Metalforming Matters

Guest Blogger: Chip Eichelberger, CSP, Founder, GetSwitchedOn.com You have heard it said that everyone likes to buy but no one wants to be sold. Make it easier for people to buy and justify their purchase with this simple concept. Doing so will help you quickly increase your sales. Try to never let the price/investment be the first number that comes up in the conversation. In my business for example, it is common to get a request to see if I am available for a specific date and to inquire about my fee. I never reply with simply a yes/no and the price. I want to make sure to set up a call so I can ask questions to get information to properly frame the way they look at investing in me speaking at their event. I want to be a true partner and not just a “rental speaker.” I am not the low-cost provider in my industry. Some meeting planners are inexperienced and will get surprised when they hear how much a seasoned professional speaker costs. Framing the conversation is essential...

Allison Grealis, president and founder of Women in Manufacturing Association , and vice president of association services of PMA , has been inducted into the 2018 class of Crain's Cleveland Business Women of Note. She joined a conversation on WCPN 90.3 on July 18 to discuss obstacles and motivations, and to give advice to the next generation. Allison was joined by fellow women of note, Dee Perry, retired broadcaster from WCPN; Simirit Sandhu, executive director of supply chain management with the Cleveland Clinic; Magda Gomez, director of diversity and inclusion from Cuyahoga Community College; and Karen Kasler, Statehouse New Bureau Chief (ISDN). Listen here:   https://bit.ly/2NZq64q Crain's Cleveland Business Women of Note honors inspiring women who, due to the impact of their professional talents and unique perspectives, create positive change in Northeast Ohio. To view all 2018 honorees, visit: https://bit.ly/2NuIL70 .

Guest Blogger: Chip Eichelberger, CSP, Founder, GetSwitchedOn.com I don’t know about you but my business tends to run in cycles—the cycle of doing many events and the cycle of when the bookings for that new business comes in. The gap in between can be difficult to deal with, even for me. Sometimes the gap is impacted by people being on vacation and deferring decisions. Sometimes it can be related to current events such as 9-11 or the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) of 2008. Here are four strategies for when you have that GAP of new business coming in and you need momentum. Spend time on you, so you can be at your best! Get to bed a little earlier and read something inspiring before you shut it down. Get off your phone! Drink 12 oz. of water when you wake up. Get that morning workout in to start the day with energy. Use interval training to get your heart rate up and pumping. Get a fresh-green-based juice or make my Get Switched On Smoothie. Exercise and the right fuel will ...

The skills gap is a phenomenon that has frequently dominated conversations surrounding the manufacturing industry in recent years. As the most recent study from Deloitte suggests, nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs are expected to open up over the next decade, and about 2 million of those jobs are projected to go unfilled. On July 8, Rachel Abbey McCafferty of Crain’s Cleveland Business published an article that looks at the choices manufacturing businesses could make to solve the problem. The article features the stories of small-to-medium manufacturing firms who are exploring new ways to holistically approach the skills gap and build their workforce. PMA President Roy Hardy is also quoted in the article about his views on the changing manufacturing industry. McCafferty notes the recently successful and better-known approaches to combating the skills gap, like  partnerships with community colleges and other preexisting training programs, as well as working to get students...