tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89020768176115782572011-12-04T22:27:15.174-08:00Dedicated to helping companies that provide products and services to the snow industry learn how to understand and build better relationships with snow and ice management professionals in North America.Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-69227819097673069042011-10-06T10:43:00.000-07:002011-10-06T10:45:13.591-07:00

by Brian K. Birch Its that time of year again, one of the most stressful times of year for snow management professionals. These folks  are swamped right now, as many of them are gearing up for the fall cleanup season, closing out the summer business, and to add to all of that, trying to sell snow and plan for it. Sounds easy, right? Imagine the challenge they face; most of their clients have

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-1618773294200805612011-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-25T08:00:00.234-07:00

By Brian K. Birch Okay, I know it’s been a long time since I posted here! SIMA staff have been running hard since the Symposium, we've delivered 5 other events since then. Some experiences from our most recent event, the annual Snow Strategies Forum, are the ones I'd like to discuss briefly here. As I sat in the sessions, chatted with folks during breakfast, and had a drink in the evenings, I

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-87467271110311332532011-05-31T06:29:00.000-07:002011-05-31T06:36:20.240-07:00

By Brian K. Birch As this crazy and eventful spring comes to a close and it starts to heat up outside, the easiest thing you can do is forget about snow and ice. My counsel to you is to NOT forget about the winter, this is perhaps the most critical time of the entire year for you to get in front of key decisions makers BEFORE they make their product and supply decisions for the 2011-2012

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-54711087598591813562011-04-14T15:19:00.000-07:002011-04-14T15:19:29.705-07:00

By Brian K. Birch As I work through another year with SIMA, I see more and more manufacturers and suppliers whom are interested in building and delivering their own educational programs and products to snow contractors. Overall I think this is a great idea, and I’d like to share with all of you the few things I’ve learned about building education for snow people. Talk to as many

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-49049818618550512172011-03-01T04:11:00.000-08:002011-03-01T04:11:10.595-08:00

By Brian K. Birch I know that many of you out there who provide a good or service to the snow industry see the spring as maybe your off-season in terms of snow and ice. I know that we used to feel that way at SIMA...but as the industry matures and our members grow professionally, we are finding that snow and ice is most definitely a year-round relationship. There are many ways you can help your

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-39175384758432574122010-12-15T14:37:00.000-08:002010-12-15T14:37:08.987-08:00

By Brian K. Birch Okay, so generally in this industry we sort of just put together some materials and throw them at contractors starting in September, and carry through until winter hits...cuz that's when we see a lot of web traffic and sales, right? This strategy is pretty effective and has some value; getting to the snow professional when they have their own sales in mind is a good thing; as

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-14460310785796350022010-11-17T07:24:00.000-08:002010-11-17T08:16:05.038-08:00

Marketing to snow contractors online is heating up, are you paying attention? As you develop your marketing strategy specific to the snow and ice industry, I thought I'd share some thoughts and then a list of websites in the industry that might be helpful for you. Before I give you the list, here are some tips we've learned over the past several years: • Get engaged at sites that have solid,

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-22702638808863994322010-11-02T10:17:00.000-07:002010-11-02T10:18:00.394-07:00

By Brian Birch I spent three great days in Louisville, KY last week at the annual GIE+EXPO show. This is a well run, well attended show, and over the course of the week I met with some members, potential members, and some of our key suppliers in the industry. I listened as these people told me how they think and feel related to the state of our industry today, and what their challenges and

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-91619388950510227102010-10-14T10:46:00.000-07:002010-10-14T10:46:51.726-07:00

Marketing to Canadian Snow Contractors By Brian Birch Over the years, SIMA has really taken a long look at the Canadian snow market. We've had a decent presence in Canada for years, but we only got serious about Canada in the last 4-5 years. Here is what we have learned: The Toronto market is a big deal: Its a no-brainer that the Toronto market is a bid dog in the Canadian market. We have

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-63656207010757301592010-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:002010-09-23T13:44:47.754-07:00

Every time we survey our members asking for feedback, they constantly tell us that they want more help bidding work. This is the reason we created our in-house programs like Build a Bid and Beyond the Bid. However, there are still many contractors out there who simply don't know how to create a sustainable bidding process, which may explain why you often have non-return customers; there is a lot

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-71491499495614716272010-09-01T06:06:00.000-07:002010-09-01T06:11:00.257-07:00

