- Customer Service
- Internet Sales
- Marketing
- Sales Leadership
- Sales Success Stories
- Sales Tips
- Showrooms
Customer Service
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Customer Service Wake-Up Call
Have you ever stopped to think about how you want to be served when you are the customer? Of course you have. The bigger question is: Do you make sure that your customers are treated as you want to be treated? Without your customer, you’re out of business. Sure, you have customers who make it [...] -
Customer Service Tangibles
WestAir defines, evaluates and rewards customer service. Everyone says it. “Our service differentiates us.” How many times have you heard that from an independent distributor? In San Diego and at 17 other locations throughout California, Arizona and Texas, WestAir Gases & Equipment not only says it, but proves it. Andy Castiglione Sr. and his wife Sue founded [...] -
Managing Excellence
Product Excellence Manager Phil Royle works online and in person to protect Legoland’s reputation. Phil Royle gets paid to make sure visitors to Legoland Florida go away satisfied. Royle, the park’s product excellence manager, has 12 years of experience with Merlin Entertainments Group, the parent company of Legoland. A native of England, Royle worked at Legoland Discovery [...] -
Top Service Technicians Tell All
Meet 10 service technicians who face the rigors of repair every day. -
Service Technician Honor Roll
Do you know a great service technician? You can help GAWDA Celebrate the top service technicians in the industry by adding your service technicians’ names and photos to Welding & Gases Today’s Service Technician Honor Roll. Check back often to see who is the best in our industry and why. Nominate a service tech here. The following [...] -
Auditing Compressed Air Quality
A simple evaluation can save as much as 25 percent on energy and maintenance costs. By David Barleen. -
Are You Referral-Worthy?
Assess your distributorship’s skill at getting those all-important referrals. By Christine Corelli -
What Your Customers Really Want
Welding and gases end-users have strong ideas on what they look for when choosing a distributor. -
Turn A Negative Into A Positive
Customer complaints are among the most useful feedback a distributor can receive. By Gary Moore. -
How To Use Customer Surveys
If done properly, surveys can tell you a lot about your company. By Jason Effing, P.E. -
More Than Just Flowers
How to stand out when competition comes down to customer service. By Mark Mayberry -
Strategies For Handling Irate Callers
Learn how to handle irate callers. By Nancy Friedman -
The Customer Empathy Solution
Customer empathy in the gases and welding industry means making a customer love you and creating an emotional tie with an industrial gas or welding equipment customer. By Ross Shafer. -
Thank-You Notes 101
Thank you notes are critical for maintaining customer relationships. -
Open Your Doors For Open Houses And Let Customers Know Your Gratitude
Open house events are a great way to show your customers how much you value them. -
The Six Cardinal Rules Of Customer Service
Learn the six cardinal rules of customer service. By Nancy Friedman -
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Customer surveys allow an industrial gases and welding equipment distributors to get feedback on their service and customer satisfaction from their gases and welding customers. By Lloyd Robinson. -
Five Most Frustrating Voice Mail Phrases
Avoid frustration with a voice mail system in the gases and welding industry by refraining from five major mistakes and leaving effective voice mail messages. By Nancy Friedman. -
No Snakes Need Apply
Having an organized approach to hiring an advertising agency allows a gases and welding distributor to avoid hiring the wrong advertising agency. By Paul J. Cowley.
Internet Sales
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Manufacturers’ Bold Move To Online Sales
‘We need to work through this.’ Miller has been selling online to consumers for a little less than two years; Lincoln Electric has been at it since late October 2014, just three months. The entry of these two welding equipment giants into the online arena has been the cause of some angst. In fact, a large [...] -
I Know You Love Your Business. Do Your Customers?
