Courtesy of Lee Healy

Midwest Edition Electronic Newsletter

February 19, 2007
Volume 2, Number 2

Spring is nearly here, and planning activities to maximize your potential with your prospects and customers is key to attracting new business. Whether it be a new product or program, add-on sales are very profitable to your business! Having just returned from the Phoenix Retail Expo, many vendors had ideas to add value to your business.

Let’s plan activities in your business to grow an area of interest to you, and then aggressively pursue that interest. If this includes the Better Animals or Reach programs, that will be even better. I look for these to bring exciting new marketing opportunities and ways to reach out to prospects that you didn’t know existed in your area.

Losses from theft was a session I attended. The amount of business you need to grow to compensate for theft is huge, ask me how this is figured and some of the ideas presented to reduce this cost of doing business.

Good Selling!

Lee
Lee Healy
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed

E-Mail:  lhealy@landolakes.com

Calendar

Now-Mar. 6th   UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA & PURINA MILLS EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY; Equine 104 will be held every Tuesday night
                                   beginning January 30th thru March 6th at 7:00-9:00 pm at Chase Hall at UNL East Campus.  For more information, please call
                                   Dr. Kathy Anderson (402) 472-6414 or Fran Minnaert (402) 650-6150.     Click here to view or print detailed flyer. 
                                   Please post in your store for everyone to see and notify your local horse owners about this adult education program.

June 13-15   SHOW FEED VIP EVENT; Longview Nutrition Center, Gray Summit, MO.  Hurry, space is limited!  See Show Chow™ section
                                    in newsletter for details!

Selling Techniques -- The Closing Checklist

Some interesting selling points by JustSell.Com are worth considering when making a sale.  Some good points to ask yourself and some action-oriented closing statements are worth reviewing from time to time.  Consider these points and closing statements --  Click Here to view

Product Displays Sell Products & Programs!

Check out Boss Brothers Country Store's (Loganville, GA) Strategy® display.  This great display of new Strategy® with FeedGuard™ makes good use of the banner, stack card and sell sheets.  Good displays coupled with POS materials $ell!    Click Here to view picture.
 

Paul Homb
Retail Development, Land O'Lakes Purina Feed
(815) 541-3406
     E-Mail:  phomb@landolakes.com

Spring Mineral Considerations

This spring, beef producers will be faced with the annual problem of either Milk Fever or Grass Tetany.  These problems can typically be handled with some proper mineral supplementation.  Click Here to view article on how to deal with these issues.

Purina's Wind and Rain™ Helps You Plan Ahead for Grass Green-Up

Your customers should be preparing their cattle for the intake of spring's succulent forages with a magnesium source such as Purina's Wind and Rain™ High Magnesium Minerals.  Click Here to view article on planning ahead for grass green-up.




Grow Your Show Chow™ Business!

If you are interested in growing your Show Chow^™ business, here is a great way to get started:  Attend our VIP Event at Longview Nutrition Center at Gray Summit, MO June 13-15.  This VIP is intended for Vo-Ag Teachers, 4-H & FFA leaders and breeders.  For more details, contact your Land O'Lakes Purina Feed sales representative.  Hurry!  Space is limited!    Click Here to view or print detailed flyer.

2007 Start 'Em Right Kits

Start 'Em Right Promotion schedule begins February 26th and runs through April 27th -- all plants are on a different schedule.  Plant schedules run 25 shipping days.  Click Here to view Plant Schedules.  Click Here to view promotion details

2007 HOW^® Season Begins

There are tons of Sales Materials & POS Materials at your disposable for our upcoming Horse Owner Workshops.  Call your Purina Mills Sales Representative today and ask "how" you can boost your equine sales while giving your customers the information, products and offers they want with the Horse Owner's Workshop.  Build sales and create loyal customers.  Click Here to review HOW® materials available as well as a HOW® Event and Challenge Checklist to help you plan your event.

