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\u00ae 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe VitaFerm\u00ae products have a reputation of quality in the cattle world. The products sell themselves,\u201d John said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s shop and hand stack it onto a plastic pallet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA few really good years changed everything,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSub-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,\u201d John said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe dealer mailer is easy, and it works. We keep our mailing list up to date,\u201d Heidi said. \u201cI 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe 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\u2019ve grown up in this business and our customers have grown up with us, and we get to watch their families grow up, too,\u201d Heidi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
John agrees. He also encourages anyone interested in getting involved to branch out and be patient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou likely won\u2019t survive on one entity alone, so you will need to diversify. That might be sales and grain farming or sales and livestock,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t expect to grow real fast. Grow your customer base one really good customer at a time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019re proud that they have been with BioZyme for the long haul! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"