Category: Business Resources

Passion Fuels Sales

In the world of sales, you are going to hear ‘no’ more often than what you ever imagined. Potential customers can think of many excuses not to buy your products. But do you want to know how to turn that ‘no’ into a ‘yes’? Find their passion and make that your new target.

Selling is all about building relationships, and one of the best ways to build relationships with others is to find a common bond – something you and the customer are both passionate about. Once that person learns you are sincerely passionate about the same thing, the relationship is strengthened, and chances for a sale increase.

Take for instance, man’s best friend, the dog. You might be completing an order for one of your larger cow-calf producers, and you notice there are a few ranch dogs hanging around the barn. Have you ever mentioned to this customer that BioZyme® also offers a line of dog food and supplements? Learn the dogs’ names, and ask the cattle producer if he or she would be interested in getting a bag of food for the dogs. Most dog owners treat their canine companions like royalty, and if they can get their dog food from a trusted source where they also get the supplements that help keep their cattle healthy, that is a win-win.

How do you find your customers’ passion? Visit with them one-on-one! Ask questions and get to know them. Look around their farm or ranch. Did you notice a pen of horses? Do young lambs and pigs suddenly appear in the spring for their kids’ 4-H and FFA projects? And, have you looked at any of their social media outlets? Before you even call or step foot onto their place, it is always good to do a little pre-work on social media. Pictures and posts will tell you almost immediately what they are truly passionate about.

Once you find out what your customers’ passion is, take an interest in it. You might find that you share a common interest for horses. Talk about your love for horses and ask specific questions about their horses while taking notes about their responses. If you notice they have young children who are working on show lamb projects, ask about that project. Even if you don’t know anything about lambs, you will learn something new, and seem genuinely interested in the customer, and even more importantly their kids. Finding their passion beyond what they do for their livelihood, could potentially gain you a new customer or allow you to offer more of your product lineup to your current customer base.

April 2017 – Letters From Lisa

When I think of a harness, I immediately start thinking about a horse. You all know that I love horses (if you didn’t, now you do), and I would say my love is really a passion. Today I feed and clean a stall of a retired champion show horse that is 27. I can’t ride him any more, he’s just a pet. But, I feed him dressed for work, so I regularly go to work with hay hanging from something. I clean the stall at the crack of dawn to get it done before other duties call, and during the week I pay someone to clean for me. If you are like my family, you are asking, “Why does she do this????”

Passion is what inspires you and what gives you the drive to move forward. It gives you a reason to get up, get going and climb into bed excited for it to be morning so you can do it all over again. It’s that adrenaline pump that wakes you up in the middle of the night with a vast idea — one that will be the next (insert something big here).

Based on this definition I would say Tubby is my passion. I carry that passion around with me every day. I only have one thing on my bucket list, and that is to show a horse again. Although I am starting to realize this might not happen, it drives me every day. I feel the same way about BioZyme® and the work I do for it.

“Passion is not something you go after as an end in itself. It’s rather a symptom of your engagement with anything into which you are fully immersed. It’s also not something you usually know you have. Others notice your full involvement with something and they call it ‘passion’. I just call it doing what I feel like doing.” – David Allen, the originator of the book Getting Things Done

So, should one try to harness passion? My family has routinely tried to convince me that I do. My answer is I don’t. Passion shows up in many shapes and forms and you just don’t get to be passionate about one thing or one aspect of life or work. So any kind of harnessing, in my opinion, would be dumb. However, balancing your passion with those around you, your pocketbook and your commitments is not dumb.

I am very passionate about the value of our additives in this new antibiotic-free world, and I believe we will be a leader in developing even more science and products to help animals thrive; however, I don’t only read, meet and think about that. While we are investing money into this exciting, potentially life-changing opportunity, we aren’t going out on a limb financially to do it. We are still working on our commitments to impact the lives of our family (yes you) positively through marketing, programs and support at the same time.

Remember, passion is like chocolate cake, it is amazing, but you can’t survive on it alone. You must know when to give passion a break and bring in reason. Passion slams the gas; reason steers us safely. Passion throws us out of an airplane; reason pulls the parachute cord.

 

Targeted Producer Meetings Offer Unique Approach

Livestock producers get a lot of postcards and invitations to producer meetings, sales meetings and educational meetings through the winter months. It seems like there is always something on their calendars, and sometimes they can’t make every meeting they would like to. As dealers, we need a fresh approach to reach these customers and potential customers where we can leverage our time while gathering an audience, but still take time to have one-on-one conversations that are key to relationship building.

