MAKE AN IMPRESSION

It's the little things that really make a great impression. For instance, I have had the pleasure of being surprised by a couple of my friends I know from working with them through Wolff, or many of my online projects. The surprises came from Kamran Popkin, of Promotional Authority, and Louisa Stephan, of Worthwhile. What did they do? They gave me a little of their time, they thought about me, they did a little something extra, these actions were expressed in the form of a book and a hand-written note (See the picture above).


Kamran PopKin
I have known Kamran for a long time. When I filled out a recommendation for him on his LinkedIn Page, I said...

“Kamran is the quintessential example of what a sales professional should be. Innovative, creative, able to solve problems, on time, always learning and always willing to extend his hand to help. One of the things that most impresses me about Kamran is, when ever I find a new book on sales or marketing, Kamran has either read it or is in the process of reading it. He is always looking for ways to grow so he can better serve his customers. Helping his clients isn't just a job to him, it's a lifestyle.”

...and I meant every word of it. He knows I like Gitomer books, and he also knows that "Trust" is something I try to encourage all of my sharpening students to build with their clients as they grow their businesses. This small gift is great because it's also a gift to you, since I'm sure I'll be pulling all kinds of nuggets of wisdom from this book to share with you. All he did was make a quick stop to pick up a book and jot a quick note on the back of his card, but boy did he make an impression and I'd like to say a BIG public thank you.

Louisa Stephan
I'm just getting to know Louisa. We have been friends for some time now on Facebook and Twitter. We met on these sites through our organizations and only recently met in person at a local business event. We exchanged our pleasure in getting to meet each other through Direct Messages on Twitter, but she took it one step further and wrote me a nice note. She comes across online as a kind and dedicated person every time I see her comment on something, or pass information along to our group. This note is just one more thing that shows how truly wonderful she is, and that the Worthwhile Company is blessed to have her.

The Point
The point in all of this is not to tell you I have two great friends (but I do), it's to tell you that you can be this kind of friend to your customers too. Do you, from time-to-time, write a thank you note to those that use your service, or if they buy a shear? Do you drop by with a simple, inexpensive gift that really means something to your customer? I know many of you do, those that are not, consider trying it. This really was just two simple things my friends did, but they made a lasting memory that I guarantee you I'll be telling others about for months.

A quick note:
Kamran sells some of the best promotional products I've ever seen. If you'd like to get in touch with him, his e-mail is kamran@PromotionalAuthority.com.

To find out more about Louisa and Worthwhile Company, visit their website at www.worthwhile.com.

ROTARY BLADE SHARPENING

Sorry for the short post, but I've been buried today. I added a number of Rotary Blade Sharpening Videos to the Wolff YouTube Channel. Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/wolffind

WOLFF INDUSTRIES ONLINE

It has been a busy week for Wolff online. Here are a few examples:

The new Wolff Twice as Sharp® Website

Most of you know about this one already and I thank you for all your help and suggestions when it went online. Here is the site address:

http://www.twiceassharp.com/

Be sure to stop by the link section and see who has joined the Link Sharing Program. If you'd like to join, click here to find out more.


The Wolff Facebook Page

I announced this the other day, but I've started adding pictures, videos, and links to the Page. So keep an eye on it and become a fan if you're on Facebook. Here's a link:

Wolff Industries on Facebook




The Wolff YouTube Channel

I've been loading Wolff videos onto the Wolff YouTube Channel over the past couple of days. Over time you will find more and more being added, so be sure to stop by the link below and favorite the page or subscribe to the Wolff Industries Channel. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/wolffind

WOLFF'S FACEBOOK PAGE

Are you on Facebook? If you are, Wolff now has a Facebook Page too. I've been working on adding pictures, they'll be updates about future shows added, and links back here to Jim Sharp and other sites of interest. When you have a few moments, swing by, take a look, and if you're a member of Facebook; become a fan. Here's a link:

Wolff Facebook Page

If you don't have a Facebook Page, consider opening one. I'll be talking more about Facebook and how you can use it as a sharpener to promote yourself and your business.

REPAIR A SHEAR

Back in July of 2007 I wrote a post titled, Repairing a Wrecked Shear on the Hira-To®. A number of people have asked me about it, so I though it wouldn't hurt to write a quick post today pointing back to it. Here is the link that will take you back to that post:

Repairing a Wrecked Shear on the Hira-To®

Let me know what you think.

WHO CAN SHARPEN MY SHEARS?

On occasion I have a customer call and ask, "How can I find someone in my area that can sharpen my industrial or sewing shears.?" I always tell them, "Ask your local Dog Groomers." Grooming shears are sharpened the same as an industrial shear or sewing shear and they typically get their blades or shears sharpened ever 6 to 8 weeks, so they weed out bad sharpeners fast. If they like a sharpener, you can bank on them being good at what they do.

With that said, you'd be surprised how many times I get a call from different industries asking how to find a sharpener. The industrial segment of the sharpening business is often overlooked. Don't overlook it! If you need some help thinking of places to go that have shears that need sharpening, send me an e-mail at Jim@wolffind.com. I have a list of places you can go to sharpen shears and will gladly send it to you be e-mail.

Image: judybaxter

A VISIT FROM DAVID VOGEL

Those of us that were at the Wolff Show back in 2005 in Richmond, VA will remember David Vogel and the excellent presentation he did on shear manufacturing. He is here with us today working on a variety of projects as we move forward into 2009.

Here David Wolff, David Vogel, and Garnard Hill are mulling over how they are going to modify our project shears for the different cutting applications they do.





Testing went on for a number of hours as Garnard and David tried different levels of set and angles to get the best cut out of the shears.





The ureka moment came when they found the right combination of set, angle, level of face grind, and edge radius to get the job done.





Here are a couple of pictures a I though everyone would enjoy. David Vogel is face grinding an industrial shear free-hand. Can you tell he's been at this a long time?









David will now go back to the plant to make the necessary molds and dies to create the blades we need to improve our 6000 series shears. Awesome job today Dave and Garnard!

SOME LINKS ARE UP

This will be the last post about the new Twice as Sharp® Website this week. I just wanted to point you to the link page to view the first few sharpener links. Here is the link:

http://twiceassharp.com/tas_links.php#

Just scroll down to view.

If you'd like to get a link on the Twice as Sharp® Site, click here to find out more.