Dealer Spotlight: 4 UP Livestock LLC

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.

Get Your Bull Battery Primed and Ready to Go with VitaFerm

Often times producers concentrate their focus on the cow herd’s reproductive success, they tend to forget about the other 50% of the genetic contribution – the bull. The Amaferm® advantage found in VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® and Vita Charge® offers substantial benefits to the overall growth, health and reproductive performance to your customers’ bulls. Read more about the key benefits you can share with your customers:

  • Increased fertility
  • Increased feed conversion
  • Higher percentage of bulls passing breeding soundness exam
  • Improved sperm motility and morphology
  • Overall healthier bulls with less stress

Keeping a cow herd reproductively sound is vital to your customers’ success and bottom line. It’s important to help them succeed by reminding them to keep their bull battery in good shape, in addition to their cows. A bull’s reproductive soundness is crucial since he can typically cover 25 cows, and if those cows don’t get bred, that is a huge financial loss. Read some testimonials that customers and dealers have shared about using our products on their bulls.

Sharing the Benefits of VitaFerm and Vita Charge for Bulls Using Testimonials

Keeping a cow herd reproductively sound is vital to your customers’ success and bottom line. It’s important to help them succeed by reminding them to keep their bull battery in good shape, in addition to their cows. A bull’s reproductive soundness is crucial since he can typically cover 25 cows, and if those cows don’t get bred, that is a huge financial loss. Read some testimonials that customers and dealers have shared about using our products on their bulls.

Click Here for More Testimonials

Exciting Changes to Help Make 2020 Our Best Year Yet!

As 2020 begins, we are excited to announce a few realignments within our Domestic Sales and Outreach and Business Development Teams. The repositioning and reassigning of some responsibilities will help both teams more efficiently achieve their strategic goals for 2020.

Alan Lee is the Director of Domestic Business Development. He will lead the Business Development Team in their efforts to capture large accounts as well as focus on significant Amaferm® and additive opportunities. Small Pack opportunities also fall under Business Development. Alan continues to maintain some Key Account and National Account relationships.

Kevin Hayes is now the Director of Sales and Outreach. Kevin will help guide and align the ASM and Outreach teams; including Marketing and the Outreach Support Call Center, to further the supplement business.

The Sales Team has two National Sales Directors. Mike Wadle continues to lead nine ASMs; and Jake Warntjes leads the other nine ASMs, without an ASM territory for himself.

Ailee Langdon has transitioned to the Outreach Support Center Outside Sales Coordinator. In her position, she will be traveling more extensively to work with dealers in the field. Therefore, if you need to place an order or have a question about your order, please call your Outreach Support Dealer Coordinator:

Traci Turner:
Office (816) 281-5182 ext. 3216 • Email tturner@biozymeinc.com

Heather Brant:
Office (816) 344-5769 ext. 2119 • Email hbrant@biozymeinc.com

Finally, Kristi Stevens will be responsible for the daily oversight of the Marketing Team and will be working closely with Kevin Hayes to ensure that we are moving in the best direction to position BioZyme as a leader in the industry. She has worked tirelessly on these efforts during the past and has a talented team in place to continue to move us forward.

That’s a lot of changes for the beginning of the year, but we like to think of positive change as progress. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your Area Sales Manager.

Congratulations to our 2020 VIP Dealers!!

Associated Feed & Supply Co
Basore Cattle Company
Bowman Grain
Central Farm Supply of Kentucky
Coal Valley Feeds
CV Ledbetter & Sons Inc
Darlington Feed, LLC
Earlybird Feed & Fertilizer
Falling Timber Farm LLC
Farm & Ranch Feed Inc
Ful-O-Pep Feeds/Allied Feeds
Gatlin Feed
Gro-Tex Supply
High Hill Supplements
K Triangle Feed
LaMoure Feed & Seed
Maryville Vet Clinic, LLC
Proven Sire Services
Randy & Pam Quam
Sandage Feed
Shawnee Milling/Shawnee Feed Center
Stillwater Milling Agri Center
Stockmen’s Feed Bunk Inc
Tri State Livestock & Hay
Twin Rivers Vet Supply
VFC Distributors, Inc
William T. Carnes
These dealers achieved VIP status by reaching the sales minimum of $250,000 of supplements and $2,500 of specific Vitalize® and Vita Charge® products in 2019.
Track your 2020 VIP status here: https://dealers.backofficeapps.com/vip-program

Nurturing Your Network Can Pay Dividends

Growing your business is important. Establishing a brand identity, promoting yourself and growing your customer base is imperative for growth. But, do you know what is even more critical to growing your business? Making sure your loyal customers remain satisfied and are treated with the best services and experiences possible. You simply must nurture your current network to experience growth.

