We will be open regular hours of 8-2 on Saturday, August 30, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Holiday Schedule
W.L. May Company will be closed on Monday, September 2,2013 to celebrate Labor Day with our families.
We will be open regular hours of 8-2 on Saturday, August 30, 2013
We will be open regular hours of 8-2 on Saturday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Thoughtful Thursday: Summer Recap
Labor Day is just around the corner. On the phones, a lot of people are sharing stories of summer vacations and talk has turned to kids going back to school and thoughts of Fall. Many people in our service area have experienced the effects of being near large wildfires. Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California have all been affected this summer. We wish them the best and are keeping all the victims of these large fires in our hearts and minds.
Here at W.L. May Company, it has been a momentous summer. As most of you are aware by now, we completed the largest inventory transfer I have seen in 20 years with W.L.May. In the beginning of the summer, a large portion of the inventory at our Portland warehouse was relocated to a new distribution center across the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA. The new center in Vancouver has 35,000 square feet of space which we can use to offer a deeper inventory today as well as allow us the space to take on new product lines in the future. The Distribution Center does not replace our Portland Branch, as we still maintain or commitment to the Portland service market. We have structured our inventory so that everything that could be gotten from Portland in the past is still on hand for your will call needs. By and large, the relocation went extremely well. Of course, we learned a few things along the way. We apologize for any mishaps that may have occurred during the move and thank all of you for your support and patience.
In the near future we will be hosting several Regional Service Meeting for the United Servicers Association.It should be a great learning opportunity and hope to see you all there. With summer ending, it won't be long before the annual fall rush to get things ready for Winter and the Holiday Season. It seems only appropriate to mention a reminder to check you inventory for those range parts that you will be getting calls for soon, as well as parts for trash compacters and icemaker assemblies as they are often frequently serviced in preparation for the holidays.
We thank you for a great summer and look forward to helping address your parts needs for many more summers to come. To wrap things up, here are a few pictures taken during our move, we hope you enjoy them. Thanks to Danielle and Kelly for the images. Have a great day!
Here at W.L. May Company, it has been a momentous summer. As most of you are aware by now, we completed the largest inventory transfer I have seen in 20 years with W.L.May. In the beginning of the summer, a large portion of the inventory at our Portland warehouse was relocated to a new distribution center across the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA. The new center in Vancouver has 35,000 square feet of space which we can use to offer a deeper inventory today as well as allow us the space to take on new product lines in the future. The Distribution Center does not replace our Portland Branch, as we still maintain or commitment to the Portland service market. We have structured our inventory so that everything that could be gotten from Portland in the past is still on hand for your will call needs. By and large, the relocation went extremely well. Of course, we learned a few things along the way. We apologize for any mishaps that may have occurred during the move and thank all of you for your support and patience.
In the near future we will be hosting several Regional Service Meeting for the United Servicers Association.It should be a great learning opportunity and hope to see you all there. With summer ending, it won't be long before the annual fall rush to get things ready for Winter and the Holiday Season. It seems only appropriate to mention a reminder to check you inventory for those range parts that you will be getting calls for soon, as well as parts for trash compacters and icemaker assemblies as they are often frequently serviced in preparation for the holidays.
We thank you for a great summer and look forward to helping address your parts needs for many more summers to come. To wrap things up, here are a few pictures taken during our move, we hope you enjoy them. Thanks to Danielle and Kelly for the images. Have a great day!
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| Danielle loads a palette for transport. |
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| Isaac steadies the ladder as the top shelves are cleared. |
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| Les puts his back into his work by jacking up a palette to load on the moving truck. |
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| Isaac loading the moving van. |
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| Making progress! Look at all those empty parts bins! |
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| A (mostly) blank slate in Vancouver. |
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| The Vancouver Distribution Center takes shape. |
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| Jennifer checking-in items as they get shelved. |
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| More and more parts rolling in to stock the shelves. |
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| Vancouver Distribution Center is OPEN! |
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
5 Ways To Save Time When Calling Your Parts House
W.L. May is committed to the success our customers. When you call, we will do everything within our power to help you get the right piece for the job. We are happy to do things the way you like to do them and always strive to get you a quick answer. Because of that, I had some trouble deciding if I should post this. In the end, I decided that I would want to know some ways to save time therefore you might want them as well. So, if speed is a big concern for you, I perhaps this list can help streamline the process. I hope you find these tips helpful in the spirit in which they are intended.
1. Try to avoid peak times. We certainly don't want to dictate to you when to call us. We are happy to help any time that help is needed. If you are like me, you try to avoid rush hour traffic. Our rush hours are during the lunch hours of 11-1 and as we near the shipping cutoff time.
