Creason Joins Inside Sales Team

We are very excited to welcome Erin Creason to our BioZyme Inside Sales Team as an Inside Sales Coordinator. Erin has been involved in the livestock industry since a young age, and was active in FFA through high school.

In 2009, Erin graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s in agriculture ccience, and an emphasis in agriculture education. Today, she and her husband, Ed, own and operate Creason Genetics, where they raise and exhibit show pigs, primarily Berkshires, throughout the country.

Dorothy Orts :: 2015 Top Biozyme Area Sales Manager

Congratulations to Dorothy Orts on another outstanding year with BioZyme! Dorothy has been with the company since 1997 and exudes an unparalleled passion for this industry. She is her customers’ biggest advocate and is constantly challenging herself and the company to develop new and creative ideas to help dealers offer practical solutions for their customers. She believes wholeheartedly in BioZyme’s commitment to research and always strives to help the customer understand the full value and potential of a product.

Dorothy’s 3 Tips for Sales Success:

  • Be patient but persistent
  • No doesn’t mean no – it just means not now (especially if they have a true understanding of the power of Amaferm®)
  • If you don’t stop to see a prospect, he or she CAN’T buy

With over $2 million dollars in sales in 2015, Dorothy is a vital part of our organization, a leader and most importantly, an example amongst our sales team. Thank you, Dorothy, for your passion, dedication and commitment to BioZyme and to providing great service to our dealers. 

Don’t Sell. Help.

It’s a safe bet that most people have had a bad experience with a sales person. You may even cringe, roll your eyes or your stomach turns when you hear the words “sales person.” Kelley Robertson, author of Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers and The Secrets of Power Selling, lists seven reasons why customers hate sales people:

1.) They don’t listen
2.) They talk too much
3.) Lack of knowledge
4.) Lack of follow-up
5.) They lie
6.) Fail to understand the customers’ needs
7.) Refusal to take “no” for an answer

However, sales are essential for business. After all, nothing happens until you sell something. So how do you find balance? How do you become aggressive in growing your business without being labeled as a “sales person?”

To be great at selling, you must first be passionate about the product(s) or service(s) you’re representing; and secondly be passionate about the people you serve. This type of passion is something a dealer can rarely fake. A passion for what you’re selling coupled with a passion for helping your customers make the best decisions for their operations will come across in everything you say or do.

This is one area BioZyme® dealers often do not have trouble as 80% of dealers use the product personally and have experienced firsthand results they are passionate about sharing. Here are four reasons this type of passion is a game-changer for your business:

Passion Builds Trust with Customers
There are no sales without trust, and a passion for selling can cement trust between a dealer and a potential customer like nothing else. When passion is genuine, customers know it, and will respond to it by placing their trust in you and your business. A passion for selling also helps build trust because:

  • A sales person with passion truly wants to understand the customer and their unique needs and then sculpt how a product or service fits into that picture.
  • When a sales person is fully invested in the products he or she represents, that passion can be contagious for customers.
  • Passion permits a sales person to go after the best possible outcome – even if the best possible outcome for the prospect is not the product he or she originally had in mind.

    Passion Keeps the Sales Pipeline Full
    One of the great things about a passion for selling is that it can help dealers maintain a full sales pipeline without as much effort as those who lack such a passion. Why? A passion for selling turns customers into advocates (see page 6) who will recommend the dealer and their products to others. Word-of-mouth marketing continually sends new leads who are interested and ready to buy to the dealer. Having these customers who are also willing to provide testimonials and refer other customers, is priceless in any industry.

    Passion Allows Dealers to Be Persistent
    Persistence is always a watchword in sales since customers will not always be quick to pick up the phone or return a call. Great dealers who have a passion for selling have an advantage here because that passion helps them overcome such barriers and be persistent in pursuing the sale without becoming a hindrance to the potential customer. With passion, great dealers can come up with creative solutions to reach their prospects and ultimately make the sale.

    Passion Helps Dealers Continually Improve
    When dealers have a passion for selling, that passion often makes itself known through continual improvement. No dealer is perfect, but not all dealers are willing to make the commitment of time, money and energy it takes to reach the next level. Those who have a passion for selling are willing to make this commitment not only because it is the best thing for their careers, but also because it is what they want to do. That is passion for selling in action.

