Welcome Sure Champ® Summer Interns

BioZyme is excited to announce our 2016 Sure Champ summer interns: John Reasor, Sales Intern, and Victoria Osburn, Public Relations Intern. The Sure Champ summer internship program offers college juniors and seniors a variety of experiences related to sales and marketing in the livestock nutrition business, both in an office and field setting. Interns travel to various junior nationals and trade shows across the country promoting BioZyme’s supplement brands, as well as spend time working with current dealers.

John grew up outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Wildwood, Georgia. John is heavily involved in his family operation, Reasor Farms. The operation started as just a small commercial cow-calf operation but quickly grew into a Shorthorn and Angus herd that relies on embryo transfer technology for continue growth. John is expected to graduate from Oklahoma State University’s Department of Animal Science in May of 2017.

Victoria hails from Celina, Texas, and has shown cattle for more than 10 years. Primarily showing Shorthorns, she has served as the National Shorthorn Lassie Queen and President of the Texas Junior Shorthorn Association. Victoria is currently attending Texas Tech University working toward a degree in Agricultural Communications with a minor in Animal Science.

If you see John and Victoria at events throughout the summer, please introduce yourself and say hello!

Welcome New Area Sales Managers

Welcome New ASM, Trent Gabler

BioZyme would like to welcome Trent Gabler of Madison, Wisconsin, as a BioZyme Area Sales Manager for the supplement division serving Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. “What excites me about working for BioZyme is the opportunity to work with the very talented and passionate team of professionals who have made this company the success it is today. I believe in the products, the people and what BioZyme can bring to the modern livestock producer.”

Prior to BioZyme, Gabler worked as a Livestock Nutritionist and Marketing Manager for Complete Feed Service in Sharon, Wisconsin, and as a Cattle East Team Sales Representative for Sedona Ag representing Elanco Animal Health in Dubuque, Iowa. He was also a Calf and Heifer Specialist for NRV Inc. in Ixonia, Wisconsin. Gabler graduated from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls with a degree in Agriculture Marketing Communications and a minor in Animal Science. He is a member of the American Angus Association, American Red Angus Association and Wisconsin Angus Association.

Welcome New ASM, Chris Kyle

Representing BioZyme in the Arkansas and Louisiana areas, is new Area Sales Manager, Chris Kyle.

“Not only does Chris bring a vibrant and energetic work ethic to the table, but he also has a wealth of knowledge in the equine industry. I am extremely excited to see the impact that Chris will make in this territory,” said Alan Lee, BioZyme Director of Sales-North.

Chris, his wife, Lacee and two children, Coree and Kit, are active in the rodeo community and love to hunt and fish. Kyle has a degree in Ag Business from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

By Helping Kids in the Show Ring, We are Helping Our Future

The makers of Allied Feeds and the Ful-O-Pep brand are proud of their product and their customers’ successes with feeding their product. Just like any feed store, they work to build strong relationships and provide products people want for their livestock.

What’s unique about Allied Feeds is that nearly one-third of its customer base is livestock show families. The Allied Feeds brand, Ful-O-Pep Feeds, is specially formulated for show cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry and rabbits. Their product is sold across Texas and into Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Carolina thanks to their nearly 150 dealers who recognize and sell BioZyme® products.

Allied Feeds is owned by the Greg Gossett family, who also owns the Ful-O-Pep trademark. The company has been in business since the early 1900s, first as a Quaker Oats brand. Then it changed ownership to Wayne Feeds and eventually Continental Grain. Greg Gossett’s father, Dr. J.W. Gossett, acquired Continental Grain and continued the Ful-O-Pep Feeds reputation for being a quality full-line commercial feed manufacturer. Today, Allied Feeds manages two storefronts, one in San Antonio and one in Cuero, Texas.

It was just after the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in 2012 that Dennis Delaney and Jay Willingham came to see Dennis Jemelka about selling BioZyme products. At the same time, the Cuero store was receiving calls for Sure Champ®. Since Ful-O-Pep Feeds already produced its own full-line of livestock show feed, Jemelka says BioZyme fit well with the store’s commitment to quality and fit the company price niche as well.

Allied Feeds and the BioZyme line of products offer something for everyone. Ranchers will use quality feed and supplements because they increase performance and maximize efficiency. Livestock show customers are willing to invest in top-of-the-line products because they want the best for their animals, and their goal is to win.

One of the Ful-O-Pep Feeds sales managers had children who showed steers. Naturally, they began using the products, which gave Jemelka a first-hand testimonial on how Sure Champ products work. He says the prebiotics and organic minerals all add up to be worth the investment. The selling point came when Jemelka could tell families they didn’t have to add any other top-dress supplements to their show feeds if they used Sure Champ from the beginning.

