Dealer Spotlight: Boyce Feed & Grain Corp

Boyce Feed & Grain Corp in Waxahachie, Texas, is more than your average feed store. They are a full-service feed mill and distributor with a concentrated focus on marketing. In their 16th year as BioZyme® dealer, they have grown the business exponentially and even changed ownership with Andrew Lucas and his family buying the business last January; however, a few things remain constant. Boyce continues to carry BioZyme products, and they focus on helping their customers.

“We’re not just another feed mill or distributor. Our goal is to continue to grow and while doing that we want to help other feed stores. We are a feed store, so we know their struggles too,” Lucas said.

They offer their leadership and assistance in a variety of ways across the Lone Star State, delivering products to at least 250 other feed stores. This spring, they worked with their Area Sales Manager and the BioZyme Marketing Team to wrap a semi-trailer with the Boyce and BioZyme logos and a Sure Champ® and VitaFerm® message that serves as a traveling billboard as the company makes its deliveries. They are hoping to wrap a second trailer with a VitaFerm and Vitalize® message this spring.

“We’re running up and down the road, and customers see that truck. We are creating marketing with very little push,” Lucas said.

Marketing is key for Boyce, and the business actively promotes across various channels including radio, social media and weekly mailers. Lucas said about 300 invoices are sent each week, each time with a different product or brand featured in the envelope to their customers.

All these efforts take a team, and Lucas encourages anyone getting started in the nutrition business or with any business makes sure they have a good support system to succeed.

“Make sure you have a good team behind you. Create strategic partnerships quickly,” he suggested.

The partnerships they have made and the ways they continue to help their partners and customers succeed by providing them “high-quality and consistent” products show that Boyce Feed truly exemplifies care that comes full circle. We’re glad to have them on the BioZyme Team.

Meet the BioZyme Family

Team: Marketing Team

Leaders: Jodi Eineichner and Macall Compton

Number of people currently on your team: 11

Key Responsibilities: To create awareness and customer demand for BioZyme brands and drive those new and existing customers to dealers and distributors in their area to buy the products that help their animals perform.

List of each team members and the role they play at BioZyme:

Jodi Eineichner – Interim Director of Strategic Marketing

The Director of Strategic Marketing is responsible for overall strategy, planning and development for all BioZyme marketing activities. Jodi works directly with the marketing and sales teams to create a unified message across all brands and expand BioZyme’s market exposure and brand reputation and recognition by identifying, evaluating, recommending and implementing new strategies and initiatives.

Macall Compton – Senior Manager of Marketing Operations

Macall is responsible for the daily operation of the marketing team as it relates to all marketing activities, including organization, planning, execution, monitoring and delivery on time and within budget.

Jamie Beatty – Marketing Design Coordinator

Jamie creates graphics for print and digital content for the company and across all brands. From the VISION newsletter to banners, postcards and web graphics, Jamie is the creative mind behind a majority of the design work.

Mackinze Gray – Website & Digital Marketing Manager & assists with Vitalize K9

Mackinze helps manage the websites across all brands. From uploading content to making sure the content that is on the site is current, she is your point of contact for all things digital. She is also a member of the Merchandise Team and helps coordinate with the brand managers to create fun, new merch to help promote our brands. On top of that, she has recently started helping our Vitalize Brand Manager create content for our Vitalize K9 brand.

Shelia Grobosky – Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers & Public Relations Coordinator

Shelia wears two hats–marketing our products and services directly to the dealers as well as serving as the Public Relations Coordinator. She is responsible for writing a majority of the content on the website, writes and distributes press release to the media and edits content for the entire team.

Wyatt Marshall – Event Manager & Texas Sales Specialist

Wyatt helps our Brand Managers at events promote the brand and projects we have while attending the event. He is also tasked with helping promote our Vitalize brand in Texas and creating opportunities there to grow our sales.

Brand Managers

Brand Managers listen to customers and followers to create content and deliverables to drive engagement. Through strategic content creation, the Marketing Brand Manager will engage brand followers in-person, through strategic relationships and across social media channels to increase brand awareness and ultimately sales. The Marketing Brand Manager will know how to implement strategies (both paid and organic) for events, key relationships and on the appropriate social platforms, and work with the Digital Marketing Coordinator to utilize analytics to understand performance to optimize and adjust moving forward.Brand Managers are passionate and familiar with their species and/or area of expertise. They also work closely with their counterpart in Business Development and Sales.

