Just read a good one in INC magazine: conflict is a lot like water: it
spills over, flows downhill; and if left unchecked, it erodes whatever
it touches.
And sometimes it is like red wine, it stains.
How do you handle conflict in your company? When the first signs
arise, it is one of those "conversations that must be had!"
Good luck.
Dirk De Vuyst
Dir. 678 501 6003
Showing posts with label engineered stone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label engineered stone. Show all posts
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Housing starts to a historic low
We already knew what the news media reported a few days ago: housing is not on the way to recovery yet. And it will not be unless the unemployment pictures improves drastically for a sustained period. A simple dip in the statistics will not cure the construction industry's woes.
At Intl. Marble Industries, Inc, we have looked far outside our sand box marketing our engineered composites to non-builder markets. Our MasterCast products find their way more to remodelers than ever before. Our overseas customers love the "Made in the USA" cast stone tubs and shower bases. Amazing how in different parts of the world, cultured marble and Mastercast Engineered Composites are called by different names, yet achieve the same result: seamless, integral construction, sealed for life.
Visit our updated website at www.IntlMarbleIndustries.com and admire our collection of products.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Why visiting Polycon 2009 is more important than ever
Business is tough. The traditional markets for our Mastercast engineered composites are in the doldrums. So what it the owner to do?
The owner is that vital contact to key customers and key suppliers alike. He or she is also the visionary, the strategist, chief business development officer.
There are many untapped markets out there where Mastercast engineered composites can be used. It requires some thinking outside of the box.
Often times, you brain needs a trigger to make the light bulb go of. That trigger could be what you see at your regional meeting, visiting another cast polymer plant. Or talking to suppliers over lunch when they share their travails with you and you discover a hidden opportunity.
In my humble opinion, the biggest mistake a Mastercast business owner can make is to retreat to the "spin pot" and put in the hard labor to replace the guy that he had to let go. Or to allow to have your cell phone become the customer service line by default.
The housing industry malaise will likely last through 2009. During the good times, we hopefully all put some money aside. This is the time to dip into the nest egg and work harder on diversification in products and markets so you are better positioned for the upturn. That would be hard to do if you box yourself into the "casting corner".
Polycon 2009 is the perfect forum for you to learn what your colleagues are doing to weather this perfect storm. Take the opportunity to rub elbows with industry leaders, suppliers small and large, your peers in the industry.
Work up a detailed plan as to what sessions you want to attend. When not attending educational sessions and the exhibit hall is open, make appointments with suppliers that you think may help you discover your next niche.
Polycon comes around only once a year, grab the moment!
Dirk De Vuyst
ICPA President 2009
Intl. Marble Industries, Inc
Woodstock GA 30188
Tel 770 928 2252 ext 223
The owner is that vital contact to key customers and key suppliers alike. He or she is also the visionary, the strategist, chief business development officer.
There are many untapped markets out there where Mastercast engineered composites can be used. It requires some thinking outside of the box.
Often times, you brain needs a trigger to make the light bulb go of. That trigger could be what you see at your regional meeting, visiting another cast polymer plant. Or talking to suppliers over lunch when they share their travails with you and you discover a hidden opportunity.
In my humble opinion, the biggest mistake a Mastercast business owner can make is to retreat to the "spin pot" and put in the hard labor to replace the guy that he had to let go. Or to allow to have your cell phone become the customer service line by default.
The housing industry malaise will likely last through 2009. During the good times, we hopefully all put some money aside. This is the time to dip into the nest egg and work harder on diversification in products and markets so you are better positioned for the upturn. That would be hard to do if you box yourself into the "casting corner".
Polycon 2009 is the perfect forum for you to learn what your colleagues are doing to weather this perfect storm. Take the opportunity to rub elbows with industry leaders, suppliers small and large, your peers in the industry.
Work up a detailed plan as to what sessions you want to attend. When not attending educational sessions and the exhibit hall is open, make appointments with suppliers that you think may help you discover your next niche.
Polycon comes around only once a year, grab the moment!
Dirk De Vuyst
ICPA President 2009
Intl. Marble Industries, Inc
Woodstock GA 30188
Tel 770 928 2252 ext 223
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The "IT" Factor
Well, here I am: sitting in the Memphis, Tn airport on a balmy Wednesday evening in June. Just finished a 2 day trip with 6 appointments, 500 miles on the rental, great weather, Arkansas rice paddies left and right.
Thanks to the wonders of portable GPS and the Interstate system, I was able to literally "fall" from one appointment into the other: on time, well received product presentations, pleasant audience etc..
Beat up but happy, I am leaning back as I learn that the plane is late. Bunches of grumbling going on, talk about missing connections etc. Since Atlanta is my final destination, I decide that there is nothing I can do about it, so let's get back to work.
About 30 minutes past the scheduled departure time, the 717 arrives and travelers stream out of the jetway. Last person to exit is...the pilot. Dons his hat, and with a booming voice full of confidence addresses the waiting crowd. He proceeds to apologize, explains the delay (weather) and promises a 20 minute turnaround. He gets a standing ovation as he returns back to the cockpit.
I personally believe that any airline who can turn around a 137 passenger airplane in 20 minutes, that airline clearly "gets it". To get there, you probably saw the drill: have the passengers pass on their garbage to the center of the aisle and all it takes is for a willing attendant to pass by with a plastic bag full of airline logos (guerilla marketing?) to collect it. Heck, they would be chatting the time away anyway..so why not get productive here.
