Been a While

Well it’s been sometime since I wrote and ill tell you it has been crazy busy. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I have been spending time working on new projects; some of which I would prefer not to work on. This New Year is ramping up to be very exciting and we will be announcing some big news for Artisan mid December.
My holiday weekend started off great when I received a customer inquiry about our products from an Interior designer. I always like to find out how they heard about the company and she stated and I quote "I have been very pleased with the sink I have in my home, the performance and quality of it ...happen to be an Artisan. I moved to New Jersey from Oklahoma City about a year ago and have started over with my regional network and sales people.
That's where I am.
Thanks for your help.
Have a great day!

When I read things like this I know we are doing things right although many times it’s tough to see the light. As more independent tests are done on our competitors we find that more and more stainless is entering this country SUB PAR (not even 304). The Canadian government has decided to look into this matter and possibly impose a tariff on stainless sinks. This makes me somewhat happy but disheartened at the same time. Why should companies that conduct business properly be lumped in with the ones that are trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes? Well we will find out the outcome of this inquiry by months end. Artisan has cooperated and sent them all that we know; hopefully the US can follow and put an end to the infiltration of the less than quality products entering this country. Well hopefully I will update sooner than later this time...

Let it snow..let it snow...NO !

This weekend came with a bang. A snow storm hit that nobody thought would really come; well it did. Mother Nature wreaked havoc on NJ dumping 8 + inches of wet snow on the state. This typically isn’t an issue but the fact that the trees still have most of their leaves presents a problem. The heavy snow dropped many trees leaving over 600000+ without power. I would be one of the lucky ones without power…4 days in and still nothing.
This gave a new sense to the words family time, with no TV, no running water, no way to cook except BBQ and no lights. A Saturday and Sunday night Pictionary rivalry kept the family spirit moving along. It’s tough times like these that bring a family closer together and make memories for the next time something gets tough that you think you can’t get through. The same holds true for business in this economy. Though things may be tough in parts of the country, once we all make it through we can remember this the next time things are tough.
As I see help coming in from other states to aid NJ in getting power back I see the partnerships these utility companies have made. Keep in mind during this economy to BUILD your partnerships. Building the right partnerships for the long term will grow business in the future whereas choosing a company for the wrong reasons will only hurt.

I hope everyone that is affected by this storm is well and wish everyone the best of luck in getting back to normal.

Sign of the Time from a Shoe Shine

It has been a while since i have blogged...why, simply put busy. DPHA ( decorative plumbing and heating Assoc.)show was very slow. Is it people dont want to spend the money to come, dont have the money to spend,just arent interested because they think companies arent doing anything new? Well i am not sure what the reason was but it was slow. The amount a company has to spend to do a show like this is high, betweeen labor rates to move in products, the costs of hotels and flights etc..traffic is a must without it, it becomes a money loser. However thats enough of the soap box and onto the SHOE SHINE BOX.
I was helping my mom clean some things out of her home a while ago and there was one thing i wanted from the home that was my Dads. When i was a kid my dad had a shoeshine box that for whatever reason intrigued me. My dad past away a little over 2 years ago and the Shoe Shine box stood out in my mind, hoping it wouldnt get thrown out. Luckily that show shine box was still there and filled with my dads wax and polishes. As i pulled a pair of shoes out this AM i noticed they needed a little shine, so out came dads box. I opened the box and found a shoe shine cloth with wax built into it. As i read the cloth i noticed it was a give away, an advertisment. It was for Union Center National bank, this cloth had to be at least 20 to 25 years old. As i look at the cloth it says " 3% interest on savings accounts". I laughed and chuckled to myself ...a sign of the times 3% on a savings account 20 years ago... a 1/2 of a percent today if your lucky.
Is this a sign of the times how is it that 20 years ago we made more money with our money? Where are we heading? I think there is nowhere to go but up.

