With so many social media benefits for business, how can industrial automation professionals NOT be spending time on LinkedIn attracting customers, getting customer feedback, and building customer loyalty? Click here to read Mara's first Spring Meeting 2023 Marketing Minutes presentation entitled: Make the Most of YOUR LinkedIn Activity with These 5 Day-to-Day Habits, and find out how to engage with contacts both new and familiar in ways to increase your influence and that of your business!
by: Mara Dickson
5/22/2023
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One of the most overlooked elements in any organization’s social media strategy is its own team. While social media is often about looking outwards at prospects and turning them into happy customers and advocates, employees at your company could be the key to unlocking more followers, improving engagement rates, and ultimately, generating more business.
by: Mara Dickson
9/27/2022
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Marketing has always been about creating demand for something by cleverly attracting and keeping people’s attention. We need to EARN that attention. Is that only the domain of your Marketing Department? Absolutely not.
by: Mara Dickson
8/22/2022
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It may seem foreign to think about brand as it relates to people, but we all have a personal brand too. You, too develop your brand every single day, during every interaction with a client – indeed, with everyone you come into contact! Whether intentionally or accidentally, All. Communicate. Brand.
It is what people know you for – who you are, what you know, what you have accomplished, and how you present and carry yourself. And it is developed differently from that of a company brand. Personal brand is the result of past activity and already exists at the time we first become aware of its existence, so managing and reshaping personal brand requires deliberation and consistent effort.
by: Mara Dickson
1/4/2022
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During the AHTD Marketing Minutes at our “Better Together” Fall Meeting in Colorado Springs, we talked about Branding. Today’s article will focus on the information contained in the first talk: What is Branding and the benefits of doing it right!
by: Mara Dickson
11/15/2021
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During the AHTD Marketing Minutes at our “Better Together” Fall Meeting in Colorado Springs, we talked about Branding. We discovered: 1. Branding Done Right and Branding Gone Wrong; 2. Steps to Consolidating Company Brand; and 3. The Whys and Hows of Personal Branding. Today’s article will focus on the information contained in the second talk: What are the steps to consolidating company brand.
by: Mara Dickson
12/1/2021
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I hear from a lot of people that they have set up their LinkedIn profile, but, since it is really just a platform for getting a new job and they are not dissatisfied and looking to find another, they don’t need to spend any time on this Social Media network. Well, I am here to tell you that this is NOT TRUE. While job hunting may have been the original reason for getting you signed up, there are other great reasons to be involved on LinkedIn! Did you catch that last one? If there is one thing I don’t have to impress upon AHTD members, it’s the power of networking. When we cannot be together in person we can stay connected on LinkedIn!
by: Mara Dickson
6/23/2021
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Time to tackle what to post and what to say.
One of the most paralyzing aspects of participating in social media is deciding what to post and what to say about what others post! Take a look at the types of content generally accepted on each of these social media networks. What achieves the best network engagement on LinkedIn?
by: Mara Dickson
11/13/2020
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What are 3 simple things you can do today to improve your LinkedIn?
Our "AHTD Marketing Minute" segment from Fall Meeting 2020 in Salt Lake City received great feedback.
Read Mara’s next suggestion to get us making the most of LinkedIn...
by: Mara Dickson
11/13/2020
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Whether you are creating snappy content for video scripts, social media, or your website, there comes a time in the life of all content creators when we sit in front of our keyboards and have no idea what to write next.
In today’s Marketing MinuteS, I offer you 7 Fresh Tactics for figuring out What's on Your Calendar - where you and your team might find inspiration for YOUR next super-strong content series!
by: Mara Dickson
6/26/2023
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During our AHTD Fall Meeting in Salt Lake City’s new feature called the "AHTD Marketing Minute", we talked about:
1. What to do to be effective on social media.
2. What to do to make sure your posts and comments reach specific people, or people with specific interests.
3. Three simple things you can do today to improve your LinkedIn profile.
4. The most paralyzing aspects of social media: Deciding what to post and what to say.
Today’s article will focus on the top of the list.
by: Mara Dickson
11/12/2020
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Wondering what to do to make sure your posts and comments reach specific people, companies, or people with specific interests? Here’s another recap from our "AHTD Marketing Minute" segment from Fall Meeting 2020 in Salt Lake City.
