New Employee Training Sets Strong Roots for Success
Denton Lowe, feed manager at National Ropers Supply, shares how the team invests in new employees with a training program to set them up for success with customers. Lowe leads the team at the 90,000 square foot retail operation, which is co-located with its 400-acre working cattle ranch located in Decatur, Texas.
“If it goes in or on the animal---or the rider—we carry it,” he says.
He credits the culture at National Ropers Supply for being able to see a weakness and address it with a new approach.
“All of our feed staff maybe don't come from a ranch and rodeo type background. So I just started this whole new curriculum and presentation called Feed Staff Orientation,” Lowe says. “We say here's who we are, here's what we do in a nutshell, these are the products we carry, and if the customer says this you need to give them a suggestion if this product.”
The training includes a basic rundown of the different digestive systems and the different animals sales staff with help support. For the team based in north Texas this ranges from cattle, horses, whitetail deer, and more.
“I'm 26 years old, but I feel like I'm proud papa whenever employees come back to me and they're like ‘hey man I really appreciate what you did there. Here's how I use it and I got this customer to set up a feeding trial here, and we gained this account.’”
The timing of launching the program has been particularly advantageous as feed demand and feed costs have risen. It’s equipped the team to be more prepared in answering customer questions. And it’s led to being able to instill a deeper customer loyalty.
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He says there is a trifecta of trends right now in how livestock producers are seeking feed products.
“They want products that work. they want products they can trust, and they will be sure that it's convenient for them to order it,” he says.
Convenience to the customer has been a differentiator for Lowe and his team.
“One thing I've definitely seen change here lately is just how much convenience matters. Whether that's something simple like a customer having a credit card on file or and setting up deliveries at a routine schedule,” he says.