Be The “Good” In Their Morning, Afternoon Or Evening

Learn how LEO SANFTNER of Cottor FARMS serves customers passionately

Leo Sanftner
Cottor Farms, Osceola, WI
Sales Agent

One word that best describes how you work: Positive

First, tell us what you feel separates your business from other feed supply operations? There are not a lot of feed mills in our area; they’ve become a thing of the past. Regardless if our door closes at 5 p.m., I stay until the job is done, all deliveries are made and all the customers have the product they need.


How do you keep your to-do list?
I run a log each day by way of a spiral notebook at my desk. At the end of each day I update it for the next business day.


What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
When the telephone rings in the morning, I say “Good morning, this is Leo.” When it rings in the afternoon I say, “Good afternoon, this is Leo.” When it’s evening I say, “Good evening, this is Leo.” I try to be the good morning, good afternoon and good evening for them.


What’s your secret?
I am passionate about people and livestock. I’ve gone through a lot of stuff through the years, — feeling low, health issues, stress at
work, etc., so I try to help other people out. I forget about my problems and take on their problems. It makes me feel good.


What are you currently reading?
The Biozyme® VISION Dealer Newsletter on my phone or computer. I love to read that and learn what’s going on in
other places. I also read the Angus Journal and Hereford World.


How do you recharge?
By going home and getting six to seven hours of sleep a night. I love my Mountain Dew while I’m driving. That recharges me.


What is your favorite and least-favorite task at work?
My least favorite task is sitting at my desk. I like to stay busy so my favorite is when I’m manufacturing feed, helping customers, working out new diets and checking on
old diets.


What is one area you’d like to improve in regarding business? 
Advertising. I’m currently working on that. We are putting up a nice sign on the highway that will change daily or weekly to display different specials we are running. Next, I’ll start putting ads in newspapers. I feel more people need to know Cottor Farms is here to help.


Describe your ideal customer.
All of them.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? My ag instructor said to me years ago, “Your English teacher will say, ‘Leo can sell ice cubes to Eskimos.’ But I say, “No, Leo would sell them a wood stove.” I wouldn’t sell a customer something they don’t need.


Why do you love this business?
I’ve been in the cattle business all my life. It’s my passion. I milked cows, and the day came when I didn’t milk anymore. Then I wanted to expand my beef operation. I have and I can help others with their operations. So my dream has come true.

Ask Questions. Listen & Learn.

On an average day, Leo Sanftner will drive to his job at Cottor Farms in northern Wisconsin drinking a Mountain Dew and catching up on phone calls. Once in the office, he’ll oversee the mill’s manufacturing process and prescribe customized diets for his customers’ livestock operations. The rations Sanftner mixes are for species including cattle, horses, goats, sheep, hogs, rabbits and chickens.

In afternoons and evenings he’ll make product deliveries. Some customers are 30-40 miles away, but through his personal show ring connections, Sanftner also delivers orders up to 200 miles away from the mill’s home base in Osceola, Wisconsin.

His passion for helping breeders do well is second to none. Every day, Sanftner says he listens to his customers to learn about their unique situations. He asks them to share specifics so he can help find the right information and formulate a ration. Sanftner says he wants customers to trust him to treat their animals like his own and realize they can call on him whenever the need arises; daytime, nights or weekends.

His days are long and his to-do list is lengthy, but he doesn’t mind one bit. He says he’s living his dream of helping breeders improve the health of their operations through his position at Cottor Farms.

Cottor Farms is a family-owned business, owned by brothers, Rick and Dan Cottor, that raises its own crops to put through the milling process. Sanftner has known the Cottor family for two decades and was brought on as a sales agent six years ago, thanks to his show ring and livestock connections. He credits his success in both his work and in the show ring to BioZyme® products.

Cottor Farms also supplies and grinds 90-percent of the feed for a nearby mill, and Sanftner says he makes sure to include Amaferm® in all of the mixes.

Prior to joining Cottor Farms, Sanftner was familiar with the Sure Champ® brand as he experienced the impact of this supplement when he purchased cattle from Star Lake Herefords in Skiatook, Oklahoma, years ago. He knew the product worked on cattle and kept it as a part of his own feeding program.

“People have high quality animals, but they may not bloom and take off,” he says. “BioZyme products are formulated in the diet for them. For example, Digest More® will take calves that have been really slow to develop and give them what they need to take off. If they have a good start it’s unbelievable how they eat at the bunk. I’m amazed when I see them a few months later.”

Sanftner can share numerous success stories of his customers using Digest More and Vita Charge®, specifically. One customer who raises chickens for ethnic groups wants his hens to have all black shiny feathers. Sanftner recommended adding Amaferm to their diet. Not only do the chickens now have the desired physical traits, but their eggs are harder with stronger yolks.

He also says the farm has not had problems with chickens that stop laying nor any molt season issues in the past year.

When a new customer discusses an issue with Sanftner, one of the first products he recommends is Vita Charge gel. He says he’ll give them a tube to try, and it will always trigger more business.

“We have some small farmers that the minute their pigs and calves are born they give them Vita Charge even before colostrum,” he says. “I’m overwhelmed with the success of the product and how it works for everything I put it in.”

Another testimonial Sanftner shares about the effects of Vita Charge is from a family with show hogs that last year developed a staph infection. Among other treatments, he encouraged the use of Amaferm through the products Digest More and Vita Charge. Sanftner believes these products saved one out of their four show pigs.

Sanftner says the products are not a hard sell because once the breeder has experienced Amaferm in their diet, they see improvement in overall herd health. His customers’ bragging points include enhanced immune systems and minimal issues with sickness.

“They feel like their animals are getting the best quality,” he says. “The first thing customers might ask is ‘How much more will it cost me,’ but we add it into the whole diet and it all comes out as price at the end.”

On a personal note, Sanftner and his son T.J., raise Hereford and Red Angus cattle. They are active in the show ring and proudly pass their love for showing to Sanftner’s granddaughter, Racthel. As the fourth generation of Sanftners to show cattle, Racthel, has seen show ring success that Sanftner credits to Sure Champ and Digest More. She showed the Reserve Grand Cow-calf Pair at the Minnesota State Fair last year, and his son exhibited the Reserve Grand Get-of-Sire.

Sanftner’s passion for livestock, people and BioZyme is a package deal. By visiting with various breeders, he can learn how the animals are doing on the products and tailor to their needs. “I treat all animals as if they’re a champion,” he says. “Like they’re my own family and not just a number on the wall. It’s just how I do business. I hope to give them a good protocol with the right products then step back and let it work.”

Passion is the Only Way to Reach Peak Performance

Which of the following types of people would you prefer to have in greater numbers working with your business?

A. Happy, Low Performers
B. Unhappy, Low Performers
C. Unhappy, High Performers
D. Happy, High Performers
E. All of the above.

The obvious preference would be “D.” Makes sense as mounting evidence suggests that happy, high-performing workforces correlate with greater employee satisfaction, customer loyalty, profits and productivity.

One of my favorite books is All In by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. It says productivity is driven by the equation E+E+E. The Es stand for engaged, enabled and energized. Engaged means the employee is attached to the company and willing to put forth extra effort. Enabled means that the company environment supports the employee’s productivity and performance. Energized means that the employee feels a sense of well-being and drive.

Yale psychologist, Amy Wrzesniewski, interviewed hundreds of workers in all professions and found that people have one of three work “orientations” or mindsets:

  1. They see work as being a “job” or a chore and use the paycheck
    as its reward.
  2. They approach work as a “career” and strive to advance and succeed.
  3. They see their work as a “calling” and find work fulfilling because it gives them feelings of meaning and purpose.

Wrzesniewski then showed that people with a calling will work harder and longer simply because their jobs are rewarding.

After reading all of this, the conclusion is simple: we need happy, rewarded, engaged, enabled and energized workers if we want them to be the high-performing type that result in greater productivity and profits for our businesses.

But wait. According to Deloitte University Press, up to 87.7 percent of America’s workforce is not able to contribute to their full potential because they don’t have passion for their work. Less than 12.3 percent of America’s workforce possesses the attributes of worker passion. This “passion gap” is important because passionate workers are committed to continually achieving higher levels of performance.

So passion truly matters, and here are three ways to find and support it in your team:

1) Look for where your preconceived notions about the profile of a passionate worker are stopping you from identifying talent both externally and internally. Passionate workers come from all age groups, educational levels and backgrounds.

2) Recognize that passionate workers out earn and outperform their peers because of their internal drive for sustained learning and performance improvement. Take risks to cultivate these dispositions, and passionate workers will take risks for you in return.

3) Cultivation of passionate workers internally is probably the most effective way to increase the proportion of passionate workers in your organization. Organizations should evaluate their work environments to understand where they cultivate or discourage passion.

Who Are Your Customer Advocates?

Are you generating new business from existing customers? Customer advocates are the heart of any successful, growing business because they help send you referral leads – for free.

Referrals are warm leads that convert better than leads using other marketing initiatives. Creating customer advocates and harnessing their passion to drive more referrals is a key component to all successful, growing businesses.

According to a study by Wharton School of Business, 83 percent of satisfied customers are willing to refer products and services. But, only 29 percent actually do. So, let’s amp up that 29 percent and create some real growth from customers who share passion about the products and services you provide!

Why is customer advocacy so important?

  • A referral customer costs a lot less to acquire and has a higher potential for retention and loyalty. In fact, a referred customer has a 16 percent higher lifetime value. (Wharton School of Business, 2012)
  • Word of mouth is a primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions. Its influence is greater when the products or services being bought are relatively expensive or need people to conduct detailed research. (Mckinsey, 2010)
  • People trust friends and family more than other information sources; they pay twice the attention to recommendations from friends than other sources. (Mckinsey, 2010)

It’s easy to understand why creating customer advocates is important in driving success. Here are four ways you can turn passionate customers into advocates.

1. Build stronger customer relationships

Building relationships is important in showing that you value your customers’ business. Stronger relationships increase trust between you and your potential customer advocate.

When it comes to referrals, your customer’s reputation is on the line. If someone recommends your products and/or services, and you don’t deliver, guess who loses? Yes, you might take a hit, but more importantly, your customer will have their reputation damaged. Through stronger customer relationships, you can build trust with customers and earn their referral.

2. Use customer satisfaction surveys to identify potential advocates

Identifying potential customer advocates is a challenge. Customer satisfaction surveys can serve as a tool to identify advocates.

As discussed in previous newsletters, these surveys give you the opportunity to ask customers what they really think of your service. To determine if a customer is a potential advocate, ask this question in your survey:

How likely would you be to recommend us to your friends or colleagues?

  • I would go out of my way to recommend <dealer name>
  • I would recommend < dealer name >
  • I wouldn’t recommend < dealer name >

If someone would ‘go out of their way to recommend your services’, you could assume they were very satisfied with your service or product. Leverage this insight to reach out to specific customers and identify potential advocates.

3. ‘WOW’ your customers by focusing on the experience

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh demonstrates this best when he says, “We really don’t think that customer service is an expense that you should try to minimize, it’s really an investment in your brand. The telephone is one of the best branding devices out there. If you wow [customers] during that interaction, that’s something they’re going to remember for a very long time and tell their friends about.”

Creating an experience that WOWs your customers is something money can’t buy. People value service that goes above and beyond their expectations, and they tell others about those experiences. In order to WOW your customers, first think about what your customers expect from your product or service. Then, exceed those expectations. Think about some initiatives you can implement today that will make your customers say, “Whoa, that was great.”

4. Don’t be scared to just ask for referrals

Asking for a referral can be intimidating. Even with all the strategies in the world, some of you will still sit back and not identify your advocates and ask them for referrals.

Pick five loyal customers you feel might have some peers interested in your services. Next time you have a scheduled call or are delivering product, challenge yourself to simply ask for the referral.

Use this line if you’re stuck for words:“Hey Bob, do you know anyone or any operations that would find our products or services valuable?” 

Turning customers into advocates doesn’t have to be hard. Studies show that customers want to send you referrals but just don’t know how. Your passion for this industry is contagious, and you have customers who want to help you grow your business. It is up to you to leverage that passion to create more opportunity!

Fly Control – Start Early

An early start is the key to a successful horn fly control program. It is estimated that horn flies cost North American cattle producers more than $1 billion each year. Fortunately, BioZyme offers a variety of products that contain Altosid® IGR Feed-Thru. This additive disrupts the life cycle of horn fly larvae in manure.

Horn flies can cause “blind quarters” and reduce milk intake by beef calves because horn flies may carry S. aureus, a major cause of mastitis. Research at Louisiana State University and the University of Georgia indicates that 75 percent of all heifers have mastitis before they have a calf.

The irritation and reduced milk intake from horn fly infestation can cause 20-25 pounds lower weaning weights as compared to cows treated with Altosid®. With calf prices at $200/cwt. the lost weight can dramatically decrease the income of cow/calf producers.

There is also an impact on these weaned calves as they grow. Horn flies can reduce gains on yearlings grazed on pasture by 30-35 pounds per season. With feeder cattle prices in the $170/cwt. range, reducing horn flies in 2016 can result in an extra $50 to $60 per head while the additional cost of feeding an IGR VitaFerm® mineral with Altosid® is only about $8 per head more than a general VitaFerm mineral.

Q. HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE A HORN FLY PROBLEM?

A. Horn flies are an ectoparasite and tend to stay on the backs and sides of animals throughout the day. Despite their name, horn flies do not congregate on the horn and head area. Horn flies are about half the size of the common housefly and lay eggs exclusively in fresh manure.

Q. WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL HORN FLIES?

A. Most horn fly control strategies require you to either gather cattle on a regular basis for treatment or replenish the various systems that dispense products for horn fly control (dust bags, backrubbers, etc.). While these methods are labor-intensive, an insect growth regulator (IGR) allows you to provide horn fly control right in your feed or minerals, letting cattle do the work.

Q. WHEN SHOULD I BEGIN USING AN IGR PRODUCT, AND WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS?

A. It depends on where you live, but 30 days prior to the last frost is the standard recommendation. You can start later, but you will definitely need to incorporate a knock down spray to kill adults that will be present if you choose to start later in the fly season. To effectively break the horn fly life cycle, a feed-through program utilizing Altosid® IGR Feed-Thru requires three to four weeks for significant reduction in adult horn fly numbers.

Q. I USE THE PRODUCT BUT I STILL SEE A LOT OF FLIES. WHY?

A. What you may be seeing are fly species other than the horn fly. The horn fly will only lay its eggs in fresh manure patties. Other fly species such as the common house fly, face fly and stable fly will lay eggs in any damp, decaying material such as sewage, near stagnant water or in old silage. Another reason might be lack of (mineral) consumption. Don’t let your mineral feeders run out! It only takes a few days without Altosid® for the level in the manure to drop below effective levels.

Q. HOW DOES ALTOSID® IGR FEED-THRU WORK?

A. Horn flies lay eggs in manure. After the eggs hatch, larvae (maggots) must molt as they grow. During molting, insects produce biochemicals to aid in the growth process. As the final growth stage, the pupal stage, occurs, the IGR provides a jolt of extra biochemical that interrupts the growth process. As a result, adult flies never develop from the pupal stage.

Q. IF I’M USING ALTOSID® BUT MY NEIGHBOR ISN’T, WILL I STILL GET  FLY CONTROL?

A. The horn fly will not migrate. The female only leaves the host animal to travel a very short distance to the fresh cow patty, lay her eggs, and immediately return to the animal. Therefore, there is little opportunity for your neighbor’s horn fly population to cross over to your herd. Obviously, if there is shared shade or water along the fence line, there will be some cross over, but not significant.

Q. CAN I USE AN IGR WITH OTHER HORN FLY CONTROL PRODUCTS?

A. Yes. A complete program should include face fly control, along with adulticide products, depending on the level of initial infestation.

Q. HOW DOES THE VETERINARY FEED DIRECTIVE AFFECT IGR?

A. Products that contain antibiotics such as CTC (Chlortetracycline) are regulated by the FDA. In January 2017 all products that contain an antibiotic will require a prescription under the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). Since, many of our stock products contain CTC and IGR these products will require a VFD. Those products that do not contain an antibiotic, but do contain IGR will NOT fall under the VFD, but they will have to be registered with a state before product can be sold into that state. BioZyme is working on this process and will have more information in the coming months.

Q. WHAT STOCK PRODUCTS DOES BIOZYME OFFER WITH IGR?

A.   VitaFerm Cattlemen’s Blend IGR & CTC 1.4G
       VitaFerm Concept•Aid® 5/S IGR & CTC 1.4G

Product Focus: IGR Minerals and New Concept•Aid® Power Tub

The key to a successful horn fly control program is starting early. BioZyme® offers two in-stock minerals with IGR: Concept•Aid® 5/S IGR + CTC 1.4G and Cattlemen’s Blend IGR + CTC 1.4G. No matter which product you choose, it is important to start feeding IGR 30 days prior to the last frost for the product to be most effective.

Concept•Aid® 5/s igr + CTC 1.4G
Key Selling Points

  • Highly fortified vitamin, mineral and organic trace mineral formula
  • Targets early cycling, egg production, conception and bull fertility
  • Contains a high level of vitamins to help the reproductive tract heal after calving
  • Nutrient dense to compliment low to good quality forage
  • Should be fed a minimum of 30 days prior to calving through breeding season

VITAFERM® CATTLEMEN’S BLENDTM + IGR + CTC 1.4G
Key Selling Points

  • Economical solution to provide ample mineral and vitamin fortification to compliment a wide variety of forages
  • Contains organic copper to support immune function in the presence of antagonists

We are very excited about the newest addition to the VitaFerm Concept•Aid Power Product line.

The 50 lb. Concept•Aid Power Tub offers all of the benefits of the larger 200 lb. Concept•Aid Power Tub, but in a much more convenient size.

50 lb Concept•Aid® Power Tub
Key Selling Points

  • The smaller size is more convenient for moving and lifting
  • With a 5-15 head per tub feeding rate, this product is better suited for smaller groups of cattle
  • Contains 20% natural protein in addition to Concept•Aid mineral. When using this product, your cows get their daily mineral requirement in addition to a high quality protein
  • Feeds like a 54% protein product due to Amaferm®’s research proven increase in the natural protein produced by the cow (microbial protein) by an average of 34%.

February – Letters From Lisa

Passion is defined as a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something. 

Whenever I think about passion, I immediately think of my family’s Westie, Lucy. She has a passion – actually an obsession – for tennis balls. She will fetch a typical 2.5-inch tennis ball until she is physically not able to move or you have gone crazy throwing it for her. She will fetch it out of water, a cactus or a basket. Even when the ball ends up in a place where things won’t go well, she finds it and brings it back. She perseveres. This obsession doesn’t stop with a 9-inch tennis ball. Remember, she is a Westie (9 – 11 inches tall). She responds to this ball like a cutting horse with a calf. You move the ball right, she goes right. You move the ball left, she goes left. It’s truly hard to throw it past her. She can move it through an entire 4,000-square-foot house going around, through or over any obstacle and ALWAYS bring it back to you.

In business, they say you cannot teach the intangible
quality that separates average business people from
inspiring leaders . . . they are obsessed with what they do. Lucy would agree. She would tell you the things you are passionate about won’t leave you alone. They’re the ideas, hopes and possibilities your mind naturally gravitates to, the things you would focus your time and attention on for no other reason than that doing them feels right.

So what is your tennis ball? This same question came from a terrific commencement speech given at MIT last year by Dropbox founder Drew Houston. Houston explained, “The most successful people are obsessed with solving something that matters to them. They remind me of a dog chasing a tennis ball.” To increase your chances of happiness and success, Houston said, you must “find your tennis ball—the thing that pulls you.”

So this month, find that thing that pulls you and let it drive your work. If your work is your tennis ball – it won’t be work; instead you will have to force
yourself to go to bed because you will be chasing it without even realizing
the time on the clock.

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