Category: What’s New
Dealer Spotlight: Gatlin Feed
Sells Service and a Whole Lot More
At your first glance at the Gatlin Feed website, you would presume this business is a fullservice farm store that specializes in livestock feed and nutrition and a full gamut of farm supplies for every specie. And, they do. But their real specialty is making people’s lives easier.
“I’m in the service business. Everybody wants their life to be easier and that is what we try to do. We don’t promote anything I haven’t used. If I don’t think it works, I would never sell it,” said Jeff Gatlin, owner of Gatlin Feed based in Boque Chitto, Miss.
Jeff has been providing service and selling feed to his customers for more than 40 years. His dad, Charles, started the family business when he started mixing his feed for his cattle, looking for a consistent product that worked year-after-year. His neighbors noticed the higher-performing, healthier looking cattle, and the elder Gatlin was now in the feed business.
Jeff purchased his dad’s share of the business about 15-20 years ago, and just a few years ago started adding Amaferm® into a feed he was giving some cattle he was backgrounding. He noticed a marked difference in efficiency and growth and became a BioZyme® dealer soon after, continuing to add Amaferm into some of the cattle and wildlife feeds his mill makes as well as selling the other supplements to his customers.
Gatlin markets a deer ration with Amaferm to several breeders in the South. He said the conception rates on their does have increased considerably, and the overall health of the deer has improved since including Amaferm in the feed. At the Whitetails of Louisiana breeders’ show the past two years, customers on Gatlin’s deer feed have taken four of the top five awards in antlers and deer size.
“Those awards have helped improve our sales. We are competing against the Purinas and Nutrenas, and it’s pretty neat being a Tier 2 distributor manufacturing our own feed. It’s pretty neat when your product does as well or better,” Jeff said.
In addition to the cattle and deer feed, Jeff also has a growing market for the Vitalize® High Performance mineral. He has several race tracks and breeders in south Louisiana that have been pleased with the product, and he continues to grow within the equine market.
“I’m a visionary, and I see way out sometimes. And I’m real adamant about growth. I feel like if you’re standing still, you’re going backwards,” Jeff said. “I’m a hustler and whatever that takes to get the work done, I’ll do it. If it means loading up mineral on a Sunday afternoon to make a delivery, I’ll do it, even if it means driving 250-300 miles. Usually I find that will turn into additional business. Ten times out of ten, it does.”
When Jeff makes his Sunday afternoon deliveries, he usually will call ahead to see what products besides mineral the customer might need. If a producer needs mineral, they might also need fencing supplies, a feeder or some other farm equipment that Jeff can sell them. And when he delivers it on a Sunday, he’s providing service and making their lives easier.
VitaFerm® HEAT® Positioning Tools
Why Your Customers Need It:
• The Amaferm Advantage: Amaferm is a precision-based prebiotic that is research-proven to combat heat stress. It also helps stimulate appetite, increase feed digestibility and maximize nutrient absorption.
• Capsaicin: Capsaicin, a unique blend of clove, cinnamon and chili pepper, keeps cattle eating smaller meals throughout the day while also acting as a vasodilator to mitigate the effects of endophyte positive fescue. Also proven to increase water intake.
• Garlic: Garlic acts as a natural insect repellent as the smell repels insects through breath and skin excretion.
Selling Tools:
- Video testimonials and two American Rancher shows featuring VitaFerm HEAT are available on the media page at www.vitaferm.com.
Share With Your Customers:
There are some great educational pieces about VitaFerm HEAT available on the blog at www.vitaferm.com/blog. Some of the newer ones to check out are:
Natural Insect Control
Solutions for Making the Most of the Grazing Season
Keep Her Bred Through the Summer
Growth with PromoBoxx
2018 Action Awards Points
2019 BioZyme Dealer Retreat Location Announcement
If this is your first year to attend Dealer Retreat, there will still be an opportunity to come tour BioZyme headquarters.
National Producers’ Meeting
On January 30th, the first evening of the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show, BioZyme® will host an off-site Producers’ Meeting at the Pat O’Briens Briar Suite on Bourbon Street. Come from 7-10 PM to learn about the value of quality nutrition from Alan Lee, Director of Domestic Business Development for BioZyme Inc., and get your questions addressed by a live producer panel!
Transportation to and from the convention center will be provided. RSVP by invite ONLY.
If you are attending the NCBA convention or have customers or potential customers attending that you would like to receive an invite to this private event, please send those names and email address to Jessie Judge at jjudge@biozymeinc.com by January 9.
REMINDER: 10% Introductory Discount on Vitalize Alimend
Receive an introductory discount of 10% OFF PER CASE of any size of Vitalize® Alimend® or Vitalize Alimend K9 when you place your first order of this new product through December 31, 2018.
*Discount will be automatically applied after ordering
For more information about Vitalize Alimend, visit: http://vitalizeeq.com/vitalize-alimend/
Vacay Giveaway Update
With the launch of Vitalize® Alimend®, we have added it as an eligible product to the Single Dose Product list. For every $4.50 of Vitalize Alimend or Vitalize Alimend K9 purchased now through December 31, you will earn a ticket into the prize drawing.
Did you know that your purchases of a “new product” are cumulative during the entire vacay giveaway period?
Example 1: If you have never purchased Vita Charge® Cattle Drench prior to July 1, 2018, every $4.50 of Vita Charge Cattle Drench purchased July 1 – December 31, 2018 will earn you a ticket into the prize drawing.
Example 2: If you have never purchased Amaferm® prior to July 1, 2018, every $8.00 of Amaferm purchased July 1 – December 31, 2018 will earn you a ticket into the prize drawing
Next American Rancher: November 12
Set your DVR and remind your customers to tune in November 12 at 9 PM EST on RFD-TV for the next American Rancher featuring Top Line Farm and VitaFerm Concept•Aid!
The show will re-air on November 13 at 1 AM EST and on November 18 at NOON EST.
Click Here to View a Show Teaser on the Dealer Facebook Group Page