10/12

Well the holiday weekend came and went,no holiday in this industry just keep plugging away.I took a trip over the left coast today as we have a few buying group meetings to attend. Lucky for me they are back to back so i only need to make one trip. The kickoff tonight had a very good forum with some industry leaders, the president from Masco Cabinetry was there as was the same from Shaw Carpets. They gave some very good insight into the market and where they feel the markets are heading. They were both on the same page that we are looking at a flatlined market for another year.
Interestingly enough it was good to hear that it isnt just our ( sink) industry that is fighting the price wars with competitors putting out sub par products. This is also going on in the flooring industry, look alike flooring at cheap prices, garbage carpets at low end prices. All i can ask is that if you are a consumer buying our products or any product on the market today...Please please..dont think your getting a better deal because its cheaper. It is this economy that brings out the crooks, the people that want to capitalize on and prey on people just looking to save a dollar. Wait another month or two save the money and put quality in your home. After all you are only going to end up doing it twice if you go with the " race to the bottom priced product" As the old saying goes you get what you pay for.
Well tomorrow i will get a good pulse on many different markets in the US and i will be happy to fill you all in.Follow @JoeAmabile3

FREIGHT HORRORS

 Today will be more like a rant then a blog..but i will write it anyhow. My issue is freight, freight costs are killing companies. Please don't get me wrong i understand they need to get paid for what they do however where is the service that you expect for what you are paying. We make a great product, we provide top notch customer service and then when the ball is dropped on freight or product is damaged...poof ...all that goes up in smoke.
  My vision of an almost perfect world would be a freight company that cares. One that goes the extra mile for our customers as we would. One that treats every package that they deliver like their paycheck depends on it...why? Because it does. Maybe if they set up freight with a commission structure they would care more, pay them more for on time delivery, pay them more for freight in one piece. However on the flip side lets have a penalty for not getting there on time, for not being in one piece. I recently had a freight company who neglected to deliver freight to me on time for a trade show. I had to overnight product in for the show at a cost of $1000.00 to have it. Do you know that company didn't feel they should have to eat that overnight? I don't think I'm the only one with these issues..would love to hear some comments..so i know i am not the only one. I will search until i find the right partner, after all the right partners make business so much easier.
Follow @JoeAmabile3

10/4

 Ok where did i leave off...who knows but i can tell you that Monday was a crazy day. The morning started with our weekly sales meeting. It went well, i think there is some new found life and things are starting to heat up a bit. Still though i wonder why companies don't take advantage of things that are out there for their taking. I will use our website as an example, we have a section that allows dealers to submit kitchens featuring  our products,for that we will put them on there with name and info so others can contact them. You would think this is a great thing to take advantage of, however they don't. These are thousands of free leads that we drive to our site from publications etc that can see the companies work. Is the economy that good? I know we can use some free leads...ill take some if you want to send them my way...
  Everyday presents anew challenge right now it seems my challenge is just getting my car back from my mechanic. I had vowed to get back out on the road and do some selling, open some new accounts and since then my car has been tied up. This is always the way it gos doesn't it, just when you get all set to do something a wrench is thrown in. Next week will bring some travel and hopefully a slew of new accounts to the company. Getting in the trenches is fun, back to square one...or as i said maybe a hexagon now. GET FEATURED ON OUR SITE

9/30

  Its always comforting to begin your morning with a flight on a plane that appears to be siliconed togther. I am a loyal Continental flyer but some of these smaller planes need a little updating. I am now paying extra for an Exit row, i would like to feel that i wont be sucked out of the window. Luckily despite the weather in Newark the flight landed right in between a huge thunderstorms and i landed safe and sound. Touched down to only 45 emails in a two hour flight....light morning, thank god for technology as i can and am now expected to answer those immediatley. That is customer service though isnt it? Isnt that what i was taught get back to your customers, make sure you respond quickly, answer every problem and question. I try and i try to instill that same philosophy with everyone in the company. We are now and even more so becoming peoplewho want instant reactions, heck how long ago did we start using microwaves because our food didnt cook quick enough? It has been determined that a person now only has a 9 sec time span in which they will pay attention, so anyone reading this to this point thank you..you have passed the test. How do i get that message across in 9 seconds..im not sure but i am working on it. I have been known to speak really fast. Well i arrived home to a great sight below, a full rainbow across my yard..there is a pot of gold somewhere...Lets go find it!

