‘Shopping” Around
One of the best ways to increase business is to make personal contact with your customers. Here is a somewhat different approach. A machine shop owner in Missouri started a program last year that he calls “Fat Friday.” Each Friday morning, he drops by the local donut shop and buys one to two 2 dozen assorted cakes. He picks a different garage or fleet and drops by unannounced with the “Fat Friday” food. He takes the donuts to the owner along with a brochure about his shop and a coupon for a 10% discount on his next purchase. He also makes it a point to carry the goodies through the shop where he uses the opportunity to introduce himself and his machine shop to every employee. His sales and profits have exceeded his budget thanks to this small investment in time and money.

Steve Rich
Sterling Bearing, Inc
Kansas City, MO
January, 2014