Did you do it on your own?

I am here because of you.

As a new Internet Business it is important to say thanks because I did not get here by myself and I will not go further by myself. So this blog is to remind us that a healthy business is one that remembers where we came from and where we are going.

So thanks for the help in starting my business.

Thanks to Ron for his wisdom in business logic. He helped me to make the break from working for someone else to working for myself. Along with Ron my wife Estelle said, "Go for it!"

Thanks to Terry for meeting with me often to work on the financial forecast of Summit Fence Supply. He has been a friend for many, many years. Thank you Doug T. for being the first to teach me about sales. I can see why you are such a success.

Thank you Sherrie O for all work you have done on Summitfencesupply.com without you I would be months behind.

Thank you Sheila for your assistance in SEO. After just one meeting I know I am on the right track and see a long business relationship. Of course it is important to thank all the customers who have trusted me to provide them with the best products in the industry at the best price.

It is important to celebrate the past in order to order to move forward with clarity.

Focus, Clarity OH CRAP!!!

No matter how much I read about goals and plans sometimes I catch myself drifting through the day. A quick look at ask.com at the word focus I came across a guy that broke his day down into hours. 45 minutes of work and 15 off to stretch, get a drink, set his timer and got back to work.

If it was good enough for him I figured I would give it a try. Not a bad idea! It did help me focus on the work I had to do. Then I heard about a guy that kept his sanity while trapped in the wilderness by blocking out his day and filling it with chores to be done the next day. Well, if it was good enough for him.... why not try it.

It doesn't matter what techniques I need to uses to make the most of my work day, the key is to have a plan and work the plan. Know what has to be done and do it.

If you have a technique that you use to stay focus your comment is most welcome.

Jon Mullender
www.summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
888-856-0551

Hold your breath the break through may happen

Some days just go right! I think they come so that the new business owner doesn't go completely loony. It could also be that God smiles down on people that trust Him because trusting in oneself is a joke.

I never want to look back and say, "I wish I hadn't started this. The grass was greener in Egypt." (That is a little story from Exodus in the Bible).

Well back to today. I had more than one order. Now that may seem small potatoes but it is huge to me. Orders mean income, income means bills get paid, bills getting paid mean credit stays high, high credit means when I need a loan I may be able to get one.

Thinking about the future is fun when you have a good day. What happens when I have 3 sales in one day or 10 or 50? I will have to hire people to take the orders, process the orders, and maintain the web site. My overhead will increase by 100% and I will get gray hair just because of the new pressure. I will have to move the business out of the current one room shanty and into some mega complex. I will have to hire a sales staff of 20 people just to keep the orders coming... Factory reps will be calling me for appointments hoping I will carry their product while offering me HUGE discounts just because www.SummitFenceSupply.com is willing to carry their aluminum fence product.

Back to reality... I had two orders. It was a great day!


Jon Mullender
www.summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
Toll free phone number 888-856-0551

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Small Business Initiation

“You have to pay the toll before you can make the bucks”

In business there are no easy ways to get suppliers to deal with your company the same way they deal with bigger more established companies. Even if they know you and want to help you they still have to play the game. The game simply put is MONEY TALKS.

To a certain degree that is true but TIME TALKS also. If you spend 2 hours researching a product and have been given a certain discount for the quote, only to find that my competitor beat me by 10% it can get one down.

Unfortunately, old established rules are out of place in the new market place. The “small is the new big” as Seth Godin writes. As manufactures start to realize that more people are selling their product which in turn opens more doors for dollars and profit. An example would be if you have 5 people carrying brand X you have to put more money into advertising and sells representatives. But on the other hand if you have 500 people out banging the bushes for your company that sales team you have to supply can be cut saving money and advertising dollars.

Putting pressure on the small companies is a better way to establish distributors. Thoughts like, “We will give you a competitive edge for 6 months. If over that time you can reach said amount of money you keep that discount however, if you don’t your discount will be cut in half and we will reevaluate your status with us at that time.” That is such a fair way of doing business.

If you are a manufacture saying, “Well, how do I reward my big distributors.” Don’t worry about it. They are not going to look somewhere else. They have customers that are going to them and have been for years. They pull out the book, give a quote, the customer pays and away they go. That is unless they stop providing customer service and lose the respect of their clients.

Here is the call to action. Keep quoting and talking to the manufacture. Let them know that you are a serious player. Let them know what you plan on selling and to whom. Let them know your goal numbers that you want to reach and see if they will reconsider their old approach and allow you to sell on a level playing field.

