ssbn-
Thanks much for continued support. You have been a friend of common sense ever since I saw your first post.
jtmcc is most likely in the fab business ( a whore's business, at the least! ) and possibly very early in his career.
If he is a thinking man, he may agree with us at some point, some day....
I could be wrong here, and have often been wrong before, but...
One day, if he wants to make a REAL living, he will find that the answer to "jump" is not "how high". I can give 20 yr exp. of why this is true.
Everyone is in a different situation, though. Many have start up costs, loans, employees (although I don't know why!), maybe even a spouse that considers shopping a religion or higher calling. These guys have MORE reason to jump.
I will not jump, but at this point, I do not need to! All is paid off, and I work where and when I want. I'm a bit luckier than most here.
All my posts on this site consider me and my particular situation. In addition to fixing welding machines, electricals, electro-mechanicals, and many millwright / and welding related services, I do a lot of precision tig welding work for a number of local R&D, specialty, tool & die, etc, including titanium, invar, kovar, inconel, hastelloy and the like.
Easy to do if you follow the recipe!!
I am on the downhill slide of my career. (47 yr old-started 1973).
I will semi retire in the next few. Full retire in 10 yr. (I hope!!- I really hope!!)
Not everyone is as fortunate as I have been at this point.
But this is no reason to be a "punching bag" for the less morally inclined clients. I will not be a "punching bag". Never have, never will.
Anyway, you do what you do, at a price that is acceptable to YOU. Look at a job and figure what this job is worth to YOU. You may well be cheaper, or even more expensive than a competitors.
Win a few, lose a few.
Remember, you are here to make money, nothing more, nothing less.
You can't let others run your business for you. Meeting your client's price, with no negotiation, is much like them running your business.
This is a short trip to disaster. You know your costs, overhead, burden, responsibilitys and so on. Your quoted cost may be higher than someone else-stick to your guns. Your competition may have easily forgot something!!
Remember, too that a few in this busines may lie from time to time!!! (hard to believe, isn't it!!).
If you are very good in what you do, do not be afraid to charge for this.
A lot of time and effort has been spent learning your trade. Selling it cheap, cheapens us all.
One way to check how you are doing is... If you get absolutely EVERYTHING you quote-you are too cheap, too good, or a combination of both. Don't be afraid to charge for your efforts!
Anyway, ssbn, we have got to hook up at some point. There very well may be a lot of things we can do together. If you find time-I'll meet you for lunch-I'll buy!- or the like. Let me know-would really enjoy a face to face. Email me directly for this.
Hope all this helps,
Good Luck
brad
Hi Brad,
It seems as though you have taken offense at my short comment, this was not my intent. I don't presume to know quite as much about you from a few sentences posted here as you have assumed about me. Let me try to explain myself better:
I am glad you are so busy you are turning away more work than you're doing, I did'nt get that impression from the comments, "In my area, there only a few of us left" and "Don't let us go the way of steam engine".
"a pre need meeting will help out greatly". Perhaps you're right, but I don't have time to hold "pre need meetings", when a welding machine goes down for us, we go get it fixed. I've never had any trouble doing it this way.
"We better have a history-or my rate goes up greatly". My rates are my rates and I don't adjust them according to history or relationship with the customer. Your rates are yours to do with as you please.
As I said in my first post, One time customer or old account, we do our best work, in a timely manner. It seems to be working for us. If a different approach is working well for you, that's good.
You made many assumptions from my post that I don't think you really have enough information to make:
You hope that I can get to the level of success you have achieved.
Some day I may make a REAL living.
I am most likely in the fab business. (followed by a rather vulgar comment towards those that are).
That others are running my business.
That my spouse might be a problem shopper (?)!
That I'm a punching bag.
And that I need a lesson in your philosophy of running a business.
That "thinking man" you refered to probably wouldn't jump to quite so many conclusions, without info to back those conclusions,as you have. I will chalk it up to the fact that I think you took my reply as a personal insult which I've already said it was not.
For what it's worth, we are a little field welding service. The majority of our work is transmittion pipeline, distribution pipeline, process piping, some piling and a little (sometimes a lot) of misc. thrown in here and there.
regards,
JTMcC.
Brande and JTMcC,
We all have said things in ways that were misunderstood. I want to thank both of you for handling your opinions in a civil manner. That's what make this forum worth participating in.
Chet Guilford
jtmcc
I meant no disrespect to you or your company.
I can only comment on what works for me, in my location, and my particular circumstance. These are the essential variables.
As far as the supposed vulgar comment, I apopogize if taken the wrong way. The fabrication business in this region can be dicey at best, lately.
Most often the job goes to whoever is willing to lose the most money on a particular job. (the poor metalworking economy in this area forces this!)
This is why I concentrate the fab part of my business to the high end materials / jobs and R&D, where you can still get a decent buck.
We always do our best work, regardless of client.It's either right or it ain't.
We are careful, however.
Many local companies try to "use" us at odd times or jobs.
I insist that if they want us to handle the crap, they must give us some of the "gravy" as well.
As far as the supposed assumptions, they were only that. I don't know you personally, your business personally and the economics of your particular region. All of this may well be very different than those of mine and I am sure they are.
We are all trying to find that magical combination that works.
I did not take particular offense to your post. I only found it as an opportunity to voice what works for me, here.
You are a regular here, and as such, I very much respect your experience and point of view.
I sincerely hope we didn't get off on the wrong foot here. I know I can be a bit short at times.
I look forward to your continued posts.
Keep in touch-I look forward to hearing from you!!
Good Luck
brande
I have tried to email and I received no responce but like Tim the reps have helped greatly.
Hello Again brande!!!
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