New Strategy®

In 1991, Strategy® horse feed revolutionized horse nutrition with the first commercial pelleted feed for horses of all ages and lifestyles.  And now, with an enhanced formulation and the FeedGuard™ Nutrition System, there are more reasons than ever to trust Strategy® horse feed. 
Click Here to view sell sheet on the new Strategy® Professional Formula GX. 

FeedGuard™ Nutrition System Introduced!  

One of the industry's most innovative and exacting quality assurance programs is Purina Mills FeedGuard™ Nutrition System.  FeedGuard™ can help deliver the trust, quality and performance horse owners demand.   Click Here to view sell sheet on the FeedGuard™ Nutrition System.

Why We Mourn Barbaro

Some great insight into this famous thoroughbred by Jeff Neumann -- Click Here

University of Nebraska & Purina Mills Presents an Equestrian Academy!

Equine 104 will be held every Tuesday night thru March 6th at 7:00-9:00 pm at Chase Hall at UNL East Campus.  For more information, please call Dr. Kathy Anderson (402) 472-6414 or Fran Minnaert (402) 650-6150.  Click here to view or print detailed flyer.

Heritage Trading

Special on Merial Cattle and Equine products through March 23, 2007 when you order through Heritage Trading Company.  An 8% discount plus an additional 2% discount when you buy now.  Click Here for details.

Mazuri® Small Pet Diet Helps Ferrets Flourish

People have been keeping ferrets not only for rodent control but as pets for at least 2,000 years.  Click Here for article on ferrets, their care, their nutritional needs and how feeding Mazuri^® Ferret Diet can make a big difference for these animals.  Mazuri^® Ferret Diets are available in 25# bags or 6 lb. pails.

                            For more information on this and any other Mazuri^® diets, go to www.mazuri.com.
 

Red Flannel Coming Soon!

Watch for the new Red Flannel products due this spring (end of April or early May).  Some features are:

            1)  Better ingredients -- chicken by products meal instead of meat and bone meal.  (The Hi-Pro
                  and Canine Select products will be the only ones still containing the meat and bone meal.)

            2)  Naturally preserved with Vitamin E.

            3)  Guaranteed levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6 for healthy skin and coat.

            4)  Chelated minerals and natural glucosamine.

Exclusive® Products Filling a Market Niche

The three new Exclusive^® Pet Foods continue to find their place on dealers' shelves all over the country as they fill a market niche.  You will need all three on your shelf as the market is changing and one puppy food just won't be enough any more.  Stock all three and capture the business. 
Click Here to view how each of these products fills that niche.

Review the features & benefits of each product:       Exclusive Large Breed Adult      Exclusive Large Breed Puppy      Exclusive Puppy Formula
                                                                                                     (Click on product name to view features & benefits of each)
UPC Codes for 3 New Exclusive® Products: 

         •  6 oz. C&R Puppy Formula – 742869000455                •   6 oz. C&R Large Breed Puppy – 742869000493
         •  4 lb.  C&R Puppy Formula - 742869000448                •   8 lb.  C&R Large Breed Puppy – 742869000486
         • 18 lb. C&R Puppy Formula – 742869000431                • 18 lb. C&R Large Breed Puppy – 742869000479  
         • 35 lb. C&R Puppy Formula – 742869000387                • 35 lb. C&R Large Breed Puppy – 742869000462
       
                                            •   6 oz. C&R Large Breed Adult – 742869000424
                                            • 35 lb. C&R Large Breed Adult – 742869000394       

Useful Web Sites

• Purina Mills, LLC - www.PurinaMills.com
• Wildlife Products - www.wildlife.purinamills.com
• Mazuri Products - www.mazuri.com
• Show Chow Products - www.showchow.com
• PMI Nutrition Products - www.pminutrition.com
• Heritage Trading - www.heritage-trading.com
• Internal Revenue Service - www.irs.gov
• AgBusinessMail.Com - www.agbusinessmail.com
• FeedDealer.com - www.feeddealer.com
• Small Business Administration - www.sba.gov
• Strategic Mapping & Data Services - www.sm-and-ds.com
• United States Dept. of Agriculture - www.usda.gov

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