This is where the social media convention of using @-mentions and hashtags (#) come in.
by: Mara Dickson
11/12/2020
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In just two days, this instructive lesson with hands-on demonstrations (perfect for distribution and product managers) will teach you the ins and outs of the most prominent industrial communication protocols, best practices and helpful tips from our expert support team, how to configure, use and optimize our products and so much more.
by: Jill Schwitters
3/29/2023
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Every other year, the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) engages with stakeholders across the fluid power supply chain to refresh and re-publish its Technology Roadmap for the Fluid Power Industry. The NFPA Roadmap is a document that describes the evolving needs of companies in fluid power’s many customer markets, the degree to which fluid power is capable of meeting those needs, and the R&D objectives that will help fluid power meet or better meet those needs in the future. We have now in the middle of a new refresh cycle that will culminate in the production of a new document in August 2023.
by: Eric Lanke
3/22/2023
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If you’ve not tried Open AI ChatGPT yet, you must. It has changed the world forever and the sooner you try it, the better. You can go to the web address: chat.openai.com/chat. Read the privacy warnings and, if you agree, sign up. When you start having conversations, prepare to be amazed.
by: Mike Foster
3/20/2023
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Luis Castro, President and CEO of Process Control & Engineering has discovered his company can produce a bill of materials (BOM) with pricing for job quotations in a fraction of the time when using the KYKLO system implemented by Heitek Automation.
by: Taylor Lioy
3/23/2023
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on businesses around the world, including those in the distribution industry. While the industry remained essential during the pandemic, supply chain delays, raw material delays, and other factors meant that many distributors experienced unpredictable supply and high-volume demand. As the supply chain is rebounding, experts are predicting an incoming recession, and companies are left wondering how this new economic climate will impact them.
by: Rachel Sharkman
3/23/2023
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on businesses around the world, including those in the distribution industry. While the industry remained essential during the pandemic, supply chain delays, raw material delays, and other factors meant that many distributors experienced unpredictable supply and high-volume demand. As the supply chain is rebounding, experts are predicting an incoming recession, and companies are left wondering how this new economic climate will impact them.
by: Rachel Sharkman
3/20/2023
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In last month’s Marketing Minute Blog, I introduced the idea of creating your company’s BIG IDEA, the “hook” that aids in recall of your company or offering’s main benefit and helps your audience remember, share, and act upon seeing your campaign. I went into detail about some successful and failed campaigns and explained (with some pretty interesting examples) how important it is to make sure to include both a variety of company stakeholders as well as members of your target audience in your discussions when considering implementing a BIG IDEA for your marketing plan. Check it out first here, and then read further to learn HOW!
by: Mara Dickson
2/9/2023
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With another productive year now firmly behind us, DDS is pleased to report some more outstanding numbers pertaining to our Industrial Automation data set. As of January, we’re proud to be offering Next-Gen™ product content for a whopping 1.9 million Industrial Automation SKUs from 313 leading brands.
by: Kelsey Laush
2/17/2023
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Industry leaders, NOSHOK and KYKLO, join forces to enable distributor digitalization. Under their partnership, NOSHOK’s distributors will be able to easily access the entire product line, and enhanced data for new products will be instantly available for distributor use. KYKLO will optimize customer communications by enabling better data sharing between customers and their distributors. Featured NOSHOK products will receive priority attention on the distributor’s e-commerce platform. Additionally, the NOSHOK product offering will include a product selector with enhanced filters and categories developed by KYKLKO engineers to help customers find the right product for their application. KYKLO will apply their world-class SEO expertise to improve the visibility of NOSHOK’s offering. This means greater market attention, and more importantly, it will allow customers to find solutions centered around application-based product specifications.
by: Marine Vienney
2/14/2023
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Knowing what you do for your customers, and what you CAN do for prospective clients, HOW do you now take that to create and distribute – continually - the valuable content that will attract and retain a clearly defined audience, the content that will engage that audience with immersive experiences, content that will take your target group through the whole customer journey while maintaining brand consistency and team alignment, and ultimately content that will drive a profitable customer response?
by: Mara Dickson
1/16/2023
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There are 875 million members (and counting) professionals in 200 countries and regions using LinkedIn in one or more of its 26 languages. There is no better place to connect with other business professionals than on LinkedIn, so I am going to tell you something that may be unpopular and perhaps even surprising to many: stop selling on LinkedIn!
by: Mara Dickson
12/8/2022
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The ‘MRA Talent Report’ has several interesting insights on workforce information and innovation from MRA’s member organizations. You may find some of these quotes, data, and factoids helpful in conversations with your own executive team related to attracting and retaining talent in today’s labor market.