What’s the “RAP” on you and your business? What do you mean you don’t know? YOU CREATED IT! Just ask Mother Google. She is standing by with millions of info-bits and info-bites about you and your business that you (or anyone) can have in a nanosecond. For free. What is posted about you (not what you have posted [...] -
AmazonSupply
First it was books. Then it was blankets. Now it’s rods and electrodes. AmazonSupply launched in April 2012 at www.AmazonSupply.com, with a mission statement “to sell everything needed to rebuild civilization.” Five-hundred thousand industrial products were listed for sale. Today, just two-and-a-half years later, more than 2,250,000 items are listed in 17 vertical distribution segments, including [...] -
Redefining The Supply Channel
Digital sales are paying off for some distributors. More and more distributors are investing in their e-commerce sites. Some have built websites separate from their company sites in order to reflect a broader perspective, especially if that company website indicates a geographic location in its name, i.e., “midwest sales supply” or “southern california goods.” Others sell [...] -
Minimum Sell Price Policy For Internet Sales
Manufacturers are able to set a minimum sell price for internet sales, and some manufacturers opt to set a minimum advertised price for their gases and welding products. -
Quit Your Whining And Learn To Deal With It!
Internet sales are here to stay and gases and welding distributors can take advantage of sales opportunities on the internet by using internet sales techniques to sell gases and welding equipment. By Wally Brant. -
E-Commerce As A Strategic Initiative
The Internet can be used as a strategic marketing tool for distributors in the gases and welding industry. Welding supplies and specialty gases can be marketed throughout the country, regardless of physical location. By Robert J. Goodliffe. -
Revisiting The Online Sales Tax
The Internet has made sales between states more prevalent, and with that comes new tax issues for e-commerce including sales tax issues for varying states. By Scott Ehrnschwender.
Marketing
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Understanding Your Customers
The More You Know the More Sales Grow Suppose sales at your firm have been holding steady, or even slightly increasing. Though these are undeniably positive outcomes, would you be able to pinpoint the specific reasons why your customers are giving you repeat business? Would you know how many of these repeat customers are susceptible [...] -
Niche Now!
Small markets offer big dividends for gases and welding distributors. By Steven Van Yoder. -
Welding Rodeo Round-Up
Central Welding Supply finds a unique solution for one college's welding program. -
Back To School
Three distributors reap the rewards of partnering with welding training programs at area colleges and technical shools. -
Emerging Markets
New technology in solar panels and photovoltaics creates new applications for hydrogen, nitrogen and other gases. By Rick Kowey -
Marketing On A Tight Budget
Gases and welding distributors should maintain or increase marketing in difficult economic times using the internet, email or other advertising methods. By Barry Lauterwasser. -
Street Fighter Marketing
Postcards and simple advertising items like customer testimonials and contests can generate business for a gases and welding company at little cost. By Jeff Slutsky. -
Distributor Marketing Programs
Members of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association discuss innovative ways to promote their gases and welding business and stretch limited marketing budgets. -
What Should A Company Expect From Its Marketing Program?
The goal of the marketing department is to create customers by generating company interest, differentiating the company, locking the marketplace and retaining customers in the gases and welding industry. By John R. Graham.
Sales Leadership
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Wisdom, Wit, & Kindred Spirits
Finding Peers and Reassurance Provides Value By Diane Stirling Family businesses are the mechanisms by which much of the world’s societies are organized. They’re how people around the globe have created the means to financially support the family unit for more than a millennium. Families have operated all types of businesses, including shipbuilding, innkeeping and wine-, paper- [...] -
Five Steps To Building A Championship Sales Team
Joe runs a mid-sized manufacturing company with 19 salespeople. The sales team is a mix of long-time veterans and newcomers. Sales have been flat for the past 18 months, even though the economy has improved. Joe is constantly frustrated with his ineffective attempts to get his team to prospect more. He tries to show them [...] -
Making Long-Term Sales
Does insider knowledge help? By Rodney Finch -
The Inside Scoop
Meet three behind-the-scenes individuals who make outside sales succeed. -
A Tale of Two Generations
Two generations of sales professionals talk about the craft of selling and the differences between young salespeople and veteran salespeople. -
Critical Sales Leadership And Coaching Skills
Management of gases and welding sales professionals depends on the four pillars: personal discipline, relationship skills, strategic selling and tactical selling in the gases and welding industry. By Don Buttrey. -
Proactive Sales Management
In order to obtain different results from your gases and welding sales team, a sales manager must change procedures, including strategy, planning, sales process, account profiles and compensation for gases and welding salespeople. By Joe Ellers. -
Goal Setting And Your Salespeople
Motivating salespeople to change can be difficult. Allow salespeople to plan their own course of action, come up with solutions, negotiate agreements, and offer rewards. By Landy Chase. -
Don’t Let Success Breed Failure!
