I had a herd that was in a world of trouble with somatic cell count. The producer had already received two warnings, with the herd over 500,000. Without really knowing if it was going to work, I suggested that he quadruple-dose the cows that were at 500,000 or higher for four days, followed by a double dose for two weeks. I told him I thought his cell count should drop considerably—and boy, did it ever.
Two days later, he told me he had to stop milking twice because the filter was blocked from all the infection coming out of the udders. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and to be honest, neither could I. Before long, his herd was below 300,000, and he was both happy and relieved.

For me, that was enough proof that I could run with this product.

Selling Something Nobody Was Talking About
Back then, we were essentially pioneers in talking about feed toxins. Even nutritionists didn’t really have toxins in their vocabulary yet, and sometimes we were made out to be a little crazy for talking about such nonsense!
Because toxins were such a relatively new conversation in the early 2000s, it made the products a tough sell. The issue simply wasn’t on most producers’ radar, and to add to that, I wasn’t their nutritionist, I was their genetics guy!
Fast-forward 25 years and things have completely changed. Toxins themselves are no longer really questioned. Now, the tougher sell is showing producers what makes our products unique, because it seems like everyone has a toxin product.

Sometimes the Best Sales Tool Is Sitting in Your Truck
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to keep your products visible in your sales vehicle.
Obviously, I don’t talk about every product at every farm. But when producers see the products in your vehicle themselves, they often ask about them, and that starts the conversation.
I’ve sold Maximizer that way simply by saying, “It’s made by the same company that makes the Convert you’re already using.”
My philosophy is pretty simple: don’t drive around with only semen tanks in your vehicle. Gas is too expensive for that!

Convert: An Easy Place to Start
A product that has recently been reintroduced to the Canadian market is Convert Day One Calf Gel. For anyone, in whatever area they may be in, who hasn’t done as much with products as they would like, I think Convert is a very easy place to start.
I remember Chad Christensen mentioning during one of the Agrarian “All In” Zoom calls that BioFresh Boluses (US product) were his “gateway product” for getting started in herds experiencing cell count problems.
Well, Convert can be your gateway product.

It’s a relatively small investment for the producer, and they have an opportunity to see results quickly, with little investment.
I also realized something after I started talking more about Convert: we don’t talk about calves enough. At least I didn’t. We tend to spend so much of our time talking about cows. Once I started asking producers about their calves, it became very apparent that calf issues are a real concern on a lot of farms.

The Convert Story I’ll Never Forget
One of my greatest Agrarian stories—and probably one of the most gratifying moments of my nearly 30-year career—happened with Convert about a year ago.
First, a little background on how I run my herd visits. I work on a six-week schedule. That has worked very well for me because much of my competition works on an eight- or nine-week schedule. Being there more frequently makes me more visible, and I believe that helps grow the business over the long term.

I usually text the producer either the morning of my visit or the night before. They have also already received an email or letter letting them know I’ll be at their farm the following week, so they know I’ll be in touch.
Sometimes my text includes a little product information. When I was introducing Convert, for example, I would send a picture of a tube along with a screenshot from one of Dr. Larry Roth’s presentations showing the pathogens it is intended to control. That often started a conversation immediately by text, or gave us something to discuss when I arrived at the farm.

At this particular herd, they purchased a box of Convert during my previous visit. I arrived at the farm at around 10:00 in the morning and was talking with the son in the office. I noticed the box of Convert was still sitting in exactly the same place where he had left it the last time I was there.

Not long after I arrived, his father came in from outside and told his son that one of their calves probably wasn’t going to see the noon hour.
Immediately, I saw an opportunity to give Convert a try.

I asked what was wrong with her. She was four days old, hadn’t drunk in two days, and they were convinced she was going to die. What made it even more unfortunate was that this wasn’t just any calf. She was out of their best cow, and they had lost the cow shortly after she calved. This calf was what they had left from her.

I said, “Why don’t we try some Convert on her?”

They both kind of chuckled. At this point, they had pretty much given up on the calf and told me they were done putting money into her.
So I said, “I’ll pay for the tube if I have to. It’s worth a shot.”

We went out to the calf barn, and sure enough, this calf was lying on her side, somewhat bloated, with really not a whole lot of life left in her.
We gave her half a tube—30 mL.

Within about a minute, she started lifting her head a little and making a chewing motion, almost as if she were looking for milk. I told the owner, “Go get some milk.”
She drank maybe a litre—not a whole lot, but she drank.

The owner let out a few swear words—in a good way! He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. To be honest, neither could I.

I told him to give her the other half of the tube, another 30 mL, around 2:00 or 3:00 that afternoon and to let me know that evening how she was doing.
That night, the son texted me: “She’s still alive.”

I sent him a big thumbs-up.

The next morning, he sent me a picture. The calf was standing at the front of her hutch, drinking from the bottle in the holder.

Knowing that they had already lost her mother—their best cow—made seeing that picture even better. After nearly 30 years doing this job, there aren’t too many moments that top that one.

On the left: Michel Crête, right, Sebastien Crête (son). Ferme Michel and Nicole Crête.  Dundee, Quebec

My Advice to Someone Who Wants to Sell More Products
If you want to get into the swing of selling products successfully, I would start with some of the smaller-ticket items, such as Convert or BioFresh Boluses.
It’s a smaller investment for the producer, and it gives them an opportunity to see a return without asking them to make a major commitment right out of the gate.
Once they’ve had a good experience with one of those products, the conversation about some of the bigger products becomes much easier. They have more confidence in the product line, but just as importantly, they have more confidence in what you are proposing to them.

For me, that has always been the key. You don’t need to sell every product on every farm. Every operation is different, so find the products that fit that producer’s needs and start there. When they see the value for themselves, it builds confidence in both the products and in what you’re recommending. That’s what opens the door to the next conversation.

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