Marketing Your Business? | Page 2 | The Business of Blacksmith | Forum

Grant;1524 wrote: A subject dear to my heart! My first advice would be this: Don't go looking for work or asking for work. Might be a few people who actually want to give you work, but mostly they don't care whether you have work or not. Course there are a few customers who will throw you some work when you're desperate, but that's charity not business.

They give you work because it solves a problem for them. Most of them come to work and have a pile of problems on their desk. Put yourself in their shoes. How do you feel when a salesman takes up your time? Don't go looking for work, go looking for how you can solve problems for people. That should become your goal. They will pay handsomely anyone who lifts some of the load off their shoulders, and the more you lift off the better they will be willing to pay.

When you get work, try to make it as seamless as possible for the customer. Don't ask the customer to buy the material. Find out everything that needs to happen to the part you're making. If it's going to be tested, painted, sandblasted, boxed or anything, offer to take care of it. You don't have to do it for free. You're taking away a lot of headaches for the customer. Now he doesn't have to birddog the part everywhere or even think about where it is or where it needs to go next. And you can mark up all of it! Business isn't really about the money, that's just how we measure it.

Customers love “one stop shopping”. They often have to get something made and maybe had to get the material and then they have to get it heat treated and tested and this and that. They love having someone who will do everything AND take responsibility. That's a big deal. If anything goes wrong there's only one guy to turn to – you! That's OK, responsibility pays well.

You think you're a forger or blacksmith or whatever. But you really need your customer to think of you as a problem solver and someone who can relieve some of his load. Quit thinking about finding work and spend your time thinking about how you can be of real service to your customers. I had customer who would consult with me because I could (and would) tell them whether their item should be a weldment, a casting or a forging. I became an expert who they could turn to who had their interest at heart.

Build alliences with all of your suppliers. Steel suppliers, heat treaters, painters, industrial suppliers and many others can be great for sending referrals. Make some kind of useful widget for the sales counter. Make sure everyone knows what you can do. When asked most people actually want to be able to refer people to someone. Don't get cheap on this, they can be a full time sales staff for you.

Don't forget people who do similar types of work, but have different capacities or capabilities. For instance, many people with fancy mandrel benders or rolls, can't do large bar or tight bends that are easily done hot. Lots of iron shops can't do what you can do. Ask for some of their cards and explain what you do and that you are looking for someone to refer your customers to for things they are better able to do. And “Oh yeah, would you like to have some of my cards for any customers that we can help”?

Remember this: It's always easier to get more business from the customers you already have than to find new customers. Always try to get plant tours, many items in their operation they have no idea that you can make. Keep a sharp eye out for problems you can offer a solution to. Usually they have no idea how a bit of hot working can save them. Look at the “hillbilly upsetter” thread.

Just remember; quit trying to make money and focus on how you can save your customer time, money and headaches. Become a problem solver for your customers and they will never take a second glance at your bills. Ati that point, they don't just need you, they want you.

Saw this somewhere: "You will be enriched as you enrich others".

Other than the first part of this post, I agree w/Grant. I have found that it does not hurt your business to be honest and say that work has been slower than usual. Many of my clients are/or have experienced the same thing, no matter how much money they have. It is important to set up a symbiotic relationship where you can empathize with your clients sensibilities and still work with them on their project....obviously to your benefit. It's called schmoozing...

John Emmerling
Gearhart Ironwerks