You wonder why advice isn't valued
The Compound Cost
Every undocumented visit represents:
- Lost trust-building opportunity
- Integrity pillar erosion
- Reduced implementation likelihood
- Farmer uncertainty
- Your own knowledge loss
Over 20-30 visits per month, this compounds into significant relationship and business impact.
Why Writing Doesn't Happen
The Real Barriers
If writing is so important, why doesn't it happen?
Barrier #1: Writing is slow
- Speaking: 150-200 words/minute
- Writing: 40 words/minute
- 4-5x time investment
Barrier #2: It's not urgent
- Visit feels "complete"
- No immediate pressure
- Easy to delay
Barrier #3: It requires what you didn't capture
- You need details from the visit
- You didn't write them down during
- Memory fades quickly
Barrier #4: There's no system
- No template
- No process
- No accountability
- No tools
Barrier #5: It's not measured
- Organizations track visits, not follow-ups
- No visibility on documentation rates
- No consequences for skipping it
Barrier #6: You forget
- You intend to write
- Other priorities intervene
- Time passes
- It's too late / you've forgotten
The Intention-Action Gap
Most advisors INTEND to document visits. They know it's important. They want to do it.
But good intentions don't create behavior change.
Without systems, documentation remains optional and inconsistent.
What Would Make It Easier
Writing would happen more consistently if:
- It was faster (voice capture → transcription)
- It was prompted (automatic reminders)
- It required less memory (captured during visit)
- It had templates (not starting from blank page)
- It was visible (tracked and measured)
- It had support (tools and systems)
Sessions 6-7 will introduce tools that address these barriers.
Reflection: Your Documentation Reality
Time for brutal honesty about your documentation habits.
Last month, approximately how many farm visits did you conduct? ___
How many resulted in written follow-up? ___
Your documentation rate: ___%
2. Why So Low?
If your rate is below 50%, what's really in the way?
- Time?
- Systems?
- Priority?
- Forgetting?
- Not seeing the value?
- Organizational pressure for volume?
3. One Example of Documentation Success
Think of one time you DID send written follow-up:
- What made it possible that time?
- How did the farmer respond?
- What was different about that situation?
- What can you learn from it?
4. The Cost in One Relationship
Think of one farmer relationship stuck at thin trust:
- Have you ever sent them written follow-up?
- If you had documented every visit, would the relationship be different?
- What would change if you started now?
5. Imagining 80% Documentation
What would change in your work if you documented 80% of visits?
- For farmers?
- For your credibility?
- For your own learning?
- For relationship depth?
This Week's Practice
Your Challenge: Track Your Documentation Rate
This week, simply track reality. No judgment, just measurement.
Track for 7 Days:
For every farm visit:
- Record that it happened
- Note whether you sent written follow-up (yes/no)
- If yes: how long did it take to write?
- If no: what was the barrier?
At the end of the week:
- Calculate your documentation rate
- Identify the most common barrier
- Notice patterns
A simple one-week tracker to measure:
- Number of visits
- Number with written follow-up
- Time invested
- Barriers encountered
- Patterns observed
[Download Tracking Sheet →]
Why Measurement Matters
You can't improve what you don't measure. This week is about seeing reality clearly.
Next week (Session 6), we'll introduce tools that make documentation faster and more consistent.
Key Takeaways
Written follow-up signals care: It proves you remember, you follow through, and you value the relationship.
The documentation gap is massive: 80-90% of visits never result in written communication—that's trust being left on the table.
Good intentions aren't enough: Most advisors intend to document. Without systems, it won't happen consistently.
Writing is slow—that's the problem: At 40 wpm typing vs. 150 wpm speaking, writing takes 4-5x longer. That's why it doesn't happen.
Farmers prefer writing: They can revisit it, share it, verify it, and reference it when making decisions.
Undocumented visits erode trust: Every visit without follow-up signals inconsistency and erodes the integrity pillar.
Coming Up Next
In Session 6: Capturing What Matters, we'll solve the documentation problem.
You'll learn:
- Why voice capture is 3x faster than writing
- How to capture observations without slowing down
- Introduction to PropelMapper Voice Capture
- Building a sustainable capture routine
Before Next Session
Complete your one-week documentation tracking. Be honest about your current rate. You'll need this baseline to measure improvement.