You might research your next smart phone or car online, but if you were in the market for fabricated parts or the metal fabrication machines that make those parts you’d start the sales process by talking to a salesperson, right? After all, that’s the way it’s always been done.
Traditionally this has been the mindset and process for companies in the metal fabrication network (original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that need fabricated parts, metal fabricators that supply those parts, and the machine builders that make fabricating possible). While most people are comfortable accepting that the internet has changed the way the sales process works for B2C companies there is this idea that people in the B2B world are still doing things the old way. After all, no one rates OEM’s online, right?
But the internet has changed the game for everyone, even machine manufacturers and fabricators. Now everyone has access to information about products and companies from their phone or computer, and, yes, even OEM’s are being rated on Google.
Embracing this change can mean the difference between sustainable growth and stagnation. And, really, embracing the help first attitude of inbound is a much better experience for everyone, buyers and sellers alike.
Want to learn more about what inbound means for those in the metal fabrication world? Check out this article on thefabricator.com for an inside look into how the internet is shaking up the traditional sales landscape of the fabrication industry.