To allow our families to observe the holidays, our offices are closed the following days:
To ensure you receive the freshest product, in the timeliest manner, there is no shipping or pick-up the following days:
Have you ever wondered about the phrase “care that comes full circle”? It isn’t just a fancy little catch phrase that BioZyme® throws around. It is the company motto that the company and its employees live by each day. Where does the care come from? It comes from the heart.
One of the things that sets BioZyme apart from other companies is this care that comes full circle. It’s in our people. It’s in our products. It’s in our research. President and CEO Lisa Norton compares it to a boomerang that is properly thrown.
“When you throw a boomerang properly, it will always come back to you. If we make supplements at BioZyme that help animals perform to their fullest, then that care we provide to them will ultimately, come full circle and put food on our plate. Now that is care that comes full circle,” Norton said.
Simply put, caring comes from the heart. This is true if you are talking about making nutrition products for a chicken with a with a rather short lifespan or a newborn child who depends on you for its every need.
Caring about what you do and how you do it always starts with the heart. If you start from the inside out – with the heart – not only will your care shine bright, but that care will boomerang back or “come full circle.”
Our research shows care. With more than 100 published studies, BioZyme never introduces a product until it has been carefully and fully researched. Research starts with a team of scientists and continues to real-life scenarios. Our proprietary fermentation processes are backed by 70 years of research – both in the lab and applied.
Our products show care. It’s no secret that the products that we market and sell do what we say they do. With a research-proven prebiotic like Amaferm® that has been studied and used for more than 70 years, you and your customers can rest assured that the products are carefully manufactured. Amaferm is made one place in the world – St. Joseph, Missouri.
Our people show care. Our people care about the products they make, the way they promote them and the people they work with. They are carefully trained in production best practices and safety manufacturing. They keep safety for themselves, others and the product top of mind.
Not only do our people show care about products and people within the BioZyme family, they extend that care into the greater community. They are active in civic organizations, community projects and helping neighbors. They know that care that comes full circle is a boomerang effect.
From the research, products and people, our care that comes full circle starts in the heart. We know that our dealers have heart too. We hope that you never forget your heart and how to give, and receive, that care.
by Shelia Grobosky, Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers & Public Relations
For some, it is the most wonderful time of the year. The holidays are approaching, and a new year is too. But for others, the holidays are not a happy time to navigate. And the year-end is a reminder of bills that are due and deadlines that must be met.
Agriculture is hard. There are no two ways around it. However, one of the best things about this industry is its people. If you are having a challenging time right now, remember that you are surrounded by some of the greatest people in the business. Not only are the people in agriculture great, but your BioZyme family is here for you too.
Mental health and happiness are probably not what you were expecting to read about this month. Cattle numbers are short. Tighter regulations are being put down on truckers, and freight is still a concern. But in the grand scheme of this thing called life, the things that matter most are faith, family and YOU! Let’s talk about you for just a few more paragraphs.
If you are feeling a little down in the dumps this holiday season or anytime of the year, it is ok to reach out. There is always someone there who wants to help you. And if you don’t think so, just contact me or your ASM. I love listening to people, and sometimes that is just what a person needs – an unbiased person to listen.
Do something for you. Sometimes we get so busy in our daily lives we forget to live. I know this is true for myself. I was going through the motions, and then one day realized my daughter was growing up in front of my eyes. So, I give my time to her from the time she gets off the bus until bedtime. It might mean putting in a few later nights, but those evenings together are so worth it.
Take up a hobby. Have you always wanted to learn to play the guitar or decorate cakes? You are never too old to learn a talent that can serve as a creative outlet and help you relieve stress at the same time.
Take a deep breath. Sometimes those deep breaths are just what I need to help clear my mind and help me put things back into perspective.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and celebrate this wonderful time of year!
Marketing is one of the most important things you can do for your business. Regardless of if you are selling widgets or high-quality feed supplements, marketing is going to help you grow your business, build relationships with your customers and increase your profits.
As we move into 2023, there are more marketing opportunities than ever before. We no longer live in your grandpa’s world of driving downtown and putting an advertisement in the local newspaper made with clipart provided by the local cattle association, hoping for results.
