Strong Marketing is Always Critical

During these unpredictable and turbulent economic times, many shops and businesses are moving to cut expenses. Some reductions are obvious and necessary. But when business is slow, advertising, marketing and sales activities are commonly at the top of the “cut” list. However, this is the time to ramp up and increase spending on these activities.

Even if there are fewer workers to handle these responsibilities, it should still be a high priority to sell, market, advertise and otherwise let the marketplace know you want business! Many potential customers aren’t calling or sending quotes because they simply don’t know you’re capable and interested in machining their parts. It sounds like an oversimplification, but why overcomplicate the matter? Even if prospects have heard of your shop, do they really understand your capabilities and why your shop is a great choice? Many times, no.

When times are good and you’re busy cutting chips, spending on sales and marketing is easier to absorb, and expanding these functions seems logical. But that’s also when your competition is marketing, making it even more challenging for your shop to stand out amongst the crowd. In addition, when business is robust, the costs associated with these efforts are usually at a premium. If you’re busy and not desperate for more work, it’s backwards logic to spend lots of money seeking new business when a concentration on customer service and careful job selection makes more sense. The time to get aggressive and market your operation like never before is when things slow down and new work is a must.

The means to accomplish this vary, but finding an effective technique is crucial. Some shops find success advertising in industrial and telephone directories. Others reap benefits from trade shows and trade magazine ads. Others lack funds for any of that and instead conduct guerilla marketing techniques, like personally delivering sales packages and following up until they get a shot.