2.Introduce yourself. Letting us know what company you are with and your account number when you call. Sure, we can and happily do search for account numbers. But searching for account number information definitely adds to the time the call takes.
3.Know what kind of part you want. We are happy to work with you at tracking down a part. It usually doesn't matter if you are using the same description as the manufacturer. The fact is, a lot of parts even get called different things by the same maker. However knowing where a part mounts or what its function is can save a lot of time in the research process. If you are helping a retail parts customer with a vague request try to get him to clarify his needs before calling. Also, let us know if you have a part number. Of course, if you need us to confirm your research, we are happy too.
4.Have your model AND serial number ready. Some parts breakdowns will list more than one part for a model depending on the serial number. Also some models have manufacturers numbers that can be important as well. A good tip is to use your cell phone to take a picture of the model number label. This can help in avoiding follow up calls to your customers to gather more information.
5. Let our receptionist help you. A lot of callers feel they can only talk to their regular rep, or they feel that by speaking to someone else they betraying a certain loyalty, We all work as a team here so if offered another available rep, take advantage of that offer. Once again, we are ALL committed to YOUR success and any of us would be happy to assist you.
In addition, many of our online tools can also prove to be helpful in saving you time. Speak to your account manager for more information. Have a great (and efficient) day!
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| Creative Commons license on image. |
1. Try to avoid peak times. We certainly don't want to dictate to you when to call us. We are happy to help any time that help is needed. If you are like me, you try to avoid rush hour traffic. Our rush hours are during the lunch hours of 11-1 and as we near the shipping cutoff time.
2.Introduce yourself. Letting us know what company you are with and your account number when you call. Sure, we can and happily do search for account numbers. But searching for account number information definitely adds to the time the call takes.
3.Know what kind of part you want. We are happy to work with you at tracking down a part. It usually doesn't matter if you are using the same description as the manufacturer. The fact is, a lot of parts even get called different things by the same maker. However knowing where a part mounts or what its function is can save a lot of time in the research process. If you are helping a retail parts customer with a vague request try to get him to clarify his needs before calling. Also, let us know if you have a part number. Of course, if you need us to confirm your research, we are happy too.
4.Have your model AND serial number ready. Some parts breakdowns will list more than one part for a model depending on the serial number. Also some models have manufacturers numbers that can be important as well. A good tip is to use your cell phone to take a picture of the model number label. This can help in avoiding follow up calls to your customers to gather more information.
5. Let our receptionist help you. A lot of callers feel they can only talk to their regular rep, or they feel that by speaking to someone else they betraying a certain loyalty, We all work as a team here so if offered another available rep, take advantage of that offer. Once again, we are ALL committed to YOUR success and any of us would be happy to assist you.
In addition, many of our online tools can also prove to be helpful in saving you time. Speak to your account manager for more information. Have a great (and efficient) day!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Kelly's Korner - Appliance Facelift
Hey, All,
Do your appliances work fine but look a little worn? Tiny nicks, scratches, icky drip pans? Well, there is a solution for this!
W L May carries or can get from the manufacturer's touch-up paint for your appliances. Usually these come in either a little bottle with a brush or a paint pen. Really simple to touch up those little boo-boos that happen (especially with small children and little cars that are run over every surface possible!). But what if you have stainless appliances? If it is true stainless (magnets won't stick to it) W L May has a DIY kit called Scratch-B-Gone. This is a kit that has all you need - plus an instruction video! - to take these small scratches off. If it is a stainless look-a-like you may be able to get touch-up paint for this also - call us!
Stove looking a little grungy? Replace those drip pans under the burner - usually fairly inexpensive but check with us as some are not. We also carry a grate cleaner for gas stoves.
What about your dishwasher racks? Has some of the plastic coating been knocked off and the underlying wire rack is rusting? We have tine tips and plastic "goop" to cover those. Way cheaper than buying new racks!
Call or come in with the model number of your appliances and we can help you give your appliances their "facelifts".
Have a great week!
Do your appliances work fine but look a little worn? Tiny nicks, scratches, icky drip pans? Well, there is a solution for this!
W L May carries or can get from the manufacturer's touch-up paint for your appliances. Usually these come in either a little bottle with a brush or a paint pen. Really simple to touch up those little boo-boos that happen (especially with small children and little cars that are run over every surface possible!). But what if you have stainless appliances? If it is true stainless (magnets won't stick to it) W L May has a DIY kit called Scratch-B-Gone. This is a kit that has all you need - plus an instruction video! - to take these small scratches off. If it is a stainless look-a-like you may be able to get touch-up paint for this also - call us!
