Out in the field…March 2010
Last week I was in California and Oregon calling on customers. Most were Rental Equipment Companies and Engine Parts Warehouse Distributors. As I found in Alabama and Georgia in February, at best, cautious optimism rules the day. Most feel we’ve hit bottom, but many have yet to see improvement in the markets they serve. They expressed what we have been hearing for the past year. One manager... [Read more of this post]
Outside one’s comfort zone!
I had a great opportunity back in 2002 to participate in an Outward Bound program on Thompson Island in Boston Harbor. It was in April and the weather was unusually hot…in the 80s. It’s like it was yesterday…in my mind…certainly not weather-wise! My most profound takeaway from the experience was that to truly grow and develop, people have to step outside their comfort zone. In fact,... [Read more of this post]
Foreign Agricultural Service – Forestry
The US Department of Agriculture has a commodity based export office know as the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The FAS collects export data on Wood Products and other products exported from the US. There are 32 different Forest Products Groups and many more Forest Products Subgroups that the FAS tracks. The subgroups are broken down into all types of hardwood and softwood products, flooring,... [Read more of this post]
Weird, Wacky Weather
Whether the weather has been good or bad depends on your perspective. Most would agree that it’s been a tough first six weeks of the year. I was in Alabama and Georgia last week calling on customers and got out the day before the snow hit! Of course, I came home to colder temperatures and more snow than most can imagine as you can see in the picture. Hawaii was the only one of the 50 states that... [Read more of this post]
Out in the field…February 2010
I’ve spent the past few days calling on customers in Alabama and Georgia. Most were heavy equipment dealers and some were independent repair facilities. At best, cautious optimism rules the day. The general sentiment seems to be that once the weather clears that logging activity will be up in the Spring over last year since the mills are in dire need of wood. Once their needs are met, there... [Read more of this post]
Biomass as a boiler fuel…
The EPA is rewriting the regulations for industrial boiler emissions. Some power plants that want to convert to biomass may delay their conversions until the regulations are clearly understood. Some details should come out in April 2010. (Note: The EPA regulations that are being developed are called Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules.) Wood chips are a common fuel for industrial... [Read more of this post]
Direct Marketing is a must!
I use direct marketing to connect with my customers. It helps me to stay in touch when I can’t be there in person, to offer specials and to help keep Tiffin in the front of their mind whenever they need something we offer. I believe that for a small business like an independent repair facility or a dealer to maximize their sales, they need to use direct marketing as a tool to reach out to their... [Read more of this post]
Can being smaller be better?
“There are certainly some businesses and some projects that don’t work unless they’re huge, but in your case, I’m not sure that’s true. Big enough is big enough, biggest isn’t necessary.” This is a quote from a post on Seth Godin’s blog. He’s one of the most prolific and thought provoking business writers today. This thought really hit home. Tiffin Parts... [Read more of this post]
A time to Reflect…and Help!
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration. It was inspirational. Did you know that his birth name was Michael. His father changed both their names after a trip to Germany. The beginning of the New Year is always a good time to reflect and with MLK Day following just a couple of weeks into the year, it offers a chance to help put everything... [Read more of this post]
Who comes first?
Who's on first? Who’s most important when making a decision…your customers, your company, yourself? In business, is making a decision based solely on one’s own self interest ever the right decision? I think not! It’s what allowed the Financial industry to get the world economy in trouble. Incentives that encouraged individuals to make decisions that were high risk for their business, but... [Read more of this post]
Blue Angel Speaker
I had the honor of hearing John Foley, a former Blue Angel pilot, present at our parent company’s annual meeting. He shared the framework that the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angel flight demonstration team uses to achieve such high performance. We’ve all heard about and practiced goal setting, planning and execution strategies (my words, not his), but how many of us have debriefed with our team after... [Read more of this post]
The Market…
What a year we have all gone through in 2009. Most of us follow the “market” or the “economy” and many of us read industry journals…more and more online. Where have we been, what happened and where are we going? We may not have all of these answers for years to come. I think what’s important is that we get a more focused view of the markets we serve. I just read the other day where many... [Read more of this post]
Is there such a thing as Win-Win?
I think there is! Every business needs to operate profitably…even non-profits have to balance income and expenses to survive and prosper. I’ll be perfectly honest with you…we likely don’t have the lowest price on every item we sell. If you look long and hard enough you are bound to find a lower price somewhere. The quality may be lower, it may not be in stock, there may be higher freight costs... [Read more of this post]
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