Salem Veterinary Service in South Dakota recently tried a different tactic to reach its customers through smaller, more targeted producer meetings. Guy Rusche, ASM, said the lunch-time meetings were more conversational where he could talk about products with a handful of producers with similar needs over a sandwich and answer their questions, much like he might if he was visiting with them at their own kitchen table.

“The producers were all like-minded so I could fine-tune my presentation, which wasn’t a PowerPoint, but more like a one-on-one producer encounter with several people with similar needs at the same time and place,” Rusche said.

Salem Veterinary Service planned the meetings for Mondays throughout February, and customized the invitation list of its clients by those with similar needs and decision making processes. Because the dealer has established a good rapport with its producers, all invitations came directly from the dealer, and Rusche said 6-12 producers attended each of the four meetings. Topics of the meetings included VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® and looking more in-depth to the advantages of Amaferm®.

“Because the group was smaller, they felt more comfortable asking questions that they might not have asked in a larger producer meeting. I spent time answering those in-depth, technical questions without sounding like I was giving a college lecture,” Rusche said.

Rusche said Salem Vet doesn’t have much space for inventory, but at least one producer from every meeting stopped by the vet clinic to order or purchase product following the meetings, and after one meeting, seven of the nine attendees purchased product, a sure sign of success for the dealer.

Although these small targeted meetings worked well for this dealer and its clients prior to calving, Rusche said they will continue to host a more traditional producer meeting in the fall to discuss other products. The smaller, targeted meetings are just one more way to share the BioZyme® message with a group of current and potential customers.

Proper Employee Training Leads to Increased Sales

There are a lot of animal nutrition products out there, and in some parts of the country, more feed and supplement dealers than there are grocery stores. This means it is vital for your sales staff to keep current on all the products you offer.

“People buy from people, and our company owners have done a great job hiring quality people that care about the products and our customers all the way from the sales staff to the delivery drivers,” said Scott Hardman, Marketing Specialist with Earlybird Feed & Fertilizer, Goodfield, Illinois.

Hardman says the literature that BioZyme® sends out when a new product is introduced is distributed to all sales people, both externally and in the store. He said that they usually can’t get the literature fast enough since customers see information about new products on social media, and start contacting the dealer often before they have the new products on hand.

Another great resource is their ASM, Shandy Bertolino. Hardman said that their sales staff typically meets with Shandy twice a year to learn about new products and brush up on their knowledge of existing products. In addition to offering kudos to the ASM in their area, Hardman also praised the entire BioZyme® staff.

“One of the strengths of the company is there are not a lot of layers if we need answers. Shandy will make the link, but the accessibility of the technical and marketing staff is great,” Hardman said.

And finally, he said the sales staff who attend the dealer retreat each summer come back with a wealth of information to share with others who didn’t attend.

Adele Halsall, a researcher and writer for Customer Service Guru, addressed some key training tips in a recent blog post. Here are three of her tips.

  1. Keep Training Consistent. Be sure to give each employee the same message and resources so the information shared with customers is reliable. Halsall said, “Product knowledge training must also be consistent, engaging and customized. There is no point in re-using the same material twice or giving unnecessary information to those who do not need it.”
  2. Allow Hands-on Experience. While it isn’t realistic that your entire sales force will have a need for a particular product, chances are someone on staff feeds one or more of the products. Get their feedback about the pros and cons of that particular product so you can offer more information to prospective customers.

    Hardman said their sales staff isn’t expected to know absolutely everything about every product; however, they have specific people that are experts about particular species. Earlybird relies on those experts to provide information about particular products to the rest of its sales force.

  3. Take Training out of the Office. Hardman mentioned the bi-annual meetings with Shandy and the dealer retreat were two of their valuable training tools. Halsall agrees that it is always good to give employees a fresh perspective and allow them the opportunity to network with others to learn helpful sales insight.

Making the sale is imperative to your bottom line. Keep your staff knowledgeable and excited about your products, and the sales will come readily.

How to Use Promos Effectively

Everyone is looking for a deal, but does that mean you need to offer regular “deals” or promotions on your BioZyme® products? No, there is a definite time and place to use promotions, and having a regular sale isn’t always the best way to make a sale.