My claim to fame, maybe ill get my own show. Just another way Artisan is trying to help spread the word and educate the consumer on the pitfalls of low quality stainless products in the market.

Running a Company: 9/28

Running a Company: 9/28: Tuesday came and went and with a Blurrr..many things going on and the day slipped away without a Blog. I made a decision on Tuesday to head ...

9/28

Tuesday came and went and with a Blurrr..many things going on and the day slipped away without a Blog. I made a decision on Tuesday to head down into the Atlanta marketplace. The south has been hard hit by the economy and is one of our toughest markets. My sales manager for the territory had a meeting set up that i felt was important to attend and i am glad that i did. The meeting went very well and he would have handled it fine by himself however the flight gave me sometime to think of new strategies that i wanted to try. New ideas for helping their business make money as well as the Kitchen and Baths in the market place.
  Well i tried the new angle and the approach seemed to work, they are on board and within a month we will have some new business coming through our doors. New angles...maybe we all need protractors and treat this economy like grade school...look for all the new angles..Well i am fighting a cold and fighting this market at the same time this is fun. New Angles what are your Angles are they the same as everyone else? If they are get out your protractor and draw up a new plan. Forget outside the box...get outside the hexagon...till next time. Up and away and back home.

9/26

  Well the weekend is over and its back to the grind. This morning will commence with our weekly Monday AM Skype sales meeting. This is something i feel that is totally essential and that many companies have forgotten how to do. How many sales people are out there just floundering, feeling like they know what they are doing but essentially have no direction. Are your sales down, get back to the basics, back to what you know how to do. A call report what is that...do we need it...do you want sales? What are closing ratios? Why are they important? Its back to basics time and this is where we get into the trenches and dig it all up...On to the Meeting...

9/23

  Waking up to great Headlines...Is this the real state of the nation or is this the media creating more issues. 2 years ago we were coming out of the recession but it looks like we are getting dragged back in. I don't accept this as an excuse or an answer and don't believe you should either. I took sometime yesterday to get out into the market and call on a great designer in Tewksbury NJ..Tewksbury K&B. We had great conversation and this is what i took away from that meeting. There are people still doing business and writing contracts despite the doom and gloom. This may mean you need to get out and go back to square one..however square one is now different. We must consistently be looking for new ways not only to market our products but ourselves. We must surround ourselves with the people who do business correctly and appreciate value. Those that accept the mediocrity will drown in the price battles that everyone is trying to fight. We as people haven't changed we only changed the way we buy. We still understand value and if taken the time can accept that it costs slightly more. However just ask yourself did you take the time? Did you as a consumer ask why that product is more, do you understand that not all things are created equal. Did you as the sales person explain why that product that is slightly more is providing better value. We all still want to spend money ...but its just a little different now.

Kathy and Brian: The Wandering Warners: That Sinking Feeling

ITS ALL IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Kathy and Brian: The Wandering Warners: That Sinking Feeling: Good news: The replacement sink for the damaged one described a couple of posts ago arrived promptly, an Artisan 16-gauge beauty . Bad n...

My First Blog-

  Well i have been wanting to do this for a long time now however just have never taken the time to do it. I was at a recent buying group show were i realized that my daily grind in running a company and with my sales team can be very educational. I hope that you will visit my blog from time to time so that we can talk and vent and discuss business as it is done on a daily basis. I plan to share some great sale ideas and my daily struggles of running a company in this economy.
  Who am i , i have been in sales since i was 18 years old in the plumbing and Kitchen and Bath industry. i have worked my way up the ladder through companies such as Ferguson and Porcelanosa. I landed with a great company Artisan manufacturing. Artisan is a growing company that manufactures products for primarily the kitchen industry. We do import our products from China which creates its own struggles of which i am sure there will be blogs about. However we produce a great high quality product because we are the manufacturer. I began as a sales representative and have since climbed the ladder to COO. I have problems everyday to solve....things that really make you scratch your head. This is my outlet this will be my place to air to vent to help others learn. I hope you can join me in my journey and travels. Artisanstyles.com