Hollywood film makers embraced cross-promotion when they determined that they could get financial backing for their movies by allowing consumer brands to be shown in the movie. If a famous star was depicted in the movie as wearing an obvious brand name, the fashion brand would see an increase in sales as a result of the popularity of the movie. Well, other companies are now getting into cross-promotion. Nike and Apple recently signed a long-term agreement to cross promote their products. They will create ads that show Nike clothing wearers listening to their iPods. For the cost of one ad, two products and the two companies that make them will benefit with increased sales as a result of each other’s brand recognition.
Maybe it’s time for other industries to embrace this concept? Why not have a candy manufacturer promote the machinery manufacturer whose machines fill, wrap, and/or box their products? Let’s face it, a production line contains numerous pieces of equipment from various manufacturers, why not join forces to split the cost of an advertisement? The potential downside is that if one of the manufacturers suffers from a serious quality issue that becomes public knowledge, the company that cross-promoted with them, will be ‘tainted’ by the association. But, in reality, how often does a packaging machinery company suffer from a serious quality issue that becomes public knowledge? So maybe it’s time the packaging machinery industry starts seriously cross-promoting. What do you think?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Is Your Website Mobile Media Friendly?
The statistics are truly astonishing. There will be over 362.7 million mobile media devices sold worldwide in 2010. This is a 96.8% increase over 2009 sales. Handheld mobile media devices such as the Blackberry, IPhone, and Droid are outselling all other phone types at an amazing rate. With this new technology comes new challenges and opportunities for businesses.
There are already a number of companies offering to create a reformatted version of your website to be more ‘mobile friendly’. The ‘mobile friendly’ formatting allows mobile media users to see the most important points on the website and scroll down to read without having to move the screen back and forth or enlarge the font to read the text. Having purchased one of these devices myself, I must say I am hooked on it and a re-formatted website is a lot easier to read.
I advise all companies offer a reformatted version of their website for hand-held devices. It is the wave of the future and will allow your customers to access your information 24/7 in a format that saves them time. Don’t let your competitors get there first.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
There are already a number of companies offering to create a reformatted version of your website to be more ‘mobile friendly’. The ‘mobile friendly’ formatting allows mobile media users to see the most important points on the website and scroll down to read without having to move the screen back and forth or enlarge the font to read the text. Having purchased one of these devices myself, I must say I am hooked on it and a re-formatted website is a lot easier to read.
I advise all companies offer a reformatted version of their website for hand-held devices. It is the wave of the future and will allow your customers to access your information 24/7 in a format that saves them time. Don’t let your competitors get there first.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Very Versatile Machine
It is always a plus when a machine can be used for more than one function. New England Machinery, though, offers a machine that can be used for numerous functions. The model is their NEDP. The machine’s main purpose is that of a gap transfer machine. It will gently and safely transfer containers from one conveyor to another one without any interruption on the line. But the NEDP can be used for much more than that. It is ideal for bottom coding containers, crossing containers over deadplates, container inspection, or bridging any gap. It can also be used for depucking containers, elevating or lowering containers, transferring bottles over a crossover, metering containers, or an infeed belt. The NEDP can be used as a pressure device to relieve, reduce, or guarantee pressure to a line or as a transition belt assembly. Finally, the NEDP can be used as NEM uses it at our trade shows, as a bottle thrower (this is not a practical use for a production facility).
The NEDP fits easily over existing conveyors and can be adjusted to use with various size bottles or containers. No changeparts are needed for the changeover. The NEDP is an amazing little machine that truly lives up to the definition of versatility. It is fun to see all the different things this machine can do in a production facility. This is definitely not your ‘run of the mill’ machine. The machine creates great value in that it can be moved from location to location throughout the plant and used for different purposes. No production facility should be without one or more.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
The NEDP fits easily over existing conveyors and can be adjusted to use with various size bottles or containers. No changeparts are needed for the changeover. The NEDP is an amazing little machine that truly lives up to the definition of versatility. It is fun to see all the different things this machine can do in a production facility. This is definitely not your ‘run of the mill’ machine. The machine creates great value in that it can be moved from location to location throughout the plant and used for different purposes. No production facility should be without one or more.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Monday, May 17, 2010
How Do You Get New Customers?