Think about the last book you read or new restaurant you took your family or clients to. Did you make those purchase decisions based on an advertisement in a newspaper or did you make those decisions based on the recommendation of a person that you know and trust? Chances are you based your decisions from a friend’s recommendation because word-of-mouth messaging is so strong.

Studies show that the probability of selling to an existing customer ranges between 60 to 70%, where the chance of selling to a new customer is only 5 to 20%. Furthermore, it costs more than six times more to acquire new customers than it does to keep current, happy customers. So, keep your current customers pleased, and they will likely start singing your praises to others in their circles, who might also become your customers.

Steven Shapiro, an innovation consultant and speaker writes, “I’ve found that sometimes simply calling or writing a past client to say hello is enough. In doing so, when a new need arises, they think of me first. I often introduce clients to one another so that they learn about innovation from a peer, not just me. Sometimes I’ll send a small, personal gift. Or if I find a relevant article, I mail it. The key is not to sell to these customers, but to provide value. You want them to view you as an ally, not a vendor. And this repeated, friendly contact keeps you front and center in their minds. Should they (or a colleague) require someone with your skills, they will think of you first.”

Providing value is just one way of nurturing your network. When you provide value, your customers will remember that. Providing them a quality product that helps them reach their production goals is another way to provide value, as is delivering products, staying open later one or more nights a week and reminding customers when it is time to order certain products for specific production cycles.

A happy customer is the best marketing tool you can have to grow your business. Perhaps you could offer a customer loyalty program, where a loyal customer receives a gift or percentage off for referring a set amount of business or so many new customers. A satisfied customer will sing your praises to their friends and neighbors. However, they will likely share their discontent even louder, so make sure to keep your customers happy. Nurture your network and watch your business grow.

The Advantages of a Testimonial

It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday life of selling products to help your customers achieve their goals. But do you know what can make your marketing efforts more effective and simplified? Testimonials from loyal customers or respected industry individuals will go a long way in selling your goods and services. Testimonials are unbiased, often unprompted and come from peers in the industry that have often faced that same challenges as your prospective customers. Yes, you can relay all the benefits of a product, but those benefits become more meaningful when your prospect hears that the Rocking S Ranch improved its conception rates to 97%, especially in a year of drought.

There are several ways to incorporate testimonials into your marketing strategy. You can use testimonials in your advertising campaign. Post them to your website, even having a dedicated space for testimonials like BioZyme® Inc. does. You can feature testimonials on your social media each week using the hastag, #TestimonialTusesday. Or, often satisfied customers are glad to talk to others on behalf of your company and your brand at events like trade shows or producer meetings.

When compiling a testimonial, there are a few things to keep in mind to keep it genuine and effective. Remember, the purpose of testimonials is to create reliability and to convert prospects into new customers. Follow this 5-step approach to build up your testimonial strategy.

1. Be Selective. 

The key to testimonials is that they include specific product benefits that help prospects decide if they want to try your products or not. Therefore, your testimonials need to include specific information, not just “I like VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® and my cows do too.” Provide a testimonial that tells the benefits of the product: “We have been feeding VitaFerm® products for several years. VitaFerm Concept•Aid® plays an important role in the performance of our breeding cows and heifers, as well as our bulls. We see increased conception rates of our embryo pregnancies by 23%, and on our bulls, we see an improvement in semen quality.”

2. Add a Face.

Remember to include a photo to each testimonial to give it a persona. We might not always remember Tim Smith’s name, but when we see the man in his signature pearl snap shirt and beat up hat, we remember him as the guy who gets top dollar at the sale barn each year. Adding a face to your testimonial makes it more real and significantly increases the trust factor. Research has shown, that on web-based testimonials, adding a picture increases your click-through rate significantly.

3. Use them Everywhere.

Once you’ve got a testimonial, use it. You can add it to your print advertising, post it to your website, use it on social, make posters to hang at businesses around town, and even use it in mailers and texts.

4. Remember your Audience.

Be sure to capture testimonials for each potential customer you are trying to reach. You are trying to grow your market share in the cow-calf sector, be sure to get some testimonials from cattle producers. Perhaps, there are several horse farms in the area. Talk to an equine enthusiast who uses the product to get a testimonial from them. It doesn’t do any good to have one testimonial for one product line when you are selling multiple lines.

