Electrical Association

Ideas From Members About Getting Business in a Tight Economy

Written by Judi Rubin

Fifteen years ago, I asked Roger Klein what Klein Electric did for sales and marketing. He told me they did not do sales because "business is everywhere-if you talk to business owners and managers about how to save money."

A few weeks later, Roger demonstrated his way of getting business when we spent the day calling on prospective members for MEA. We ended up with three new members for MEA and three prospective jobs for Klein Electric. When I asked Roger what he did when times were tight he said, "We get going! We look for more ways to help business owners save money, talk to more of them, and keep training our electricians so they will give the best possible service."

Six months ago, I asked Rob Olson to look at the resort that MEA was considering for the Summer Conference. The owner of the facility and the sales manager were giving us the tour. As Amy Dvorak and I were asking the sales manager the usual questions about how well the facility would accommodate our conference, Rob was asking the owner the amount of his monthly utility bills.

They were soon engrossed in a conversation about what kind of lighting could save the owner a lot of money, lighting retrofits, paybacks, and the various energy conservation programs being offered by utilities.

The owner completely forgot about the sales tour and became totally focused on Rob's stories about other business owners who had cut their utility bills significantly by just updating their lighting. The conversation moved to other ways utility bills could be cut by installing new heating and air conditioning equipment. Rob had ways to help with that as well.

When Rob offered to arrange for a FREE energy audit by the local utility, the owner willingly gave him his business card and asked for one in return. He suggested some times when they could have another meeting and was well on his way to making a sale.

In asking Rob about this he said, "Business owners always want to find out how they can save money. So I try to talk to all of them for a few minutes wherever I go-restaurants, factories, and actually every place. If they see the need for our help, I get their card and follow up."

Last week I asked the owner of a rapidly growing small business about what advice she gives people about surviving the plunging economy.

With calculated optimism she said:

1. Don't shrink back-move aggressively forward. Or, as Roger said, "Get going!"
2. Make the services you offer as valuable as possible. Find new ways to serve your customers. Or, as Roger said, "Look for more ways to help business owners save money."
3. Expand marketing and sales. Get the most you can for your money. Or as Roger said, "Talk to more of them (business owners)."
4. Keep training, and, if you can't afford to send people to classes, train them yourself in house. Or as Roger said, "Keep training electricians so they will give the best possible service."

As we go further into 2009, I want to thank all of you for 15 great years of working together. Thank you for continuing to tell us how MEA can continue to give you the information, classes, and government involvement that you need. We listen to you and that is why we continue to improve. Please keep helping us and your association. We need you. Thank you, again.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, successful new year!