A list of The Best Resources to Help Grow Your Manufacturing Business
No matter what size manufacturer you are from a couple men in a shop to the largest manufacturers in the world, growth can be challenging. Despite this many manufacturers still want to be able to grow afterall its why we are in business, along with providing tangible solutions to customers problems. If you are a manufacturer looking to grow here are great resources that will provide valuable insight into how to grow.
Sales & Marketing
One of the key drivers to your growth is bringing in new customers. Being able to connect with new customers will give you more opportunities to grow your market share which results in more business. The following are great resources focused on activating new customers and building your business through Sales & Marketing
Marketing for Manufacturing Businesses
The One Page Marketing Plan – This is a great overview of important aspects of marketing. It is basically an all in one solution that covers aspects of marketing from building the image of your company to the practical nuts and bolts of finding and gaining new customers. The focus on one page makes it practical and action oriented
Lead Generation Theory and Practice – Lead generation is a subset of marketing focused on helping people who have the need you solve become aware and take action with your company. This is critical because as a manufacturer you are not typically trying to target the entire US market but rather have a relatively unique market segment you serve, maybe its elevator components, or maybe large industrial fans.To grow your business being in a targeted segment there are a variety of options but one critical aspect is helping sales have potential customers to speak with who have an interest in your product. Helping sales have some opportunities generated by marketing can drastically improve the closure rates of your sales force which improves their effectiveness. Lead Generation Theory and Practice covers all the critical aspects of lead generation from how to determine the cost of leads in various channels, to channels to consider for trial, to whether outsourcing lead generation makes sense.
Lead Generation for Dummies – This is another complete Manual on generating leads rather than broad marketing like branding and covers everything from marketing automation, to content marketing, to channels to test.
Sales Books for Manufacturing Businesses
Fanatical Prospecting – Fanatical Prospecting is a thorough up to date sales training guide that covers how to contact new accounts, how to prospect, and how to leverage a variety of different media to connect with prospects from social media, to email, to the phone. It is a straight forward guide and doesn’t say there is a magic solution to increasing sales but rather it depends on planning, strategy, and execution.
The Brutal Truth About Sales Podcast – Brian Burns is the host of this Podcast that covers a variety of sales topics. His background is in the technology space but his advice is spot on and helpful for a variety of sales scenarios he has a focus on B2B which is often the customer you will be trying to reach as a sales person in a manufacturing facility.
The Advanced Selling Podcast – Another great podcast that covers a variety of sales topics and can help sharpen your sale forces skills. Bill and Brian Focus on the Mental aspect of sales a lot which is an interesting perspective that helps you have the right attitude when approaching prospects, leads, or clients.
Manufacturing Business Strategy and Growth
Grow to Greatness Smart Growth for Private Business – Ed Hess is a professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, he has also been an entrepreneur and teaches from experience. Whether you read the book or listen to his class on course free the information is valuable. His book focuses on growing for privately held companies and covers a variety of aspects to consider from people and processes to frameworks for deciding between growth options.
Scaling Up – Scaling Up addresses critical problems that occur in the process of growing any firm and how to properly address them. From cash flow shortages, to making strategic decisions, to deciding how to gain new customers scaling up covers the entire spectrum of challenges that are associated with business growth. It is also focused on practical applicable solutions making it a great resource if your trying to grow your manufacturing business.
How To Implement Lean Manufacturing – Being a manufacturer saving money and reducing lead time are always top of mind. This can greatly impact your business strategy and so this book is a great resource that covers all the critical aspects that you need to know to implement lean manufacturing in your manufacturing business.
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