Metal booths busy
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Jeff Price, regional sales manager with Ras
Systems, discusses the TURBObend machine with Metalcon attendees at the event’s
trade show. |
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In particular, booths with products for the
metal roofing, walls and fabricating equipment were especially busy, officials
added.
“This was a great show for us,” said Geoff Stone,
owner of MetalForming Inc. in Peachtree City, Ga. “We’ve sold at least 10
machines and we’re not done yet.”
Kevin Corcoran, vice
president at metal roofing maker Englert Inc., had similar comments.
“The
serious contractors came and they were very interested in the products being
offered,” he said. “We had a lot of interest in our solar products and also
sold five of our on-site roll formers. We also realized how good it is to be at
this show to find out firsthand what’s going on in the market and what people
are really thinking.”
Show organizers estimated that 1,000
people attended the Oct. 6 keynote address by Bob Berkebile, a founding
principal with BNIM Architects of Kansas City, Mo. Berkebile gave an overview
of just how dire the global warming situation has become. He asked attendees to
think about how every decision they make impacts others and the environment.
Green is money, maybe
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Ted Miller of Clapperton Partnership gave his
list of 10 ways to possibly improve business despite the economy. |
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In case you missed the theme of “Make More Money by Selling
Green,” speaker Dennis Duce of Utah’s Nielco Roofing and Sheet Metal was
dressed in a green-striped T-shirt, green pants and dyed green sneakers.
But if you were expecting a lecture on how adopting an
environmentally conscious lifestyle is crucial to save the planet — and good
for your pocketbook — you might have been disappointed.
Duce
started the Oct. 6 session with an explanation of how, under certain
circumstances, the full-size, gas-guzzling Chevy Suburban could be more “green”
than a gas-electric hybrid Ford Focus.
“What’s green for one
person may not be green for another person,” he said.
As a
successful metal-roofing salesman at Nielco, which has worked on a lot of
high-end vacation homes in the Park City, Utah, region, Duce said he has found
it more effective to use the environmental aspects of metal as a sales
“clincher” — not the primary sales tool.
“We want to make
sure we prepare our (customers) properly,” he said. “Don’t lead with your
‘green card.’ ”
He recommended stressing the long-term cost
advantages of metal over traditional roofing materials such as asphalt. Even in
the short term, Duce said, the cost of metal is not always significantly more
than asphalt shingles.
He urged attendees to expand their
green expertise beyond metal, because many customers will seek your advice on
other environmentally friendly products for their homes and
businesses.
“You need to know about those other products,”
Duce said, adding contractors should join green associations, read books on the
subject and attend trade shows.
Build relationships, he said. Join local chambers of commerce and business
organizations to bolster your business’ profile.
He
suggested starting a business-oriented blog. More people follow these short
Internet notes than you might think, he said. Duce also urged attendees to
contact editors of trade magazines in their industries and see if they are
interested in having a guest columnist or author.
Having
copies of bylined articles is a great marketing tool, Duce
said.
“When you write an article, you create a level of
expertise much higher than just saying, ‘Here’s my brochure,’ ” he
added.
If you’re not confident enough in your own writing
abilities, hire a freelance writer.
“You don’t necessarily
have to enjoy writing,” Duce pointed out.
Recession busters
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Kurt Heisey holds the patent-pending Liberty
Solar Purlin from Liberty Seamless Enterprises. |
|
The Oct. 7 session, “10 Reasons Not to Take Part in the
Recession,” perhaps should have been called “10 Ways Not to Take Part…” in this
downturn. Ted Miller of Clapperton Partnership gave his list of 10 ways to
possibly improve business despite the economy.
The first one
he suggested was online selling. Despite Internet-based businesses being around
for more than a decade, many contractors still aren’t taking full advantage.
Miller showed a Web site for one of his companies, Rapid Materials, that makes
it easier for contractors to design and order custom metal
panels.
“We want this to become the Amazon.com of
construction materials,” he said. “In today’s market, no one wants to be ‘sold.’
They want to ‘buy.’ ”
His next suggestion was to partner
with vendors.
“Do you ever think your supplier could become
a partner and do something bigger?” he asked.
Miller told
the story of how he ended up working on an airport expansion in China because
he talked to suppliers about their other projects.
“Think
outside your normal distribution pattern,” he said.
Suggestion
No. 3 was to sell to your competitors.
“It’s a crazy idea,” he said, “but it can work.”
He once
worked with a competitor on a convention center project in San Juan, Puerto
Rico.
Another idea: Try television
advertising.
Miller showed the Metal Roofing Alliance’s ad
from a few years ago with a perky real estate agent who wanted to talk more
about a home’s metal roof to potential buyers than what was
inside.
Miller said ad time could be bought for as little as
$1.85 per airing in some circumstances.
He called his fifth
suggestion “Old-school selling with a twist.”
Instead of
simply taking a client to lunch, how about sending them on a three- or four-day
cruise, he suggested. Cruises, which typically include all food and
entertainment in the cabin price, can cost as little as $150 per person for
three days.
“If you can get your best customers off on a
three- or four-day cruise, what would that be worth?” he asked the audience.
“That’s a good investment.”
The chance to sell them over
several days in a relaxing environment — away from competitors --— is valuable,
he said.
“You will stand out,” he told attendees. “Not everybody
is doing that.”
His sixth suggestion was to start a blog.
Miller showed his, which included his musings on business with a picture of
himself.
“You can do the same thing. It’s not that hard,” he
said. “You can differentiate yourself tremendously.”
Miller
urged attendees to start a company Web site with file transfer protocol —
commonly called “FTP” capabilities as suggestion No. 7. It allows files to
quickly be uploaded, viewed and shared anywhere. It’s much faster than waiting
for drawings or carrying files and sketches to jobsites.
“If
you’re able to look at 20 jobs and decide what you want to bid on, isn’t that
better than waiting for what comes in the door?” he said.
No.
8 was to write for trade magazines. Editors are always looking for content, he
said. Writing articles allows you to promote yourself as an
expert.
“It is self-serving,” Miller acknowledged. “I make
no apologies for that.”
The ninth suggestion was to get to
know your customers’ customers.
Miller’s final
recession-busting idea was to “take a chance.” Offer more and demand more, he
said.
He used the example of Google.com, which gives away a
lot of valuable information, but makes money on the advertisements that
surround that information on its Web pages.
“The most
powerful word in advertising is what? Free,” he said. “There are alternate ways
to make money in your business.”
Metalcon 2010 is scheduled
for Oct. 20-22 in Las Vegas.
For reprints of this article, contact Jill DeVries at (248)
244-1726 or e-mail devriesj@bnpmedia.com.
