126 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Russell Trahan Russell Trahan is President of PR/PR, a boutique public relations agency specializing in positioning clients in front of their target audience in print and online. PR/PR represents experts of all kinds who are seeking national exposure for their business or organization. Russell and PR/PR will raise your business’ awareness in the eyes of your clients and customers. For more information, please visit www.prpr.net or email mail@prpr.net for a free consultation. PR AND SMALL BUSINESS: FOUR PRACTICAL PARALLELS There are numerous preconceived notions about the field of public relations and the everyday life of a PR professional. Many Americans may envision a Hollywood landscape of exclusive events, material excess and prestige, while others visualize an individual furiously hammering phones and email, determined to lock down an interview with an elusive editor. While the idealized pomp and circumstance of the publicity field may have found its way into some people’s schemas, the fact of the matter is that it’s closer to the latter, and shares many of the cornerstones that define any customer-centric small business. Your company may be seeking ways to employ public relations principles in your business model, but are unclear on how to properly implement them, or fail to see how the application of PR tactics can prove beneficial. The truth is the fundamental pillars of running an effective and efficient publicity campaign are mutually inclusive with the methods that carve out a lucrative niche in your community with your small business. The president of a publicity agency and the manager of a local brick and mortar boutique have the same overriding goal in mind: client retention. On paper, the operational ways and means may appear vastly different – connecting with reporters and editors vs. connecting with the community – but the similarities that these brands of businesses share far outweigh the differences. You can adhere to a variety of principles when aiming to build and maintain a rich customer base, but there are four that are absolutely essential to ensuring long-term success and profitability. 1. No Matter What, You’re Always Marketing Public relations executives recognize that their brand and its associated image are the lifeblood of their professional identity, and any blemishes incurred can derail the potential for lucrative returns. In the same vein that a PR firm would continually promote their services as results-driven and effectual, small businesses must utilize ‘round-the-clock marketing to promote their goods and services through a scope of success and viability, and safeguard against any possible harm to their reputations. Whether you’re a clerk at the point of sale or the owner representing the company at the local chamber of commerce meeting, your actions or inaction can throw a monkey wrench into the gears of your vision and goals. There is never a moment, on or off the clock, that you are not representing your company: maintain marketing vigilance. 2. Timeliness is Next to Godliness, So Take to the Internet Nowhere is the phrase ‘strike while the iron is hot’ more pertinent than in the public relations industry, where reporters are on tight deadlines and the window of opportunity to have your client featured may be as minute as the time between your pitch hitting their inbox and the next. Where print publications and broadcast agencies can be viewed as a PR agent’s ‘customers’ as they require information in a concise, time-sensitive manner, your physical customers demand and expect the same level of timely service. please turn to page 153
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 127 Fastener Specialties Manufacturing 7110 Georgia Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33405 Tel: 561-582-7022 Fax: 561-582-7030 Email: socketscrews@aol.com www.fastenerspecialties.com FORTY YEARS OF SUPPORTING DISTRIBUTORS Forty years in the fastener manufacturing industry is a long time. Yet Fastener Specialties Manufacturing is still supporting its distributor customers. A distributor needs reliability and quality, but a real human, a polite and knowledgeable human, is a bonus. Fastener Specialties Mfg. has nurtured a team that provides these things every single day. During these four decades, they’ve been plugging holes in the fastener supply chain that the larger manufacturers prefer to avoid. This company will fill your need for that one agonizing small-quantity part that your customer neglected to order weeks ago. Time and time again, they will surprise you with their responsive service. Phone calls are answered directly. Voice mail, although available, is rarely necessary. When you pick up the phone to dial a vendor, you want help. The crew at Fastener Specialties Mfg. knows that a call is not only important to the person calling. According to Rick, “As a vendor, we would not exist if it were not for the distributor customers, entrusting us with their customer’s urgent problems. We strive to answer emails, phone calls, and faxes quickly. Using a unique combination of older but well-restored machinery and newer tooling and technology, Fastener Specialties Mfg. specializes in hex-socket screws, and other machined products, metric OR inch. This equipment is particularly well-designed for small-volume runs and quick changeovers, which are crucial factors in this marketplace. They have a stunning variety of certified bar inventory in most metals, and even some plastics. This allows them to take complete control of most jobs without delay. The company was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1973. After strong growth in the late 1970’s, founders Rick (Sr.) and Janie Perkaus, decided to move family and business to Florida. The distributor customers were spread out all over the continent, so changing the facility location was decidedly not going to be a problem. Rick Perkaus Jr. has been at the helm for the past 23 years. “Even though we miss my parents here”, says Donna, “We have been able to move the company forward in so many ways since their passing.” “Getting the inventory of finished goods from seven separate databases to one combined database under the company’s new enterprise software was a huge victory”, according to Cheryl. With that software, quotations, order flow and production planning were no longer manual feats. Quotes can often be completed by the person who answers the phone. An improved dimensional verification program has been in practice for over a year now. Thread rings and pitch micrometers have been on a tighter calibration schedule. This company has grown in a healthy way, and maintained the warm personality that resides in many smaller family businesses. Fastener Specialties Manufacturing is ready to serve you. The niche they serve is vital to the fastener industry. They have the raw materials, the equipment, the people, and the desire to help you increase your sales. Give them a call with your next small-quantity item.
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