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Casual Articles - A&H Turf & Specialities: The Nuts and Bolts of Growing a Business
Quite a few business out there can't survive without some type of advertising and/or brand recognition, so advertising your business is one of the most important aspects in running certain types of business. It's also one of the most frequently asked questions for "how to". This article is especially important for direct sales reps and those with company websites that need to make themselves "stand out" among hundreds of others that are selling similar products.So why should you advertise your business? For one or more of the following reasons:To Gain Exposure/Brand RecognitionThis would apply to those who may have a unique product or service which consumers and clients may not know exists. For example, a special tool that solves a problem for a certain group of people - they won't know the product exists unless you advertise.Gain Immediate SalesMany forms of advertising may gain you immediate sales. This is ideal for most, but it's also important to realize sometimes your ads may be working even though you don't see sales at the time the ad runs.Announce new product/serviceIf you are an es
And it’s not just about selling products. Today, A&H continues to provide continuing education training from Blum to employees in contact with hardware buyers and installer
A reader suggested recently that some of my articles should be submitted to Digg, an online website where readers submit and vote for newsworthy and interesting pieces. The advice was flattering, and indeed it seems that some of what is said here is by all accounts of interest to a broad spectrum of readers, but more interesting still is the process by which Digg aims to achieve objectives of newsworthiness.The website operates on the democratic principle that readers can pick and choose what submitted articles they want to read and whether they want to “digg” them, with the obvious result that those articles with the most number of “digs” receive front-page coverage and therefore exposure. For articles that readers deem uninteresting, instead of just not voting, readers have the option to choose “This is lame” – if there are enough of these “lame-votes”, the article is removed by supposedly light-handed moderators.So far this all sounds like fairly intuitive democratic reasoning, and by all accounts there should be little complaint with the method, but there have been some considerable voices of opposition to the site’s wor
By 1988, the business had expanded into power tools and hand tools. In the years since, A&H has expanded to stock and supply full lines of tools, hardware items and equipment representing at least 475 major manufacturing firms around the world. But rather than concentrating on how many products they can cram into the warehouse, showroom and surrounding acres, A&H has always focused on supplying quality products from industry leaders.
Quality Sells
A glance at the many shelves and displays in the main store says it all. Respected names, like Blum, Festool, 3M, Accuride, Rain Bird, DeWalt, Freud, Stanley, Amerock, Belwith Keeler, Schlage, Baldwin, Emtek, Schaub & Company make up the A&H inventory line. What you won’t see are the inferior quality tools usually found at famous discount centers.
Dave Anderson explains why: “We’re simply not interested in carrying the low-end imported hardware or supplies. It doesn’t last.” Tools and hardware that last and that get the job done has proven to be a good market, so far.
Blum hardware is a good example of the quality products A&H is proud to carry. Made in Austria, Blum hardware is very high end, world famous for its quality. Dave says that A&H Turf and Specialties has been seriously involved with Blum since the beginning. In fact, A&H sold the first Blum hardware and machinery available west of the Mississippi.
And it’s not just about selling products. Today, A&H continues to provide continuing education training from Blum to employees in contact with hardware buyers and installers
Mergers and acquisitions are common terms used to refer to the amalgamation of companies. A merger results when two companies come together to form a single company. Mergers are similar to acquisitions, excluding that in mergers, existing stockholders of both companies maintain a shared interest in the new enlarged entity. The shareholding pattern may vary, depending on the valuation of companies concerned.When one company buys out the controlling or considerable portion of another company's stock, it is termed as acquisitions. The buyer company takes over the other company. It creates an uneven balance of ownership. No new company is formed in case of acquisitions.Mergers and acquisitions may be undertaken for several reasons, some of which are advantageous to shareholders while some are not. At times, such deals may be undertaken to save on taxes. The accumulated losses of the target company could be set off against profits of the company that is taking over, resulting in significant tax savings.Another reason for a merger or acquisitions is that such deals often help to expand the market share. Most large corporati
Quality Sells
A glance at the many shelves and displays in the main store says it all. Respected names, like Blum, Festool, 3M, Accuride, Rain Bird, DeWalt, Freud, Stanley, Amerock, Belwith Keeler, Schlage, Baldwin, Emtek, Schaub & Company make up the A&H inventory line. What you won’t see are the inferior quality tools usually found at famous discount centers.
Dave Anderson explains why: “We’re simply not interested in carrying the low-end imported hardware or supplies. It doesn’t last.” Tools and hardware that last and that get the job done has proven to be a good market, so far.
Blum hardware is a good example of the quality products A&H is proud to carry. Made in Austria, Blum hardware is very high end, world famous for its quality. Dave says that A&H Turf and Specialties has been seriously involved with Blum since the beginning. In fact, A&H sold the first Blum hardware and machinery available west of the Mississippi.
