Dealer Relies on Word of Mouth to Build Business

Word of mouth marketing is likely one of the original marketing strategies; yet it is one that 4 UP Livestock LLC still relies on for its success today. Although this dealer is somewhat new to the BioZyme® family, Kirstie and Brian Wachholtz are not new to building relationships in the business world. The couple, from southeast Wyoming, raise cattle and Brabant Belgian horses. Their BioZyme relationship story begins with a stud horse that didn’t handle hauling so well last year. That’s where VIP and Master Dealer Keith Micke encouraged them to try the Vitalize® Equine Recovery Paste (now Vitalize Equine Recovery Gel). The rest as they say, is history.

“We went to the Wyoming Equine Extravaganza last year and took some of our Brabant Belgian studs, and one of them was not acclimating very well. Keith brought over a tube of recovery paste, because it was still paste at the time, and said ‘Hey, I guarantee you need to do this. He’ll drink, he’ll settle down, he’ll be good.’ In half-anhour that horse was acting like he was at home,” Kirstie said.

On the way home, Kirstie and Brian swung by Keith’s, loaded up on products for their cattle and more Recovery Paste, and soon after became a sub-dealer for K Triangle Feed since Keith didn’t have anyone in that part of the state. They have capitalized on their own positive experiences with the VitaFerm® and Vitalize products in addition to their relationships from their off-farm jobs to promote and sell the products. Kirstie is a licensed practitioner for pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy for horses and livestock. Brian is a farrier. Both work with clients in several Western states and travel to livestock and horse shows and rodeos, and while they are traveling can share the messages of the BioZyme products.

“With what I do, I was having a hard time finding a good solid electrolyte paste, where I felt that the cells got to metabolize. What I do is dubbed “cellular exercise” and with the therapy that I offer, when those cells get that exercise, you need something to feed that mitochondria, so I started incorporating the Recovery Gel into any diet where they have issues. Or, even if a horse has an injury, I have started incorporating it. I sell it at every show I go to from Nevada to Texas, it has traveled everywhere,” Kirstie said.

She adds that the prebiotics in the products work to assist the animals that she and her husband are helping since a healthy gut means reduced inflammation in the body. However, without a loyal and growing customer base, they wouldn’t have people to sell their goods and services to.

“Relationships are huge because in the cattle industry and the horse industry that’s still a large, large part of building clientele; it’s about actual relationships. You can’t sell a product if you don’t have a relationship because relationships of any sort create trust. Based on that trust, people will try a product or try a service they might not have tried in the first place,” she said.

Kirstie said one of her biggest customer success stories come from the Vitalize Alimend®. She had a client who was spending a lot of money to treat ulcers for her barrel horse. She started using the Vitalize Alimend, and she hasn’t had a problem since. She wasn’t winning anything and is now typically in the top three with the help of a horse with a healthy gut, thanks to Alimend.

She credits that success and others with the relationships she and Brian have built with their tried and true marketing method.

“It comes down to word of mouth. All of my husband’s and my clientele has been based off of word of mouth. We’ve never got a customer off Facebook. We’ve never got a client by our name coming up in a Google search. It’s been one person asking ‘Who’s your farrier? I need one.’ Or ‘Do you know someone who does holistic healing?’,” she said.

As we kick off a new year and a new decade, we spoke to some of the VIP dealers who have kept their businesses relevant and growing. We asked for their best advice, and they willingly shared some of their top tips on tactics they have used to keep their business relevant.

Tyson Basore, Basore Cattle Company, Deepwater, Missouri

“One thing we try to do is keep ourselves out there in front of the customer. We give a lot of hats and shirts to customers and potential customers to keep our name out there. We also hit up a lot of local bull sales and other events in the community where our customers are so we can have that face-to-face interaction. We’ve used social media through Facebook quite a bit and have also run radio ads.”

Jackie Coltrane, Coal Valley Feeds, Cherokee, Kansas

“There’s only one way to stay relevant. People don’t stay with a product; they stay with a face. The way we maintain stability is by gaining our customers’ trust and through customer relations. If they trust you, they will contact you when they have a challenge, and they will trust the advice you give them.”

Keith Micke, K Triangle Feed, Glendo, Wyoming

“I try to stay involved and like Britney Creamer once said, I’m a walking billboard. I never leave home without a VitaFerm jacket, cap or gloves. And I always have gloves to pass out when the weather is cold. But the biggest thing I do is make time for my customers and potential customers. The other day I was out with new customers and asked if I could see their cows. They were tickled pink. They said they had never had any type of salesman ask to see their cattle. In addition to making time to spend one-on-one, being seen at the county fairs in my area is important, and I always have a booth at the state fair. I run short spots on my son’s football and basketball games’ broadcasts. Ashley Fitzsimmons has helped me with a flyer in the Wyoming Livestock Journal for a few months, and I have recently started using Promoboxx on Facebook. Word of mouth is still important, and if I see a long-time customer around someone who is interested in the product, I’ll ask how they like their mineral. Hearing positive reviews from a current customer is a great way to build trust around here.”

Mark Rohr, Proven Sires Services, Hays, Kansas

“Proven Sires Services’ success in growing our business relies primarily on customer relations. Our customers depend on us and VitaFerm ® to make the right choices for their operations. If the right choices are made, and the product is successful in their programs, then PSS and VitaFerm are successful in gaining the trust of those customers. These success stories then attribute to the growth of PSS by word of mouth, in and beyond the community. All of this, however, could not have been accomplished if it hadn’t been for a great product and a BioZyme® team to back up the product and its dealers.”

Hunter Morris, Twin Rivers Vet Supply, DeKalb, Texas

“Getting out there and hustling. Seeing what the customers’ problems are and how you can help solve those problems with a great product and great customer service. Without customers, there’s no business.”

According to these five dealers, building strong customer relationships is the key to staying relevant and prospering in their businesses. Stay in front of your customers, learn the best way to engage with them, and offer some swag in the form of shirts, caps, jackets and gloves to stay top of mind, too. Communicate with them – use radio, social media and get out and interact with them at industry and community events. Staying relevant is vital to your growth this year and in the years to come.