Samantha Albers – Marketing Brand Manager-Small Livestock (DuraFerm and Backyard Boost)

Hayley Keck – Marketing Brand Manager – Companion

Kylie Patterson – Marketing Brand Manager – Show

Ellie Sennett – Marketing Brand Manager – Vita Charge

Katelyn Williams – Marketing Brand Manager – Beef

How does your team deliver “care that comes full circle” for BioZyme Customers:

The Marketing Team helps with “care that comes full circle” in a few ways. The largest being with our Sure Champ brand. We have our internship program that helps our Marketing Brand Manager for Show attend several events and run our booths as well as come up with content to share on social and our websites, our leadership program that helps train students to become better leaders before they enter the workforce, and the Sure Champ in the Classroom program that offers content for 4-H and FFA leaders to use to help educate the youth. On top of that we want to bring that “care that comes full circle” message to all of the brands and start creating new opportunities to really help especially in these times of need. If you have any ideas of projects, we could implement to help promote this BioZyme, message please reach out to mmaddox@biozymeinc.com.

Communication is Key During a Crisis

In times of uncertainty, fear is a common emotion. The national and world health crisis of this spring has left everyone with several questions. Will summer events be canceled or postponed? When will we get to see elderly relatives? Will our kids ever go back to school? Why didn’t I buy more toilet paper? With so many uncertainties in the world, the routine of having a job to come to each day gives people some peace of mind. However, many businesses have changed the way they operate. With the need for essential workers in the agriculture industry, you can help your employees cope by increasing communication and ensuring them that everything will be alright.

Hinda Mitchell, president of the Inspire PR Group, shares seven ideas on how to communicate with your team during these challenging times.

Overcommunicate. But keep it simple. Your employees are on information overload right now, so keep your messages short, to the point and upbeat. Mitchell suggests using both the push strategy and pull strategy for disseminating information. Push information out via email, text messages and even a private website dedicated to the particular crisis. Provide additional information that might be useful to employees so they can pull from that information when needed. At BioZyme®, a private webpage was started for employees that discussed new safety and health protocols, how and when to report any sickness, who to ask for help when working remotely and offered updated information from the CDC and WHO that employees could look at as they wanted.

Focus on health and safety. Personal health and safety of your employees and customers should come first. Make sure you are providing the resources needed to keep your team safe: disinfectant sprays and wipes to gloves or masks. Encourage your staff to continue a healthy lifestyle with good eating habits and exercise; spring is a great time to be outside and get some fresh air.

Provide extra support. Everyone has a unique situation, and it is imperative to be understanding during these times. Identify the circumstances of each individual and offer them resources that might be helpful. This could range from needing childcare due to school closures or caring for a loved one.

Clarity is key. “Be crystal clear on your employee expectations, benefits and other personnel matters during this time. What are they supposed to do if they or a loved one falls ill? What is your PTO, sick time and absentee policy? What have you done to change or enhance benefits to address this unique time? Now is not the time for rigidity; flexibility should drive as much of human resources decision-making as possible,” Mitchell writes.

Little things matter. Show your employees you care with a catered lunch, a small note of appreciation, a gift card for gas or groceries or even a verbal thank-you. If you see or talk to a person who doesn’t seem their normal self, ask them if they are alright and offer to get them help. Sometimes being a listening ear is all a person needs. Your gesture doesn’t need to be substantial to be remembered.

Do the right thing. During any crisis it is imperative to follow the orders of all government officials – local, state and federal. It is also important to exercise patience with your employees. Reassurance about their jobs, the industry and the state of the world is always a good thing during times of chaos.

Remind them the challenges are temporary. Although every day might seem like a scene from the movie “Groundhog Day,” this is a short-term challenge, and normalcy will return. There is always a storm before a rainbow, and though the times might seem tough, brighter days are ahead.

Communicating with your employees is critical to keeping them informed, calm and feeling like part of the team during any challenge. Be sure that you stay calm and level-headed. Don’t panic or use harsh language. Be the leader they need in a time of uncertainty to show that you care, and you will be able to get the best back from them. That is what “Care that Comes Full Circle” is all about.

