Michael Ference Fluid Power Marketing

Jim Pancero of Advanced Sales & Sales Management Training & Consulting presents an interesting perspective on sales teams at NAHAD 2014.  Some of the important points he brings out are Reactive Management vs. Proactive Leadership in sales Where do you focus your communication ... Future, Today, or History? Coaching and leadership Taking responsibility for any lost business ... every loss has value because it allows us to re-evaluate our process and our product. Transactional Manager vs. Selling Process Coach Jim has presented many times before at NAHAD and his material and advice is most helpful.  He has a very practical approach to selling that should work for every industry.

New President, Mark Fournier, has been installed as the new President of NAHAD for the 2014-15 term.  He replaces Terry Weiner who has done a great job over the past year. Welcome to Mark and great job by Terry.

The 2014 NAHAD Annual Convention is under way at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix.  It was kicked off with the usual opening reception for all delegates and guests.  This year, it was held at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.  It was well attended and provided great networking for all in attendance. The first full day of NAHAD started the University in a Day or UID sessions at the resort.  The featured speakers are Kathryne Newton PhD, Alex Goldfayn, and Steve Deist.  For more information about their sessions, go to the NAHAD website . The George Carver Award was presented on Sunday posthumously to Steve Gray of Manuli.  The award was accepted by his wife and family.  Steve was recognized for his many contributions to the hose accessory business and to NAHAD. Eric Greitens, author of The Heart and the Fist, was the keynote speaker at the luncheon session.  He related his many experiences as a Navy seal to everyday ...

The 30th Annual Meeting and Convention of The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution starts tomorrow in Phoenix at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.  This event will gather the experts in hose and accessory distribution and that includes a hydraulic fittings and hose assemblies. It is fitting that at this same time, the Design World digital network is launching a new website titled Hose Assembly Tips .  This launch will work closely with the launch of our new publication and website titled Fluid Power World.   For all of the companies that make and sell hose, fittings, and couplings, here is a new opportunity. Package your print advertising in Fluid Power World with digital opportunities in Hose Assembly Tips  and our other website titled Mobile Hydraulic Tips .  Surround the buyers with information about your products.  Increase your brand awareness while generating qualified sales leads. Contact me for more information at 408...

Mobile Hydraulics makes up a sizable portion of the fluid power industry overall.  Some estimates have it as high as 50% of all fluid power component sales in the U.S.  With super large markets for fluid power like Construction Equipment and Agricultural Equipment, that size is understandable. We serve that market very well at  Design World  with our Mobile Hydraulic Tips vertical website and e-newsletter.  Click here to review our Mobile Hydraulic Tips website .  You will find lots of interesting product information like this review from Prince Manufacturing. Prince’s Hydraulic Directional Control Mono-Block Valves If your company manufactures fluid power components for mobile equipment applications, please send me your press release so that we can get it published on our Mobile Hydraulic Tips website.  This will immediately begin to generate traffic to your website, qualified leads. We also publish a monthly e-newsletter with the same ...

Thank you International Fluid Power Society (IFPS) for declaring June 19th as Fluid Power Professionals' Day.  It will be a day to celebrate the usage of hydraulic and pneumatic technology wherever it is used.  Donna Pollander of IFPS states that "The industry is filled with engineers, mechanics, technicians, and specialists who work with fluid power every day." For more information about the new Fluid Power Professionals' Day go to the IFPS website at www.ifps.org . Design World  will be celebrating fluid power in the month of June with our Fluid Power Handbook .  This annual publication offers our audience tutorials on fluid power technology to continue and further their understanding of fluid power technology. If your company manufactures and/or sells fluid power components in the U.S., join us in this annual fluid power issue by reserving your advertising.  The closing date for ad reservations is May 2, 2014. Please contact me for details at mference@w...

One of the ways that you can promote your company's products is through the use of video.  In the day of YouTube, video has become a very popular way to communicate ideas and detailed information. If your company sells fluid power components of any kind, video will work well in  your promotion plan.  When I say video, I am referring to one- to two-minute clips that tell a little about your company and then show your product and some of its features. At Design World , we have an online video feature called Engineering Watch  where we feature hundreds of videos that are made to assist Design Engineers in their understanding of all types of components including fluid power technology. Additionally, each of our e- newsletters features a video.  This is a unique delivery method for engineering videos that are targeted to the audience of the particular e-newsletter such as pneumatics or mobile hydraulics. We also have the capability of taking and editing engi...

