TO GROW IN 2022 AND BEYOND? PRODUCT DIVERSIFICATION CAN HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Sales diversification is one of the five key goals that BioZyme strives to achieve every year. And it isn’t just by chance. The leadership knows that offering a diverse product portfolio, creates sustainability and growth. Let’s explore why diversification is vital to any business to grow.

People care about the entire animal

Let’s think about some of the changes and new products that we’ve launched even in the last five years. For many years, we solely had a focus on gut health, and since we know that 70% of the animals’ immunity starts in the digestive tract. However, we now have the ability to also focus on joint health with the acquisition of Cogent Solutions Group. We now have joint products for horses, show livestock and dogs to help keep them comfortable and stay sound. People who truly care about the health of their animals are going to care for the entire animal.

The industry is multi-faceted

If COVID showed us anything, it taught us people are obsessed with producing their own backyard chickens, and now we have three products specifically designed for poultry in the Backyard Boost®line. This is just one more way to diversify your portfolio and to get the Amaferm® advantage to yet another species.

Speaking of another species, did you see that we now carry Backyard Boost Songbird Balls? These are going to be a great way to introduce Amaferm to backyard bird enthusiasts who love to watch birds. The primary writer of this article comes from a long line of bird watchers, who will be thrilled at the ease of filling bird feeders.

Diversification reduces risk

By offering a variety of product lines across several species, you reduce the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket. Although many dealers thrive on the VitaFerm® line, let’s think back to nearly 20 years ago and the “cow that stole Christmas.” What if the U.S. had a BSE outbreak? There probably wouldn’t be much need for cattle mineral. But equestrians would still be taking care of their horses, so Vitalize® would still be relevant.

Consumers like choices and convenience

Have you been to a retail pet food aisle lately? There are so many choices for dog and cat food, that it feels like our furry friends gets more options than most humans! However, if you have a customer whois buying a sheep, goat, cattle or horse product and also has pets, wouldn’t it be easy to also suggest the Country Natural Dog Food or one of the supplements from Vitalize or Trisxyn? Remember, pet owners love their animals and will typically spend money on them to keep them happy and healthy. It’s convenient if the owners can get their pet products from the same places they are already getting nutrition for other animals.

Diversification. It isn’t just another lofty goal. It is truly a way to grow sales – your sales. Offer a variety or products for all customers. The more product lines you carry, the more business you are likely to do with a given customer.

Meet the BioZyme Family

Team: Domestic Business Development – Sales

Leader: Bob Burkham, National Manager of Sales

Number of additional people on your team: 12

Key Responsibilities: The Sales TEAM is made of a diverse and knowledgeable group of Area Sales Managers (ASMS) who each sell to and service the existing dealer/distributor network and customer base, identify and cultivate new partnership and growth opportunities, work associated trade shows and events in which participation will help grow the business of the assigned territory. ASMs are multitaskers who work with various customers including the dealers, and include veterinarians, nutritionists, feed mills and producers. Most, if not all of them, have previous or current experience with at least one of the BioZyme® product lines, and all of them understand the importance of production agriculture and working with producers to achieve their goals.

List each team member:

  • Alison Brunner – Missouri
  • Brenen Diesen – Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
  • Scott Farmer – Southwest Texas, New Mexico
  • Kevin Glaubius – Nebraska
  • Chris Kyle – Arkansas, Louisiana, East Texas
  • Ty McGuire – Kentucky, Tennessee
  • Justin Packard – Oklahoma
  • Steve Patton – Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia
  • Rowdy Pope – Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida
  • Shane Schaake – Kansas
  • Brett Tostenson – North & South Dakota
  • Morgan Weinrich – Colorado, Wyoming, Utah

How does your team help with “care that comes full circle” for BioZyme customers: The ASMs are the boots on the ground for the company, so they are most often the faces and voices associated with BioZyme and the product lines. Not only is it important for our team to be knowledgeable about the products, but it is just as important that they care about the people raising the animals and the animals themselves that are getting the products. The ASMs know a healthy animal is a happy, performing animal, and that is their goal. That is how they deliver care that comes full circle.