Stove looking a little grungy? Replace those drip pans under the burner - usually fairly inexpensive but check with us as some are not. We also carry a grate cleaner for gas stoves.
What about your dishwasher racks? Has some of the plastic coating been knocked off and the underlying wire rack is rusting? We have tine tips and plastic "goop" to cover those. Way cheaper than buying new racks!
Call or come in with the model number of your appliances and we can help you give your appliances their "facelifts".
Have a great week!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday Featured Client: Bellflower/Lakewood Appliance
Reprinted from: What's Cooking at W.L. May Co? Volume 1 Issue 8
Bellflower/Lakewood Appliance in Bellflower, CA is the longest continuously operating appliance dealer in Bellflower, a suburb of Los Angeles. Established in 1931 as a Maytag Dealer when Bellflower was largely a community of dairy farmers, the store grew with the city as America took to the suburbs.
In 1980, Dan Koops, who was born and raised in Bellflower, took ownership of the store, which by now offered both new & used appliances, as well as parts and service for all brands. Dan credits his success to hard work and fair dealing. As Dan says, "When you have a store and you live in a town you have to back what you say will do. You really have nowhere to hide if you don't." Dan doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. His reputation for hard work & dependability is such that he serves on the City Council, and he is the former mayor of Bellflower.
Of course, Dan struggles with the same kinds of issues that many companies deal with; finding good technicians is always a challenge. Competition from unlicensed amateur repairmen and questionable internet sites has also kept Dan on his toes. Dan says his relationship with W.L. May has helped. Dan commented "W.L. May offers better service from 1000 miles away than the competition that is less than 3 miles away. I don't need to worry about it. When I order my parts are here next day. Other suppliers have trouble meeting that need."
Between business and public service Dan keeps pretty busy. When he has time, he likes to go boating and also to work on his collection of vintage trucks. In fact, last year one of his trucks took 1st place in the working cars division during a big car show.
If you find yourself near the interchange of the 91 & 605 freeways in LA County, stop off in Bellflower and introduce yourself to Dan and see why Bellflower/Lakewood Appliance has been a fixture in the community since the 1930's
Bellflower/Lakewood Appliance in Bellflower, CA is the longest continuously operating appliance dealer in Bellflower, a suburb of Los Angeles. Established in 1931 as a Maytag Dealer when Bellflower was largely a community of dairy farmers, the store grew with the city as America took to the suburbs.
In 1980, Dan Koops, who was born and raised in Bellflower, took ownership of the store, which by now offered both new & used appliances, as well as parts and service for all brands. Dan credits his success to hard work and fair dealing. As Dan says, "When you have a store and you live in a town you have to back what you say will do. You really have nowhere to hide if you don't." Dan doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. His reputation for hard work & dependability is such that he serves on the City Council, and he is the former mayor of Bellflower.
Of course, Dan struggles with the same kinds of issues that many companies deal with; finding good technicians is always a challenge. Competition from unlicensed amateur repairmen and questionable internet sites has also kept Dan on his toes. Dan says his relationship with W.L. May has helped. Dan commented "W.L. May offers better service from 1000 miles away than the competition that is less than 3 miles away. I don't need to worry about it. When I order my parts are here next day. Other suppliers have trouble meeting that need."
Between business and public service Dan keeps pretty busy. When he has time, he likes to go boating and also to work on his collection of vintage trucks. In fact, last year one of his trucks took 1st place in the working cars division during a big car show.