Social Media is a Customer Care Tool

The days of waiting for “normal business hours” to get good customer service are gone. You no longer have to wait until 8 a.m. to dial the phone and hope you get someone knowledgeable on the other end of the line to answer your questions. With social media at our fingertips, it is now viewed as a customer care tool as well as a marketing resource.

Responding or not responding to those customer inquiries can be vital to your company. A Gartner study showed that inquiries that are not responded to will eventually lead the company to a 15% churn rate or loss of business. Conversely, if a company engages and responds to a customer on social media, that customer is likely spend an additional 20-40% more with the company.

“Social media is one of the biggest overlooked resources as a customer care tool,” said Caitlin Tye, Content and Social Media Manager for BioZyme® Inc. “Be sure to have a plan to use social media wisely and respond to your customers.”

We’ve listed five best practices to use social media effectively as a customer care tool. Follow these steps for increased customer retention and growth.

Pick the platform that’s best suited for your audience. If you know that your audience is 30-65 year-olds that primarily use Facebook, that is the platform you need to use. There is no need to be on Instagram or even Snapchat. Use the platform you know will have response and engagement from your customers and potential customers.

Monitor social media. This doesn’t mean you need to sit and stare at your computer all day after you make a post or watch and wait for someone to mention your product. However, you do need to check your alerts for comments and direct messages and be sure you are responding to your customers in a timely manner.

Speed matters. In a survey conducted by The Social Habit, 25% of social users would like a response within the same day, while 42% expect a response within an hour. Tye said it is her goal to respond to customer care inquiries on BioZyme social platforms before the end of the day the message came in, and she usually is a lot quicker than that, depending on the time of day of the inquiry and how much research needs done to respond.

Use the proper tone of voice. Yes, you are typing, but there is still a “tone” to those keystrokes. If someone is upset or has a challenge, show empathy in your response, and don’t ever get defensive. If a customer is excited about the success of a product, don’t be afraid to share in that success, complete with exclamation points and even a smiling emoji! ????

Know when to move the conversation offline. This doesn’t mean removing a customer’s post, unless it contains vulgar or profane language. However, not all issues can be resolved on social media. Perhaps the customer needs to visit over the phone with a nutritionist or an ASM for clarification or deeper understanding. But remember, direct them to the correct person initially. No one likes getting the run-around and being told they need to talk to someone else.

Customer service is key to retaining and growing your customer base. Make sure you are using the latest technology to answer customer questions and provide them the timely service they have come to expect. Social media is more than a marketing tool, and when used properly can be a great customer service resource.

Invest in Your Team to Grow Your Business

You’ve got product, and you’ve got a sales staff. But according to your accounting records, your product sales haven’t shown much growth lately. Perhaps it’s time to invest some resources into training your team, and start seeing an increase in your business.

According to a Dale Carnegie Training Center study, 40% of employees who receive minimal to no training will leave their job during the first year, stating that they are dissatisfied with their position in the company and overall lack of training, so they don’t feel like part of the team. The same study revealed that employee turnover costs U.S. business owners $11 billion annually.

You can see from those figures that making a small investment in training can save you money and potentially grow your business, as it costs less to hire and keep employees than it does to rehire employees on a regular basis. Your business will be more organized, and your employees will feel more knowledgeable and appreciated.

To put the advantages of a well-trained sales force into perspective, one study showed that once a group of Kinko’s employees were properly trained, that sales force generated three times as many sales of a new product compared to their peers who did not receive training. If you could increase your bottom line by three times, wouldn’t that make the investment of employee training worth it?

Your business will also benefit from training employees through overall productivity. Employees will know more about the products they are selling and how to engage with potential and current customers while being able to comfortably talk about those products. In addition, the employees will be happier, and feel more like part of the team and not just a robot that you’ve got on the staff.

Once you have your sales force trained and start to see sales grow, be sure to let your employees know you value them and their efforts. You might think that a pay check twice a month is appreciation enough. However, a study by the International Society of Performance Improvement on performance improvement, found that incentive programs could increase employee performance by 22% in individuals. There are several inexpensive ways to offer employees incentives for meeting pre-specified goals without cutting into your increased profits.

A few ideas include pre-set commission for predetermined sales above a certain benchmark; paid time-off or flextime for exceptional work or increased sales; host a luncheon in their honor for a big sale or a new customer you’ve been working hard to get – most everyone enjoys pizza or a burger and the added camaraderie is a bonus too; provide them with a gift card to their favorite store or restaurant. Don’t forget the value of the employee’s family. Bonuses and incentives that keep the family in mind include gift cards to the bowling alley or movie theater, a family gym membership or tickets to the rodeo or an entertainer that is coming to town.