by: MRA - The Management Association
6/20/2022
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As we stumble our way out of the worst of the pandemic, automation distributors face several new challenges. For example, by early to mid-summer, most realized the delivery issues associated with getting products to their customers were not destined to be short-lived. This could not have come at a worse time. Further, both distributors and their supply partners had felt the impact of other pressure points on the business. To better understand these phenomena, River Heights Consulting launched a major research project to apply some metrics to the changes.
by: Frank Hurtte, River Heights Consulting
12/7/2021
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On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which is the latest COVID-19 emergency relief package providing support for small businesses, schools, health care providers, renters, direct stimulus payments, vaccine distribution, and more.
by: MRA - The Management Association
1/4/2021
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Sumitomo Machinery Corp of America donated an estimated 4000 LBS of food, diapers, and other personal care items to the Mayflower Marathon Food Drive. The Mayflower supports the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore (a member of Feeding America). This local foodbank had to cancel major fundraising campaigns due to COVID -19 and we are proud to help them in their time of need.
by: Sumitomo Machinery Corp of America
12/3/2020
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Shingle & Gibb Automation is excited to support the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program for our 13th year! Our Moorestown, New Jersey location is an official drop-off site, where community members, Shingle team members and supplier partners can contribute to the Toys for Tots program which has provided 584 million gifts for more than 265 million children since 1947.
For the past several years, Shingle's CEO, Brian Lepsis, has recruited a group of team members to head out and do some serious shopping to fill up multiple shopping carts with toys, games, bicycles and more! The team at Shingle & Gibb is committed to helping very deserving children experience the joy of the season.
by: Shingle & Gibb Automation
12/3/2020
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Given the situation with COVID from lockdown to job loss the Ringfeder Power Transmission team decided that we could do something to help, even if just a little. We decided to use the funds that would normally go to our Christmas Party (COVID cancellation) to provide bikes to the Marine Toys for Tots program.
Our team purchased 26 toddler sized bikes that were delivered unassembled to our Westwood, NJ office. As a team, we spent the better part of the short Thanksgiving holiday week assembling, adjusting, and preparing the bikes for delivery. Everyone in the office participated knowing that the bikes were going to a great cause. The final step is to deliver the bikes on December 2nd giving the program volunteers plenty of time to get the bikes to the families that registered with the program this year. We understand that this year more families are registering for the Toys for Tots program given the difficult times everyone is facing. We are grateful that we can help make someone’s Christmas a little brighter.
by: Ringfeder Power Transmission
12/3/2020
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For years, I’ve been asked what to look for when hiring an entry level salesperson. By “entry level,” I mean someone who has never held a professional selling job before. My advice to my clients has always been, “Don’t,” for one simple reason. Most of my clients are in the small-to-medium sized range of companies, and most are not set up to teach someone how to WORK, not just to sell. And make no mistake, you have to teach entry level salespeople to work.
Plus, screening entry level salespeople is much different than screening an experienced salesperson. “Gut hires” are far more common because there isn’t a track record to fall back on in evaluating a candidate. And gut hires have a high fail rate – over 2/3. So, let’s suppose that for whatever reason – economics, talent pool, customer types – you need to hire an entry level salesperson? Here are some guidelines to implement...
by: Troy Harrison
7/29/2021
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KYKLO has lots of reasons to continue celebrating after 4th of July, with signing their 9th manufacturer partner! KYKLO recently announced their partnership with Balluff, a leader in automation and industrial sensors. On top of this great news, June 23rd being International Women in Engineering Day, some of their female engineers shared their experiences in the engineering field and how that differs from their work at KYKLO.
by: KYKLO
7/21/2021
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Adapted from a bold and informative blog series, this e-book is a consolidated version of our “Top 10 Reasons Distributors Choose DDS” list—aimed at explaining why more and more distributors are choosing DDS as their partner for next-generation e-commerce product content. As recent events have certainly emphasized, your customers (as well as your own sales staff) need access to more and better product content online, and to put it bluntly, DDS can deliver it like no one else in the industry can.
Through this “Top 10” list, we’re sharing some detail about our process and our philosophy, first to help guide distributors through the challenges and opportunities of e-commerce, and second, to educate the industry as to how our product content and related solution offerings differ from—and are superior to—that of other providers.
by: DDS (Distributor Data Solutions)
7/20/2021
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At the risk of stating the obvious, connections matter. This is not a new concept for those in AHTD because networking is one of the main benefits to be gained when joining the Association for High Technology Distribution!