If you find yourself near the interchange of the 91 & 605 freeways in LA County, stop off in Bellflower and introduce yourself to Dan and see why Bellflower/Lakewood Appliance has been a fixture in the community since the 1930's
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Throwback Thursday: News Recap
We start with a few consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:
- Alltech Appliance offers some tips to avoid a costly washer repair. Link
- The blog "Helpful Information for Appliance Repair" counseled readers on the age old debate, "Buying New vs. Repairing Your "Old" Appliance". Link
- Huffington Post offered tips for cleaning a refrigerator with salt and water. Link
- Diane Estrella's blog shared a recipe for refrigerator pickles. Link
- The Telegraph from Macon GA published an interesting article about refrigerator cleaning and food storage for optimum health and safety. Link
- Western Appliance Repair had a great post about troubleshooting and repairing a non working icemaker. This may be a more technical than some consumers will be ready for, but still useful to the right person. Link
- HealthLine News posted this article that is sure to scare you a little. It also makes a persuasive argument for dishwasher cleaning products. Link
- MSN shared 20 tips to save money on laundry. Link
- About.Com shared tips for moving a refrigerator. Link
Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:
- Frigidaire reported growth in North America, which they credit to an improved U.S. housing market. Link
- Wall Street Cheat Sheet reported an increase ad revenues being spent by GE to keep up with Whirlpool and Electrolux's ad budgets. Link
- Whirlpool reported they are adding 150 new jobs at their Tulsa plant that will be working on a "new cooking product". Link\
- LG reported stong international sales of their six-motion front load washers. Link
- The Motley Fool was bullish on Whirlpool. Link
- A writer for Sacramento Bee was impressed by technology on a GE machine that calls the factory for service. Link
- Whirlpool made the news again with their acquisition of a Chinese appliance manufacturer. Link
- Whirlpool paid out a dividend to their shareholders. Link
We found a few articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:
- The Daily News had a story about a lady who was hiding money in her refrigerator, when her husband got sent the machine to the recycler. Luckily it has a happy ending. Link
- From India, The Daily Bhaksar posted the story of a girl who has invented a pedal powered washing machine. Link
Sometimes, the links we post related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:
- Huffington Post discussed yet more changes to Facebook. This time it is a feature that shows what you were doing one year ago. Link
- Consumer Reports offered some tips to save money on gasoline. Link
A few contests were announced:
- Bob Vila announced a contest on his website with GE appliances as the prize. Link
- Electrolux announced a contest with the Grand Prize being a trip to the Bahamas and French Door refrigerator. Unfortunately, most of us in "the industry" are not eligible. But tell your friends, because with every entry Electrolux contributes a dollar to ovarian cancer research. Link
- Wired discussed the "maker" movement and suggests a movement toward "fixing" is an idea whose time has come (again). Link
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Kelly's Korner - Education
Hey, All,
We have all been in the position of learning something new - tying your shoes, cooking, mathematics, job duties, etc. - and being told how to do it by someone else - parent, teacher, supervisor, etc. Think back to who your favorite and least favorite teacher was. Why are they your favorite or not?
Learning is something that happens every day, every hour, and how you retain that knowledge and use it depends alot on the person teaching you. Have you ever been put in a position of starting a new task of some kind and just left to figure it out on your own? How did that make you feel? Or have you been paired with someone that explained every step, patiently answered your questions - even the same ones over and over - and didn't let you fly free until you were totally comfortable with what you were doing. Which method do you prefer?
Here at W L May, we not only help to train new employees, but help our customers in learning more about the appliance industry. One of the things that is best about this job is that something new is learned every day. And we are more than happy to pass on that knowledge. This is one of the reasons I keep my Superhero Book. I may not have to remember detail of what I have dealt with, but remembering that I have that info in my Book is priceless. The appliance business is ever-changing and we here at W L May do our best - not only keeping up with the new stuff - but remembering things about the older appliances out there, also. And we are happy to share that knowledge with you.
W L May also sponsors training sessions for independent servicers to help learn what is going on in the industry and we have several of these coming up soon - check the link for a session near you. Time is running out on the Portland session. www.unitedservicers.com
Got a question or a tough research? Call us. Chances are that we have heard your problem before and can help, or we will help you find an answer if it is a stumper. After all, with being in business for 90 years and long term employees (some have over 30 years here!) there is a lot of knowledge here to share!
Have a great week!
We have all been in the position of learning something new - tying your shoes, cooking, mathematics, job duties, etc. - and being told how to do it by someone else - parent, teacher, supervisor, etc. Think back to who your favorite and least favorite teacher was. Why are they your favorite or not?
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| Creative Commons license on image. |
Learning is something that happens every day, every hour, and how you retain that knowledge and use it depends alot on the person teaching you. Have you ever been put in a position of starting a new task of some kind and just left to figure it out on your own? How did that make you feel? Or have you been paired with someone that explained every step, patiently answered your questions - even the same ones over and over - and didn't let you fly free until you were totally comfortable with what you were doing. Which method do you prefer?
Here at W L May, we not only help to train new employees, but help our customers in learning more about the appliance industry. One of the things that is best about this job is that something new is learned every day. And we are more than happy to pass on that knowledge. This is one of the reasons I keep my Superhero Book. I may not have to remember detail of what I have dealt with, but remembering that I have that info in my Book is priceless. The appliance business is ever-changing and we here at W L May do our best - not only keeping up with the new stuff - but remembering things about the older appliances out there, also. And we are happy to share that knowledge with you.