I recently had a discussion with a salesman doing business for over twenty years in the packaging industry. He described his work week of visiting existing customers within his territory. I asked him how he acquired new customers. He told me that his company would on occasion send him the contact information for a new company they wanted him to visit. The company came across these new leads from their advertising and marketing efforts. He said there were not too many of them. I pressed him further for information on how he prospected for new customers and he admitted that he didn’t as his company’s existing customers kept him busy. He was surprised when the company let him go during a cutback as he almost always met his quota. He was convinced that the company released him because he was making too much money and they could bring in someone younger for less money. They had been paying him a high base salary plus commission.
I was not surprised that he was released from employment. He had become complacent and had lost his ‘hunger’ for growing his territory. In a tight economy it takes aggressive, optimistic, high-energy salesmanship to succeed. A company’s existing customers must be kept happy, but new customers are vital to the company’s continued stability. The constant influx of new customers is as important to the strength of a company as taking a daily vitamin is to the health of a person’s body. Prospecting is the key. Although prospecting has been around as long as there have been salespersons, the various means of prospecting have grown with new forms of communication. The ‘winning’ salespersons are the ones who spend their evenings surfing the internet for new companies instead of sitting in front of the TV. One successful salesman confided to us that if the receptionist won’t give him the information he needs, he takes it as a challenge to get that information. He visits the production plants in the early evening talking to the workers as they enter or exit the plant to get the names of the individuals he needs to speak with during regular working hours. This salesman will succeed no matter what the economy does. Another successful salesman hand delivers a hot pizza at lunch time to the individual he wants to meet. It almost always either gets him in the door immediately, or gets the person to call him to thank him, thus opening a dialog. Creativity and determination are the keys to success in today's business climate.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
I was not surprised that he was released from employment. He had become complacent and had lost his ‘hunger’ for growing his territory. In a tight economy it takes aggressive, optimistic, high-energy salesmanship to succeed. A company’s existing customers must be kept happy, but new customers are vital to the company’s continued stability. The constant influx of new customers is as important to the strength of a company as taking a daily vitamin is to the health of a person’s body. Prospecting is the key. Although prospecting has been around as long as there have been salespersons, the various means of prospecting have grown with new forms of communication. The ‘winning’ salespersons are the ones who spend their evenings surfing the internet for new companies instead of sitting in front of the TV. One successful salesman confided to us that if the receptionist won’t give him the information he needs, he takes it as a challenge to get that information. He visits the production plants in the early evening talking to the workers as they enter or exit the plant to get the names of the individuals he needs to speak with during regular working hours. This salesman will succeed no matter what the economy does. Another successful salesman hand delivers a hot pizza at lunch time to the individual he wants to meet. It almost always either gets him in the door immediately, or gets the person to call him to thank him, thus opening a dialog. Creativity and determination are the keys to success in today's business climate.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
How To Service Customers - The Right Way
What makes a company stand out when it comes to Customer Service? Responsiveness probably ranks as Number One. How quickly are your customers calls answered? How quickly are their needs resolved? Number Two would probably be Quality. How do your customers rate the quality of the service they receive? Are their issues resolved to their satisfaction? Number Three might be Communication. Does your Customer Service Dept. communicate well with your customers? Are they thorough at answering questions and explaining procedures? Do they communicate the available dates and times and costs for service visits? The Fourth would be Follow Up. Does your Customer Service Dept. follow up with the customer to make sure all issues were satisfactorily resolved?
How do you know if you are meeting the above criteria? Listen to your customers. If you don’t hear them saying anything, then ask them. When I first started working for New England Machinery, I sent out a questionnaire to over 3,000 customers. The questionnaire focused primarily on our sales processes and Sales Dept., however, there was one or two questions asking about our Service Dept. I was totally surprised by the responses we received. The majority of the responses pertained to our Customer Service Dept. and were all extremely positive. They raved about our Parts Dept. manager and how well she took care of their needs. The accolades continue to pour in over ten years later. There is no substitute for good customer service. It is the main ingredient in creating repeat customers.