Connecting with other industry professionals gives a variety of benefits, including access to a group of industry experts with valuable business experience, exposure to related businesses for partnerships, joint ventures, and areas for expansion, and mentoring opportunities to share and exchange insights that help future leaders in their progress.
by: Mara Dickson
7/19/2021
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If you haven’t noticed already, you soon will notice that LinkedIn has started letting you know there is information and some messages on the platform targeted especially to you. These alerts come from the LinkedIn algorithm noticing your activity, from following companies, and from your connections.
by: Mara Dickson
7/19/2021
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While I’m not a negatively-focussed person, sometimes knowing what NOT to do can help us all focus on best practices. We’ve all seen it: See those “form letter” signs? The weird reuse of my name, the attempt at being casual, the obvious use of the exact LinkedIn rendition of our company name, its uncomfortable repetition, some over-inflated promises to try to lure me into allowing them to practice their pitch.
by: Mara Dickson
7/19/2021
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Click here to access the results of MRA's recent Hot Topic Survey. As the world begins to move toward post-pandemic life, organizations that participated in this survey indicate that policies and work environments show optimism toward returning to familiar times.
by: MRA - The Management Association
6/24/2021
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Like the swallows returning from their 6,000-mile trip to Argentina to the mission at Capistrano, face-to-face association meetings are returning. We are so happy about the situation that we are walking around the office with giddy smiles and goofy grins on our faces.
We attended the Spring 2021 AHTD Meeting. For everyone there, this was a sneak preview to the “New Normal”. Masks were at the ready, hand sanitizer showed everywhere, but the painful dread of a COVID cell sending us to the hospital was not blatantly hanging over our heads. Most of the attendees had at least one of their vaccinations and while precautions were taken, the atmosphere was abuzz with normalcy. We enjoyed the session.
by: KYKLO
6/22/2021
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DDS (Distributor Data Solutions) is the leading e-commerce product content provider serving the wholesale distribution industry. Developed by veterans of the industry, DDS helps manufacturers and distributors facilitate an exceptional e-commerce experience for their end-user customers with the most robust product and marketing information—and the most intelligent, efficient content delivery system—available in the marketplace.
by: DDS (Distributor Data Solutions)
6/14/2021
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I loved the HBO show, The Sopranos. I’m a bit of a Mafia aficionado; I’ve been fascinated with that culture ever since my grandmother (!) gave me a book by Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno to read when I was 16. In an early episode of The Sopranos, James Gandolfini, playing Tony Soprano (the main character and the leader or “Don” of the Soprano mob) was hosting a barbecue in his back yard for other mobsters. Tony manned the grill while wearing Bermuda shorts, and this prompted a visit the next week.
As Gandolfini told the story, at a shoot the next week on location in New Jersey, he was approached by a man that was obviously a real-deal mobster. The man walked up to Gandolfini and said that he loved the show, “But Jimmy,” the man said, looking dead into James’ eyes, “Dons don’t wear shorts.” Gandolfini took it to heart, and Tony Soprano never wore shorts again in a Mob gathering. In fact, this became part of a Sopranos episode later when Tony was reproached by a boss for the shorts. What the mobster meant, of course, is that when you have that kind of a leadership position, you can’t afford to look too casual to those that you are supposed to be leading. It’s a lesson that’s often forgotten.
by: Troy Harrison
4/16/2021
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On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which is the latest COVID-19 emergency relief package providing support for small businesses, schools, health care providers, renters, mental health and substance abuse care, direct stimulus payments, vaccine distribution, and more.
There are a few key provisions affecting employers, including...
by: MRA - The Management Association
3/24/2021
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A few years ago, “Big Data” was one of the top queries in Google search. The funny thing is, most people understood what big data was, but didn’t do anything about it. It’s time B2B companies start leaning on both primary and third-party data to better understand who's interested in them and get more proactive in using that newfound intelligence. Here are some tools that will help give you and your team a better glimpse into the users on your website. And what you can do about it.
by: Thomas J. Armitage
2/22/2021
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XYZ Company continues to support its employees during this pandemic and expects all employees to act in a socially responsible manner to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The safety and security of all employees, customers and the communities where we live and work remains our top priority. As vaccination efforts continue to evolve, we have received inquiries from employees about how we will approach vaccinations within our facilities and have outlined our response below.
