Being the face of your shop

Happy 2017! What a difference a year makes, and I, for one, am glad to be moving forward.

One resolution that’s big on my list is furthering my role as the public face of our company. This includes visiting good customers and prospects as well as suppliers, and personally thanking them for their loyalty and support after a tumultuous 2016. When you’re an owner or manager, whether of a small or large shop, your interaction in the business world has impact.

One recent visit was to a local, family-owned power-equipment shop we use for vehicle repairs, equipment parts and tools. The owners, who have known us for 20 years, provide an open account, loan us items in a crunch and provide good service. I asked one of the owners how business was going. He said he’d been trying to get in some hunting and fishing, but it was hard to get away because most customers want to see or talk to him personally. Why? Because as the face of his shop, his authority gets things done. The comment reminded me how similar it is for machine shop owners and managers who have customers and suppliers wanting to interface directly with them. I’m the same way, preferring to contact a company’s owner directly, as it frequently winds up being more efficient.