Author: mackinzegray

Keeping your customers and potential customers informed is vital to your company’s success. They like to see that personality shine through, and they want to know how your products can help them succeed. At BioZyme®, we take pride in offering you the tools you need to plan successful producer meetings.  

Schedule the event. 

Once you decide you want to host a producer meeting, contact your Area Sales Manager to coordinate a date that works with both of your schedules, as the ASM will want to be there to engage with your customers and help answer any questions. Once you have determined a date, complete the producer meeting request in the Online Dealer Center to get started with the promotion of your event: go to Marketing > > Marketing Request > Producer Meeting Request. This will start the process of getting your invitations printed and getting your event on our master schedule. 

Invite your guests. 

The BioZyme Marketing Team will help send invitations to your customer list. They do highly recommend submitting the Marketing Request at least four weeks prior to your event to get the invitations printed, mailed and into your potential guests’ hands so they can also get the event on their calendar.  

“Everybody has a busy schedule, but people like to gather, especially with those who have common interests and goals. If we can help you get these invitations out in a timely manner and the potential attendees can get it on their calendars earlier, it should help increase your attendance,” said Shelia Grobosky, Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers & Public Relations. 

Plan your program. 

What kind of budget do you have for this event? Will you serve a meal or have some appetizers and drinks in the late afternoon? Does it make sense to partner with another allied industry partner like a semen company to help share the cost? These are all some questions to consider. You will also want to think about the program. BioZyme has several key staff on its Business Development Team that can address several topics at the producer level, so when you set your date, reach out to one of them if you are interested in having them attend and present information 

Bigger isn’t always best. 

It is acceptable to have several smaller producer meetings, too, especially if you want to target a specific audience or have some potential new customers you want to talk to. What if you have a handful of sheep producers who might be interested in DuraFerm®? You could invite them to a breakfast meeting at the local café and discuss the advantages of the DuraFerm products. They might know you sell a great cattle mineral but have no idea you also carry products for other small ruminants. 

Follow through. 

Finally, if you have people attend your meeting that seem to show the slightest interest in the product, make sure to follow up with them in a timely fashion. Don’t wait for them to go somewhere else to buy their nutritional products. Give them a call or stop by to see them. Producer meetings are great tools to make sales. 

These meetings are great for customer outreach, engagement and product promotion. They are one of many steps toward your success! 

Just like not all mineral programs are created the same, not all livestock marketing opportunities are equal. However, as it comes time for your customers to sell their cattle, make sure you have provided them with the information they need to make the marketing decisions to garner the most potential profit. 

“If the dealers see themselves as truly invested with their customers and their operations, they will align them with the professionals at Superior Livestock to help them get more money for their calves through one of their programs, especially if they are already feeding Gain Smart® or VitaFerm®,” said John Jeffrey, BioZyme® Beef Business Development Manager. 

Superior Livestock Auction has been a leader in value-added programs since the mid-1990s, and in 2017, BioZyme, became the first-ever nutrition company to partner with Superior on two additional value-added programs. The VitaFerm Raised and Gain Smart Programs were designed to ensure that calves have been on a high-quality nutrition program, an important part of overall health. Calves sold through these Superior programs are either being raised on a cow being fed the VitaFerm mineral, or calves that have been weaned, backgrounded or on grass pasture previously and have been supplemented with Gain Smart. Both minerals contain Amaferm^®, a prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply within for maximum performance. 

Jeffrey encourages dealers to work with their customers to connect them with Superior representatives to help them get the most dollars possible. If you are unsure of who your rep is, reach out to your ASM, and he or she can introduce you to the Superior rep in your area. With a variety of programs, the customers could be eligible for more than one. Programs are available for vaccination protocols, natural cattle, GAP, BeefCare and more.  

“Some of those programs do not allow the traditional products that have been used in the past, so keeping Amaferm® in their diets helps keep them healthy while increasing feed efficiency. Since both the Gain Smart and VitaFerm products contain Amaferm, they are on track to a healthier digestive system with the potential to help those cattle on several programs,” Jeffrey said. 

Although cattle marketed through Superior are sold in load lots, Jeffrey said the smaller producer doesn’t need to feel left out. Often, the Superior reps will work with a group of producers in an area who might have 30-50 cows to put together a load. He said mixed lots of steers and heifers can also be put together, if they are similar in weight and kind. In addition to cattle sales, Superior hosts a monthly sheep sale and markets cattle and sheep on its Country Page. They also host horse sales in conjunction with LiveAuctions. 

If your customers are still not convinced they want to sell through a value-added program like Superior offers, many local livestock auctions markets host special feeder calf sales. Encourage your customers to find a special sale date that works for them. As Jeffrey said, most times the auction markets will announce from the block special protocols like health and nutrition that the cattle have been on, and customers become accustomed to buying good cattle with proper health practices from these local sale barns. 