“Show feeds are a big part of our business,” he says. “As our salesman fed his own steers Sure Champ he paid special attention to the animal’s manure to see what was being digested. He came to trust what BioZyme says is true, you do get that added digestion with these products.”

Better digestion equates to more energy. As the calves mature, feeding Sure Champ will keep the animals in shape and they won’t go off feed. Jemelka reassures customers it has a high trace mineral content, which adds to the value of the product.

Allied Feeds recognizes the value of its show customers and offers several incentives to reward them for their business. One program is called Jackets for Champions. The store offers a jacket to any customer who earns a Grand or Reserve Grand Champion title at the local or state level.

The store also participates in the county level premium auctions. Jemelka says there are so many winners that use Ful-O-Pep Feeds products that it’s hard to reward them all, but Ful-O-Pep Feeds does give add-on premiums to as many as possible.

“Our show feeds are important to us but we look at it as a niche market,” Jemelka says. “Not everyone can buy higher priced feeds. You have to have a good product and if you produce winners then you’ll keep those people as a customer forever.”

There are occasions where the store is asked to visit with 4-H groups and FFA chapters to show livestock exhibitors what and how to feed. Jemelka says Allied Feeds wants to teach them about new products with the goal that a younger generation will learn the benefits of the Ful-O-Pep Feeds line.

Ful-O-Pep Feeds encourages its dealers to attend livestock shows and be among the people who need its products. He says the Rio Grande Valley is a specific area for livestock show families and the company’s San Antonio store makes textured feed and grains, which caters to more of the Valley’s show market. At one time, Jemelka says the store was making 80 tons of pelleted show goat feed in one week.

“We definitely have a show market and we try to give them, and all of our customers, the latest and greatest feed technology so they can succeed,” he says. “We think that by helping kids in the show ring, we are helping our future.”

Displays that Wow Your Customers

Product displays, if executed well, are guaranteed to stop customers and generate interest. When marketing to the show livestock audience, keep in mind that exhibitors often play more of a role in feeding decisions than you may assume, so your display should cater to a younger demographic. During the breeding season, cattlemen may prefer a display that educates them about the challenges products help them overcome. Every product and audience is different. The following are a few tips to keep in mind as you hone in on your merchandising skills:

LOOKS MATTER
Make sure your display fully embraces the product brand. BioZyme® invests a great deal of money and energy promoting brands to the end customer, and therefore, it would be in your best interest to stay consistent with the respective brand look. Because of the diversity in types of dealers within our networks, we are happy to discuss options in customizing a display to fit your space.

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
Communicating a clear understanding of what a product does is key to successful selling. Remember that communication is not limited to words: both the visual and written language of a display must also carry a cohesive message. A successful design is one that will seamlessly integrate with the rest of your marketing campaign (and in this case, the national marketing campaign efforts of BioZyme brands).

PRODUCT IS KING!
Ultimately, every display has one goal: to sell product! Displays that overwhelm the product defeat their purpose at retail. Make sure that your display is making the product the star. If your retail area does not have enough space to showcase every product, make sure you are highlighting those small pack products (Vita Charge®, Vitalize and the new Sure Champ® Spark) as conversation starters so you can lead in to telling customers about the larger mineral products available as well.

ADD VALUE FOR YOUR CUSTOMER
Every new display project is an opportunity to create value for your customer. Value can be created through timely placement (putting the right product out at the right time), added education or a sales promotion or bundled products.  Consider a display that can be changed according to time of year so your customer benefits when most appropriate for their business.

For help with your store displays, contact Katie Vaz, Marketing and Communications Manager, at kvaz@biozymeinc.com or 816-596-8782.

Measuring Return from Sponsorship Opportunities

BioZyme® began its youth investment strategy in 2007. That year, we sponsored two Junior National beef shows – Angus and Hereford. Today, we sponsor 13 – World Pork Expo, Hereford, Angus, Simmental, Shorthorn, Gelbvieh, Red Angus, Maine and Chi, Saler, Charolais, Limousin, Mini Hereford, and Brahman. The reason we choose to make this investment is simple. Youth are the future. The next question that always gets asked is how does this investment provide return.

In the ag world, it is common to get calls from the locals – FFA, 4-H, local cattleman’s association – asking for sponsorships or for you to be a volunteer. Association trade shows and exhibitions also turn to sponsors to get their program off the ground. In most cases, these organizations will ask for a modest amount ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars in exchange for some type of advertising, like logos or banners.

Deciding what to sponsor can be tricky, as certain opportunities may be a complete waste of money, while others may pay off in gold (i.e. marketing your company to potential customers). In addition, sponsoring an event for someone who already sings praises about your dealership enhances that relationship, and because you are helping him or her meet a goal, they sing even louder.

