getting new customers

[CITIZEN F16]

Hello F16,
I have explained this method before, but essentially, I'm not in the business of hoping for the success of a potential customer's prospects. I am strictly focused on companies that are large and that can pay my invoices quickly.

Your results may vary. I had two large customers file bankruptcy on me during the recession of 2008, and I got nothing. One started giving us attitude when I had my salesman give them a credit limit and eventually cut them off. They kept telling us how there were people waiting in line to serve them. Did you seem to forget all the suppliers that got screwed over by the GM bankruptcy or are you just a spring chicken that wasn't following the manufacturing sector back then? I am sure what you would call a small customer I make the highest hourly rate on because they are medical, they have often paid before their parts arrive.

 

[HappyWyo]

Don't wait for your web site to Bring you customers. I have had a web site for almost 20 years. When I owned a fleet of tow trucks the web site worked good. People break down and go to the Internet for help. Machine shops don't work that way. Companies very seldom go to the Internet. You must go to them and try to get them to try you. Most companies already have go to shops / venders.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Don't wait for your web site to Bring you customers. I have had a web site for almost 20 years. When I owned a fleet of tow trucks the web site worked good. People break down and go to the Internet for help. Machine shops don't work that way. Companies very seldom go to the Internet. You must go to them and try to get them to try you. Most companies already have go to shops / venders.

Websites don't bring in customers for machine shops, for the most part, you are correct. That being said someone with a nice complete website will have an edge over someone who does not if a potential customer has sent out quotes to new prospective vendors. Also they will use it to confirm who you say you are if you called on them.
How else would they know if the guy calling on them was who they said they were instead of nothing but a middleman?

 

[HappyWyo]

Websites don't bring in customers for machine shops, for the most part, you are correct. That being said someone with a nice complete website will have an edge over someone who does not if a potential customer has sent out quotes to new prospective vendors. Also they will use it to confirm who you say you are if you called on them.
How else would they know if the guy calling on them was who they said they were instead of nothing but a middleman?

Potentially that is true. Maybe some year that will happen to me. So far it has all been footwork. We all know web sites can be as misleading as a picture of a bull standing over a milk bucket. You can fool some of the people some of the time.

 

[otrlt]

Your results may vary. I had two large customers file bankruptcy on me during the recession of 2008, and I got nothing. One started giving us attitude when I had my salesman give them a credit limit and eventually cut them off. They kept telling us how there were people waiting in line to serve them. Did you seem to forget all the suppliers that got screwed over by the GM bankruptcy or are you just a spring chicken that wasn't following the manufacturing sector back then? I am sure what you would call a small customer I make the highest hourly rate on because they are medical, they have often paid before their parts arrive.

Good Afternoon F16,
Spring Chicken? I wish. We specialize in precision tooling for commercial aircraft. 40+ years of doing the same. Even today, some of my tooling drawings are over 50 years old.

HappyWyo is correct, once your locked into a bluechip company, websites are not needed.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Potentially that is true. Maybe some year that will happen to me. So far it has all been footwork. We all know web sites can be as misleading as a picture of a bull standing over a milk bucket. You can fool some of the people some of the time.

The website backs up the footwork.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Good Afternoon F16,
Spring Chicken? I wish. We specialize in precision tooling for commercial aircraft. 40+ years of doing the same. Even today, some of my tooling drawings are over 50 years old.

HappyWyo is correct, once your locked into a bluechip company, websites are not needed.

I dabbled in some DOD work for a couple decades I think the oldest print I saw was 70 years old. It cracks me up when people brag about doing military and aircraft work. Some of it is very difficult that takes a high level of skill, on the flip side some of it you could make on a $500 beater mill and lathe with your eyes closed. I actually had an retired air force mechanic work for me part time, that had come across some of those parts we made. He once said, "As long as you could hammer those in, they were good."

 

[HappyWyo]

The website backs up the footwork.

Don't get me wrong I've got a website also.
Front Page – Heavenly Machining
I just wouldn't rely on it for business. I made it myself during the dot com era.

 

[kustomizer]

Looks like your shop got too close to the airport

 

[otrlt]

I dabbled in some DOD work for a couple decades I think the oldest print I saw was 70 years old. It cracks me up when people brag about doing military and aircraft work. Some of it is very difficult that takes a high level of skill, on the flip side some of it you could make on a $500 beater mill and lathe with your eyes closed. I actually had an retired air force mechanic work for me part time, that had come across some of those parts we made. He once said, "As long as you could hammer those in, they were good."

Hello F16,
If it sounded like I was bragging, you heard correctly. We work exclusively in aircraft production, and we never did anything else. Do I have any competitors? none

 

[kustomizer]

Hello F16,
If it sounded like I was bragging, you heard correctly. We work exclusively in aircraft production, and we never did anything else. Do I have any competitors? none

Nothing wrong with a guy being proud of what he has done, sometimes passing up his wildest dreams, tooting his own horn a bit, gives hope to other folks too.

 

[HappyWyo]

Hello F16,
If it sounded like I was bragging, you heard correctly. We work exclusively in aircraft production, and we never did anything else. Do I have any competitors? none

I wish I were your competitor. Sounds like fun.

 

[otrlt]

Nothing wrong with a guy being proud of what he has done, sometimes passing up his wildest dreams, tooting his own horn a bit, gives hope to other folks too.

Very well said Kustomizer,

The level of confidence in my writings have turned many PM members against me, but I have always displayed the upmost respect for others. On occasion, I have had to defend.

Too all of our younger less experienced members; do not allow disrespectable old fucks deter you.

 

[kustomizer]

"disrespectable old fucks"

I typically describe myself as a bit hard headed and one sided, I like to do things the way I have done them because it works for me most of the time with the stuff I have, I think most of us are that same way. It is good to share how we do it but like any other free advise, they have to decide what they want to try, as what makes your world go around may reverse the direction of mine.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Hello F16,
If it sounded like I was bragging, you heard correctly. We work exclusively in aircraft production, and we never did anything else. Do I have any competitors? none

That was not my point, it was in any field there is very difficult work and also simple work.

 

[kustomizer]

That was not my point, it was in any field there is very difficult work and also simple work.

Everything is easy, once you know how, some just take more time than others. Time is what we have to sell.

 

[otrlt]

That was not my point, it was in any field there is very difficult work and also simple work.

I understand F16,
Aircraft work can be just as you have described, unfortunately, nothing that comes through my shop is simple, and/or easy. I must also say that aircraft work has provided me with a increased understanding of Metrology.

 

[otrlt]

Everything is easy, once you know how, some just take more time than others. Time is what we have to sell.

I must politely comment on "Everything is Easy", and some take more time than others. My business does not "sell time", we sell skill and charge appropriately.

 

[kustomizer]

I must politely comment on "Everything is Easy", and some take more time than others. My business does not "sell time", we sell skill and charge appropriately.

We tend to apply our skills to a given project and charge for the time involved in completing it, I recon we all have another way to figure it, many here are a lot more scientific and time consuming than I.

 

[otrlt]

We tend to apply our skills to a given project and charge for the time involved in completing it, I recon we all have another way to figure it, many here are a lot more scientific and time consuming than I.

I'm very much like you Kustomizer,
I like to keep it simple as well. The truth is that I was not explaining myself correctly. Yes, I bill skill, but I also add time.