Dealers, you have so many options available to you. So, grab your yellow legal pad or even your iPad, and take notes, because your marketing plans start now.
Make a plan. Divide your year into quarters and break each quarter into months. Decide what is important to your customers during those given months. If it starts getting hot in March or April where you live, you will probably want to start promoting a mineral that includes HEAT® in February or even earlier to make it top of mind. Market Sure Champ® products in the months leading up to and during livestock shows in your area. If you have a big wall calendar or like to use excel spreadsheets, use these tools to help visualize your plan.
Create a budget. Do you know how much money you have to spend on marketing? Do you plan to spend money each month? Every other month? Is the dollar amount dependent on sales or time of year? As you prepare your annual budget, set aside some marketing dollars for advertising, promotional items and even a producer meeting. If you have those funds budgeted early on, you should not spend them on other items, and know that you have the money reserved specifically for marketing efforts.
Choose your vehicles. Once you know your budget and what you plan to market, determine which outlets you would like to use for your marketing. Do you plan to rely solely on social media? Will you print stuffers to go with your invoices to promote new or timely products? Do you plan to advertise on the local radio station or with the local sports boosters on the high school football programs? If you know your customers or the potential customers you are trying to reach, you can determine which of the vehicles are relevant to them. Whichever vehicle you decide on, make sure you know the cost, the deadline and the file format you need to provide if it is an external company like a newspaper or radio station.
Use social media. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are growing in popularity. Social media offers several benefits, with the most popular being that it is free. Other benefits include that it is widely accessible by most people anywhere, including at their fingertips, and it allows you to interact with your customers, whereas traditional advertising only allows for one-way communication. Use social media to your advantage. If you are not fully comfortable with some of the tools and platforms, remember that BioZyme offers Promoboxx as free service, and you can link your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for free content.
Evaluate your action. After you have conducted your marketing action, it is always important to evaluate the outcome. Did a particular advertisement or promotion drive customers to the store? Did your business experience an increase in sales due to your marketing efforts? Take notes. If the sales didn’t increase, chalk one up for experience. If the sales went through the roof, write it down and plan for something very similar for the same time the next year.
Marketing is ever evolving. You don’t have to do it alone. Be sure to reach out to your ASM, use the tools provided to you in the Online Dealer Center or contact a member of the BioZyme Marketing Team. We are here to help you market your business and increase your sales.
December is my favorite month. This is because I get to give many “gifts” to those around me. These gifts include the most days off work of any month, end of year performance reviews, the annual Christmas bonus, Christmas gifts, happy New Year hugs and pausing to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.
The word in there I would like to focus on this month is pausing.
Pausing at times — even for just a few seconds — can make a major difference in how we think and react. Before you dismiss this as simple common sense, remember: the pause is easy in theory, difficult in practice.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) includes the ability to understand and manage our emotions, using them to work for us instead of against us. Emotional intelligence can help us think logically, rather than solely reacting with emotion. Like any ability, it can be learned, exercised and honed to help produce desirable outcomes. What one action can sharpen your EQ?
The pause.
The pause isn’t only effective when dealing with upsetting situations. Often, we are tempted to jump on opportunities that look really good at the time but that we haven’t really thought through. Used effectively, the pause can help reduce those “What was I thinking?” moments. Now wouldn’t that be a nice gift to give everyone around us?
How to Use the Pause Effectively
Using the pause can help us look to the future with more optimism. It is the pause that allows us to digest information and begin to use that information effectively. We can move logically through the processes of thinking, then planning and then doing. The order is important, and it is that order that allows the future to be all it can be for you and for your business.
Some situations do require immediate responses, and a pause may not always be an option. Time is money, but in big decisions that may have great impact, a pause can pay dividends.
Take the time this process requires, and you will find better decisions throughout business.
Now that’s a gift worth giving and receiving!
START LOOKING FOR NASC QUALITY SEAL
BioZyme® Inc. and Cogent Solutions Group will now carry the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) Quality Seal on products specifically designed for the equine and companion animal markets. Dealers and customers will start seeing the NASC seal on packaging for products for horses, dogs and cats under the Vitalize®, Hyaluronex® and Trixsyn® brands. The seal will be a rolling change as current packaging inventory is exhausted.
