The world is getting flatter every year, month, week, day and even by the hour, as we get closer to one another and like water seek ways to touch one another and do business. This, from some of the world’s leading economists: no matter what politicians try to do they can only at best re-channel […]
On Being A Great Independent Rep
This week we are going to talk about what it takes to be a great rep; and what you can do to not only delight your principals but more importantly develop a win/win partnership with them where you both win more business and make more money. First of all: get over it. Yes you’ve been […]
Don’t lower your prices, raise your value
Don’t lower your price…Raise your value: The Intangibles Anyone can lower their prices, that’s a loser’s game that we in the printed circuit board industry have been playing for years…and look where it has gotten us? There are only 200 shops left in North American because we have all played the lowering the price game […]
PCB Vendors vs Customers: This Is What We Do About It
I have talked endlessly about PCB customers who were not happy with their vendor’s performance and last week we talked took things from the other side of the issue and talked about why PCB fabricators have a hard time being good and productive suppliers (both articles can be accessed by scrolling to the bottom of […]
Contract Manufacturers: Does Anybody Know Your Name?
Unlike PCB shops where there are now less than 200 left in North America, there are well over 1000 contract manufacturers of all shapes and sizes. Everyone knows the big guys from Celestica, to Flextronics, to Sanmina to Plexus all of them doing hundreds of millions to billions of dollars, but what about all the […]
A Better Relationship With Your PCB Manufacturer Will Yield Better PCB’s
We have talked a lot in this column about how board shops should treat their customers. How they should try to get to know their customers and their needs. So now let’s switch things around and talk about how customers should treat board shops, how they should work with board shops to get the best […]
Yes Virginia, Advertising Does Work…Sometimes
I was listening to the radio, as I drove to the airport last Sunday, when an ad came on about smoke, and carbon monoxide alarms. I was half listening, not really paying attention, since it was not exactly a captivating subject. In fact, I was a little irritated, because I always get irritated, when I […]
Getting The Kids Into Manufacturing
Let me tell you about my son Damon. From the time he was thirteen years old he has been fascinated with everything Japanese. I’m not sure how that started, maybe the video games? Anyway, when we moved to Maine in 2012 and he was about to enter his Freshmen year in high school, he asked […]
Stop Procrastinating And Start Prospecting
I know you hate to prospect and you hate to make cold calls, so this is what we have to talk about today. Whether you like it or not. To help us, there is a great book by Mark Hunter called High-Profit Prospecting a trade paperback published by Amacom. This book is a first rate […]
Getting The Most From Walking IPC Apex 2019!
With IPC Apex Expo 2019 coming up next week, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about some of my ideas for helping visitors who are not exhibiting, but are attending the show. Obviously, we have talked a great deal about how to get the most of your dollars when you exhibit […]