The value of BioZyme products is that they are high quality products that do exactly what they say they do. The products keep your animals healthy, and healthy animals grow faster and more efficiently. If a potential customer is skeptical, share the research or other customer testimonials with them. Chances are, you are going to gain a new customer who becomes a repeat customer.

But, your competitors down the road offer regular sales on their supplement products, and your lack of a “good deal” is the topic of conversation at the local coffee shop. Here are few ways to offer smart promotions, should you feel the need to do so.

Offer a short-term discount on something everyone can use. Most of your customers have a dog, so offer a discount on dog food with the purchase of a certain amount of VitaFerm® or Vitalize® mineral. This gives them the opportunity to try something new they might not have even known BioZyme offers, and makes you look like the good guy for offering a promotion.

Don’t offer a discount on in-season products. Did you order too much VitaFerm® HEAT™ mineral and you are approaching the cooler months? That would be a good time to discount that inventory to get it out of the warehouse, and perhaps customers will want to order more at regular price next summer.

Remember to advertise a “limited time promotion.” If you don’t, your customer might actually like the dog the food they bought last time with their supplement order, and will want you to honor that same price again. Remind the customer that it was a one-time promotion, but you are glad he/she liked the product, and will be glad to sell it to him/her at regular price.

Add value in other ways. Host a producer meeting to share the latest industry information. Invite your customers to a special VIP open house with refreshments and door prizes after store hours. Offer delivery. There are many ways of adding value to your products that won’t hurt your profit potential.

If conducted properly, promotions can be a good marketing tool. But plan them when they will help you, the dealer, boost sales, and use them wisely.

March 2017 – Letters from Lisa

At BioZyme®, we track our market share in all the different markets where we are trying to grow. While the sales team would tell you that I use market share as a part of my slave driver approach to growth; it is actually not true. I use market share to motivate our entire team (you too) around the significant opportunity that still awaits us.

Our growth has been impressive and would not be possible without each of you. This growth makes it easy to ask how many more years is this really possible? The answer to that is objective and easy when you assess it from the market share perspective. At the end of 2016, our market share in the cow-calf sector was 1.5%. On a state-by-state basis it ranges from 10% in Indiana down to 0.2% in Texas. Just to give you some comparative perspective, McDonalds has 17% market share in the fast food industry, while the strongly misguided Chipotle has 2.2%.

Increasing market share is one of the most important objectives of business. The main advantage of using market share as a measure of business performance is that it is less dependent upon variables such as the state of the economy or changes in tax policy. Market share is said to be a key indicator of market competitiveness—that is, how well a firm is doing against its competitors. Similarly, within a firm’s product line, market share trends for individual products are considered early indicators of future opportunities.

I am sure by now, you are thinking let’s go grow market share. And because you are thinking that right now, I am hugging you. It is my job to keep the team focused on how to continue to grow that market share. It’s actually not that easy, but there are a few things one should constantly consider:

Stay relevant through innovation. One great way to gain market share is to spot new trends ahead of competitors. Listen carefully when you’re chatting with friends, watching the news or listening to kids talk about what they like. There may be a change in the wind your business can jump on.

Respond to customers – fast. Remember when leaving a voicemail recording that said, “I’ll get back to you within 24 hours” seemed responsive? Not anymore. In this age of real-time, shoppers are increasingly loyal to the company that can fix their problem right now. Check out how fast your competitors respond, and then be faster; customers will take notice.

Keep an open channel for customer ideas. One of those ideas might be your next hit product. So, let’s hear from all of you. What should we be considering as an add-on to our product line up??

Snap up competitors. Sometimes the easiest way to get more customers is to simply buy them. Watch for competitors that might be up for sale and purchase them or their customer lists.

Let’s go get that market share – our BioZyme goal is to get to 2.5% in the next 2 years. WE CAN DO THIS!!

Dealer Success Stories: Customer Service is Key

Webster defines success as a “favorable or desirable outcome.” This group of dealers epitomizes that success, growing their sales significantly over the past year. But success doesn’t just happen. Ask any one of them, and they will attribute their success to having a great product, providing top-notch customer service and having great people to work with – customers, employees and BioZyme® support.

Bowman Grain
Bowman, North Dakota

Education and communication are two of the keys to a successful BioZyme dealership, according to Bob White, manager of Bowman Grain in Bowman, North Dakota.

“Having producer meetings is important to us,” White said. “We try to keep the area producers informed about changes in the industry like VFD, and hold meetings during different times of the year to discuss breeding and weaning.”