And it’s not just about selling products. Today, A&H continues to provide continuing education training from Blum to employees in contact with hardware buyers and installer
Advertising does not cure cancer. It rarely affects world peace. For all the attempts to classify it as a "science," advertising has essentially evolved from two snake oil salesmen on opposite corners yelling louder and making bolder claims. Today, there are more corners to yell from – radio, TV, the Internet – but the principle remains. Yet you'd never now it, judging from the self-important seriousness pervading our industry.Lighten up!When did we lose our sense of humor and start taking ourselves so seriously? Is it the fault of the agencies that try to justify their fees? Or is it the clients that promise too many benefits because they overestimate the value of their products?Maybe it's our collective fear of a media that concocts controversy over the simplest matters. This fear leads to self-censorship, hypersensitivity and the erosion of creativity. One of our clients recently ran scared during the creation of an ad for a trade publication. This client sold products considered a commodity in today's marketplace. Everyone had already hyped the usual. Lowest prices. Faster delivery. Better service. In a crowded f
Quality Sells
A glance at the many shelves and displays in the main store says it all. Respected names, like Blum, Festool, 3M, Accuride, Rain Bird, DeWalt, Freud, Stanley, Amerock, Belwith Keeler, Schlage, Baldwin, Emtek, Schaub & Company make up the A&H inventory line. What you won’t see are the inferior quality tools usually found at famous discount centers.
Dave Anderson explains why: “We’re simply not interested in carrying the low-end imported hardware or supplies. It doesn’t last.” Tools and hardware that last and that get the job done has proven to be a good market, so far.
Blum hardware is a good example of the quality products A&H is proud to carry. Made in Austria, Blum hardware is very high end, world famous for its quality. Dave says that A&H Turf and Specialties has been seriously involved with Blum since the beginning. In fact, A&H sold the first Blum hardware and machinery available west of the Mississippi.
And it’s not just about selling products. Today, A&H continues to provide continuing education training from Blum to employees in contact with hardware buyers and installer
Integrating Contact Center Channels Can Improve Customer Service Proper contact center systems can help build customer loyalty, a major factor for success in any business. Contact center systems will assist your representatives with the ability to provide faster, more responsive customer support and problem resolution. By keeping customers happy they remain loyal to your business, and can even act as ‘ambassadors’ for your company.Integrating Contact Center Channels Helps Agents Become More Productive An integrated call center solution minimizes IT complexity and maximizes agent productivity. With older contact center technology, you may have different departments set up to handle each channel; integration simplifies everything.Integrating Contact Center Channels Can Offer Flexibility A contact center needs the flexibility to add new features and capacity whenever needed. Older, existing hardware often makes this a difficult task without requiring huge purchases.Customers meet you every day in your call center. A solid multi channel strategy, the integration of multiple contact center channel
Dave Anderson explains why: “We’re simply not interested in carrying the low-end imported hardware or supplies. It doesn’t last.” Tools and hardware that last and that get the job done has proven to be a good market, so far.
Blum hardware is a good example of the quality products A&H is proud to carry. Made in Austria, Blum hardware is very high end, world famous for its quality. Dave says that A&H Turf and Specialties has been seriously involved with Blum since the beginning. In fact, A&H sold the first Blum hardware and machinery available west of the Mississippi.
And it’s not just about selling products. Today, A&H continues to provide continuing education training from Blum to employees in contact with hardware buyers and installer
Many of us choose our jobs based on the health insurance offered by the employers; or, we at least let the health insurance play a role in whether or not we apply for and accept certain jobs. However, how many of us go beyond just asking about health insurance and asking about disability insurance, too? Probably not many of us, if any of us, ask whether or not the jobs we are considering, or even the jobs we already have, offer disability insurance.Just like all types of insurance, disability insurance is designed to protect us. If we become sick or injured and aren’t able to go to our jobs for a certain period of time, our disability insurance acts as a substitute paycheck. We can’t get a paycheck for jobs we aren’t working; however, when we are sick or injured, we have no other choice but to take some time off from our jobs. That’s when disability insurance kicks in and provides us with some financial relief. How much disability insurance we receive – what percentage of our normal income – depends on the employer.While disability insurance isn’t something everyone is going to need at some point in their lives, it is
And it’s not just about selling products. Today, A&H continues to provide continuing education training from Blum to employees in contact with hardware buyers and installers. They can readily assist contractors and homeowners with the specs and tolerances required for proper hinge applications and installation.
Hardware in the Blood
Dave and his dad both had a good deal of previous hardware experience before starting A&H Turf & Specialties. Dave says, “I’ve been in the hardware business all my life, since I was 12. I’ve got 37 years experience in functional, building, and irrigation hardware.” And he’s not just blowing smoke.
Dave worked his way through college installing irrigation and sprinkler systems, having learned the trade at a previous job with a Billings hardware company. His dad, Al, was the general manager of Winter Hardware when Dave got out of college. They worked there together for a while before deciding to start A&H Turf & Specialties. The new company opened its doors in a rented building just about a block from where the business now stands.
Survival in those early days was not without hard work. Dave says that the product lines were developed one at a time, selling face to face, with many miles spent on Montana and Wyoming roads. Within a few years though, A&H was able to buy the land it sits on today. The first new building gave the business 15,000 sqft to work with. Expansion continued as sales improved and more products were added, until now A&H fills over 40,000 sqft inside space, plus the uncovered storage outside.
Good Stuff, Low Prices
Part of the success has been the A&H policy of selling at genuine high quality products at wholesale
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