Each state has its own plan for vaccine prioritization, distribution and allocation, working under general guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely available, we encourage and support employees who choose to receive the vaccine when they become eligible. In support of this interest, XYZ Company has committed to the following...
by: MRA - The Management Association
1/26/2021
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Pulse surveys are a tool for obtaining feedback on a specific topic, such as employees’ interest in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey should be short so you can quickly summarize the results and take action, if necessary. If available, utilizing automated survey technology is an effective and efficient way to administer the survey.
Pulse surveys are a great way to gather information that require immediate attention. Most importantly, they remind your employees that you care and are interested in finding solutions, which increases the likelihood of engagement.
by: MRA - The Management Association
1/26/2021
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Don’t get me wrong. There are many very strong businesses that have had severe hardships due to the restrictions imposed on us during the last year, some of whom have, unfortunately, failed. But – one thing that the last several months should have done is to emphasize the importance of fundamentals in your sales program. There are still companies out there succeeding and making sales in nearly every industry, and they are doing so because they had the fundamentals of sales covered. Here are some of the fundamentals you should have in place...
by: Troy Harrison
1/19/2021
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Different offices of the Valin Corporation proudly supported local charities this holiday season donating food, gifts, and money to make a difference in their communities.
by: Valin Corporation
1/6/2021
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Each year, the Sure Controls’ staff raises money through various fundraising efforts including collecting donations for snack items and company-wide raffles. The money collected allows us to adopt a family through the Salvation Army to provide gifts for families who are unable to afford them. Our elves put out the gifts so staff can see what their donated money has purchased before staff members wrap them up and deliver them to the Salvation Army.
by: Sure Controls
12/16/2020
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When our annual employee holiday potluck dinner was canceled due to COVID, the employees at Lakeland Engineering Equipment collected money and pooled their resources to donate to Second Harvest. In addition, we filled a bin full of toys for the Toys for Tots program so kids have presents to open on Christmas day.
by: Lakeland Engineering Equipment
12/15/2020
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Let’s get real about prospecting. Prospecting has changed – right along with everything else in selling. And as salespeople and managers, we have to adapt and overcome those challenges, but certain things remain true. As the title says, they can’t buy from us if they don’t know that we exist. And, if you view prospecting as the most direct way to make sure that potential customers know that we exist, you understand how it fits into our sales matrix.
In our B2B world of selling, we have one great advantage – we know (or should know) who our potential customers are. We don’t have to broadcast messages and hope that our potential customers reach out to us – and yet that’s what entirely too many salespeople still do. I’m not big on a “crank it and hope” philosophy, so let’s dig into the realities of prospecting today.
by: Troy Harrison
12/15/2020
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Smart Vision Lights is proud to support the efforts Muskegon Rescue Mission. SVL employees recently held a food drive for this important organization. MRM serves men, women and children from all walks of life. Individuals and families come seeking help. MRM also receive referrals from the Department of Human Services, churches, community agencies, police, area businesses, and individuals. Guests primarily come from Muskegon County, however, there are no geographic restrictions.
Dan Skolund, Executive Director of Muskegon Rescue Mission, shared this about SVL’s donation, “Thanks so much for your support. The work everyone at Smart Vision Lights does to support the mission and care for our guests is amazing. We are grateful for your partnership!”
by: Smart Vision Lights
12/14/2020
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Giving back to our community and to a worthy cause, the Wade Antenna Bros (and Gals) grew funds for the annual Movember Charity Event to support Men’s Health Issues, our team sported the staches (either authentic or on masks for the ladies) throughout the month of November and raised over $2000 for the cause.
by: Wade Antenna
12/3/2020
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?When facing a global pandemic and resulting economic downturn, among other sources of turmoil, an announcement of unprecedented company success is not what you might expect. And yet, that’s exactly why we’re writing this.
Earlier in the year, like many companies, we had to transition to a new way of carrying on business. Our tradeshow appearances and conference attendances were all put on hold or cancelled, the majority of our employees had to learn how to work remotely, and our favorite way to interact with customers—sharing a handshake and a meal—had to be sacrificed in order to preserve the health of our organization and theirs. This year hasn’t been easy, but if there’s anything we can say when looking at the numbers, it’s that we found incredible success in a time when we might have expected it the least.
by: Murrelektronik, Inc.
