What determines who gets your business IE how do you shop where you shop

Greenberg Woods

Greenberg Woods

Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
2,696
Hey guys. I've been adding new woods, and since I now have a girlfriend and classes to pay for, I've been more active selling wood. I was wondering, how do you pick who you buy from?

I mean other than price. Some people buy from all over, some are loyal to a specific company. What is it that you look for when you choose where to buy wood/ steel/ belts?

Anyone have ever advise for me beyond use the forums?
 
Ill buy from about anyone and Ill stay loyal to folks that treat me right even if the price is a "little" higher..I don't always let a mistake run me off. Even top notch folks like Aldo occasionally make them..They lost an order of mine once and when they found out he overnighted it to us..Making a mistake isn't a big deal, to me its how they handle fixing that means the most..Also keeping stuff I stock means a lot..I get annoyed when a place is constantly out of stock of things that you really need.
I do try to order as much stuff as possible from one place to save shipping but sometimes you just cant..Just off the top of my head we order a lot from the following
Steel: Aldo and Alpha
Belts: Pops
Misc supplies: Tracy's(usa knifemaker)
 
with the cost of shipping being what it is i try and get everything i need in one shot from one place. i wait till i need to stock up on sheath materials and i go through knifekits and buy a bunch of stuff at once. but if im getting wood (in your case) i would try and put together a decent order so it fills a box. i'm still working on the last box full i got from you. but some times some one has something you can find anywhere else and you just have to bite the bullet and go there. I am loyal to my suplyers as long as thy stay competitive with there pricing. thy dont have to be the cheapest but im not going to pay double. this happened at the begining of the year. I was in a time crunch and needed sheath stuff for a show i was going to and just realized i was out of eyelets. I ordered from DIY holsters (big mastake), a good size order. i talked to him before hand asking if i order now will it ship asap. yes he said and i would have it in a few days. he told me if i ordered and paid the extra for fedex i would have it by thu/fry. this was cutting it close but would work as the show was sat/sun. by the time it shipped and i got the tracking it said monday and i think i ended up getting it Tuesday. so i was not a happy camper. when i asked him about it saying it was going to be delivered on Monday he said oh im on vacation you have to email xxxxx address and ask about that.

so lets just say i dont shop there any more and there price was a tad better then knifekits but to late. So with that said i am loyal to a point as long as your not just talking me up to get a sale and then drop me to an email when i have a concern.
 
I agree with JT. It's really about proximity and customer service. I like to find as close to local or close as possible and group up shipping (BTW JT its a bit of a drive for your average material run but you can get a full sheet of Kydex from Professional Plastics). Besides that I feel more confident knowing or speaking to the person I'm dealing with. I chat with you on Instagram and i'm going to order from you in the future. Even though i could just as easily go on your website and not ever interact with you. It speaks volumes that you can and do engage with your current and potential customers. I like AKS and tru-grit for that reason. I had a shipping mixup with tru-grit. Turned out to be equal parties at fault and because of the way they were willing to figure it out with me it made a huge difference - plus i like their Corby's :D.
 
3 things for me in no particular order. Ease of ordering what I want, competitive pricing and shipping options, and speed of delivery.

I want to be able to find what I'm looking for quickly and order it online and have it at my door in 5 to 7 business days. I'm willing to pay a little more if I could find all the items in the same place. I use eBay because it's convenient but stick with sellers I've dealt with in the past.

If I have to call in an order or wonder when it will ship or click through hundreds of out of stock listings, I'm going somewhere else, almost regardless of price.
 
Making a mistake isn't a big deal, to me its how they handle fixing that means the most
Click to expand...
That is a VERY valid statement - We all make mistakes, it's how we deal with them is what's important.
 
Ben, for some supplies I have companies or individuals that I buy from strictly because of there quality of product and level of service. An example would be Aldo Bruno. He gets all my steel business because he usually has what I want and I know from working with him that if I have a problem, he will make it right.