Obviously making sure these choices are a good investment of your time and money is important to your checkbook. Whether you’re being recruited to provide time or money, ask yourself the following questions before deciding to invest:

  • What is the target market for this event?
  • What kind of exposure do I get for my investment?
  • Can I get this kind of exposure without this investment?
  • Do I get direct access to the audience?
  • Does it make sense for me to be there?
  • Which business goal does it help me complete?
  • Are other sponsors my competitors?
  • How does this enhance my credibility with who/what I’m helping?
  • Why wouldn’t I do it?

After you decide to invest, don’t forget to assess the results. Some metrics you should consider analyzing include: sales activity, lead generation, lower customer acquisition cost and/or attitudes toward your brand or business. BioZyme looks to Sure Champ® sales as our metric to measure success. The below graph shows the investment is paying off in more than just goodwill.

At the end of the day, the key to managing sponsorships is ensuring you get the “best bang for your buck”, while minimizing risk to your brand or business. I am sure the sponsors of the 2012 ING NYC Marathon did their due diligence. Unfortunately, they could have never predicted an event the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy. City officials, sponsors, as well as race organizers were divided on whether or not to proceed. It was a difficult decision to cancel, but the right decision. So, whether you are a title sponsor for a major event, like ING, or a smaller sponsor at a local event, setting your objectives, ensuring you have the right sponsorship partner, leveraging the association beyond just a sign, will yield better business in the long run.

A Real, Genuine Relationship

While many of our “Know Your Customer” articles focus on gathering data or technology that effectively helps you stay in front of your audience, we never want to undermine the value of a genuine customer relationship. Our animal nutrition industry tends to be more relationship driven as many of the people who own, manage or support businesses, like your dealership, are also in the business. This results in easy conversation, a real understanding of customer needs and a true comfort level between the business and customer. While we may be preaching to the choir on this one, we want to offer a few techniques to ensure your customer relationship is genuine and true.

Be patient in building new relationships.
Relationships take time. Resist indulging in disingenuous schmoozing, as it can be a severe put-off. Instead, take the time to get to know your customer, and share a little bit of yourself. Most importantly, remember that the product and service you provide is paramount in building a relationship. At the end of the day, no amount of personal connection can substitute for great product and service.

Understand the business.
We have a vast amount of segments within animal nutrition. While you may be an expert in the cattle business, equine or rabbits may not be your forte. You don’t have to be a professional, but learn to speak the same language as your customer, understand what keeps them up at night, and cater your interaction and products accordingly.

Go the extra mile.
As you grow your business and your customer relationships, there will be times that you’ll have to make a decision on when to adjust or expand your products and services to cater to the needs of a customer. The benefits of offering customized solutions are two-fold: 1) customers remember the times you came through for them and 2) it may open up additional revenue streams and new product offerings you had not previously considered.

Treat every client as your most important one.
Simply put, happy customers are more likely to make referrals. Provide all customers with your best service, regardless of whether they are a large ranch that run thousands of head or a family just getting started showing. You never know whom your customers may know or to whom they will refer you.

Respond promptly.
When a customer calls, emails or messages you on a social channel, acknowledge the receipt of the communication as quickly as possible, even if you do not have the answer they are looking for. You will give them comfort by simply acknowledging the receipt of their request and by communicating that you’re on it. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we often see dealers worry about having the right answer, and as a result, they forget to acknowledge they are looking for a solution.

Be more than a contact.
Despite the importance of collecting an email address, cell phone number for text messaging services, a social handle etc., these types of communication can often be misconstrued, especially during stressful situations. Consider a phone call or an in-person meeting to put a face (or voice) to a name. Often the phone gets a bad reputation when using it to ‘get on the same page’, but if used for good news, a phone call is a great way to build a better relationship with your customer.

Show up.
Every customer segment in your business has events they attend. Your show audience gather at the county fair or local 4-H or FFA events, your equine customers at rodeos and your cattlemen at field days. Seeing your face and knowing you care enough to attend these events to show your support or learn more about their involvement will not go unnoticed. Consider participating in those events, offering your time or sponsorship. With every new technological advance in communication, there is nothing more important or powerful than face-to-face interaction.

Achieving Aggressive Appetites

A good appetite is a sign of a healthy animal, but can sometimes be hard to maintain, especially in the summer months. Here are six quick tips for promoting a steady appetite in your livestock.

1. Clean Water:

Water is one of the most important nutrients for your livestock and often one of the most overlooked. Your livestock need access to clean drinking water in order to maintain optimum health. Monitoring your animal’s water quality is an inexpensive and effective way to promote healthy livestock.

2. Fresh Feed:

Whether you get your feed fresh from the mill or use a pre-mixed ration from your local feed store, your animals become accustomed to certain textures and smells. Stay consistent in where you purchase feed as well as the length of time you store feed. Also, if you need to transition to a new formula, mix the new feed in gradually so your animal adapts easily and stays on feed.