White says providing outstanding customer service has been key to their sales success. Bowman Grain offers delivery, makes sure their customers know about volume discounts, and follows up with their customers to make sure the products they have purchased are working for their livestock operation.

And the best thing about being a BioZyme dealer, according to Bob, is the support received. “The dealer support we get from our ASM and the company is great. Our ASM goes with our sales staff around the country to talk to potential customers about the benefits of VitaFerm® products.”

Circle L Feed
Quitman, Arkansas

People helping other people is what helps make the sale at Circle L Feed in Quitman, Arkansas. Although they are fairly new BioZyme® dealers, Circle L has been in business for 18 years, and owner Mike Lagasse gives his employees tremendous credit for knowing the products they sell and listening to the customer to find out his or her needs.

“We do take care of our business and don’t worry about the competition. It will always be there,” Lagasse said. “We have professional staff who greets everyone when they walk in the door, answers questions and then sells something that will help the producers make money. BioZyme has a lot of choices for that.”

Many of the Circle L employees have been with the company for years, and Lagasse said they are all cross-trained to work in any part of the store. When they begin selling a new product, the employees learn about it so they can best help their customers.

Dealer Success Stories: Producer Testimonials Sell the Product

Webster defines success as a “favorable or desirable outcome.” This group of dealers epitomizes that success, growing their sales significantly over the past year. But success doesn’t just happen. Ask any one of them, and they will attribute their success to having a great product, providing top-notch customer service and having great people to work with – customers, employees and BioZyme® support.

 

Mike Damon
Knoxville, Iowa

For Mike Damon, becoming a BioZyme dealer seemed like a natural fit. He’s been feeding the product to his own livestock since the 1970s. His dad’s cousin, Deverne Dixon, used to work as the dealer in the area around Knoxville, Iowa, where Mike and his wife, Barb, live today. And, Mike said it is vital to his business success to be available for all producers.

“If I don’t know the answer to a customer’s question, I’ll try to find out,” Mike said as he complimented his ASM for always providing assistance. “The guy who has five cows thinks he is just as important as the guy with 500, and when it comes to sales, he is. Because the guy with five cows can be really positive and help you sell just as much as the guy with 500.”

Mike said some of the best parts about selling BioZyme products are the people and helping the producers. He has left mineral at some farms for years, and never has seen a person, but a positive experience creates a chain reaction, and that producer tells his friends, and then Mike adds two or three more customers.

High Hill Supplements
Schulenburg, Texas

Cultivating relationships and targeting progressive producers has helped High Hill Supplements grow their BioZyme® business during the past year. Kevin Warnken, Schulenburg, Texas, said he works hard to find larger, progressive producers, explains the benefits of using the BioZyme products, and sells them the products that will work for their ranch.

He shared about one customer who had a 92-percent conception rate on 1,200 cows. Warnken convinced the rancher to use VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® the next year. The rancher’s additional $8,000 supplement investment increased his conception rate to 96-percent, which produced about 50 more calves, and put more money in his pocket. He was sold.

And producers of all sizes are singing praises to Warnken, who just received a note from a smaller customer who had used Concept•Aid: “Just wanted to say thanks. 100% calf crop in 2016. 45 out of 45.”

Warnken said that while testimonials from peers will help gain customers, hard work and customer service helps him keep a customer. He said delivering the product and following up with the producer is important, and last year he delivered nearly 450 tons in his pickup.

“We make the deliveries ourselves, ask them what they want and give them twice what they ask for,” he said. “The only thing I’ll sell is something that works. It’s not a glorious life, but it is a great life.”

Dealer Success Stories: BioZyme Support is Vital

Webster defines success as a “favorable or desirable outcome.” This group of dealers epitomizes that success, growing their sales significantly over the past year. But success doesn’t just happen. Ask any one of them, and they will attribute their success to having a great product, providing top-notch customer service and having great people to work with – customers, employees and BioZyme® support.

Tappen Farm Supply
Tappen, North Dakota

For Kurt Bodvig, owner and manager of Tappen Farm Supply in central North Dakota, the combination of a great product from a reputable company and having product readily available is what continues to sell BioZyme to his customers. In his small community of approximately 200 people, there are probably 10 different people who sell animal nutrition products, so keeping customers happy is important.

“Most guys are happy with the product, and as long as they are happy, we are happy,” he said.