VITALIZE® HORSE TREATS AVAILABLE IN HOLIDAY PACKAGING
Vitalize® Horse Treats are still available in limited-edition holiday packaging. These carrot-flavored prebiotic snacks make great gifts for your favorite equine companions. Stock up now before the supply is gone!
HOLIDAY HOURS AND SHIPPING
To allow our families to observe the Christmas and New Year holidays, we are closed the following:
• Friday, December 23 & Monday, December 26
• Monday, January 2, 2023
To ensure you receive the freshest product, in the timeliest manner, there is no shipping or pickup on:
• Thursday, December 22 to Monday, December 26
• Thursday, December 29 to Monday, January 2, 2023
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the BioZyme Family.
Batman and Robin. Kenny and Dolly. Johnny and June. Some things are just meant to be together. That same can be said of Falling Timber Farm LLC and BioZyme® Inc. John and Heidi Ridder, Marthasville, Missouri, started as BioZyme dealers shortly after they got married, and have been growing their business while watching BioZyme grow for nearly the last two decades.
“The VitaFerm® products have a reputation of quality in the cattle world. The products sell themselves,” John said.
He described the early beginnings in the nutrition industry. One of John’s jobs after college was a sales manager for a feed store before he returned to the home farm in eastern Missouri. The BioZyme district manager asked him to start selling BioZyme products. At that time, BioZyme still ran their own delivery trucks and would call dealers to put together orders every week. They would unload 10 bags of product at a time at Ridder’s shop and hand stack it onto a plastic pallet.
“A few really good years changed everything,” he said.
As if he and Heidi were looking into a crystal ball, they started identifying other good end-users in their area to work underneath them in getting products distributed. Falling Timber Farm was among the first to be part of the sub-dealer network.
“Sub-dealers were going to be the only way to survive, even back then. When the freight changed and they started to bring a load in at a time, the sub-dealers were a great way to get more products out to more customers,” John said.
Not only do they have several sub-dealers that they work together with, Falling Timber Farm also engages in several marketing opportunities that BioZyme offers. They participate in the quarterly mailer dealer four times a year, offer their customers a promo each spring and fall where they send their own postcard and work closely with their Area Sales Manager Ali Brunner.
“The dealer mailer is easy, and it works. We keep our mailing list up to date,” Heidi said. “I have considered moving to an email for our spring and fall promos instead of a postcard, but that postcard gives them something in the mail to look at instead of an email where they can just delete it with a push of a button. That postcard usually gets us a few calls after it goes out.”
In addition to their BioZyme business, the Ridders also have a registered Hereford operation, so they maintain several customer lists with the use of Excel spreadsheets. Heidi said her BioZyme spreadsheet rarely has any returned postcards due to being kept current. One tip she offers others is that for a minimal fee, the Post Office will check a list for accuracy, which she does before mailing their annual production sale catalog, since it is thicker and requires more postage.
Although they face the same challenges most dealers face, John and Heidi enjoy the family atmosphere that their dealership has given them while raising their own two children, who are the fourth generation to grow up on the ranch. Madi is a sophomore at the University of Missouri studying Animal Science, and Ben is a freshman at Oklahoma State University majoring in Agriculture Systems and Technology.
“We are able to help other producers with smaller herds and full-time jobs meet their production goals. They come out to get products with their family and their kids. We’ve grown up in this business and our customers have grown up with us, and we get to watch their families grow up, too,” Heidi said.
John agrees. He also encourages anyone interested in getting involved to branch out and be patient.
“You likely won’t survive on one entity alone, so you will need to diversify. That might be sales and grain farming or sales and livestock,” he said. “Don’t expect to grow real fast. Grow your customer base one really good customer at a time.”
Just like John and Heidi Ridder of Falling Timber Farm had the foresight to grow their customer base and their sub-dealer system, they know to use their resources, diversify their opportunities and provide care that comes full circle to their customers. We’re proud that they have been with BioZyme for the long haul!
Reminder! Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no product shipping or order pick up, Wednesday, November 23 – Friday, November 25.
