"Shopping” Around One of the best ways to increase business is to make personal contact with your customers. Here is a somewhat different approach. A machine shop owner in Missouri started a program last year that he calls “Fat Friday.” Each Friday morning, he drops...

Your Shop’s Rolling Billboard If you need to attract new customers, take a tip from many large, successful companies. Consider wrapping your company truck with advertising. A rolling billboard can create thousands of impressions per mile. Your message will be read by...

Keep Parts in Stock for More Sales Keeping popular head gasket sets, head bolt sets, piston rings, bearings and valves in stock is a proven way to make more sales. Contact your supplier and ask him what discounts you can get for placing a large stock order. Ask them...

RV Engine Opportunities Machine shops are not building as many “daily driver” complete engines these days; a lot of that business has gone to the PER and the junkyard. There are still a ton of engine builds, but they are mostly generated from two broad categories;...

Flyer Selling and Swapping An easy and cheap form of advertising is the 8-1/2 ̋ x 11 ̋ flyer. For about a dime, you can print a flyer, and most quick printers will help you with the design. A broad generic flyer could take on the purpose of a resume, telling customers...

Save Those Old, Failed Parts I suggest keeping a few examples of failed parts around your machine shop so you can show a customer first hand what happens in his engine. Below is a photo of a failed lifter, a prime example and perfect chance to teach your customers the...