2014 marks the 30th Anniversary for NAHAD, the Association for Hose and Accessory Distribution. For more information about the association, click here .  NAHAD remains the place to make the right connections because their annual convention is always well attended and full of great events, speakers, and networking. The NAHAD Annual Convention will be held on April 26-30, 2014 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.  One of the highlights of the convention is always the closing reception and this year, the featured entertainer will be singer, songwriter Michael Martin Murphey. It promises to be a fun and informative four days.  The keynote speaker on Sunday is Eric Greitens who is the author of The Heart and the Fist where he shares the fundamental philosophies of his life's work.  Eric is a Rhodes and Truman Scholar, a humanitarian volunteer, and a United States Navy SEAL.  I am sure that he will have the attention of his audience. If your ...

If your company is interested in increasing the brand awareness of your company and fluid power products, I can help you.  If you would like to generate qualified sales leads in the process, please contact me by e-mail at mference@wtwhmedia.com or call me at 408-769-1188. With our new network of Design World and Fluid Power World  we have a "can't miss" opportunity for fluid power companies to be seen, recognized, and contacted for the product offerings that they have available to industry. Not only do we have an excellent circulation to fluid power buyers, we have a really strong editorial content package to offer.  We still have some time because our 2014 Fluid Power Handbook will be published in June. I would like to put together a package of information that will help your company to grow your business in 2014.  Now is a good time.  Please give me a call.

If you have read my blog posts before, you know that I am a strong believer in reading and learning to help your business skills.  I have a great new resource that I am using and it is the public library. The latest book that I found on the library list is titled Say It Right the First Time by Loretta Malandro and, while I am in the early chapters, I can tell you that this author has some great advice.  She talks about management communication and office and work environment. A great work environment does involve good communication.  Inspiring positive action goes a long way toward driving an organization to success.  It also encourages employees to use discretionary effort in their careers, great for the company. I encourage everyone, owners, managers, and employees to check out this book.  If really offers some very sound advice on building and operating a very successful business.  Whether you are a manufacturer or a distributor or a service compan...

One way to multi-task and learn while getting exercise is by listening to podcasts.  If you have a smart phone, just go to iTunes and look for free podcasts. I listened to one today that was titled Success from the TED Radio Hour.  In the program, several experts on the subject gave a perspective of what it means to find success. Give it a try!

We often hear that the unemployment rate is a key indicator for our economy and I believe that it is.  However, the unemployment/employment rate is a rather complicated issue.  For more insight on the subject click here . It is an article that explains a little more about what the numbers actually mean and I found it on Twitter from the Wall Street Journal.  I have found WSJ to be a great resource over the years on all matters involving business and our economy. Take into account also that our employment landscape in America has changed.  We need to retrain workers and educate students to enter the workforce in the manufacturing world.  There are many needs in our country for trained machinists and other technical workers. So, the unemployment factor is best understood in the context of our potential workforce and their training and expectations.  I believe the situation will get better as more companies onshore manufacturing and the trend is more wid...

One of the many features of the Design World Digital Network , is our website Pneumatic Tips .  This site has some very attractive features like our Pneumatics Blog, Industry News, and a section titled Air Preparation.  The blog has some unique and insightful posts. Proper Air Preparation is essential to any efficient and effective pneumatic system and thus an entire section is devoted to it.   Considerations for pneumatic system design must include every aspect of the system from compressor to actuator. In our section titled Engineering Basics , we review some of the fundamental aspects of the components that comprise a pneumatics system.  This section helps new engineers as well as those being introduced to pneumatics. Our Equipment section reviews existing products so that users of our website get some specific product information about pneumatic components. Similarly, our Pressure Sensing section reviews produce specific to that area. ...

There is so much written and spoken about social media as it affects marketing plans of companies.  My suggestion to fluid power companies is that they should pay close attention to it.  I believe it is clear that social media is and will continue to play a role in the delivering of information about products and applications. Social media shuold not replace traditional media like print magazines, websites, e-newsletters, and other forms of sending fluid power product messages to customers and prospects.  Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIN, Google+, and more will work with all of the existing means of promoting companies and products. Using social media to connect with customers and promote your company in the marketplace are already very important and will continue to increase in their presence.  I strongly recommend that fluid power companies formulate and carry out a social media strategy.  We at Design World can help companies with their activity on social medi...

Advertising in the business-to-business media world is connected to the economy in the U.S. and, to some extent, the world.  This has been the case for as long as I have been involved.  However, the effect of the economy on advertising is not alway aligned in the most optimal way. When the economy is down, companies often reduce their investment in advertising.  I would not recommend that because the economy has always recovered and the companies investing in the downturn usually benefit in the upswing. When the economy is up, we see more investment in advertising which is the right idea too.  Consistent investment in marketing, advertising, and promoting your company is always the advised method of increasing brand awareness and generating qualified sales leads. In 2013, the U.S. Gross Domestic Product rose by 1.9% according to a report I read from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).  In the fourth quarter of last year, the GDP showed a 2.6% ...