Material Insights

6 Questions help you benefit from any trend

Sometimes we can make hay with an emerging trend—as long as it’s relevant. At minimum we can use the information to stock up on finishes and material; or bone up on a surfacing technique that may soon be in demand. Ignore a significant trend and it can upend a business or even an industry. Remember Kodak? We have to pay attention and read meaningful trends to inform our process and perhaps avo...
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Wisdom in brief, Fall 2012

Material Insights rules. Here's a summary of the last four posts that'll get you the scoop and get you going to a faster finish. If you're still craving more, there's a link to the original post following each new rule. Fresh finishing business insight condensed for a quick read. Also, we took the summer off to completely revamp the Material Insights blog so you might notice the gap betw...
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Two approaches to profit for the small shop

Do not be afraid to charge what’s fair. Deserve to make money on jobs. Pride yourself for being a shop and not a factory if that’s what you are. Just because you love what you do doesn’t mean you don’t also deserve to earn a fair profit doing it! Sometimes not making a profit is your own undoing. Ye olde business, at least the way it's currently functioning, may be what’s robbing you of a f...
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Two ways building “trust” delivers consistently more

Customers are human beings. They buy with their head and their heart. Therefore, you can’t sell a “solution” until you’ve made a compelling offer to each. Most companies, in one way or another, sell “solutions.” Their customers accept these solutions because they believe these companies have their best interests in mind. Simply put, they have their trust so they’ll share their problems, it ...
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Customers dictate the kitchen trends that stick

It’s a good day when an order comes in that you can fill with your eyes closed. You’ve stocked the color; and you’ve perfected that special finish—you know exactly what they want. On top of the trend, you’ve enabled your team to respond quickly and satisfy another client. Being prepared and in-the-know limits frustration on both sides while it keeps the business profitable. Trends repeat gr...
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4 Ways to gain control of your finishing business

What do customers think of when they hear the name of your finishing business? Do they get a fuzzy image or a clear picture? Is it an accurate snapshot of what you do best or not so much? Are their thoughts good ones or bad ones? Do they also think of other finishing suppliers but in a better light? Or do they have a special place in their heart for yours? Try as you might, positioning your pl...
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Wisdom in brief, Spring 2012

If you’ve missed the last few posts, here’s a “Cliff’s Notes” style summary that will get you caught up faster than acetone evaporates in the sun. It’s concise business and leadership insight condensed to spoon-sized portions. New Rule #1: Forget the customer and achieve your goals If you want to achieve personal goals and/or working ON the business kind of goals you have to abandon t...
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Define your finishing business by the “keyword” you keep

When a customer looks for finishing services you can bet most business people turn to Google, Bing or Yahoo’s search engine. If they know what they want but don’t know where to get it they start pecking a description into a search box—the process has become second nature. For the effort however, they expect instant, relevant search results that match what they’re thinking or they’re not happy....
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Several trends point to a colorful near-future

Manufacturing is on the uptick and it bodes well for the coatings industry. But what comes next, consumer confidence or a measurable rebound in the economy? I see the manufacturing landscape like a rumbling volcano—an undeniable presence but no one knows exactly what to expect or when to expect it. Look to the news and you see a straining industry expected to fill the air, the pages and the...
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Mobilize your finishing business—a primer to what’s next

You may not even own a Smartphone but it’s time you start listening for the call. “Mobile” is what communication, connectivity and frankly, customer satisfaction is demanding. Mobile is here—and it’s changing the business landscape. Have you noticed that each significant new technology that gets ushered into our lives does so ever more briskly than the last? Given what I have seen in my resear...
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