TELL EVERYONE: HOW TO CREATE ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Social media marketing is not a fad. It is here for the long haul and rightfully so. That isn’t to say that print or radio is not going to work; it does take the average consumer seven times to see or hear a message for it to make an impression. However, social media is something everyone should have in their marketing toolbox.

Nearly 3 billion people used Facebook in July, and another 2 billion people use Instagram on a monthly basis. With that many people using social media, doesn’t it make sense for you to promote your business on these platforms too?

Although the BioZyme® Marketing Team offers Promoboxx as a free option for dealers to use already created social media content that aligns with the national advertising campaigns, there is still value in creating your own posts. At the Ag Media Summit in July, LindaNguyen, social media influencer, offered multiple tips to create engaging social media posts. Below are five suggestions to creating social media posts if you want to do so, in addition to using Promobox.

1.Introduce yourself, your business and your team members

Do this every quarter. Your customers want to know who they are doing business with. If you follow the BioZyme DealerFacebook Group and OnlineDealer Center, you will notice new BioZyme team is introduced monthly. It is important to us for you to know the faces and roles behind the compan

2.Share a recent positive review

Testimonials are a great selling tool! And, with the video capability of most smart phones, your social media post just got a lot savvier. Take a short video of the customer in front of your store or a pallet of product, and post that to your social media. Users really enjoy videos and photos.

3.Run a fun contest

Remember this is called ‘social media’ so it should be socially encourage engagement. Spell out your business name with SureChamp® pellets and have a contest to guess how many pellets it took, maybe you have a new dog and need a name for the dog. Whatever content you have, make it fun, include photos or videos and offer some sort of prize at the end of the contest.

4.Seasonal posts and national holidays

Google social media national holidays. You might have noticed in the BioZyme Facebook Dealer group, we recently “celebrated” National Tell a Joke Day and World Photo Day. Just like Hallmark has a card for any occasion, social media also has a reason to celebrate nearly every day of the year. These posts are also a good way to inform your customers of any holiday store hours or closings or if you are closing early for a special occasion like a playoff game.

5.Post a thank you to your fans and customers

Those two little words mean a lot to customer loyalty and retention. Don’t wait until November to post an appreciation post. Let your customers know how grateful you are for them throughout the year. Without them, you wouldn’t be in business. Once again, use a video to express your thanks. You’ll be glad you did and will they.

Social media is a great way to promote you, your business and your products. It’s also a free and fantastic way to engage with your customers on their time. Follow these tips above or simply sign up for Promoboxx to share your message, and let us do the heavy lifting for you.

HAY TESTING, NUTRITION SERVICES CAN IMPACT YOUR CUSTOMERS’ PROFIT

At the end of the day, we want our customers to achieve their goals, to produce healthy, high performing animals that work for them to achieve a profit. If that happens, we have also achieved our goal. But to help them make sure they are getting the proper nutrition to their animals: they need to know what nutrients they already have available in their forages and feed. However, just because a particular cutting of hay looks superior to another doesn’t mean it has the nutrients that a cow herd needs to thrive. That’s why it’s important to BioZyme® Inc. To provide forage testing to its customers. Forage testing ins the only way to check nutrient levels and provide information on the nutrients present and those that the need supplemented during the times when they are needed most.

Forage testing is a management practice that helps you plan ahead to make the best nutritional decisions for the herd. Testing in the early fall will help your customers know which forages to feed during which stages of production and the proper amounts of protein and energy they need to supplement.

Before collecting forage samples, be sure each lot of hay is identified by field and cutting number so the producer will know which sample came from which lot. For example, nutrient needs peak at lactation as the cow is trying to maintain her own condition, raise a calf and prepare for breed-back, so producers will want to make sure their highest quality hay is kept from that lot for that period of the production cycle.

Once you collect the samples, work with your Area Sales Manager to get them sent in and analyzed. The results are typically generated within a week, indicating any deficiencies in energy or protein. In addition to knowing the nutrient content of your forages, it is also important to know the amount of each lot of hay the customer has and the number of cows to feed when working with the BioZyme Nutrition Team to plan the next steps.

