Letters From Lisa – October 2019

Balance: How to spend time on your business, not just in your business

Balance is defined as “a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.” To be honest, having all the elements of life in balance has never been easy for me, because I love to work. I am always thinking up a new, amazing change to implement with all sorts of “positive” ramifications, and I just don’t take much time for balance.

I don’t think I will be able to change that about myself, and to be quite honest, I do not desire to change. However, what I also do not do very well, but do desire to change, is the time I spend working on the business versus in the business.

In entrepreneurial circles, there’s a well-known book called “The E-Myth Revisited,” by Michael Gerber. He popularized this concept of working on the business as opposed to in the business. Easily put, working in your business achieves results for your customers, while working on your business achieves results for the company and your customers.

If you want to achieve sustainable long-term results for your business, you’ll need to do both. For me, staying focused on working on the business is hard. I know it is the right way, but before I know it another month is gone, and all I have done is work in the business. One way to check yourself on this is to start a journal and record everything you do for a week and then categorize everything into either an “in” or “on” column. Your time must be weighted to “on” if you want the financial results of the company to continue to grow. Here are some lists to help you choose the right column in your journal and keep you honest.

I know from experience how easy it is to just work IN your business for weeks and weeks and even months without doing anything to work ON your business. Every day stuff happens so you deal with that stuff, and if you aren’t very careful, the day will end without achieving much at all to help your business move forward.

So, give the journal a try. It doesn’t take much to get started, even 30 minutes a day to begin with to get into the habit. The great thing about working ON your business is that very quickly it will make working IN your business a lot easier and more rewarding.

Our VitaFerm Power Keg is now Available!

Are your customers looking for another alternative to keep protein costs down this fall and winter without sacrificing quality?
We are excited to offer the new VitaFerm Power Keg. This 20% natural protein pressed keg is perfect for beef cattle on low quality forages needing extra supplementation. It is an economical option for customers who are not calving this fall but still want to provide protein and the Amaferm advantage to their cattle. Learn more about it here: https://dealers.backofficeapps.com/products/1978

Our Gel Products Campaign is Now Available on PromoBoxx!

Do you need a little social help promoting our gel products? We have you covered with our new Gel Products Campaign on Promoboxx! This campaign features promotional posts and product information for you to share on your social media accounts. We have content available on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Dealer Spotlight: K Triangle Feed

Personal Experiences Lead to Protein Promotion

When a dealer has walked a mile, or 20, in his customer’s shoes it makes it clear to understand the trials and opportunities they face each day. Master and VIP Dealer Keith Micke, Glendo, Wyo., knows what it’s like to try to survive in the cattle business and have Mother Nature against you. He is making strides to help his customers stay profitable while providing high-quality nutrition to their herd.

“I ranched at one time, and I have always been one to get the biggest bang for my buck and save money where I could, and my customers are the same way,” Micke said. “If they are having a bad year, I might have a bad year. I am trying to help them get the best possible product for their money.”

Sufficient protein is always a concern going into the fall and winter months, and BioZyme® offers several options to supplement protein in the cattle diets. However, in a year where some ranchers have too much rain and some are suffering from drought, Micke is trying to make sure his customers also get the most for their dollar, especially in a time when calf prices are depressed. Therefore, he is turning his focus on marketing the VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® Protein Meal.

Micke said he typically offers a slight discount on a protein product for about six weeks each fall; and this year, making the choice to focus on the Protein Meal seemed logical after hearing from his customers. The product contains 20% protein, Concept•Aid and the Amaferm® advantage, while being conveniently packaged in 50-pound bags, which he said is easier for older ranchers and lady ranchers to handle than the 200-pound tubs.

Micke said promoting and selling the Protein Meal is two-fold. The Protein Meal offers an affordable value; however, it does require a feeder. He said if his customers order a mass quantity of the Protein Meal, yet to be determined, he will provide a VitaFerm mineral feeder for them.

“The mineral feeders will pay for themselves over time. They are big, and have the VitaFerm label right on them, so each time they are out in the pasture, the producers see ‘VitaFerm’ and think about the value they are receiving when they put mineral out,” Micke said.

He said since he has started keeping the mineral feeders in stock, they have become great sellers. When people see them, they want to try them, and they have great results. He has heard from producers who use them with bulls. They don’t tip over and keep the mineral protected from wind and rain. And, perhaps most importantly, they don’t blow around like the empty tubs.