I also look for companies that present the same level of professionalism and pride in their work that I try to display. When I send a knife out of the shop it truly is a product of my best effort, even to the very end, when I package it up in a foam padded box with a certificate of authenticity, page of instructions on how to take care of the knife as well as a few band-aids and a personal note to the new owner. The little things matter to me. I buy blocks of wood from John Doyle. They come perfectly square and wrapped in a heavy brown paper folded meticulously like a little Christmas present. This is a man that takes pride in everything he does and if you've ever seen his knives you know exactly what I'm talking about. Actually, i think his wife does the wrapping, but again, it shows his attention to detail, even in choosing a wife.

There are some things I buy just because the supplier has good prices and gets stuff to me quickly. Supergrit for example, I like their belts and they have them on my door step in two days. They always include a couple of samples of other abrasives that I might want to try for free. Again, the little things.

I have given you a hard time in the past as your photos were lacking, some of your blocks weren't square and you have to know the torn making tape labels were driving me crazy. I have to give it to you though, as today's plea to help you see your girlfriend was a very creative marketing idea and got me to your site, where I noticed you had made an honest effort to improve your photos and labels. The big thing was that you had some nice looking blocks of wood. I hope they don't disappoint me when they show up.

As far as suggestions on how you can improve your business. I would suggest you look at your site's SEO. It really sucks. When I saw this post, I went and did a couple of Google searches using phrases I as a knife maker might use when looking for handle wood and you totally bombed. Your site did not show up for either phrase within the first ten pages and most shoppers don't go past the first page. I saw most of your competitors though.

SEO is mainly about providing interesting content and gaining links to other sites. You site is nothing but "I want to sell wood". You need information that will make people want to visit and link to your site. Maybe you could add the information you posted here about different types of wood and how to work with them. I have a site about BBQ. It provides all kinds of information about the art of BBQ, free stuff like recipes, or info on how to light your grill using a charcoal chimney, but it's underlying purpose is for me to advertise and sell BBQ aprons. I get the most hits and links to the site from a chart I have on the site that shows a cow and where the different cuts of meat come from. With the internet, the whole world is potentially at you shops doorstep, but unless you can get your site on the front page of Google, your shop is located on an ice island in Antarctica.

Last bit of advice I have for you, is to be patience, building a business takes time. I hope this information helps!
 
Im glad you like my marketing gimmick. I am actually using that money for a flight up to Portland "Thanks guys!"

I do like the brown paper idea and just ordered a hundred or so feet of it. I think that would prevent minor scuff in transit and make the first look at the blocks a little nicer.

As for correcting mistakes, I try to walk the balance between making sure people have a good experience and not going crazy with it.

My two real mistakes have been:

I once lost the contents of a package in transit. I immediately offered replacement or refund "he took refund" and if you have gotten a package from me in the last 4-5 months you will have found I somewhat abuse the use of strapping tape and now have to buy them in sets of 64 rolls.

I once shipped the incorrect block to a client, i immediately shipped the correct one at no charge and paid for the shipping of the original back to me.

Personally, I feel i handled the two situations reasonably well.

I do actually have some non sale content on my site. That long list of woods and info is on my site, and that is the only copy I now keep updated, though I should probably put it more front and center.
 
I have also been at this less than a year, and my process is certainly getting better all the time. If anyone has advice I am truly open to it, as you may have seen my other posts of this nature I do try to implement any changes that seem reasonable. I'm a pretty personable guy and I am very knowledgeable about wood, and I hope that the longer I do this the more tricks I will pick up.
 
To be honest, in this game, sometimes you have to buy from the guy who has what you want. But if there is moe than one supplier who has what I need, I will buy from the one that has given me the best service in the past. I have dealt with most of the suppliers at one time or another and for the general stuff, I usually go with USA Knifemaker, Alpha, Tru-Grit or Jantz . I like the people at Sheffield and Pop's too, but their ordering systems are not quite as well set up as the other guys. In many cases, the decision is based on who has the part that I am set up to use. Early on after my switch form Blaze to Cubitron, Sheffield has the widest selection of the different types, so I bought from them and if I am driving anywhere near them, I will typically stop buy and buy stuff in person. Most of the time it is about service and convenience.
 
you have started to tape your boxes better but the last order I received from you the blocks where loose in the box . Put paper in there to hold everything tight . They just bounced around and beat each other up .
 