Gases and welding distributors can determine manufacturer success by expanding the trap line, leaving the comfort zone, demonstrating product use, solving customer products and fending off competitors. By Rex H. Larkin
Sales Success Stories
Sales Tips
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Handling Sales Objections: It’s Easy as 1-2-3
Learn to Bridge, Pivot and Advance to Keep the Sales Process Going By Kelly Wirges Objections are a delicate part of the sales process. It’s vital that salespersons not attempt to “overcome” objections on the spot, and instead address them carefully and professionally. I advise salespersons to continue through the sales process when objections arise, carefully [...] -
T.A.R.G.E.T. Your Sales Message to Grow Results
By Ryan Dorhn The key to your success in the world of sales is increasing the number of meetings you are granted by prospective clients. Developing an effective prospecting process can be the difference between life and death in your sales career. For me, the goal of prospecting is not to sell anything; I am just [...] -
Roundtable: Tales From The Sales Floor
From Remodels to Amped Displays, Five Distributors Describe Their Revved-Up Sales Efforts By Diane Stirling And what happens on the sales floor can be fully contingent on the kind of greeting received, the availability of the sought-after merchandise, the conditions of the showroom floor, the expertise of the salespeople who serve, the competitiveness of pricing and an [...] -
Wisdom, Wit, & Kindred Spirits
Finding Peers and Reassurance Provides Value By Diane Stirling Family businesses are the mechanisms by which much of the world’s societies are organized. They’re how people around the globe have created the means to financially support the family unit for more than a millennium. Families have operated all types of businesses, including shipbuilding, innkeeping and wine-, paper- [...] -
Three Seconds to Impact
Year after year, advancements in technology bring new creative challenges to the forefront of web design. As internet users become accustomed to technological changes, we need to anticipate their needs and develop innovative designs to stay ahead of the competition. There are four elements to building a website in 2015 that you cannot ignore: You must [...] -
Sales Skills vs. Technical Skills
Does a salesperson need welding skills in order to successfully sell welding equipment? -
Position Your Sales Team For Growth
A lot of what goes into successful selling is fulfilling a customer’s needs. Distributor salespeople are always looking for ways to increase their sales. They’d sure like to ink that next big gas contract, sell a ton of filler metals or outfit a customer with a few dozen new high-tech power sources, but these opportunities don’t [...] -
The Sales Professional
The profession of selling is a high calling. There is so much to know and so much skill required in the profession of selling. Here are ten requirements to become a master in this profession. By Don Buttrey. -
Ten Steps To Better Pricing
Pricing is one of the most powerful—yet underutilized— strategies available to businesses. These ten pricing tips can reap higher profits, generate growth and better serve customers by providing options. By Rafi Mohammed, Ph.D. -
Thriving No Matter What
The FISH! Philosophy can help you and your organization, just as it does for City Mill. No matter the size of your organization, this philosophy will give you an edge over your competition and help you thrive not just for a few quarters, but also for decades to come. By Harry Paul. -
Your Price Is Too High!