“The Protein Meal is a hell of a product. It’s not new, but it’s one that producers need to think about when trying to save some money this fall,” Micke said.

He will start marketing the Protein Meal with a mailing that the Marketing Team helped him develop and will launch his promotion at his producer meetings in mid-September. He suggests always working with the ASMs, who are insightful and can help with ideas.

Experience is the best teacher, and having fed the Protein Meal in 2012, when coming through a drought, helped Micke understand the value of the product. To offer a product that helps producers succeed, and helps dealers stay profitable is a great example of care that comes full circle.

Congratulations To Our VIP Dealers!

Congratulations to our dealers who have achieved VIP status so far this year! To achieve this, these dealers had to have at least $250,000 in supplement sales and $2,500 in Vita Charge and/or Vitalize Sales (not including tubs). These dealers will receive VIP Benefits including:

  1. BEST PRICING.  Guaranteed best pricing (truckload) on all orders regardless of size for volume items and Level 2 pricing on all Vita Charge & Vitalize non-volume items.
  2. PRIORITY SUPPORT.  Priority support from your Area Sales Manager, the Customer Support Team, Plant/Operations and the BioZyme Marketing Team.
  3. FUN STUFF.  You will receive free PR in your local and regional papers, a special token of our appreciation for all you do and special perks at our Annual Dealer retreat.

Don’t Forget Our Action Rewards Program!

Don’t forget you receive points for actions including training and for promoting BioZyme products. You can redeem your Action Rewards Points in the Online Dealer Center for merch and other prizes. You can redeem your Action Rewards Points in the Online Dealer Center for merch and other prizes.
For more information on the Action Rewards Program visit: https://dealers.backofficeapps.com/dealer-rewards/details
And as always you can see your points for this period here: https://dealers.backofficeapps.com/dealer-rewards

High-Resolution Photos of our Gel Products are Now Available.

We wanted to remind you to update the product photos and information for any paste products that you may have on your website, marketing literature and/or catalogs to the new gel product information and photos. Below you will find links to download high-resolution photos of all of our new gels.
To save them, click on the link below to open the larger photo and then right-click and choose “Save As” to save them to your computer.
If you need any help, please comment below and we can help you out!

Show Your Customer’s The Power of Protein

Need help positioning Concept•Aid Protein Products? We have you covered.

Is Your Customer’s Forage Quality Low?

Then, it’s protein time as proper protein supplementation is essential to overall animal productivity and performance that pays! All VitaFerm® ️Concept•Aid® protein products provide the convenience of Concept•Aid along with a natural protein source so there is no need for additional vitamin and mineral fortification when forage quality is low.

Why Your Customers Need it:

  • 20% Natural Protein: Provides the convenience of the highly bioavailable Concept•Aid breeding mineral along with a natural protein meal so there is no need for an additional vitamin and mineral source when forage quality is low.
  • The Amaferm® Advantage: Amaferm is a precision prebiotic that provides more intake, feed digestibility and nutrient absorption resulting in amplified breeding performance of the cow.
  • Two Form Options Available: You can provide customers with the product in their choice of a convenient 200-lb. tub or a more economical mineral form available in a 50 lb. bag.

Marketing Services:

The BioZyme® ️ Marketing Team is available to help you develop materials about the protein products targeted specifically to your local audience. If you would like help, please reach out to Ashley Fitzsimmons, Regional Marketing Manager, at (307) 575-1082 or afitzsimmons@biozymeinc.com.

Hay Testing Services:

Taking hay samples is one step that can help your customers determine if the nutrient requirements of their animals are being met. By having a general idea of the quality of the forage, it will enable you to help provide them the lowest cost ration possible to meet performance expectations.

To learn more about hay testing or help your customers analyze the results of their hay test and choose the best products, visit www.vitaferm.com/hay-testing.

 

How Producer Meetings Can Help Build Strategy

Producer meetings are a great communications and marketing tool. However, do you know they can serve other purposes too? They can serve as an educational resource, and also as a way to help you develop your strategic plan.

Listening Post

Communications not only involves sharing information, but just as importantly it entails gathering information that can help you grow your business. Producer meetings are a great place to gather input from customers, learn what their challenges are and hear how you can help them become more efficient in caring for their animals. There are several ways you can gather this useful material during producer meetings.