By Brian K. Birch Over the past year, SIMA’s education committee worked with a professional third party expert to conduct a benchmarking study for the industry. The goal was to aggregate financial data from balance sheets and Profit and Loss statements to create some target benchmarks. The preliminary results are in, and I thought I’d share a few that are relevant to those of us who are trying

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-34386355961149706782010-07-06T10:52:00.000-07:002010-07-06T10:52:03.204-07:00

As SIMA continuously grows its process to influence the industry, we as an association are getting more specific in our analysis of trends. The next five years will be crucial in taking a maturing industry to the next level. Here are some thoughts related to suppliers of goods and services, and where you should be focusing your energy to grow your business: Efficiency Obviously, efficiency in

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-3650640002846878622010-05-05T19:49:00.000-07:002010-05-05T19:49:07.459-07:00

As the lead sales person for new exhibits and sponsorship at SIMA, I talk a lot about trade shows. And I get some funny looks when I tell folks that trade shows, in general, are more like zoos than anything else. Its sort of a dopey thing to say to someone you are trying to sell a booth to, but it helps me convey a very important point; that showing up in your booth is only half the battle.

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-74654815304511224662010-04-20T11:23:00.000-07:002010-04-21T12:04:30.137-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about the differences in the several generations that currently make-up the snow and ice industry market. In broadest terms, you've got the following: Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964): We've heard plenty about these folks, many are currently still in charge and making many decisions related to purchasing equipment or services for their snow and ice management companies. We

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-60320902684760034852010-03-26T05:17:00.000-07:002010-03-26T05:19:17.062-07:00

Guest Blogger Martin Tirado, CAE Snow & Ice Management Association Last summer I got to meet and spend some time with a great salesperson in the snow & ice industry. What triggered my senses to know he was great? He knew the names and was friendly to everyone he spoke with. He was very knowledgeable about the products and equipment he sold, certainly as much, if not more so, than the actual

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-43105114672191425582010-03-03T12:50:00.000-08:002010-03-03T13:11:24.666-08:00

'SIMA is busy finalizing its educational calendar, and I thought I'd take a minute to share some results of a survey we conducted this week with our members, related to what their top challenges and opportunities are in 2010. Top 3 Challenges We first tried to get at what the major challenges are related to managing and growing their businesses in 2010. The overwhelming majority responded that

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-84304545973133040542010-02-10T13:47:00.000-08:002010-02-10T13:47:18.158-08:00

Good sales often means good listening skills. However, asking the right questions can yield you the connection you are looking for, while asking the wrong questions can make you seem out of touch or unfamiliar with the audience you are trying to sell to...the same can be said for snow contractors, who are generally passionate about what they do. As I've gotten to know the snow industry and our

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-60583277219903635792010-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:002010-01-25T05:38:35.705-08:00

Special Guest Blogger, Judy Guido Welcome to Judy, our second in a series of guest bloggers. Judy is an experienced consultant in the landscaping and snow industries. sKnow Thy Customer Yes, it sounds so obvious and simple, and yet many contracters either don’t really know their customers true needs ….or are in denial about them.  Nobody will deny that significant change has occurred, and yet

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-81442610419094190802010-01-05T11:59:00.000-08:002010-01-05T12:13:43.908-08:00

Know Snow Guest Blogger: Phil Harwood, CSP Please welcome Phil Harwood, an experienced snow and landscaping professional who is now a consultant to the industry, as he discusses the art of Selling to a Snow Guy. I'm a snow guy. Well, actually, I was a snow guy. But I still think like a snow guy. I still wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, wondering if it's snowing or not. Let me put

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-78476799298869811522009-12-11T11:39:00.000-08:002009-12-11T11:44:24.042-08:00

Marketing and selling to snow contractors is frustrating...we'll e-blast em', mail em', fax em', and call em', throw ads at them...and still its challenging to get them to respond. Do all snow contractors have ADHD? The answer is a bit more complex for all of us working on penetrating this market more effectively. I think it breaks down into 1 simple thing; they are busy, independent

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902076817611578257.post-20095351191935905862009-11-30T09:35:00.000-08:002009-12-01T11:34:40.501-08:00

The economy has hit everyone hard this year, and we are all most likely sick of hearing about it! The snow and ice management industry has weathered the economy slump relatively well, but there are some growing challenges for snow and ice professionals moving into this winter. Several trends are emerging that are putting some pressure on pricing for snow removal work, including intense

Brian K. Birchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10107455147573568906noreply@blogger.com0