W L May also sponsors training sessions for independent servicers to help learn what is going on in the industry and we have several of these coming up soon - check the link for a session near you. Time is running out on the Portland session. www.unitedservicers.com
Got a question or a tough research? Call us. Chances are that we have heard your problem before and can help, or we will help you find an answer if it is a stumper. After all, with being in business for 90 years and long term employees (some have over 30 years here!) there is a lot of knowledge here to share!
Have a great week!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Wednesday W.L. May Profile: Wes Luke
Reprinted from: What's Cooking at W.L. May Co? Volume 1 Issue 9
Wes Luke is no stranger to the Appliance Parts industry. The Luke family built a long respected history, dating back to the 1970's, in the Salem-Keizer area, as owner /operator of Appliance Refrigeration Center; once the largest Whirlpool Dealership in Salem. While at ARC, Wes learned all aspects of the "business side", as well as becoming lead technician servicing light commercial appliances for over a 13 year period.
In 1985, he "loaded up the truck" and moved 45 miles north, to Portland where he became Branch Manager of W.L. May Co.'s Beaverton location. After a few years of success, never shy of hard work and new challenges, Wes accepted the position of Counter Manager at W.L. May Co.'s flagship location in downtown Portland. He utilized his vast experience and knowledge to educate employees how to use "quick-books" and other tools; providing research information to local dealers during a "pre-computer" information age.
Wes is proud of his strong family values; he and his wife Rita recently celebrated their 38TH wedding anniversary. They have 2 children: Stephanie and Shawn. Stephanie works for the City of Salem in the judicial system. Just last year she gave birth to Wes and Rita's first grandchild; Nicholas. Wes' son Shawn, proves that sometimes the "fruit doesn't fall far from the tree". He is also employed at W.L. May Co as the Warranty/Returns Department Manager.
Whether Wes is on a body of water boating or swimming, or toiling around a golf course (sometimes in the water, as well!!), he thrives living in the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest. With an eye to the future, he has recently become passionate about "Going Green", and has invested his time self-educating and understanding better ways to "power his world". At present he is focused on utilizing solar panel kits for back-up power rather than gas-powered generators. That's just like Wes; always looking to the future. One of his biggest life enjoyments is making possibly the best beef jerky ANYWHERE.
If you're ever in the Portland area, stop by and meet Wes, he just may share with you some of his homemade beef jerky.
Wes Luke is no stranger to the Appliance Parts industry. The Luke family built a long respected history, dating back to the 1970's, in the Salem-Keizer area, as owner /operator of Appliance Refrigeration Center; once the largest Whirlpool Dealership in Salem. While at ARC, Wes learned all aspects of the "business side", as well as becoming lead technician servicing light commercial appliances for over a 13 year period.
Wes is proud of his strong family values; he and his wife Rita recently celebrated their 38TH wedding anniversary. They have 2 children: Stephanie and Shawn. Stephanie works for the City of Salem in the judicial system. Just last year she gave birth to Wes and Rita's first grandchild; Nicholas. Wes' son Shawn, proves that sometimes the "fruit doesn't fall far from the tree". He is also employed at W.L. May Co as the Warranty/Returns Department Manager.
Whether Wes is on a body of water boating or swimming, or toiling around a golf course (sometimes in the water, as well!!), he thrives living in the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest. With an eye to the future, he has recently become passionate about "Going Green", and has invested his time self-educating and understanding better ways to "power his world". At present he is focused on utilizing solar panel kits for back-up power rather than gas-powered generators. That's just like Wes; always looking to the future. One of his biggest life enjoyments is making possibly the best beef jerky ANYWHERE.
If you're ever in the Portland area, stop by and meet Wes, he just may share with you some of his homemade beef jerky.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Kelly's Korner - Cleaning
Hey, All,
It may be weird to say, but, yes, you can be too clean! I have had people call in looking for new consoles for their appliances, replacement electronics, and not be able to get parts at all because they have cleaned their appliances too well.
In your owner's manual there is usually a section on cleaning. Please follow the manufacturer's
recommendations. Steel wool and abrasive cleaners will take the markings off your consoles so you don't know which setting is where. They will also take the model and serial numbers off the tag (hint: have a file somewhere else that lists all your appliances with their brand, model and serial number, purchase date, and whatever other information you may need to get it repaired. This includes computers, TVs, DVD players, etc., and will also come in handy in the unfortunate event of filing insurance claims or police reports.) And if you have an older appliance those parts may not be able to be replaced.
Also, abrasive cleaners and pads may leave scratches that will collect dirt and food particles, so all that scrubbing may actually open you up to even more opportunities for bacteria to grow. And electronics are expensive so definitely be carefully with any liquids around them.