3. Temperature Regulation:

Loss of appetite is one of the first signs of heat stress. Keeping your animals cool by providing shade, proper ventilation and air circulation will help keep them on feed. Check out recent articles on proper circulation, ventilation and tips for managing heat stress in cattle at www.surechamp.com/blog.

4. Clean Bedding:

It is important that your animal’s bedding is cleaned on a regular basis. Clean, dry bedding helps prevent the spread of disease and bacteria and promotes overall health in your barn. Healthy, comfortable animals naturally have more appetite.

5. Routine Wellness Monitoring:

A sudden drop in appetite might be an indication of parasites. Performing routine deworming and wellness monitoring of your animals will help prevent problems from occurring.

6. Give them a Boost:

Top-dressing feed with Sure Champ® and/or Sure Champ Spark will help ensure appetite and intake stays more consistent. However, sometimes a poor appetite can be due to other unforeseen circumstances or stressors. If your animal’s loss of appetite is due to stressors such as sickness, hauling or heat, administering Vita Charge® is a great next step. Vita Charge provides a powerful dose of vitamins, B vitamins and the Amaferm® advantage for those stressful times when livestock need protection or assistance in recovery. It can be easily administered as a gel, stress tub or even through your animal’s water.

Product Focus: Sure Champ® and New Sure Champ® Spark

IF THEIR NOT EATING, YOU’RE NOT WINNING

With the summer show season heating up, now is the time to make sure your customers are using Sure Champ. Sure Champ is a natural line of supplements for show livestock with the Amaferm® advantage, which acts as a prebiotic improving gut health, stress recovery, appetite and overall performance. Sure Champ enhances skin, hair quality and bloom for that show-ready look.

Sure Champ®

Key Selling Points

Each Sure Champ formula is species specific and due to the vitamin and mineral composition should only be fed to the species for which the product is labeled.

Sure Champ is a complete vitamin and mineral supplement, and therefore alleviates the need to feed any additional mineral sources.

Feed daily to improve digestibility, stimulate appetite and optimize health.

Sure Champ contains Amaferm, research-proven to increase water and feed intake. In addition, research shows that Amaferm decreases body temperature in heat-stressed animals.

New!! Sure Champ® Spark
Available in June 2016

Key Selling Points

A multi-species product that can be fed to all livestock.
Can be used as a top-dress or mixed into the ration.

An easy way for show livestock to receive more of the Amaferm advantage when an aggressive appetite is needed. Feed in addition to Sure Champ for optimal results.

Includes MOS to trap bad bacteria, limiting their ability to do harm to digestive health and intake.

Formula contains no vitamin or mineral supplementation for increased flexibility in a wide range of feeding programs.

Sure Champ® + Vita Charge®

Because show animals are under constant stress due to trying to get the most out of nutritional programs, hauling and fitting, changes in environment, etc., it is almost certain their digestive system will be compromised or they will go off feed at some point in their lives. Being armed and ready with Vita Charge is an excellent way to combat those stressful times and ensure your livestock are back on feed fast. As a dealer, selling Sure Champ and Vita Charge together as complementary products is ensuring the utmost preparation and care for your customers and their animals.

May 2016 – Letters From Lisa

Sure Champ® has experienced significant growth during the past six years. What has driven this success? Supporting young people involved with livestock. I know you are wriggling your nose right now, and thinking this lady is nuts. While whether I am nuts or not is debatable, my response is not. We may believe helping young people doesn’t grow sales or pay bills. However, an investment in youth is an investment in our future. And, making an investment in the future doesn’t always pay off right before your eyes or even in your lifetime. The pay off may be after you are long gone.

BioZyme®, under the leadership of Bob Norton, started supporting youth involved with livestock in 2007 when it became the title sponsor of both the Junior National Hereford Expo and the National Junior Angus Show. Why? Bob believes helping youth matters.

As I was working on this letter, Bob asked what I was doing and when
I told him my topic, he said, “It’s pretty simple to answer that. Livestock families are unique and special and extremely important to the welfare of our community, the state and the country.”

Young people involved in livestock learn from the show ring and the pasture:

How to respect others.
How to receive criticism and how to ask the right questions to improve.
How to work hard and push just a little bit longer.
How to evaluate livestock and to defend themselves verbally in front of a judge.
How one small tweak can be the difference between a win or a loss.

That sounds like the perfect applicant for every position we have at BioZyme. On a broader scale, without this type of a workforce in our future, our country will never reach its full potential.
If you are still asking why we do this, let me reiterate that these young people are our future. More importantly, they are agriculture’s future. For them, the livestock experience matters. And making kids feel like they matter, well… that matters to us.

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