Integrity.

Integrity.

Integrity.

Integrity.

I buy from people that are straight shooters, that don't make excuses, and aren't shit talkers. Price is a factor, for sure, but if someone does an honest business I want them to thrive. If I smell BS, I'm walking.
 
Integrity is a big one. Next up is ease of use/ordering. Third for me is that ability to get a lot or most of what I need in one place. I think what NC Biker says about getting your site set up to show up higher on the google searches would be a really smart one too. Just getting the traffic, product, and name in front of people is going to help too.

You are also smart asking these questions and then making adjustments that make sense. You can't be everything to everyone, but making those changes that suit your model and adding to your understanding of your customers and what makes them tick is pretty smart for a young guy.

Good luck chasing that chick a long ways off!! It was a long expensive chase with my wife when we were young and foolish. 1100 km. But when you're in love the will to overcome the distance is very strong.
 
Randydb said:
Integrity is a big one. Next up is ease of use/ordering. Third for me is that ability to get a lot or most of what I need in one place. I think what NC Biker says about getting your site set up to show up higher on the google searches would be a really smart one too. Just getting the traffic, product, and name in front of people is going to help too.

You are also smart asking these questions and then making adjustments that make sense. You can't be everything to everyone, but making those changes that suit your model and adding to your understanding of your customers and what makes them tick is pretty smart for a young guy.

Good luck chasing that chick a long ways off!! It was a long expensive chase with my wife when we were young and foolish. 1100 km. But when you're in love the will to overcome the distance is very strong.
Click to expand...

I've been looking into SEO.

And its not too bad. She lives where I go to school and our summers are off set, so we see eachother every break and for 4-5 weeks at the end of the year. Her parents have no idea what to do with all the furniture, cutting boards, boxes and knives they are getting for every birthday and christmas.
 
Honestly as a new knife maker your site is pretty awesome. You have a great content and details about wood that I don't really have to ask questions about it.
As far as SEO check out fiver.com that gothe stuff to help you out. Like I said I'm new to this game but I've checked out your sight alot and I really like it. I think if you were to add some pins and rivets it would be a nice touch as well.
 
for name brand items, I shop for price online. for steel, i shop name brands or AKS/Aldo. for wood, i stay local. several retail sawmills nearby and well as two good hardwood lumber stores. you are competing in a niche market so you need to be better than the competition to survive.
 
Ben, I think you should consider doing shows and investing in a table at shows.
bring the g/f along too.
you like to talk and have alot to say and good information to offer.

also consider an international show like Sicac or something, and you and the g/f get a vacation out of it.
wood and supplies aren't available in Europe as readily as here, (is my understanding)
you won't even over your costs the first time around, but it's an investment
learn how to ship internationally, if you don't know already
Many guys don't like it but after you do it a few times, it's no big deal

Plaza cutlery is next week and then you have Pasadena show in March

when you ship a package, include some scrap samples of something else that that customer has not purchased and label it "sample"

on the one example of where you shipped the wrong block, personally I would have let the customer keep the wrong block, but that's me :-)

I buy high figure ironwood for a 1/3 the price you sell it for

and what Chuck said, be patient :-)

Harbeer
 
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Have to agree with Kentucky and Matt: how a problem is handled and integrity, integrity and integrity. Really the same thing but ya won't know it till it happens. Take care of your customers and they will come back. Price is important but not always the main factor. Speedy efficient shipping will sometimes win over price for me if I need it now and havn't ordered @#$%^# ahead. Who I work with: Aldo, Culpepper, Sheffield, Jantz and Trugrit. Use to work with Fineturnage and AKS too but don't though no fault of theirs. I can no longer use mammoth tooth or ivory here in the Poeples Republik so don't deal with Fineturnage and AKS stopped carrying natural handle materials which is what I was getting from them. However both of those companies had excellent service too.
 
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