In addition to tracking what his customers use and keeping inventory for them, the feed store hosts an annual producer meeting each February, with the assistance of ASMs Dorothy Orts and Katelyn Wendel. Producers enjoy a good meal, and the chance to visit one-on-one with the ASMs to learn more about the products and their benefits, Bodvig said.

K Triangle Feed
Glendo, Wyoming

Keith Micke, Glendo, Wyoming, is a dealer who uses his resources to their full potential, and he never gives up. He says the tools that BioZyme® offers dealers, from the online dealer center to the staff who help him over the phone and in person, are valuable to his success.

“Their nutritionists have come out for producer meetings. And ASM, Britney Creamer has come and helped me at various shows around the state, including the Wyoming State Fair, where she even brought fresh peaches to share with customers,” Micke said. “The folks at BioZyme are great people, and you need to use them to benefit your business.”

He also mentioned the online record keeping tools are valuable to track previous sales, maintain a mailing list and see what products customers ordered at certain times of year. But perhaps just as important as the resources BioZyme offers, he appreciates that it is a family-oriented business that strives to help producers succeed.

Coal Valley Feeds
Cherokee, Kansas

Jackie Coltrane is passionate about the livestock industry. It doesn’t matter if he’s telling you about his three-generation Angus seedstock operation, selling semen for Select Sires, or representing BioZyme, his excitement for helping others succeed can’t be masked.

“Having a product that does what it is supposed to do and a company that will support you are the best parts of being a BioZyme dealer,” Coltrane said. Coltrane gives respect to his ASM John Jeffrey and Erin Creason, Inside Sales Coordinator, for helping him with any questions he has, and continually providing him information.

“Erin is a huge asset to us, as she fills our artillery with educational materials to pass on to customers and potential customers,” Coltrane said.  He added that she is readily available via phone call or text and always responds promptly to his inquiries.

Another resource that Coltrane appreciates is the product education they provide. With so many products, he said it’s nice when they put out new research or educational material so he can best help his customers find the product that will best fit their needs.

February 2017 – Letters from Lisa

“ACTION IS THE FOUNDATIONAL KEY TO ALL SUCCESS.” -Pablo Picasso

In mid-January, our area prepared for an ice storm compared to nothing we had seen since 1993. I don’t remember the ice storm of 1993, but it must have been bad as they were predicting a ½- to ¾-inch of ice in this storm, a very disruptive amount. A disruptive ice storm is typically one of  ¼- to ½-inch of ice accumulation. This amount of ice starts to damage trees and power lines. As a matter of fact, a  ½ inch accumulation on power lines can add 500 pounds of extra weight.

Having an action plan around this ice storm was important to my survival success, as I am responsible for a very famous horse, two rabbits and three dogs. Our daughter came home so I had to make sure she was safe too. With all that in mind, Bob got an electrician to set up a generator wired to the house for basic power, we (along with everyone else in St. Joe) went to the grocery store and got enough food to last at least a week. We bought every heated blanket and small heater they had left at Target, and I slept on the couch so I would hear the storm hit. I did this for three nights. The ice never came. Was all this action a waste of time or did it have value?

We don’t ever expect to have to deal with an ice storm, a flood or a tornado but when they do happen, the difference between life and death is often determined by how prepared we are for action and how much of a plan we have. The same is true in business.

Here are three easy steps to ensure you maximize the value of your business with planned action.

Pick Your Three “Focus Areas” – Focus Areas are the most important areas for your business to spotlight, the areas that will really help you develop your business. Stick with no more than three, as too many priorities mean you have no top priorities. Sure, you’ll still have to take care of your company’s day-to-day operational needs, but focusing on a few key chunks will actually produce value for your company. Potential focus areas could be:

  • Increasing your lead flow
  • Improving your sales conversion system
  • Speeding up your collections cycle
  • Making a key hire
  • Developing a new product

Define Success for Each of Your Three Focus Areas – generally, you should pick criteria of success that you have control over (or, at the very least, you have a great deal of influence over). It’s important to look for criteria that are as objectively and quantitatively measurable as possible. Pick one “Key Performance Indicator” to track. Your KPI for each Focus Area gives you a yardstick against which to measure progress as you go. By laying out your criteria of success for each Focus Area, you’ll have clear clues for what action steps you need to take.

Lay Out Your Key Action Steps and Milestones – the final step is to lay out the key action steps you need to take and milestones you need to reach to accomplish success for each Focus Area. Try to break down each Focus Area into five to seven action steps. For each action step, pick a team member to be responsible for executing the step by a definite date.

Remember, action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.