Our offices are closed Thursday and Friday to allow employees time with their families. Business will resume as normal, Monday, November, 28.
Providing excellent customer service doesn’t cost your business anything. However, if even one customer has even a somewhat bad experience, it could cost you everything. Customer service is crucial to business and ultimately sales. Think about how fast news spreads, especially in a small community, and even more so with the aid of social media. People share positive experiences, and they are like endorsements. But one bad experience can make its way through the rumor mill in record speed, ruining your reputation and your sales.
A recent survey of American Express showed that 70% of customers are willing to spend 13% more on average with companies they believe provide exceptional customer service. Making a conscious effort to impress your customers creates the kind of reputation that promotes word-of-mouth referrals and upsell opportunities – ultimately increasing sales.
Another study showed that a 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 10%. In an environment where businesses are increasingly concerned with their bottom line, companies may focus a lot more on improving customer satisfaction.
The best part of increasing your customer satisfaction levels is that customers keep coming back. These retained customers cost less than new customers. Why? Because you aren’t spending marketing dollars trying to get them in your stores – services you’re already providing are convincing them to come back.
Just what is that returning customer worth? According to an online article on Lireo.com:
How to Improve Your Customers’ Experiences and Retain Them
Customer service is something we strive to perfect each day but now that you know it can help your profits, be sure to give a little extra attention to the customers. Your customers will surely notice, and you can watch your business grow.
Do you remember the tale of the tortoise and the hare? To summarize, the hare had a lot of enthusiasm, but he didn’t take advantage of that enthusiasm. The tortoise, a little slower paced, knew he was at a disadvantage; however, he kept moving forward, and he WON THE RACE…Action wins.
This fable offers a valuable lesson even in the modern business world. Any action you take will help your business succeed. That is one reason BioZyme® created the Action Awards Program. We want to encourage dealers to take action – marketing, promotion, education – so their businesses will grow. Not only are dealers rewarded with their own sales growth and profits, but BioZyme also rewards them through the various items they can earn with their Action Awards points.
“We know that when dealers participate in our programs, whether it is an educational program like the Master Dealer Program or a marketing program like sending out the quarterly postcard, it helps their business grow. They are getting more information to share with their customers, and they are giving their company added recognition. Action equals growth. That is important to BioZyme,” said Jennifer Miller, Outreach Sales & Support Senior Manager.
Opportunities for Action – BioZyme offers several opportunities for dealers to take action to grow their businesses. With dedicated teams in sales, business development, outreach support and marketing, there are a multitude of ways for dealers to participate in programs that BioZyme offers. Dealers who participated in Promoboxx (an easy-to- use social media platform) grew on average 139.99%. Other marketing action opportunities include in-store displays, sending out a mailer or newsletter, print or radio advertising and helping an ASM at a trade show or educational event.
Dealers can act by gathering and submitting hay samples for a customer. They can host a producer meeting, offering a form of education and promotion about the products and their business. They can participate in the Master Dealer program, increasing their knowledge about the BioZyme brands. And they can participate in an after-hours training on any topic with a member of the Outreach Team.
Rewards for Action – By enrolling in the Action Awards Program, dealers are rewarded for their actions, not only by growing their business; but BioZyme offers points for each action taken. Once points are accumulated, they can be redeemed for items that range from promotional swag like shirts and caps to items to help grow your business further like hay probes and iPads.
Caleb Day of Cordell Farm & Ranch Store in Kaufman, Texas, said he appreciates the Action Awards points, and redeems them for wearables to give back to his customers.
“If they buy a certain number of bags of your product, they get a cap, if they buy more, they get a jacket. It incentivizes them. They might buy one more bag to get a cap or sweatshirt. And they appreciate getting something extra when they buy the product they already like,” Day said.
Miller reminds the dealers that points can be rewarded for any action. Contact her or your ASM if you do something a little different that isn’t listed, and she will make sure you are credited.
“We want your business to grow, and we want you to succeed. Take action, get your business name out there. We will gladly give you some points if you are doing the work to improve your business,” she said.
Take the action. Earn the points. Grow your business.
