Forced into self employment, continued!

Hi guys,

So its been incredible. I just have to ask, WTF?? You all have talked about 1 yes to every 10 no's. I have seen 1 NO to every 15 great possibilities. I just don't get it.

At least half of my cold calls has resulted in meeting with purchasing and the shop foreman, along with a tour of the shop and full product line. Am I doing something wrong? If I am, how can I pass this on to all of the others on the forum.

I had 1 cold call result in a production job. WTF?? I am just in shock. I know I have capacities, but I am not seeking large parts yet.

I am not braging, I just want to know what I am doing. This is unbelievable. Not only this, but I have just made a great deal on another Monarch Lathe.

Josh

P.S. I hope you all get this luck. Its just insane!!!

Others have commented you are in an excellent location, inasmuch as the extractive industry known as "sand" wears out equipment.

You have the courage to show up on someone's doorstep and ask for some time. Not everyone can do it, but you are, and perhaps with a smile, even.

Good Luck on your endeavors, just don't communicate any anxieties to your customers (be friendly), do worry about their worries (show empathy), be fair, offer options, offer control, and provide information as needed.

Do keep your trade secrets to yourself. A magician has his secrets, you know.

If the customer (or the buyer) keeps prying for "who", "what", "why", "where", it may be they want to offer the work to another shop, a relative, a friend, etc. but the other party can't pull it all together as you have.

Keep your trade secrets to yourself.

Great to hear. I expect it is a combination of two things. You are likely a "people person" and you come across as a regular guy that knows what he is doing and looking for jobs. It is rarer than you think. The other is that they are burnt out on using the other shops, because they are under-delivering. Remember as you go forward, your reputation is only as good as your last job. Be honest and deliver what you promise.

AFAIK, everyone in the local area is buried with work.
I desperately need a good lead man to take some pressure off of me.

That's good news - keep going

Downside MAKE SURE you get paid, and don't let one customer turn you in to their ho'

Good luck

Good job.

Make hay while the sun shines.

Umm, not to discourage you or rain on your parade, but getting meetings & shop tours is a looong way from getting a PO. I have great relationships with a lot of people that I have yet to get a job from, does not mean I give up on them though.

Depending on how I target my sales, I can get my foot in the door with like 75% of the companies I initially call on. Of those, I am fortunate if I get an RFQ from a third of those companies. OF that 33%, I probably turn 15-20% of those into good customers.

toolmaker96 said:

Umm, not to discourage you or rain on your parade, but getting meetings & shop tours is a looong way from getting a PO. .

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How very true,..... and it can eat up a lot of time.

Another thought;- you are often dealing with machinists and the like, and as we all know - they have a pretty well tuned BS detector.

IMO one of the biggest mistakes a lot of start ups make is (probably ??) through ''desperation'' for work, adopt the ''we can do anything'' line.

A lot will depend on the sort of relationship you build with prospective clients so they know the sort of work you do.

It's all in the timing and some luck, trying that 2yrs ago might not have been so fun.
Howmany will turn into good paying work, sort them out well. Use those meetings to sense if there might be real $, and figure out the payment terms!!!

Also remember that some companies that are very willing to try a new shop, generally to see if they'll get better prices or what not or shorten delivery times(and hopefully not cause they burnt all the other shops they had), are also very willing to try any other shop coming right behind you.

I agree that the work is out there if you go after it. For that, I think you will find everyone happy for you.

Getting actually ( and completely ) paid might turn out to be the struggle.

Best of luck to you. And me.