Find out if your Customer Service Dept. measures up. Ask your customers what they think and really listen to what they say. If it’s not what you want to hear, then you need to make changes. Don’t delay. Every day you are not performing to your customer’s satisfaction, you are at risk to losing valuable customers. In this economy every single customer counts.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
How do you know if you are meeting the above criteria? Listen to your customers. If you don’t hear them saying anything, then ask them. When I first started working for New England Machinery, I sent out a questionnaire to over 3,000 customers. The questionnaire focused primarily on our sales processes and Sales Dept., however, there was one or two questions asking about our Service Dept. I was totally surprised by the responses we received. The majority of the responses pertained to our Customer Service Dept. and were all extremely positive. They raved about our Parts Dept. manager and how well she took care of their needs. The accolades continue to pour in over ten years later. There is no substitute for good customer service. It is the main ingredient in creating repeat customers.
Find out if your Customer Service Dept. measures up. Ask your customers what they think and really listen to what they say. If it’s not what you want to hear, then you need to make changes. Don’t delay. Every day you are not performing to your customer’s satisfaction, you are at risk to losing valuable customers. In this economy every single customer counts.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, May 10, 2010
New Customers Vs Existing Customers
What is a ‘healthy’ percentage of new customer purchases versus repeat customer purchases? Obviously, a lot depends on what you are selling. For the packaging machinery industry, my opinion is a percentage of 50/50. As we all know it is far less expensive to sell to repeat, happy customers than to find new customers. But it is dangerous for any company to depend too heavily on its existing customers at the expense of seeking out new ones. The business world is fraught with companies buying each other out and consolidating. Where you once had two good customers, you may now find yourself with one slightly larger customer. Or worse, you may lose one of your good customers when they are bought out by another company who has standardized all their plants with your competitor’s machinery.
On the other hand, if you find your sales coming from new customers is starting to outpace existing customer sales (and you have not increased marketing efforts to find new customers) - that may be a symptom of a more serious problem. You need to check with Customer Service to find out if your existing customers are switching brands because your product’s quality and/or service has slipped.
If you track this information, you will notice a slight swing from time to time. The percentage will rarely always stay at 50/50. There will be periods when it will shift slightly from one side to the other and back. This is to be expected. However, if you notice a trend that appears to be steadily moving in one direction, take heed and look for answers, before it is too late. Think of your existing customers as the solid foundation supporting your company and the new customers as the growth you build on top of the foundation. If you start losing existing customers, your foundation will start to crumble and may cause a complete collapse. On the other hand, if your new customers do not continue to grow, your ‘building’ will become swamped by the skyscrapers all going up around you.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
On the other hand, if you find your sales coming from new customers is starting to outpace existing customer sales (and you have not increased marketing efforts to find new customers) - that may be a symptom of a more serious problem. You need to check with Customer Service to find out if your existing customers are switching brands because your product’s quality and/or service has slipped.
If you track this information, you will notice a slight swing from time to time. The percentage will rarely always stay at 50/50. There will be periods when it will shift slightly from one side to the other and back. This is to be expected. However, if you notice a trend that appears to be steadily moving in one direction, take heed and look for answers, before it is too late. Think of your existing customers as the solid foundation supporting your company and the new customers as the growth you build on top of the foundation. If you start losing existing customers, your foundation will start to crumble and may cause a complete collapse. On the other hand, if your new customers do not continue to grow, your ‘building’ will become swamped by the skyscrapers all going up around you.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Did You Know?
Everyone seems to know that New England Machinery manufactures a full line of the best Bottle Unscramblers available on today’s market. But do you know what other machinery NEM is famous for? Would you be surprised to learn that we also build the best:
Cappers
Servo Cappers
Overcappers
Orienters
Lidders
Retorquers
Pluggers
Scoop Feeders
Cap Applicators
Parts Feeders
Cap Sorters
Gap Transfers
Lane Combiners
Lane Dividers
Puckers
Depuckers
Pump Sorters
Pump Placers
Spout Inserters
Hopper Elevators
Uprighters
Desiccant Feeders
Inspect/Reject Stations and more...
Founded by packaging engineers NEM is steeped in a tradition of strong product development. NEM’s reputation of being ‘the company to go to when everyone else turns you down’, has been the catalyst to our innovation, and design and development of new products.
The company’s ever-growing portfolio of patents is testimony to the creative genius of some of the best packaging engineers in the industry. We now boast over thirty standard products, each one custom-tooled to meet our customers’ exact needs and specific requirements.