In addition to forages, producers might consider other feed alternatives like crop residues, bakery or grocery store wastes. Regardless of the feedstuffs, the nutritional value needs to be known so proper supplementation can take place. Producers must consider the cost per unit of energy or cost per unit of protein, and those calculations need to factor in more than just the feed and supplements.

After the tests are analyzed and interpreted and the protein and energy needs are determined, there are five ways to supplement proteins using the Amaferm® advantage. Producers can:

  • Feed mineral with Amaferm. Get the most out of what your cows are consuming by increasing intake and digestibility. This is the least expensive option as the added cost of Amaferm is less than 5cents per cow, per day.
  • Feed VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® Protein Meal. This is a granular, free-choice mineral. In addition to the mineral, supplemental protein is provided.
  • Feed VitaFerm Concept•Aid Protein Tub. The tub provides the same nutrition as the protein meal but adds the convenience of the tub form.
  • Feed VitaFerm 30-13% Protein Tub. This VitaFerm product offers the highest level of protein, but vitamin and mineral levels for maintenance during times of year when nutrient requirements are not as high.
  • Feed VitaFerm Conserve®Protein Tub. This economical vitamin and mineral supplement for beef cattle that supports the health and condition of the whole herd with 20% protein.

Letters From Lisa – September 2022

Inspired accountability keeps everyone accountable 

At BioZyme we desire a culture that drives what I like to call inspired accountability.  Inspired accountability is every leader’s dream, as it is accountability that is driven from inside the individual not accountability that is driven with a whip, financial incentives, more days off or performance reviews.  Sounds impossible, especially in a time in our country where accountability of anything including being nice to people seems to have disappeared.  

Webster’s Dictionary defines accountability as: “the obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions.” At work, that might look like owning a mistake and sharing it as a learning experience or giving a presentation around your personal contributions and their impact. 

Henry Evans, the author of “Winning with Accountability,” says accountability is “clear commitments that in the eyes of others have been kept.” Here, the phrase “in the eyes of others” is key. On teams, accountability isn’t just about making and keeping commitments; it’s also about transparency and sharing with teammates along the way. When we make our commitments visible to our teammates (through daily check-ins, quarterly reviews, an annual tool or some other format), everyone is empowered to ask follow-up questions, check on progress and help move work forward. 

Fostering a culture of inspired accountability is one of the hardest things I have had to try and do as a business leader. I struggle with it daily and if I am totally transparent, I would say I am closer to failure than success. So how do I have the right to write this article? I probably don’t, but maybe some of the things I try to do to lead the accountability desired will jump start your brain and you can share back what has worked for you to help me out. Below are just a few of the items I try to keep in my head: 

1. Model inspired accountability 

When it comes to building a culture of inspired accountability, change starts with you. Team accountability is impossible without strong personal accountability in place first, so it’s important to first work on yourself before approaching an accountability conversation with others. 

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2. Set clear expectations 

It may sound obvious but doing what your teammates expect of you requires clarity around what’s expected in the first place. Unclear expectations and lack of specificity create accountability gaps. To fill these gaps and reduce ambiguity, try to be as specific as possible. 

3. Create a “safe space” environment 

Trust and feeling safety when taking risks are foundational to building a culture of accountability. 

4. Use the Accountability Puzzle 

This puzzle (created by Henry Evans) consists of four pieces where each reinforces the others. When a single piece is missing, so is accountability. The four are: 

  1. Clear expectations 
  1. Deadlines with a specific date and time 
  1. One owner of each task 
  1. Sharing specific commitments with another person so we can hold each other accountable 

According to a recent study in Inc magazine, 93% of employees don’t understand what their team is trying to accomplish (let alone how they can contribute to help get there), and 85% of leaders aren’t defining clear enough expectations for employees in the first place. Without accountability standards and accountability systems in place, folks will constantly struggle to know what’s expected of them to perform to their fullest potential. 

This is a hard topic, but together I think we can get it done. Agriculture understands inspired accountability more than any other industry in my opinion.  I mean who gets up at 3:30 am to blow out a steer or heifer, lunge a horse, feed the chickens, check the weather or markets????? 