Some dealers like to have small group meetings or gather people of similar backgrounds for coffee, a meal and individual conversations. This is an excellent way to find out about the concerns about a specific industry. Perhaps you are in a predominant cow-calf area but have handful of sheep or goat producers. Why not get them together to share insight on their industry. Maybe there are specie-specific concerns about health, nutrition, reproduction or hoof care. Hearing those concerns, from firsthand producers is the best way to determine how you can best assist them during the next year.

If you don’t think you have the time or will gather enough producers for a small setting, set aside an amount of time at your next producer meeting for some good candid conversation about what your business can do in the future to set your customers up for success. Having this dialogue will help you learn more about what your business needs to do, and you can write some of those steps into you next strategic plan. It also gives other producers in the room a support system, so they know they aren’t alone in their endeavors. Anything you hear, big or small, should be written down so you can follow up. If you are unsure of something you heard, contact the producer and make sure you follow up on anything you want to add to your strategic plan.

One-on-one Convos

Perhaps you are not planning a producer meeting. You can still use a conversation to discover what is weighing on your customer. Here are a few sample questions to get your conversation started.

1. What is your number one production/management concern this year?

2. When do you feel you need the most help saving money on nutrition for your herd/livestock/animals?

3. Who determines the management plans and budgets in your operation? (Good to know if you are dealing with a multi-generation operation.)

4. What if I can show you how an investment in nutrition will help your bottom line?

Producer Meetings with a Twist

One way you might consider helping your beef producers realize more value in their calves is to make sure they are BQA certified. A recent study at Colorado State University shows “significant premiums are paid on calves and feeder cattle going through video auctions when Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is mentioned in the lot description. CSU researchers found an average premium of $16.80 per head was paid when BQA was listed.”

In late August, Wilde Angus Ranch, Shevlin, Minn., hosted a producer meeting, in cooperation with the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association, where attendees would be able to receive their BQA training. As of Aug. 6, 145 producers had already pre-registered. This is a great way to help producers stay educated on industry topics, which could lead them to premiums on their calves, all while sharing the BioZyme message with them.

Stay strategic. Use producer meetings as a two-way communications tool to help you plan your business and marketing strategy so you can help your customers succeed.

How To Plan Your Business Strategy

A business strategy is much like a roadmap. You wouldn’t leave home on a cross-country trek without your trusty atlas, or in today’s world a GPS or mapping system built into your vehicle or phone. Then why would you try to run a winning business without a roadmap or guide to tell you how to achieve success?

According to an article at www.business2community.com, there are six steps to planning an effective business strategy. Let’s look at each step that author Jamie MacDonald outlines.

1. Gather the facts. Before you know where you want to go with your business, you need to know where you are right now. Determine what the purpose of your company is, what your customers’ needs are and if you are currently profitable or in the red. One of the best tools to determine where your business currently stands is using a technique called the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis. Strengths and weaknesses should be examined internally, while external factors should be looked at when examining opportunities and threats. Always make sure that you have the right people helping with this analysis.

2. Develop a vision statement. A vision statement should describe the future direction of the business for the medium-to long-term. It describes the organization’s purpose and values. The vision and mission statements should be developed at the same time by the leadership of the company. To write a vision statement, you might want to ask, ‘Where does this company want to be in five years?’

3. Develop a mission statement. The mission statement outlines the purpose of the company and its primary objectives. The Mission focuses on what needs to be accomplished in the short-term to accomplish the long-term vision.

4. Identify strategic objectives. You should set high-level objectives for all areas of business from sales to marketing. Your objectives (or goals) should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related). They should include factors like performance indicators, resource allocation and budget requirements.

5. Create tactical plans. Think of tactical plans as the “turn-by-turn” instructions on your mapping device. These are the detailed steps that will help you achieve the goals of reaching your destination. These plans should focus on measurable results and communicating to your team on what they need to accomplish with concrete deadlines.

6. Review Performance. Just because your mapping system provides you to a detailed route to your destination, doesn’t mean that you won’t hit road construction or another detour. Performance reviews by company leadership and those doing the work are crucial to understanding if you are still heading in the right direction. Reviewing your strategy on a regular basis is crucial to know that you are accomplishing your missions and goals.

Creating a business strategy makes sense. It is an evolving business tool that grows and changes as your business grows and evolves. Take the time to make sure you and your team are on the same road map and every time you reach a milestone, don’t forget you’re closer to winning the race!

Information source: https://www.business2community. com/strategy/6-steps-create-effective-businessstrategy-01391113