But for a pilot to be proactive, address his unhappy passengers before they board and turn them into a pleased crowd after a 3 minute speech, well that guy clearly "gets it" too.
And on top of that, he made sure we were updated throughout the flight so that no one would start bothering the attendants - who only had 20 minutes to bring drinks and snacks to 137 people - and they would be most productive.
Reflecting on our Mastercast business, I made some mental notes.
Thanks to the wonders of portable GPS and the Interstate system, I was able to literally "fall" from one appointment into the other: on time, well received product presentations, pleasant audience etc..
Beat up but happy, I am leaning back as I learn that the plane is late. Bunches of grumbling going on, talk about missing connections etc. Since Atlanta is my final destination, I decide that there is nothing I can do about it, so let's get back to work.
About 30 minutes past the scheduled departure time, the 717 arrives and travelers stream out of the jetway. Last person to exit is...the pilot. Dons his hat, and with a booming voice full of confidence addresses the waiting crowd. He proceeds to apologize, explains the delay (weather) and promises a 20 minute turnaround. He gets a standing ovation as he returns back to the cockpit.
I personally believe that any airline who can turn around a 137 passenger airplane in 20 minutes, that airline clearly "gets it". To get there, you probably saw the drill: have the passengers pass on their garbage to the center of the aisle and all it takes is for a willing attendant to pass by with a plastic bag full of airline logos (guerilla marketing?) to collect it. Heck, they would be chatting the time away anyway..so why not get productive here.
But for a pilot to be proactive, address his unhappy passengers before they board and turn them into a pleased crowd after a 3 minute speech, well that guy clearly "gets it" too.
And on top of that, he made sure we were updated throughout the flight so that no one would start bothering the attendants - who only had 20 minutes to bring drinks and snacks to 137 people - and they would be most productive.
Reflecting on our Mastercast business, I made some mental notes.
- Are we getting "IT" when we deal with unhappy customers?
- Are we proactive when the engineered composites we produce during the hot summer time seem to have a mind of their own?
- Do we call the customer ahead of time or does he have to call us? Is the entire office on message or were they confused about what to communicate?
- Are we looking outside the traditional box of customers to find Mastercast business in other areas?
--
Dirk De Vuyst
ICPA President
Intl Marble Industries, Inc
304 Bell Park Drive
Woodstock GA 30188
tel 770 928 2252 ext 223
fax 770 874 7540
Promoting MasterCast products
Well, we finally did it. Entering the 21st Century information highway, our industry association, the ICPA has a blog to promote the new brand name for our engineered composite products, share views, educate members and customers alike etc..
The main reason for this blog is to get your new websites up in the "organic" ranking with the various search engines. In layman terms, it works like this. The web robots for the various search engines (the important ones are Yahoo, MSN, GOOGLE and ASK) "crawl" the web in search for new information that may indicate "relevance". The more often they encounter f.i. the word MasterCast in a 3 to 5 word sentence, the more important that word appears to them.
Let's say that a consumer googles "mastercast in anytown, USA"; a couple of months prior, you subjected your website to some simple SEO (Search Engine Optimization) exercise. You made sure you optimized each page for the search terms that your customer would use. Your keyword sentences and metatags includes "mastercast" and "anytown".
Your company's listing is now likely to show on the first page of the search results. It has been proven that customers rarely venture beyond page 2 of the search listing and likely will click on what they find on the first page. If your link appears on that first page, you are likely to get a call from a new lead. Now it is up to you to convert the lead to a sale.
How can a blog like this one promote our new brand name? This blog has it own unique domain name, very similar to your company's website. The more we write about our products in this blog and mention the important keywords, the more relevant these words become in the internet world. That will benefit the industry as a whole!
Welcome to "PR in the 21st Century"
Looking forward to your contributions.
Dirk De Vuyst
The main reason for this blog is to get your new websites up in the "organic" ranking with the various search engines. In layman terms, it works like this. The web robots for the various search engines (the important ones are Yahoo, MSN, GOOGLE and ASK) "crawl" the web in search for new information that may indicate "relevance". The more often they encounter f.i. the word MasterCast in a 3 to 5 word sentence, the more important that word appears to them.
Let's say that a consumer googles "mastercast in anytown, USA"; a couple of months prior, you subjected your website to some simple SEO (Search Engine Optimization) exercise. You made sure you optimized each page for the search terms that your customer would use. Your keyword sentences and metatags includes "mastercast" and "anytown".
Your company's listing is now likely to show on the first page of the search results. It has been proven that customers rarely venture beyond page 2 of the search listing and likely will click on what they find on the first page. If your link appears on that first page, you are likely to get a call from a new lead. Now it is up to you to convert the lead to a sale.
How can a blog like this one promote our new brand name? This blog has it own unique domain name, very similar to your company's website. The more we write about our products in this blog and mention the important keywords, the more relevant these words become in the internet world. That will benefit the industry as a whole!
Welcome to "PR in the 21st Century"
Looking forward to your contributions.
Dirk De Vuyst
ICPA President
Intl Marble Industries, Inc
304 Bell Park Drive
Woodstock GA 30188
tel 770 928 2252 ext 223
fax 770 874 7540
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