If they will not you have hundreds of companies that sell a similar product. Research, find out how they are different and go another way. Someday you will be one of those companies and can help them to see the hardship you had coming up through the ranks.

Jon Mullender

Summit Fence Supply, LLC

www.summitfencesupply.com

jon@summitfencesupply.com

330-923-4214

Determining the Right Fence

Determining the right fence is not that hard if you have a process to follow. At Summit Fence Supply, LLC we want to help you work through the process from inception to installation. What are you using the fence for? Is it chain link for protection of your property? Is it aesthetics? Is it for protecting a pool? Answering these questions is the first step.

Next how many lineal feet do I need? you can walk it off to get an idea. Or if you have a roll take get an idea.

What will I have to budget? If you have an idea of how many feet call us and we will always give you a free quote. Then you can determine if you can afford Ornamental Aluminum fencing or would chain link be the best option with the money you have set aside. My opinion is that if you are close go for it because a year from now you will have wished you had.

Then decide who is going to install it? If you can dig holes and use a level you can put up a fence. Maybe you need a professional to install it. Check you friends and neighbors but plan on spending the estimate price x 2.

We will continue this in our next blog.
Jon Mullender
Summit Fence Supply, LLC
jon@summitfencesupply.com
330-923-4214
www.summitfencesupply.com

How I fell for my customer.

I knew better but I could not help it.. I fell for my first customer: Let me explain.

All the articles I have read have stated how important it is to meet quality prospects and develop relationships that will last. Since I have the desire to make my fencing company, Summit Fence Supply, the best in the fencing business, I follow the sound advice received and decided to get going on a contact list. By this I mean I decided to call each person on the list. Following the list from top to bottom I started making calls to set up appointments. Finally, I had my first appointment and needless to say I was excited. The night before I had my folders ready, did a Map quest to make sure I would not be late and to top it off, the customer even called me the morning of the appointment to make sure I was coming. This was going to be great!

As I arrived I could see him standing in the front yard talking to one of his employees. He was animated so I knew something was not right. He was reaming out this guy for being late. I paused and thought how fortunate I was for being early.

I opened the door of my wheelchair van and the lift went down. This is a good place to tell you I use a wheelchair and have for many years. I grabbed my folder and started down the ramp. At the exact time the word, “Hello!” left my lips I hit a rock at the bottom of my ramp and went flying out of my chair.

He stopped yelling for the moment and hurried over toward me. I said, “I wanted to make a lasting first impression.” By that time another guy came to my aid. All three of them picked me up and placed me back into my chair. I said, “It was a pleasure to drop in.” He said, “I always wanted people to fall for me” to which I said, “Yes but not another guy!” He laughed and so did I.

As I pulled away from that encounter, I knew that whenever fencing was mentioned to him he would remember the incident and my name.

I learned some great lesson in prospecting from this episode. There is nothing to fear in prospecting. Most people that own business are trying to put a little cash in their pocket the same as me. If I have a good product to offer by all means I am going to continue to make appointment, share the product and services and build relationships with each person I can.

Overcoming a fear of prospecting is replaced by repeated action. Start that list of potential customers. Then beginning at the top call each companies on the list until you have set up opportunities to serve. Then go out and meet them, present your worthy product and follow up with an email, letter or phone call. Finally, remember in the future, they may help you by placing that huge order in your lap.

Jon Mullender

Summit Fence Supply, LLC
www.summitfencesupply.com
jon@summitfencesupply.com
888-856-0551

Follow the Business Plan

My gosh! How many times have I heard that! Follow your business plan or when you get ready to pull the plug you will unless you have a plan to follow.

Well some days it gets heavy. People talking to you on while your working... Your bids come in just slightly over your competition and you lose the big job you were counting on. Frustration comes and you need a plan to work.

Make a plan and work a plan. That is the secret to success.

So….

Today I have a plan.

Today I will do the things most important and move down the list.

At the end of the week I will take time to evaluate how my plan is working in conjunction with my business plan and go from there.

Jon Mullender

www.summitfencesupply.com

Please share with us how you work your plan.

Who are the important people

When I wake up some mornings I get a glimpse as to what the day will hold. Today I am off to my grandson's school picnic with the idea of thanking people for all they have done for me. My son and daughter for giving me my grandson. His teacher for being the most important person in his life. His other grandfather for loving him and guiding him. His other grandmother for watching him all summer long so that my daughter in law could work and save with out paying for child care.

Who do you need to thank today? Who has made an impact into your life?