[R&B]

I have a retrofit cnc lathe that I would like to find a little more work for. It doesn't have to be anything fancy just something to keep it busy.
Any suggestions ???

[Karl_T]

Today's a good day to cruise by all your local shops. Any place working on Saturday may have a part to sub out.

Of course, you could hire a vendor rep. Spend your time in the shop, pay someone a commision to find work.

Karl

[Adobe Machine]

Excellent advice, Karl. You have to build a business plan around what you, the owner, does best. I had a terrible time going out and "cold selling", but hired a Manufactures rep that brought a lot of quality work to us.That way, I could concentrate on the running of the shop and quality of product turned out..
I have seen so many Machine Shops fail ( Welding , fabrication, repair shops etc ) where the owner was gifted with the machinery and technical knowledge, but could not sell..If your like that , then hire a commission only rep and let them do the selling.
Another thing I just hated to do was payroll,man what a lot of detail on paper, so I hired a payroll company that handled everything, including taxes, health insurance, all filings ..I gained about 8-10 hours a week to devote to the shop, and did not have a bunch of mad (wives mostley)people because there was a ten cent mistake on their checks..
Remember, ( hard lesson for me ) you can not be in two places at once, and most Engineers , machinests and mechanics can not "Multi Task" real well, no matter what they say..So concentrate on what your good at , and hire the rest..Makes life a lot easier.

Adobe (old as dirt )_

[JPMach]

Where is a good place to look for a manufacture's rep. I have been trying everything to get some more mill work in my shop but just can't seem to get responses from most companies.

JP

[Adobe Machine]

Well, you might start with the web, see what you can find locally, my manufactures rep retired last year, but he has a current book of reps through out the USA and Canada ( saw some from Mexico too ) EM me with just your area,he and I have a fishing trip next wednesday, he should let me borrow his referance book, unless I skunk him ( not much chance of that ).

When we set up the account, he had me take pictures of the shop, pictures of parts we built, copies of certifications, copies of test certs,and 3 customer accounts we knew would give a good referances. My wife packaged it up in a small ,inexpensive note book, made 100 copies for the rep.
It is important that the shop owner help the rep, and at times might go with the rep to a new customer,but I was a lot more comfortable with him there doing the talking, than me trying to stumble through a presentation. Made quite a difference, as that is what he did for a living..
You will also find the reps are real concerned with quality and delivery..If you find a situation where your delivery may be slow, comunicate with them immediatly...He can not be enthusiastic about your shop and product if you can not deliver (or put him in a bad position)if you fail to tell him as soon as you know you will be late. Remember , its his reputation at stake.


Adobe (old as dirt )

[proform]

Adobe,

You have my interest here as I have thought about seeking a rep for my shop. It seems that it's getting harder everyday to get out and seek new customers, and to tell you the truth, it's not my strong suit.

Dealing with customers, after doing a little work for them, is O.K. But the initial meeting is a little intimidating for me. I'm not the best at presenting myself. I'm too modest to promote my business as well as I should.

Could you explain in further detail about using a manufacturers rep for a job shop.

As far as compensation for a rep., I assume it would be commission based. Is this on the first order, a certain length of time (multiple orders) or something different?

What percentage are they given?

If you feel more comfortable telling me this in private, please PM me.

[Adobe Machine]

usually 8-12 %, depending on your area.
They get paid only after you get paid.( I always specified)
There must be a good meeting of minds with a rep..you need to ask "how can I help You sell my product / services" He ( they ) need to know your capabilities.
As always, it is a business deal, he should be a professional, you should be a professional..keep it above board and transparent.
My rep opened business opportunities I never imagined..Yes he made a lot of money, but so did we..
Repeat business he generated is his, just love it !
Truthfully, after at tending a few presentations with him , I gained confidence in presenting too.
One thing that came up, is two of his customers that we were doing business with referenced us to a third possible customer that called me.I thought about it for awhile and called my rep to go see them..it all worked out, every one made money.

Hope this helps

Adobe (old as dirt)

[rc-cellar]

R&B you have a PM