5. Never Be Fake.

The most important thing to remember is that testimonials are designed to establish trust and credibility. The most important rule in sharing testimonials is to use real testimonials from real customers. It’s not worth the risk to fake anything in your marketing plan, especially testimonials.

Testimonials are a great way of using established relationships and growing your customer base. Follow these simple steps to create your own testimonials and convert prospects to new customers.

Effective Use Of Producer Meetings Can Grow Your Business

Any time you get a group of like-minded people in a room to talk about solving their challenges, you will likely have a successful producer meeting. However, you can use the relationships you have already established to create an even more fruitful meeting. There are a few ways that using existing relationships when planning your next producer meeting can help build your business. Let’s explore.

  • Cooperate with another agricultural company.

Have you considered co-hosting your next producer meeting with another complementary agricultural company? Sure, the companies might have some overlap in customers, but you each will likely have some unique customers who could benefit from the other company’s products and services. Perhaps you could partner with an animal health company. And, for those young producers who are interested in show livestock, you might feature the Sure Champ® and Vita Charge® products during a youth workshop co-hosted by one of the show supply companies.

Area Sales Manager Ty McGuire said he likes to work with animal health companies who have the same goals for their customers as he does when planning a producer meeting. He adds that another benefit to cooperating with hosting these meetings is the cost savings since both companies will be sharing in the meal costs.

Building on these already established relationships gives you a leg up. It shows your potential customers that you are easy to get along with. It also provides an unspoken endorsement on the products and services you provide.

  • Encourage your customers to bring a guest.

Your customers are already likely attending, but you could offer an incentive for bringing a guest who has the potential to become a new customer. McGuire said he will go through his contacts the week before a meeting and text everyone within a 30-mile radius with a reminder about the meeting and encourage them to bring a guest. He likes to raffle off a product at the end of the meeting, which serves a dual purpose. First, it gets the attendees excited and engaged; next, it provides McGuire and the host dealer new names with contact information to follow up with.

“I like to raffle something off. It gives everyone an incentive to bring a guest. A 50-pound stress tub is the perfect raffle item. It’s something everybody can use,” he said.

  • Engage with the audience.

McGuire said he has a pretty good handle on the crowd before the meeting starts because he has either built a relationship with the customers through the dealers or met the customers during the meal. Once he starts his presentation, which he always begins by talking about Amaferm®, he will use the attendees’ names and engage with them during the presentation. He said calling them out by name and talking about their specific operation – cow/calf, club lamb, etc. – helps build trust and respect between those in attendance and himself.

  • Call upon your allies.

Word-of-mouth and testimonials go a long way in building trust and securing new customers. McGuire said he likes to have a veterinarian who either uses the products or is familiar with the products at each meeting and will extend a personal invitation to ensure his or her attendance. Veterinarians are trusted resources who will speak up about a product’s benefits and substantiate how the products work. It is also a good idea to have a well-respected producer who has had good results give a testimonial if they are attending. McGuire said he’s found he can build trust with prospects because of his own experiences in his own cattle operation.

Producer meetings are an efficient way to show appreciation to current customers and establish relationships with potential customers. Building on current relationships at these meetings makes them even more effective and gives the dealer a leg up in building their business. Like any other enterprise, use your resources, count on your relationships and use those relationships to grow your customer base.

Letters From Lisa – February 2020

Consumers are a confident bunch. If a business doesn’t know what a customer’s likes or dislikes, he or she will be more than willing to jump ship to another option to gain a sense of personalized connection. Therefore, the importance of building relationships in growing a successful business cannot be overlooked. No matter how obvious this seems, we need to stay focused on what it really means day in and day out. Some ways are easy and some not so much, but in any case, they are all worth considering when it comes to finding new customers.

1. Don’t blow off your current customers in search of new customers.

You always want to stay true to the people who have helped you get to where you are. And, those people can help you get even further. Your current customers have a lot of clout. Their engagement and loyalty can make or break your ability to attract prospective customers.

2. Build a solid foundation with your current customers to get free publicity.

That’s right, reviews and referrals will flow freely if you treat your customers well. Positive reviews can attract new customers to your business. One survey found that 92% of consumers read reviews. That means that the majority of prospects are judging your business based on your current customers’ opinions. If your current customers have good things to say about your business, they can bring in a number of referrals.