12/3/2020
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It’s definitely a challenging time, but all things considered, things are going pretty well for us at Kollmorgen. I thought the AHTD membership might be interested to see a recent article in The Virginia Economic Review that profiled our organization and the fight against COVID-19. Kollmorgen’s feature begins on page 86.
by: Kollmorgen
12/3/2020
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First a bit of background. My very first AHTD experience dates to 1992, which is hard for me to fathom. I attended the meeting based on the recommendation of a long-time friend and president of the association–Terry Miller. I do remember Terry’s words ahead of the meeting, “The AHTD presenters will open your eyes to new and better ways of doing business, but the insights of the other attendees will blow you away.” Terry was right.
One of the first people I accidentally ran into at the meeting was Bob Dietz, who was a past president, one of the founders of AHTD, and a successful businessman. He was also 20 years my senior. He was confident, charismatic, and impressive to be around. During a brief conversation, Bob said something that still plays in my mind nearly three decades later. “The people in this room are the brain trust of our industry. Ask them questions. Listen to what they say in conversations. You’ll be surprised at how their thoughts can help you.” As a guy yet still a couple of years shy of 40, Bob was everything I wanted to be, so I listened. I still do.
by: Frank Hurtte
11/23/2020
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Henderson, NV: With leading technology in automation and over two decades of experience, CIMON is generating an identity that separates us from our competitors. CIMON is retaining the same integrity and quality of functionality, while also providing the expedited engineering that is desired. In addition to staying open during these trying times, we have expanded our team while retaining the support customers desire. This confidence radiates from our commitment to providing high quality industrial automation products such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and industrial PCs (IPCs). As time races on, we see ourselves as a solutions provider that is not limited to an industry of four categories.
by: CIMON Inc.
11/13/2020
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First of all, mea culpa. I’m as guilty as anyone else of what I’m about to write about. I’ve been focused, as so many other sales authors have been, on what’s been changing during 2020 (and the years immediately preceding). And it's true; the changes have been significant. We’ve seen entire industries being rocked or overturned. We’ve seen travel restricted or in some cases prohibited. We’ve seen technology take over some phases of selling. And yet…..there’s a lot that hasn’t changed about selling. That will be the focus of this article.
People are still buying things.
Salespeople are still selling things.
And the customer’s basic buying process is still intact. Customers buy things in a defined five-step process.
by: Troy Harrison
11/13/2020
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Turnover is one of the least recognized ways that companies lose sales revenue. Here's why.
I answered the phone this afternoon, and an earnest voice said, “Hello, Mr. Harrison? This is Chris (last name eliminated), and I’m your new representative with (Company X). I’m calling to introduce myself, and to see if we could set up a time to chat, so I could learn about your business and we could see if (Company X) could do more for you.”
Company X is a vendor with whom I have done business for six years. I’m loyal to them because they provide a service that helps me a lot. I spend quite a bit of money with them, and I’m sure that when Chris looked at my account, he figured he had a pretty solid customer and a good sales call. That’s why I’m sure that my response was a huge surprise to him (and it might be to you, as well).
by: Troy Harrison
10/22/2020
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I can spot a Tom Hopkins' disciple (or for that matter, a disciple of a Tom Hopkins' disciple) from a mile away. They use “sales words,” like calling a contract “paperwork” or calling the price an “investment.” In today’s world, it’s like a wet towel across the face of your buyer, letting them know that they are dealing with a “Salesperson.” But that’s not the topic of this article.
You see, the word “investment,” and it’s closely related word, “spend,” really do have a heavy bearing in the world of sales management.
According to Webster’s, “invest” means “to expend money with the expectation of realizing a profit or material result.”
“Spend” means “to pay out money in buying or hiring goods or services.”
by: Troy Harrison
9/1/2020
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Now is your time to become a leader. AHTD is molding the leaders of tomorrow through the organization’s Future Leaders Program. This cutting-edge curriculum is a comprehensive, practical approach that develops the skills necessary for up-and-coming industrial automation leaders to succeed and thrive in their trade.
The Future Leaders Program captures the magic for the next generation of high performers and is for anyone driven to be a trailblazer in the industry.
Through a series of courses over 19 months, students meet in-person during AHTD’s semi-annual conferences, connecting with others in the same space and getting real-world examples. After the in-person sessions, program participants experience AHTD’s sought after networking opportunities while at these events.
by: AHTD
9/21/2020
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