Most manufacturer's have recommended cleaners for their products and W L May carries alot of them. Come see us or call to find out what we have.
Have a great week!
It may be weird to say, but, yes, you can be too clean! I have had people call in looking for new consoles for their appliances, replacement electronics, and not be able to get parts at all because they have cleaned their appliances too well.
In your owner's manual there is usually a section on cleaning. Please follow the manufacturer's
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| Creative Commons license on image. |
Also, abrasive cleaners and pads may leave scratches that will collect dirt and food particles, so all that scrubbing may actually open you up to even more opportunities for bacteria to grow. And electronics are expensive so definitely be carefully with any liquids around them.
Most manufacturer's have recommended cleaners for their products and W L May carries alot of them. Come see us or call to find out what we have.
Have a great week!
Monday, August 12, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Fix It Friday-How A Clothes Dryer Is Made
"How It's Made" is a frequently interesting program that can be found on the Science Channel. For those of you who may not know of the show, they go to manufacturing facilities of everyday items and show the process used to make those items. This episode is all about clothes dryers. It is pretty neat seeing the assembly line churning out dryers that we may be someday be sending out parts to repair. I did hear an error in the narration toward the end of the clip. The narrator mentions that the timer turns on the appliances "various switches and gears". As we all know in this business, a dryer doesn't have a transmission or gears for the timer to activate. Really though, that is a minor point in an overall interesting clip. Also, who out there can identify the brand of dryer?
Thanks for watching this clip and visiting our blog. If you have a repair you would like teach others to do, we would love to feature it on a future Fix It Friday. Email me at rob.m@wlmay.com if you would like to submit a video or article. Of course, we will give all credit to you and your company for any items we decide to use. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for watching this clip and visiting our blog. If you have a repair you would like teach others to do, we would love to feature it on a future Fix It Friday. Email me at rob.m@wlmay.com if you would like to submit a video or article. Of course, we will give all credit to you and your company for any items we decide to use. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Thursday Tech Tip-Regional Service Meertings
At our front counter we get a lot of feedback from techs in the field. Earlier this week a tech came in and he was unhappy about doing a repair on a Frigidaire front load washer that he wasn't as familiar with as he would have liked to be. He also commented that he could use some information about the Bosch design as well. In what seemed like a perfect fit, we told him that the United Servicer Association's Regional Service Meetings were coming up soon and the training would match up exactly with what he suggested he would like to learn more about. To our surprise, he did not seem interested. Apparently, his concern was that he would lose 2 days worth of service revenue to attend the training. The bigger picture though is that with the knowledge he could gain from the training he would be able to take more calls and handle them efficiently. It would likely not be long before the training would pay for his lost time and start making him more money. We are hoping that he reconsiders and realizes the opportunity he would be missing. We also hope that if you could use more training on newer products or want information to help grow your business that you will take advantage of the program that the USA is providing. W.L. May Co. is partnering with USA to sponsor meetings in Portland in September, Sacramento in October, and Boise in November. We would love to see you there. For more information, or to register, please see below. Pro tip: early registration qualifies you for a discount on your registration fees.
by W.L. May Company
Regional Servicers Meeting Fall 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Wednesday Web Tools-Making Your Brand
Appliance Repair is an interesting business. A guy with some knowledge and tools and limited capital can
start a bootstrap business working out of his own vehicle part time. On the other end of the scale you find a well organized large operation that has a retail parts counter, a well stocked inventory, and a fleet of fairly new well maintained service vehicles. And in between there are all sorts of combinations of partnerships, family businesses, and professional independent servicers. But one thing they all have in common is a brand.
What is a brand? A brand is simply the image you put before the public. A brand is something you have whether you realize it or not. Your brand could be as simple as "that guy who knows how to fix stuff for cheap". And you know what, that brand will often allow for some success. Especially if you are a nice guy and you do good work. That can be a limiting brand too. Think about it for a moment, if you are the "cheap guy" you will have some customers that LOVE you it's true (who doesn't like a value). But, being the cheapest servicer reduces your profit per job, you have to work longer hours to make ends meet. Now to be clear, I am not suggesting you overcharge your customers, but if your only brand is the "cheap guy" you will quite possibly find yourself undervaluing your services and parts sales. If you do that for long enough you will eventually probably run out of money. Sadly, we've seen it happen.