Just because the customer raises a price objection doesn’t mean you have to lower your price. By Tom Reilly. -
A New Kind Of Selling Tool
O.E. Meyer’s outside sales team uses new iPad 2s to remotely connect to the company’s asset management software. -
A Recipe For Merchandising Success
The layout of a gases and welding store is like a cake, with many ingredients. Each of the basic ingredients correlates to the basic elements of merchandising to maximize your showroom space. By Andy Stawski. -
Seven Things Every Salesperson Should Know
GAWDA’s board of directors offers up advice for young salespeople. -
Know-More Selling
Use Google, LinkedIn and your local library to access information about your customers and your competitors. By Sam Richter -
Global Marketplace Strengthens U.S. Operations
The distribution and demands of goods in manufacturing give the U.S. more diversity within a global marketplace. By Michael A. Tarala -
Selling A Price Increase In A Soft Economy
Salespeople must understand the necessity of selling a price increase, especially in a soft market. Salespeople in the gases and welding industry must learn how to sell these price increases. By Mark Hunter. -
The 5 Most Frightening Words In Sales
Learn how to crush price objections. By Tom Reilly -
Business Etiquette In The Far East
Remember these etiquette tips when doing business in the far east. -
A Little Philosophy…On Change
nt="In order to improve sales of industrial gases and welding equipment, salespeople must change their strategies by increasing effort and doing more to produce gases and welding sales. By Joe Ellers. -
The Lost Art Of Persuasion
Tips for delivery an effective presentation in the gases and welding industry using PowerPoint and other tools, and effective methods of persuasion as a gases and welding salesperson. By Paul LeRoux. -
In 2008, You’ll Need To Focus On Fighting Your Main Squeeze
The margin squeeze means lowered prices by large competitors are forcing others to decrease margins. Proactive salespeople must help a customer define what he wants and needs to be successful. By Joe Ellers. -
Help Your People (And Yourself) To Success
Consistency in the gases and welding sales process comes from clear expectations, managing and measuring activities and providing sales feedback. By Joe Ellers. -
Sales Strategy And Budgets
Developing a sales strategy for your gases and welding company as well as a sales budget will ultimately increase efficiency and give added incentives to employees. By Joe Ellers. -
The Sales Professional Program?
Sales professionals in the gases and welding industry can be distinguished from sales people by their dedication to skills and their sales training. By Don Buttrey. -
10 Innovations To Revitalize Your Business
Ten innovations in the gases and welding industry that ensured success for distributors of industrial gases and welding equipment. -
Five Easy Ways You Can Increase Gross Margins
Gases and welding distributors can increase gross margins by raising prices on lower tier customers, selling high margin products or stripping away unpaid services. By Joe Ellers. -
Prospecting
Prospecting is an important part of gases and welding sales. To successfully prospect customers salespeople must dedicate sufficient time and resources to prospecting. By Joe Ellers. -
Search For The Silver Bullet
The most important technique a gases and welding salesperson can use is to schedule a next step with the customer by asking what needs to be done next and when it needs to be done by. By Joe Ellers. -
The One Thing Prospects Want, But Just Can’t Seem To Get
When trying to make a sale in the gases and welding industry, salespeople must consider value propositions and convince the customer that they are adding value to their company. By Joe Ellers. -
Know What You Want
Setting goals for yourself is a key to sales success in the compressed gases and welding industry. It is important to use time efficiently to maximize selling potential. By Joe Ellers. -
You Say You Want A Resolution?
To achieve sales success in the gases and welding industry in 2007, one must set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, recorded, timed and shared. By Joe Ellers. -
Build Lifetime Customer Loyalty
The spirit of service refers to people who go above and beyond their normal job functions, which is something that must come from corporate culture rather than programming. By Kevin Freiberg, Ph.D. -
Fight…Fight Now!!!
Regular Americans have the opportunity to fight back in a post-9/11 economy by engaging customers, transitioning sales force and bringing experience to clients to keep the economy growing. By W.R. 'Max' Carey, Jr.
Showrooms
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Work Your Display Area
Gases and welding distributors can improve showrooms by maximizing counter space usage and arranging attractive welding equipment displays. By Robert B. Footlik, PE. -
The Wow Factor
Gases and welding distributors are creating distributor showrooms that are attractive to compete with chain stores and move past the back room look. -
Your Showroom As Sales Territory
Welding equipment showrooms for welding distributors are becoming more popular and are a good way to improve welding equipment sales and increase product awareness. By Gary Chandler.