Perhaps the biggest incentive for employees to perform to their ultimate ability won’t cost you a dime, but are two simple words our parents taught us long ago:

THANK YOU.

Customers are the #1 Player on the Team

How many times have you seen a football team win by a last-second field goal? The kicker has paced the sideline for most of the game practicing his kicks and keeping that leg ready to go. Although he might not have as much playing time as the quarterback, his participation on the team is of utmost importance.

The same can be said for your customers. You might not see them every day or even communicate with them on a regular basis. Their “on-field” time might seem minimal in comparison with your employees and vendors, but without customers on your team, you’re not even in the game.

Oftentimes you only hear from a customer if he or she needs product or if the customer is disgruntled with a product or service – and that isn’t what you want to hear. It is important to follow up with every customer and ask for feedback, and let the customer know that positive or negative, the feedback they provide is important to your team.

The book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team states that “when people don’t unload their opinions and feel like they have been listened to, they won’t really get on board.” The first step is to begin the conversation, which you or your sales team can do in a follow-up conversation after the sale. Here are three things that companies can do to bring customers into the conversation and engage them as part of the team:

Always be receptive and responsive to feedback. Regardless of the timing or channel, organizations who are prepared to receive and acknowledge customer feedback will have more loyal and engaged customers. This includes phone calls, letters, emails and even social media.

Create an environment built on trust. This means when asking for feedback, clearly state why you want the feedback and what you intend to do with it. In the agricultural world, trust is the foundation of all we do. If your customers don’t trust you, they likely won’t be a part of your team for too long.

Empower customer service teams to solve problems and seek feedback simultaneously. Since most dealers are smaller and not staffed by a sales team and a customer service team, training all employees about the products and how to work with people is more important than ever. A great way to do this is through the new Master Dealer program. For more information about this program, visit www.biozymedealer.com and click “Master Dealer” in the menu.

Once you receive customer feedback and review it, follow up. Customers offer a fresh perspective, and perhaps their idea will help increase sales or bring in a new customer. At the very least, knowing that you acknowledged their feedback will help encourage a positive business relationship and should help your team keep a winning record.

Source: http://blog.macquarium.com/are-your-customers-on-your-team/

September 2017 – Letters From Lisa

Location, location, location, or is it relationships, relationships, relationships? Definitely relationships. Find them, nurture them and watch sales soar.

At BioZyme®, that last sentence is key to how we view our responsibility to each of you. This is what really differentiates us from the many options you have in selecting a company’s mineral program to bring into your dealership.

At BioZyme, we believe our relationships will become your relationships and vice versa if we find, nurture and soar.

Find

To reach our full potential we all need to find meaningful connections with a very broad palette of folks who see things differently than we do, ask very different questions and imagine very different possibilities. BioZyme is committed to finding these meaningful connections so we can connect you. Our exclusive partnership with Superior is one of those connections. As the data continues to roll in and the exclusive value-added nutrition VitaFerm® Raised and Gain Smart® emblems equate to significantly more per pound (currently a 7 cent per pound advantage), the connection will help sales soar.

Nurture

Eighty-one to 90% of customers research your business before they make a purchase. Researching your business means that they go out of their way to learn about who you are and what you do, try to figure out if they can trust you enough to solve their pain points and watch your ‘moves’ to see if you truly deliver on the results you promise. In today’s business, it is important to establish and nurture a relationship from the very first contact through a carefully crafted process, up until the customer is ready to trust the products enough to make a purchase. BioZyme is committed to making sure at every one of these touch points information is easily and readily available, the products do exactly what we say they do and new products are added that assist with their pain points. We strive to help make business more sustainable – yours and theirs.

Do you have a nurturing process in your business that leads your customer up to a sale and other repeat businesses? If not, take the time, find a way.

Soar

An important ingredient in business is celebrating each and every triumph—and forgetting about each and every failure—both with the people around you and with yourself, too. BioZyme is committed to helping you remember just how amazing you are each and every day.

The defining attribute of a great business relationship is when each party has an emotional stake in the other’s success. That defines this team. So all we need to do is . . . .  Take the Time.  Find a Way.

“You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”-Zig Ziglar