My point here though, isn't to pick on the "cheap guy" there are a lot of really nice guys who manage to scrape by that way. I am trying to make the point that we all have a brand, whether we conciously work at it or not. Many of the most successful companies we are seeing these days have taken the smart strategy of developing their companies brand. In the past a nicely painted service truck with a matching yellow pages ad was perhaps all the branding a service business needed. But those days are fading fast. Do YOU still use the phone book? If you do, I salute your traditionalism, but you are one of the last few. With no phone book how can you get the message that you are available for repair work out into the community? A great way is develop your brand.
I am not a self branding expert by any means, so I suggest a google search of the term "personal branding" for a host of articles on the topic. What I do have is a great perspective to see how a good brand can effect the success of a repair business. The most successful companies that we see staying very busy have taken the time to cultivate their brand. Some people see the flashy logo paint jobs on their service vans assume that they were just spending lots of ad money. Generally there is a lot more going on contributing to the success of these companies. They all share the fact that they utilize numerous ways of developing their image, or "building their brand". They generally are well aware of the fact that most people these days find out about products and services through the internet.
The tricky thing to consider is, it isn't always by using Google or some other search engine that folks get answers from the internet. Consumers ask their friends for advice (often on social media siteslike facebook or twitter) or see who looks the most reputable online (at review sites suchas angies list or yelp). For a repair company to ever get hired by a customer, the fist step is to establish the trust and confidence of his potential customer. For that reason, many of these companies have created blogs about appliance repair that allow there potential customers to get to know them and establish a level of comfort before a customer will invite them into their homes. A presence on social media, if well thought out and implemented effectively, also can do a lot to increase your reputation in the community. Another teqhnique is to encourage your customers to leave reviews on popular sites like angies list or yelp. Oh and by the way, the more of this stuff you do, the better you will likely show up on when people search on Bing or Google or Yahoo or whatever.
My suggestion is to put some thought into the brand you want to project and take one step this month to making it a reality. Do it again next month. And so on. Don't go overboard. Remember, your prime directive should be serving your customers. But stretch yourself a little. Explore some parts of the internet you haven't looked at before, like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Allow your self some play to become comfortable with features and "feel" of these websites. Check out some your interests, check out your competition. I know some of us older guys just don't have much to say sometimes, but putting forth the effort can lead to rewards. Ultimately you should find yourself with a larger pool of customers, you might make more money, and you might even have more fun!
start a bootstrap business working out of his own vehicle part time. On the other end of the scale you find a well organized large operation that has a retail parts counter, a well stocked inventory, and a fleet of fairly new well maintained service vehicles. And in between there are all sorts of combinations of partnerships, family businesses, and professional independent servicers. But one thing they all have in common is a brand.
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| Creative Commons license on image. |
My point here though, isn't to pick on the "cheap guy" there are a lot of really nice guys who manage to scrape by that way. I am trying to make the point that we all have a brand, whether we conciously work at it or not. Many of the most successful companies we are seeing these days have taken the smart strategy of developing their companies brand. In the past a nicely painted service truck with a matching yellow pages ad was perhaps all the branding a service business needed. But those days are fading fast. Do YOU still use the phone book? If you do, I salute your traditionalism, but you are one of the last few. With no phone book how can you get the message that you are available for repair work out into the community? A great way is develop your brand.
I am not a self branding expert by any means, so I suggest a google search of the term "personal branding" for a host of articles on the topic. What I do have is a great perspective to see how a good brand can effect the success of a repair business. The most successful companies that we see staying very busy have taken the time to cultivate their brand. Some people see the flashy logo paint jobs on their service vans assume that they were just spending lots of ad money. Generally there is a lot more going on contributing to the success of these companies. They all share the fact that they utilize numerous ways of developing their image, or "building their brand". They generally are well aware of the fact that most people these days find out about products and services through the internet.
The tricky thing to consider is, it isn't always by using Google or some other search engine that folks get answers from the internet. Consumers ask their friends for advice (often on social media siteslike facebook or twitter) or see who looks the most reputable online (at review sites suchas angies list or yelp). For a repair company to ever get hired by a customer, the fist step is to establish the trust and confidence of his potential customer. For that reason, many of these companies have created blogs about appliance repair that allow there potential customers to get to know them and establish a level of comfort before a customer will invite them into their homes. A presence on social media, if well thought out and implemented effectively, also can do a lot to increase your reputation in the community. Another teqhnique is to encourage your customers to leave reviews on popular sites like angies list or yelp. Oh and by the way, the more of this stuff you do, the better you will likely show up on when people search on Bing or Google or Yahoo or whatever.