3. To add to your customer base, work on your first impressions.

If a potential customer contacts you with questions, make a good impression. Otherwise, you might be sending him or her in the opposite direction. Provide value and establish yourself as having an in-depth understanding of the problems they are looking to solve.

4. Build partnerships that have value to current and new customers.

Teaming up with businesses that offer complementary services offers you the opportunity to take advantage of synergy, which can be very effective in building a business. For instance, if you have a company that specializes in search engine optimization, consider teaming up with a business that builds websites.

When all is said and done, nurturing relationships, either with other business owners or customers, helps you expand your customer base. Focus on building human relationships. The stronger your relationships are, the more likely your customers will be to tell their friends about you. And, the more likely they’ll be to become repeat customers.

Need Help With Promoboxx?

Check out our how-to guide with answers to several of the Promoboxx questions most frequently asked by dealers like you. This also includes screenshots and links to make it easy to follow.

 

 

How do I edit my business information?

Moving your store? Changing management? Got a new Facebook page? Find out how to manage your business settings below.

Where can I find my Business Settings?

To access and change all of your business information in Promoboxx, Login to Promoboxx and then click Business Info on the left menu bar.

In this section of the platform, you can…

  • Update your business information: name, website, phone number and logo
  • Add/edit locations
  • Add, delete and turn automation (auto-share) on or off for your Facebook and Twitter accounts
  • Add or request to remove users from the account

How Do I Connect my Facebook Account?

Promoboxx makes managing your social channels easy. To use Promoboxx to its full capacity, we suggest connecting your business’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. To do this, Login to Promoboxx and then navigate to the Business Info tab on your Promoboxx Dashboard.

Adding a Facebook Page:

  1. Navigate to the Business Info tab on the left-hand side of your Promoboxx Dashboard, click Social Accounts and then Add a New Page

  1. Click Authorize Facebook

**Please note, you may see your personal profile when clicking this button. The system is not connecting the personal profile to post content, it is connecting the personal profile to ensure that you are the admin of the page that you want to connect. Our system cannot post to personal profiles, only business pages. If you are not the admin of the business page, please contact your admin to authorize your profile as an admin or have them follow these steps.

  1. Enable all permissions in the middle column, select the correct Facebook page on the right and click add this page
  1. Check off the box under Connected to ensure you can use the content available from the brands on your account. Auto-share is an optional feature that enables brands to post content onto your business page on your behalf. If you do not want this feature enabled, leave it unchecked.
  2. Once you have checked off the brand(s) under Connected, click Save.

How do I turn Auto-Share on/off?

Follow the steps below to turn Auto-Share ON:

  1. Login to Promoboxx
  2. Navigate to the Business Info tab on the left-hand side of your Dashboard
  3. Click on the Social Accounts tab
  4. Click Manage Settings on the connected Facebook Business Page

  1. You can select the corresponding brands that are connected to the social accounts and if you want Auto-Share enabled for that page. Once you select the correct boxes and see check marks, press save.

Can I create my own posts while also using Promoboxx?

Yes, you can create your own posts in Facebook as normal while also using Promoboxx.  They can be used in tandem.  You would log-in to Promoboxx to review brand provided content and schedule your shares as you see fit.  You would then build and post any other shares via your Facebook instance directly.

Can I use Promoboxx content but post/publish to Facebook myself?

Yes, if the brand has provided downloadeable assets as part of a campaign, you can download the assets and publish/post them via your social channels outside of Promoboxx.

Additional Resources

Promoboxx Academy for Retailers

On Promoboxx Academy for Retailers, you can find articles, videos tutorials, how-to’s, FAQs, and more on everything Promoboxx. These resources are organized by Mobile App, and Retailer Dashboard, and they deep dive into all of Promoboxx’s features and any questions you might have.

TalkPromoboxx.com

Talkpromoboxx.com is a site where you can quickly and easily schedule a 15 minute call with a Promoboxx expert. Just pick a date and time, and they will give you a call!

Promoboxx Support
If you prefer to speak immediately with the support team, you can call them at 800-380-7502 Ext. 1, Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm EST. You can also email them at support@promoboxx.com.

Exciting Changes Coming To The Dealer Retreat Format

With the new year, we are also planning new ways that we can provide the best and most effective professional development opportunities to our dealers. We are currently exploring how we can update our Dealer Retreat format to include more of our dealers in a similar educational and networking opportunity.

In the meantime, be sure to stay connected with us via the VISION Newsletter, email and our Facebook group to receive all of the latest updates on products, events and company news.