The Richwood Report

The Minerals Information Institute is dedicated to the worthy task of providing educational materials about the production of mineral products for schools. The picture above is from their website and shows the needs of every American for a lifetime supply of mineral products. The picture makes an eloquent case for how much all of us depend on the people who produce these products, doesn't it? Check out their page about mining and the environment here. Richwood Inc. is proud to support the Institute's work.

People who work in industry know that a lot of trade magazines get delivered but only a few get read. They are nearly 100% advertising and advertising hot air thinly disguised as articles. These are the magazines salesmen see in waiting rooms. