Category: Business Resources

Two Minutes in Ag: March

Last month, many of the BioZyme sales and marketing staff attending the Cattle Industry Convention in Houston. It was great to talk to so many customers and potential customers about our products. While there, CattleFax presented its annual market and weather forecast, which is typically right on target. 

 According to CattleFax, even with continued challenges and uncertainty from the pandemic, cattle price and profitability trends for producers are heading in the right direction. While issues around labor and packing capacity have lingered, both are expected to improve in the year ahead. Expansions in capacity combined with strong global and domestic consumer beef demand suggests increased profitability across segments, good news for our customers. 

Kevin Good, vice president of industry relations and analysis at CattleFax, provided the following market forecast: Average 2022 fed steer price at $140/cwt., up $18/cwt. from 2021, with a range of $130-155/cwt. throughout the year. All cattle classes are expected to trade higher, and prices are expected to improve. The 800-lb steer price is expected to average $172/cwt. with a range of $158-184/cwt., and the 550-lb steer price is expected to average $205/cwt., with a range of $180-230/cwt. Finally, Good forecasted utility cows at an average of $75/cwt. with a range of $65-85/cwt. and bred cows at an average of $1,850/head with a range of $1,700-2,000 for load lots of quality, running-age cows. 

The weather forecast isn’t quite as favorable as the cattle market with La Niña staying in control of the ocean-atmosphere system. For the U.S., barring any change to the La Niña outlook or sudden warming in the Gulf of Alaska, dryness continues across the Southwest and South with warms temperatures, too. The Northern Plains and Corn Belt are expected to have wetness farther east this spring and drier conditions for this summer, with temperatures closer to normal compared to last year. 

As you know supply chain and transportation issues continue to challenge everyone in agriculture.

Look for more positive news next month, when hopefully we start to see some April showers! 

Dealer Spotlight: Simme Valley Feed Focuses on the Customer

For a young boy from Providence, Rhode Island, spending summers on his aunt and uncle’s farm in NewYork were a highlight. It is there, he first showed Simmental cattle and learned to appreciate the wide-open spaces.

Fast forward in time, Philip Paradis offered to return to Simme Valley located near Groton, New York, to help his aunt Jeanne White after his uncle passed away. At first it was just for a breeding season. Then for a little while at calving.And, now for the past nine years, Phil has become a permanent partner withJeanne, who started the Simmental operation with her late husband more than 50 years ago.

“It was quite a change for kid from the inner city. I was just going to come help with calving for 60 days, and I’m still here,” Philip said.

Those early summers showing at fairs with his aunt and uncle foreshadowed what would become a passion for Philip, as he now shows the family’s beloved Simmental cattle all through New York and along the East Coast. That is how he discovered BioZyme®-through the Sure Champ® products.

“With Sure Champ, when we are traveling and showing our cattle never go off their feed or water regimen,” he said.

Then, he discovered the same Amaferm® advantage in the VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® products. However, sourcing them wasn’t the easiest, so he decided to become a dealer, and he hasn’t looked back.

‘I’m so glad I switched to the VitaFerm mineral. Concept•Aid has shortened our calving window from 60days to 45 days on natural heats. Getting done calving in 45 days was amazing! BioZyme has created a product that sells itself,” Philip said. He uses a lot of signage and word of mouth to share his success with the products and to grow his business. He also uses social media to share what he does on the farm and what shows he will be attending. When he first started, he had three customers. Three years later, he has more than 40 customers. He is trying to diversity his offering, by finding sheep producers to try the DuraFerm® line. He said one of the most popular products he sells is the Country Vet Natural Dog Food. He said his customers appreciate the price point, the way it helps their dogs not feel gassy and how it clears up their skin.

His best advice is to make sure to know what your customers use and don’t use so you keep your inventory correct and don’t have unnecessary products.

From the city life to simpler ways, Philip Paradis has become a successful BioZyme dealer in New York, living his dream. Thanks for sharing the Amaferm advantage with so many others, Philip!

Master Dealer: Information Grows Your Passion To Sell

Knowledge is power. The more information BioZyme® can provide its dealers and distributors with about products, marketing tools and resources, the more effective salespeople they will be. That’s why in 2022, the BioZyme Master Dealer Training Program is getting a makeover – to make it more user friendly, provide more current and continuous information.

“Our goals have always been to provide our dealers with the product information they need to succeed, and in 2022, we are taking that a step further. We are creating new Master Dealer chapters that will help refresh their knowledge base to not only grow their BioZyme business, but their overall business as well,” said Jennifer Miller, BioZyme’s Outreach Sales & Support Senior Manager.

Coming Soon!
Miller said one of the most exciting changes coming to the Master Dealer program is the addition of curriculum. Starting approximately March 22, Master Dealer Chapter 3, will be launched, with a focus on the Online Dealer Center. This new session will cover pertinent user information about the ODC, which is also being revamped this spring.

Once the Master Dealer Chapter 3 is released, dealers will no longer have to wait a year to take the course work between the Master Dealer and Master Dealer 2. Dealers will be able to take all the course work in consecutive order and qualify for the Master Dealer status as long as they continuously carry four of the five product lines.

With no wait times in between courses, Miller said that dealers will remain fresher in their knowledge and be able to continue to learn as their time allows. She also said that new chapters will be released every six months to keep the content relevant and interesting to the dealers.

“They spoke and we listened. The dealers said they wanted more training tools and educational resources, so we are going to deliver these new chapters on a schedule every six months,” she said. “We are working to provide our dealers with the information they want and need to succeed in their business.”

More Changes
The new Master Dealer Chapters will be focused on one subject area and will be only four sessions long, for consistency and user ease, according to Miller. So, Chapter 3 will focus only on the tools provided in the Dealer Center and how to use those to grow sales.

Another change is that publicity won’t necessarily be sent with the completion of each chapter, but more upon completion of the first level and milestone levels.

Here to Stay
Because the BioZyme Team understand that some things are working great with the Master Dealer Program, some features are not changing. For example, dealers will still log in through the ODC for the Master Dealer portal. A dealership can also have multiple users taking the trainings.

Miller said the reward system will also stay the same, as it is important to recognize those dealers who do go above and beyond to seek extra information. Rewards are as follows:

  • Chapter 1:
    500 Action Awards Points, Master Dealer Jacket and store
    signage
    • Chapter 2:
    250 Action Awards Points, BioZyme Yeti and VitaFerm® caps
    • Chapter 3:
    250 Action Awards Points, BioZyme Sweatshirt,
    • Chapters 4 & Beyond:
    More Action Award Points and amazing prizes

Finally, because new products are launched and other changes happen, the Master Dealer on-demand courses will remain. Any time there is timely information one of these programs will become available in the on-demand curriculum until it is no longer a timely course; then it will be moved to the Master Dealer Chapter 1.

The Master Dealer Program is all online, user friendly and available to you at your time.

“I feel that in the last three days of going through all the training courses, I have learned so much that as a rancher myself, I was not aware of. I look forward to using your products as well. I appreciate the opportunity to learn all this information,” said Missy Rerich, BWI Inside Sales, Schulenburg, Texas.

Join Missy and nearly 300 other dealers who have completed the Master Dealer Program to better their business. Use the tools, learn the products and watch your business grow!

Customer Testimonials Help Sell Products

Before Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and way before MySpace, there was a form of social media that cost nothing and took very little effort. Yet, some people still haven’t used it effectively. That medium is word of mouth marketing (WOMM). In one Nielsen survey, 92% of consumers believe in recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. And according to another study, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe word of mouth is the most
effective form of marketing.

At BioZyme, we rely heavily on WOMM or testimonials to tell our product stories and help sell the products to other producers. Experienced Area Sales Manager Chris Kyle for Arkansas, Louisiana and northeast Texas, says the value in customer testimonials is that the person reviewing or talking about the specific product or experience has nothing to gain by doing so. He or she is merely bragging about
something positive that has happened on the farm or ranch and wants everyone else to know about it.

“The people who are talking about our products have achieved some sort of success in their area first and want others to know they have that feather in their cap,” Kyle said.

Most customers are glad to give a review or testimonial. You can ask for it written, take notes as it is given orally or even use the technology that you have on hand to
record a video.

“The customers don’t hold back. I ask them how a particular product is doing, and they will start talking and telling me about all the good things they have happen with their animals’ health,” Kyle said.

The value of a spoken testimonial increases when the person speaking can be captured on video. If possible, record a testimonial video. That way others can hear the emotion in the speaker’s voice and see the excitement on their faces. With today’s social media, one testimonial can reach much further than just the local coffee shop or feed mill. It can reach from coast-to-coast, and with dealers located
across the country, that WOMM is powerful.

Customers who have achieved success are passionate about the products they are talking about. It is important to remember those success stories when you have a producer meeting or customer appreciation event. If you know of customers who have had great success with the products, ask them to share their experiences with the crowd you have gathered. Their real-world stories and experiences that
their neighbors might also encounter will definitely help make a sale.

Finally, when sharing testimonials with customers, Kyle says he drop names of big-time, successful producers in the area. If he knows someone who runs a large herd and has had good results with a product, he might mention their name to someone down the road with fewer cows that is undecided about trying a BioZyme product.
He knows the first call that will be made when he leaves is to that neighbor, whose name Kyle mentioned.

Word of mouth marketing is the original social media and one that still works for marketing today! We are always looking for great customer testimonials to share in our advertising, in promotional materials and on social media. If you have a customer with a great testimonial, please reach out to your ASM or contact Shelia Grobosky at sgrobosky@biozymeinc.com.

Discovering A Passion Will Lead To Sales

During a recent Uber ride at the Cattlemen’s Convention in Houston, some of the BioZyme® staff was shuttled around by a former marketer who was excited to learn that we too were involved in marketing and sales. He rattled off the five Ps of marketing: product, price, place, promotion and people and offered to come to work for us if we needed a guy in Houston. I appreciate his enthusiasm and contend that we should all be so inquisitive to discover our customers’ passion.

What made Mr. Uber driver such a good salesperson? In less than 10 minutes, he found out about our passion. He discovered that we were in town for a convention about beef cattle and we were there to promote animal nutrition products. I would challenge each person who reads this article to really focus on that fifth p of marketing: the people. Get to know the passions of your customers so you can sell the products that they are looking to buy.

Yes, it is usually easy to sell the products that BioZyme offers when you are able to talk about all the research behind them, their mode of action and share testimonials from other customers. However, to make sure you are getting the right products to your customers, take at least 10 minutes to find out what your customers are truly passionate about. Do they want more live animals on the ground? Do they want their cows to breed back faster? Do they have horses or dogs that you don’t even

know about? Or perhaps they have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews with show livestock that they want to see excel Just because you are visiting a cow-calf producer talking to them about the advantages of VitaFerm® Concept•Aid®, doesn’t mean they don’t have other interests or passions. Take this example from Justin O’Flaherty, Area Sales Manager in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. She was visiting a cow-calf operation to discuss the VitaFerm and Vita Charge® lines with the producer. While she was there, she also saw a barn full of his passion.

“I’m not a horse person. I went and met with an Angus breeder earlier in the week, but he had a barn full of horses. I’d much rather talk about cows, and I saw an opportunity. The more you talk about things you’re uncomfortable with, the more you become familiar. The same thing with HydraBoost®. We have so many pigs and chickens in my area. If you become more comfortable with the uncomfortable, you’ll be able to grow market share by expanding your product offering and getting out
of comfort zone,” O’Flaherty said.

And never discount the popularity of man’s best friend. Remember, dogs are family so marketing the Vitalize dog products should become second nature because if there’s a dog present, there’s someone in the household passionate about that four-legged friend!

Letters From Lisa – March 2022

Does passion make you work harder and smarter? I don’t think so. I think passion makes you want to work harder and smarter. But there is way more to working harder and smarter than passion. The real problem with this cliché is that it gets tossed around so casually as an answer to all business problems and yet, it has so little to do with how a business needs to operate.

Many people believe work balance is really the goal and so they changed the phrase to “work smarter, not harder.” What’s the difference?

Luckily someone took the challenge of finding a clear answer… UC Berkeley professor Morten Hansen looked at 200 academic papers, interviewed 120 experts, ran a pilot study on 300 subjects and built a framework which he then tested on 5,000 participants from various industries and backgrounds.

He found seven behaviors that made up 66% of the difference in how people performed. (By comparison, standard metrics like education, age and hours worked were only responsible for 10% combined.) His new book, “Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More” outlines these seven.

We’re going to look at three of my favorites so that we can get hard, smart work done — and maybe even achieve that mythical “work-life balance” unicorn everyone is always talking about.

Do Less — then Obsess
Everyone agrees we need to quit trying to accomplish 9,000 things at once. But when Hansen looked at the data, he found that this was only half the solution. Top performers focus on fewer goals — but they also obsess like crazy over them. This is a really hard one for me. I am very good at obsessing but if I am honest, I obsess over all of the hundreds of opportunities I think BioZyme has. I am going to take this advice to heart and pick three for 2022.

Use “The Learning Loop”
Deliberate practice seems straightforward in sports, music or chess. But how do you do it in the workplace? Hansen offers some clear steps:

  • Pick one and only one skill at a time to develop. It’s “do less and obsess” all over again. Trying to get better at everything at once gets you nowhere. Right now, you want to be better at social media. So, learning QuickBooks will have to wait.
  • Pick one and only one skill at a time to develop. It’s “do less and obsess” all over again. Trying to get better at everything at once gets you nowhere. Right now, you want to be better at social media. So, learning QuickBooks will have to wait.
  • Just like a baseball player might try to improve a specific element of their game (batting, fielding or running), you want to break down what goes into good social media and set a goal. “I’m going to learn Promoboxx to help with my social media
    marketing.”
  • Get feedback. After the Facebook post is made, ask people how you did and what you can do to improve it

Follow Passion & Purpose
Top performers didn’t merely “follow their passion.” They also had a sense of purpose in what they did. This combo produced huge results. It boosted energy levels and increased the amount of effort they were able to exert. Hansen found that at least 10% of people in every arena and role examined had passion and purpose.

Purpose is about creating value for others in a way that is personally meaningful to you. Like passion, this is less about the actual tasks you perform and more about how you frame them. Shoveling elephant poop does not seem terribly meaningful. And when looked at in that limited frame, it isn’t. But when you love animals, it can be deeply meaningful — as a study of zookeepers revealed. In a 2009 study of zookeepers, researchers found that some saw cleaning cages and feeding animals as a filthy, meritless job, while others saw it as a moral duty to protect and provide proper care for the animals. Same job, different feelings of purpose.

Summing It Up
If we choose to implement these three behaviors, I think we will all be able to work smarter which will naturally convert to working harder and we will do it all with passion and purpose without even knowing it. Isn’t doing something so naturally you don’t even know you are doing it the real secret to work and life? One last thought. If doing all three of these behaviors is too much for you right now; 23% of the difference Hansen found in how people performed came from one behavior – Do Less then Obsess. Here’s permission to passionately obsess!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is QhrtVPYA.png

Two Minutes this Month: February

A new year is upon us, but the same challenges exist if you’re in agriculture; land values are high, feed costs are high, and if you are a farmer, seed and chemical costs are going to be higher than ever this spring. However, those involved in U.S. production agriculture continue to persevere and produce the world’s safest food, just like BioZyme focuses on producing safe, accurate products. 

New this month, we’ll start highlighting some news from across the ag community that you can read in a quick two minutes.  

Cattle slaughter was down in December, and overall declining cattle numbers are projected to reduce cattle slaughter by 2.5 -3% in 2022 and lead to a 2.5% decrease in beef production for the year. However, drought could change the timing by forcing more liquidation and slaughter sooner and delaying the decrease in production until later. 

Mother Nature cannot play nice; she either sends excessive rains and storms to parts of the country or drought continues to wreak havoc elsewhere. The U.S. Forest Service along with other government agencies are partnering to help eliminate the spread of wildfires moving forward. This 10-year plan initially will target some of the highest risk areas, including the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada Range in California, the front range in Colorado and the Southwest. 

The BioZyme brands were represented in January at both the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City and the National Western Stock Show in Denver. In its second year, Cattlemen’s Congress boasted strong open cattle shows with great sales, many sponsored and supported by breed associations after a successful first year, as a pivot show when the National Western cancelled during the height of COVID. The new stockyards at the National Western are very impressive, and the NWSS staff was very exhibitor friendly this year. Quality junior market shows among the species make Denver a special place in January, with the junior market auction better than ever. Sales in the new auction arena in the Yards were strong and though attendance was slightly off this year, foot traffic at the BioZyme booth was tremendous. 

Vita Charge® Products Ideal During Stress And Recovery

Just like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, biscuits and gravy, and chips with salsa, some things are just meant to go together. Another pair that goes together is Vita Charge and antibiotics. Vita Charge is a fast-acting, multi-species livestock supplement for use during stressful times when livestock need protection or assistance in recovery.

“Some people think about giving Vita Charge Cattle Drench when getting in sale barn cattle, and that is a great protocol, but anytime you are giving an antibiotic, be sure to give a Vita Charge product along with it. It’s like peanut butter and jelly, the two things just need to go together,” said Chris Kyle, BioZyme®Inc. Area Sales Manager for east Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Amaferm® is the key ingredient in the Vita Charge line. Amaferm is a precision prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply for maximum performance. It is research-proven to combat stress by supporting the animal’s own immune system, significantly increasing intake and nutrient utilization. The Vita Charge product line offers versatility in many forms making application easy depending on what is best for your animal.

Kyle offers some tips to position each of the Vita Charge products.

As mentioned, the Vita Charge Cattle Drench is the first step in a three-step weaning or receiving program for stockers. The Cattle Drench supports digestive health and promotes feed and water intake during times of stress and recovery. According to Kyle, the Amaferm and added enzymes in the Vita Charge Cattle Drench work together to regenerate any of the healthy bacteria that the antibiotics didn’t kill. Vita Charge Cattle Drench simply helps jump start the digestive system to protect cattle during stress. Like all Vita Charge products, it does not interfere with antibiotics.

Another product that can be used when giving antibiotics to all species and is perhaps a little more portable is the Vita Charge Gel. This easy-to-use gel comes in 60- and 300-mL tubes. Kyle said he knows of several cattle producers who will carry this horseback or in their ATV when they are in bigger pastures and need to treat an animal. The Vita Charge Gel also helps build back bacteria, and contains MOS to trap and expel pathogens, limiting their ability to do harm.

“If you aren’t darting them to treat them, there is a way to get Vita Charge into them,” Kyle said.

Two more Vita Charge products are available to producers that can be used with antibiotics, though they are often used with bigger groups of livestock.

The Vita Charge Stress Tub is the second step in the weaning and receiving protocol. Available in 50- and 200-pound tubs, it is the convenient way for cattle to get their daily dose of Vita Charge without extra handling. The cooked tub for beef cattle now includes a heat-tolerant probiotic to work synergistically with Amaferm to replenish and stimulate gut bacteria. In addition to adding these to your pens when getting in new cattle or at weaning, Kyle also recommends the Vita Charge Stress Tubs for any operations that have a “sick pen.

“If you have a designated sick pen on your place, it should always have something orange (the color of the Stress Tubs) in it. You know those calves are stressed and their immunity is compromised, and they need the Amaferm and MOS more than ever in that situation when they are also getting treated,” he said.

The Vita Charge Stress Tub with HEAT® is ideal to help prevent heat stress during temperatures of 70 degrees and hotter. The Vita Charge Stress Tub with HEAT contains capsaicin to help maintain circulation to support animal performance and gain in heat stress situations. Capsaicin is research-proven to support animal’s ability to maintain normal body temperature. It also includes garlic, considered a natural insect deterrent.

Finally, Vita Charge Liquid Boost® is another versatile, multi-species product that can be fed multiple ways, though most usually administered in water. It can be administered via a medicator, mixed with water, used as a drench or top-dressed on feed. Kyle said for those cattle that have been trucked multiple hours, across time zones and climates, this is a great tool to help them drink once they have reached their new destination.

“If cattle have had a long haul on a semi, and their new owner wants to give them a day or so to get settled before they process them, they could add some Liquid Boost in their water, to help their gut get right. Regardless of if they are ready to eat yet or lick a tub, they are going to have to drink at some point,” Kyle said.

Liquid Boost is also great for any species, and its palatable flavoring helps create consistency in taste of any water source.

Vita Charge offers something for all species with multiple applications. It is designed to help build up the bacteria in the digestive system, something necessary when antibiotics are used. Antibiotics and Vita Charge – they just go together like peas and carrots.

Effective Action: Producer Meetings Offer Support

Producer meetings are an integral part of your business for several reasons. They provide information, allow for camaraderie among people
of like minds and interests and perhaps most importantly, they give dealers the chance to offer support to their customers.

People like to know that they are appreciated. Furthermore, customers like to know that they are valued as a customer when taking their business to a particular company or brand. Beyond the appreciation factor, customers want to know that support will be available to them after the sale.

That’s where producer meetings add value, they are the continued support after the sale and the beginning of a great conversation that will start the support prior to a sale (see Know Your Customer for more). Read up on three ways that a producer meeting can offer support.

Discover Customer Needs

One of the best things about a producer meeting is that you gather your customers together collectively and find out their goals and needs at the same time. If you are in a drought area, many will obviously have the same concerns. Some customers will have unique goals that you will need to address individually, but coming together in a meeting setting, providing a meal and inquiring about your customers’ goals for the year shows that you care, and you appreciate them.

Exchange Ideas

Since you have this group together, encourage them to share ideas. This shouldn’t be a problem; it’s just a larger gathering of their local coffee shop chatter. Remember, if you have potential customers at your meeting, it is a good idea to have some of your most progressive customers prepared to speak about the products that work for them to help reach their goals. After all, most producers want to be like the guy or gal that is highly respected in the area for having a successful operation. Make sure what these spokespeople have to say is genuine and doesn’t come across as rehearsed, or it could be a turn off.

Introduce New Products

Finally, make sure you talk about any new or improved products that you know are coming down the pipe or any new services you will be offering, especially if they will help your customers reach their goals. Be sure to share the key benefits, any key ingredients and any research that you are aware of. Of course, if it is a product that includes Amaferm®, it is always good to provide a refresher on the Amaferm advantage.

Customer support and appreciation goes a long way. It can often be the difference between repeat customers and unhappy customers. Make sure to host a productive producer meeting that shows that you are available to your customers. Show them the support they are looking for and watch your business grow!

Know Your Checkbook: Leadership Skills Help Make the Sale

Leadership is not a one-size-fits all approach. Some leaders are quiet, more in the background workers and some are more aggressive. However, to succeed in sales and have growth in your company it takes leaders with particular skills.

“I believe that leadership is genetic, people are born with those skills, but they can hone them in, grow their skills over time,” said Jackson Umbarger, owner of Roy Umbarger & Sons in Bargersville, Indiana. Umbarger shared what he feels makes a sales team successful when it comes to leadership traits.

Communications

Communication is vital to sales. “Answer your phone when someone calls, and if you don’t answer, call them back,”
Umbarger said.

Although that might seem like pretty simple advice, it is sometimes overlooked, especially in an era of so many ways to communicate and with so many calls coming in. Keeping a call log in a notebook is an effective way to make sure you’ve got all your phone calls, text messages, Snap chats responded to, and orders processed without forgetting that one missed call that came in between your last customer stop and your kid’s basketball game. Because Umbarger’s sales team consists of two very unique individuals who communicate differently and are in separate phases of life – one is an early riser who doesn’t mind making calls at 6 a.m., and one would like to talk to customers after the kids’ bedtime – Umbarger at one time developed an app for customers to reach out to the sales team whenever they needed to, and in turn, the sales team could return the communication to the customers on their timelines.

Collaboration

Since leaders look different and have different skills, collaboration is a must. As Umbarger points out they might have sales reps divided by areas or species, but when the heavy hitter needs to be called in for a particular species or product, it is best to work with that person to make the sale.

“Leaders work together. They work for what is best for the team,” he said.

Their team also works together, especially when introducing a new product, to develop the talking points they will discuss, talk about what they don’t want to say and make sure the sales team is on the same page, so every customer and potential customer hears the same thing.

Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is imperative for any successful salesperson. That is why Umbarger makes sure his sales team is properly trained on any new products that they introduce to customers. Training the sales team is of upmost importance. That is when they develop talking points and share those with the rest of the company that might need to talk about the products, so everyone has accurate, consistent product information.

For BioZyme products, make sure you use the information available to you on the Online Dealer Center and online to familiarize yourself with the products.

Belief in Product

“We are not order takers. We sell products we believe in and don’t offer multiple products lines. We want to have a story to tell every time,” Umbarger said.

He said leaders need to have a conviction for the products they are representing. While his sales team might not have direct, personal experience with every product, they have relationships with customers who have had positive experiences and have shared those so the salespeople can share those experiences.

Finally, Umbarger said skilled leaders should not need to be micromanaged. “They know I have their back, and they have mine. The customers will let you know if you someone isn’t doing their job,” he said. Leadership. It doesn’t look the same for everyone, but it is a good combination of communication, collaboration, product knowledge and believing in the goods or services you are selling. Combine those traits, and your leadership skills will shine.