If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard that phrase my income would rival Mitt Romney’s.  Virtually every job shop in our client base started out believing that.  Of course, there is truth in that statement, but the fact is, “job shop customers are purchasing products that will ultimately be received at their loading docks and be integrated into their own products.”

Yes it is true: job shops provide a service.  But it is also true that job shops provide products.  The fact is, if you are a job shop, your customers’ purchase your products because your “capabilities” (service) allowed you to solve their problems and meet their requirements.  Naturally, for a fair price, high quality, and prompt deliveries.  And again, those products you produce that solve your customers’ problems are shipped to them in boxes, crates, and on pallets.

The purpose of this “blog post” is to inform job shops who don’t believe they sell a product to step back and take another look at their businesses in the context of the internet and the way business is conducted today.  Having been in business for over 35 years, I can unequivocally tell you that yesterday’s rules don’t work anymore.  Everything changed around ’04.

The change allowed others to do what we at Venmark International have been doing for years.  Since 1977, we have been differentiating products for small businesses.  Helping job shops become recognized not just for their “capabilities,” but for the result of those capabilities.  That is, the ability to produce products which meet customer requirements.

An excellent case study is a job shop we’ve been working for since 1977.  Meller Optics, Inc. has been providing high quality optics to the defense, medical, laser, and industrial markets for over 50 years. Specializing in grinding and polishing of hard, durable materials such as Sapphire and Ruby, the firm has also developed high-speed, low-cost finishing processes for a variety of other optical materials.

However, their potential customers come in two major flavors: (A) those who are seeking a job shop to grind and polish hard, durable materials such as sapphire and (B) those who aren’t even aware that sapphire can solve their design problems!  And there are lots of variations in between.

If you own a job shop and are reading this, you are my ideal prospective client.  Simply give me a call (Steve Stroum) at 781-237-5860 and I’ll easily describe how we’ve been helping job shops grow in virtually all industries including coatings, electronics, optics, plastics, and metalworking.

###

© 2012 Steven M. Stroum