Feel free to take a tour of our website at www.neminc.com for a complete list of all the various products we offer. You love us for our Unscramblers. Now get to know us for the other products we offer.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
Cappers
Servo Cappers
Overcappers
Orienters
Lidders
Retorquers
Pluggers
Scoop Feeders
Cap Applicators
Parts Feeders
Cap Sorters
Gap Transfers
Lane Combiners
Lane Dividers
Puckers
Depuckers
Pump Sorters
Pump Placers
Spout Inserters
Hopper Elevators
Uprighters
Desiccant Feeders
Inspect/Reject Stations and more...
Founded by packaging engineers NEM is steeped in a tradition of strong product development. NEM’s reputation of being ‘the company to go to when everyone else turns you down’, has been the catalyst to our innovation, and design and development of new products.
The company’s ever-growing portfolio of patents is testimony to the creative genius of some of the best packaging engineers in the industry. We now boast over thirty standard products, each one custom-tooled to meet our customers’ exact needs and specific requirements.
Feel free to take a tour of our website at www.neminc.com for a complete list of all the various products we offer. You love us for our Unscramblers. Now get to know us for the other products we offer.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, May 3, 2010
2010 Economic Outlook Survey
Global Spec, a B2B vertical search engine company, conducted an economic outlook survey of 2,000 businesses to determine their 2010 economic outlook. The respondents consisted of engineers (54%), corporate management, manufacturing, purchasing, quality control, research and development, and technical support personnel. 92% of them were involved in purchasing components and services. 47% of the respondents anticipate higher revenues in 2010 (compared with 23% in 2009).
Survey respondents predicted packaging machinery sales to increase by 55% in 2010. 59% of respondents said they will be focusing more time and effort on entering new markets in 2010. 47% will focus on new product launches. 72% of respondents stated that they will be spending the same or more on material handling and packaging equipment. Compared to 2009, this is a 6% increase in spending for that category.
The survey predicts that suppliers are increasingly utilizing the internet for sourcing new equipment and supplies. 75% of respondents spend three or more hours per week on the internet for work-related purposes. The top uses for the internet included obtaining product specifications and finding components, equipment, services and suppliers. The number one source for web searching was using general search engines (i.e. Google, Yahoo).
The survey concluded by offering five strategies. These were:
1. Match your message to market need. The respondents were looking to spend more time on projects that will increase production capacity of existing lines, reduce waste, and save energy.
2. Evaluate current markets and seek out new markets. Increase your marketing efforts to the industries anticipating the highest spending growth (i.e. automotive, electronic components).
3. Expand your online presence. Look to new ways to grow your online presence. Consider some of the new social media formats as well as e-newsletters, banner ads, online directories, etc.
4. Maintain marketing frequency. Engineers are currently looking for information on both short and long-term projects via the internet. You need to be there, and be highly visible and easily found. Now is not the time to cut any online budgets.
5. Optimize the allocation of your marketing budget. Internet usage is now and will continue to grow. Look to realign your marketing budget to increase your online presence.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
Survey respondents predicted packaging machinery sales to increase by 55% in 2010. 59% of respondents said they will be focusing more time and effort on entering new markets in 2010. 47% will focus on new product launches. 72% of respondents stated that they will be spending the same or more on material handling and packaging equipment. Compared to 2009, this is a 6% increase in spending for that category.
The survey predicts that suppliers are increasingly utilizing the internet for sourcing new equipment and supplies. 75% of respondents spend three or more hours per week on the internet for work-related purposes. The top uses for the internet included obtaining product specifications and finding components, equipment, services and suppliers. The number one source for web searching was using general search engines (i.e. Google, Yahoo).
The survey concluded by offering five strategies. These were:
1. Match your message to market need. The respondents were looking to spend more time on projects that will increase production capacity of existing lines, reduce waste, and save energy.
2. Evaluate current markets and seek out new markets. Increase your marketing efforts to the industries anticipating the highest spending growth (i.e. automotive, electronic components).
3. Expand your online presence. Look to new ways to grow your online presence. Consider some of the new social media formats as well as e-newsletters, banner ads, online directories, etc.
4. Maintain marketing frequency. Engineers are currently looking for information on both short and long-term projects via the internet. You need to be there, and be highly visible and easily found. Now is not the time to cut any online budgets.
5. Optimize the allocation of your marketing budget. Internet usage is now and will continue to grow. Look to realign your marketing budget to increase your online presence.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at http://www.neminc.com/.
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