There are multiple ways to help your customers get top dollar when it comes time to help them sell their cattle. The Gain Smart and VitaFerm raised programs are two of the ways to help ensure their calves stay healthy and gain and get your customer the biggest return on their investment. 

Sales diversification is one of the five key goals that BioZyme strives to achieve every year. And it isn’t just by chance. The leadership knows that offering a diverse product portfolio, creates sustainability and growth. Let’s explore why diversification is vital to any business to grow.

People care about the entire animal

Let’s think about some of the changes and new products that we’ve launched even in the last five years. For many years, we solely had a focus on gut health, and since we know that 70% of the animals’ immunity starts in the digestive tract. However, we now have the ability to also focus on joint health with the acquisition of Cogent Solutions Group. We now have joint products for horses, show livestock and dogs to help keep them comfortable and stay sound. People who truly care about the health of their animals are going to care for the entire animal.

The industry is multi-faceted

If COVID showed us anything, it taught us people are obsessed with producing their own backyard chickens, and now we have three products specifically designed for poultry in the Backyard Boost®line. This is just one more way to diversify your portfolio and to get the Amaferm® advantage to yet another species.

Speaking of another species, did you see that we now carry Backyard Boost Songbird Balls? These are going to be a great way to introduce Amaferm to backyard bird enthusiasts who love to watch birds. The primary writer of this article comes from a long line of bird watchers, who will be thrilled at the ease of filling bird feeders.

Diversification reduces risk

By offering a variety of product lines across several species, you reduce the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket. Although many dealers thrive on the VitaFerm® line, let’s think back to nearly 20 years ago and the “cow that stole Christmas.” What if the U.S. had a BSE outbreak? There probably wouldn’t be much need for cattle mineral. But equestrians would still be taking care of their horses, so Vitalize® would still be relevant.

Consumers like choices and convenience

Have you been to a retail pet food aisle lately? There are so many choices for dog and cat food, that it feels like our furry friends gets more options than most humans! However, if you have a customer whois buying a sheep, goat, cattle or horse product and also has pets, wouldn’t it be easy to also suggest the Country Natural Dog Food or one of the supplements from Vitalize or Trisxyn? Remember, pet owners love their animals and will typically spend money on them to keep them happy and healthy. It’s convenient if the owners can get their pet products from the same places they are already getting nutrition for other animals.

Diversification. It isn’t just another lofty goal. It is truly a way to grow sales – your sales. Offer a variety or products for all customers. The more product lines you carry, the more business you are likely to do with a given customer.

Social media marketing is not a fad. It is here for the long haul and rightfully so. That isn’t to say that print or radio is not going to work; it does take the average consumer seven times to see or hear a message for it to make an impression. However, social media is something everyone should have in their marketing toolbox.

Nearly 3 billion people used Facebook in July, and another 2 billion people use Instagram on a monthly basis. With that many people using social media, doesn’t it make sense for you to promote your business on these platforms too?

Although the BioZyme® Marketing Team offers Promoboxx as a free option for dealers to use already created social media content that aligns with the national advertising campaigns, there is still value in creating your own posts. At the Ag Media Summit in July, LindaNguyen, social media influencer, offered multiple tips to create engaging social media posts. Below are five suggestions to creating social media posts if you want to do so, in addition to using Promobox.

1.Introduce yourself, your business and your team members

Do this every quarter. Your customers want to know who they are doing business with. If you follow the BioZyme DealerFacebook Group and OnlineDealer Center, you will notice new BioZyme team is introduced monthly. It is important to us for you to know the faces and roles behind the compan

2.Share a recent positive review

Testimonials are a great selling tool! And, with the video capability of most smart phones, your social media post just got a lot savvier. Take a short video of the customer in front of your store or a pallet of product, and post that to your social media. Users really enjoy videos and photos.

3.Run a fun contest

Remember this is called ‘social media’ so it should be socially encourage engagement. Spell out your business name with SureChamp® pellets and have a contest to guess how many pellets it took, maybe you have a new dog and need a name for the dog. Whatever content you have, make it fun, include photos or videos and offer some sort of prize at the end of the contest.

4.Seasonal posts and national holidays

Google social media national holidays. You might have noticed in the BioZyme Facebook Dealer group, we recently “celebrated” National Tell a Joke Day and World Photo Day. Just like Hallmark has a card for any occasion, social media also has a reason to celebrate nearly every day of the year. These posts are also a good way to inform your customers of any holiday store hours or closings or if you are closing early for a special occasion like a playoff game.

5.Post a thank you to your fans and customers

Those two little words mean a lot to customer loyalty and retention. Don’t wait until November to post an appreciation post. Let your customers know how grateful you are for them throughout the year. Without them, you wouldn’t be in business. Once again, use a video to express your thanks. You’ll be glad you did and will they.

Social media is a great way to promote you, your business and your products. It’s also a free and fantastic way to engage with your customers on their time. Follow these tips above or simply sign up for Promoboxx to share your message, and let us do the heavy lifting for you.