Two Minutes in September

Fall will officially kick off later this month, but harvest is already in full swing in many parts of the country. Too many farmers, ranchers and their families fall victim to accidents during harvest that might have been easily prevented with a little extra time and caution, so please stay alert during harvest this year. Slow down, be aware of your surroundings and take a break or trade off with someone if you are starting to feel tired. We all know it is a busy and important time of year, but there is nothing more important than your life. 

Back on the livestock side of things, Rabobank has released its third quarter outlook for 2022. The global beef market remains strong. However, that could change depending on consumers pocketbooks for the rest of the year. Most beef retail prices continued upward in Quarter 2 or remained steady. Although Q2 prices did not increase much compared to the first quarter, most are between 5 and 11 percent higher than Q2 of 2021.   

Due to the widespread drought, calves and feeder cattle have moved into feedlots at a faster pace in the first half this year. The July 1 on-feed inventories were near year-ago levels at 13.4 million head, but reduced supplies outside of feedlots by 1 million head. As a result, Rabobank expects a more noticeable shortfall of market-ready cattle by winter. 

The beef cow herd has liquidated at a record-high pace since early in 2022. Cow slaughter increased to 12.7% for the first half of the year, and the 4 million head forecast for annual slaughter is nearly 500,000 head above last year. By the end of July, 54% of the beef herd was facing moderate to severe drought levels. With a La Nina weather pattern forecast into the winter, the downtrend in cow numbers, feeder cattle supplies and ultimately beef production could mirror the 2014 cycle lows by 2024 or 2025. 

Regardless of if you are weaning calves, fall calving or chopping silage, the BioZyme Family wishes you a safe and happy fall!  

CHANGES COMING IN SEPTEMBER 2022

AWARD-WINNING BACKYARD BOOST® BALLS LAUNCHED

In an effort to continuously expand its product lines and diversify, BioZyme® Inc., will introduce two new award-winning products in its Backyard Boost® product line this month. Chicken owners can now purchase Backyard Boost Busy Balls, a prebiotic treat to help bounce boredom. Furthermore, all bird enthusiasts will have the opportunity to buy a similar product, Backyard Boost Songbird Balls, a tidier alternative to bird feed.

The World Pet Association (WPA) recently named the Backyard Boost Busy Balls and Songbird Balls the Best New Bird Products during its New Product Showcase at Super Zoo in Las Vegas.  Super Zoo is North America’s largest pet industry marketplace with more than 1,000 companies exhibiting and is solely open to retail companies who want to do business.

SHELF LIFE EXTENDED ON SMALL PACK PRODUCTS

Upon completion of extensive shelf-life testing, the shelf life of Vitalize, Vita Charge, Sure Champ and Backyard Boost liquid and gel products as well as Vitalize Horse Treats is now being extended to 24 months from the manufacturing date of the product. This process started in July and will continue through the Fall as product inventory runs low and new inventory for each product is produced with updated labels.

If you ever do you have questions about the shelf life of a product, check the product center or contact the Outreach Support Center.

LUCKY 7 WINNERS STILL COMING FORWARD

Even though summer is turning to fall this month, our summer promotion is still taking place. We know that it takes a while for product to go through the distribution channels, but we certainly have enjoyed seeing all the Lucky 7 winners to this point. Be sure to continue to encourage you’re your customers to watch for specially marked bags of products. They might be the next winner! All prizes must be redeemed by Dec. 20, 2022.

Continue to promote the value of Amaferm year-round and care that comes full circle, the reason behind this promotion. Regardless of if your customer finds a token, they and their animals will always be a winner with the Amaferm advantage.

Specially marked bags that could contain a winning token include:  

VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT®

• VitaFerm® HEAT®

•VitaFerm Conserve® Garlic

•Gain Smart® Stocker HEAT®

•VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S with ClariFly®

•VitaFerm® HEAT® CTC 3G

•VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT® with ClariFly®

LABOR DAY HOURS

The BioZyme offices will be closed on Monday, September 5, for Labor Day. No orders will be shipped or can be picked up on Friday, September 2 or Monday, September 5. Business will continue as usual on Tuesday, September 6.