My suggestion is to put some thought into the brand you want to project and take one step this month to making it a reality. Do it again next month. And so on. Don't go overboard. Remember, your prime directive should be serving your customers. But stretch yourself a little. Explore some parts of the internet you haven't looked at before, like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Allow your self some play to become comfortable with features and "feel" of these websites. Check out some your interests, check out your competition. I know some of us older guys just don't have much to say sometimes, but putting forth the effort can lead to rewards. Ultimately you should find yourself with a larger pool of customers, you might make more money, and you might even have more fun!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Kelly's Korner
Hey, All,
Apologies for missing last week - got caught up in training a new employee and lost track.
I would like to talk about canning elements - canning, you say? What is that? Way back before fruits and vegetables were available in stores in cans, people processed the fruits and vegetables they raised themselves so they would have this bounty to carry them over till the next harvest. If you've never had home canned products, they are way above in taste to what you buy in stores. I remember spending many a summer in a hot and steamy kitchen canning with my family and friends - and listening for that familiar little "Pop" of the lids sealing. If you really want to get a better alternative to canned fruits and veggies, home canning is the way to go. You also get to control the amounts of sugars, salts and other preservatives that commercial canning puts in their products. Check your local county extension agency or maybe some of the farmers markets for classes. If you have never canned, I heartily recommend you take classes - if food is not processed properly you run the risk of some nasty bacteria in your food.
Anyway, back to the canning elements - because you are using big pots for processing heavy items (jars of produce plus the water to cover them) these elements will help with the process. They have a heavier support under the coils and sit a bit higher off the surface of your stove to allow more airflow under your canners. Now these only work on conventional coil stoves - there is no canning element available for glass top stoves. The different manufacturers may offer an optional canning element and there are aftermarket ones available, too. The wonderful people at W L May can help you find the one for your stove.
Home canning is very satisfying and I guarantee that after your last load comes out for the night you will lie in bed awake listening for the pop of the sealing lids and giggle each time it does.
Have a great week!
Apologies for missing last week - got caught up in training a new employee and lost track.
I would like to talk about canning elements - canning, you say? What is that? Way back before fruits and vegetables were available in stores in cans, people processed the fruits and vegetables they raised themselves so they would have this bounty to carry them over till the next harvest. If you've never had home canned products, they are way above in taste to what you buy in stores. I remember spending many a summer in a hot and steamy kitchen canning with my family and friends - and listening for that familiar little "Pop" of the lids sealing. If you really want to get a better alternative to canned fruits and veggies, home canning is the way to go. You also get to control the amounts of sugars, salts and other preservatives that commercial canning puts in their products. Check your local county extension agency or maybe some of the farmers markets for classes. If you have never canned, I heartily recommend you take classes - if food is not processed properly you run the risk of some nasty bacteria in your food.
Anyway, back to the canning elements - because you are using big pots for processing heavy items (jars of produce plus the water to cover them) these elements will help with the process. They have a heavier support under the coils and sit a bit higher off the surface of your stove to allow more airflow under your canners. Now these only work on conventional coil stoves - there is no canning element available for glass top stoves. The different manufacturers may offer an optional canning element and there are aftermarket ones available, too. The wonderful people at W L May can help you find the one for your stove.
Home canning is very satisfying and I guarantee that after your last load comes out for the night you will lie in bed awake listening for the pop of the sealing lids and giggle each time it does.
Have a great week!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Friday Featured Client: Conklin's Appliance
When they first opened, the Conklin's operated from a small section of a corner building. Due to the success they enjoyed, they have since taken over the entire building. After 37 years of expansion, the Conklin's sold their business in 1988 to current owners Bob and Laverne Salstrom.
Conklin's believes they owe their success to their ability to provide personalized customer service. In addition to appliance service, they sell new product; including Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Maytag, Amana, Jenn -Air, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Asko, Wolf, and Bertazonni. They also sell Weber Barbeque grills, and are quite proud of their "earned reputation" as the State of Washington's largest retailer of the "Big Green Egg" barbeque.
Barb Conklin, daughter-in-law of Newman and Genie Conklin, still works in the sales and parts departments. In addition to her sales responsibilities, she processes warranty paperwork with Service Bench, and oversees the work of Third Party Administrators, whose extended warranty contracts they service. When not at work, she enjoys traveling and has fond memories of her recent cruise to New Orleans, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize. Another "hobby" she pursues is the raising and showing of Alpacas, who according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, are a "cherished treasure of the ancient Incan civilization".
Barb enjoys working with W.L. May Co's Seattle Branch for many reasons; expressing various adjectives such as "accommodating", "efficient" and overall, feels they are just "easy to work with". If you ever find yourself going through Lynnwood, WA, stop by Conklin's and find out for yourself exactly what a "Big Green Egg" barbeque is.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Thursday Tip
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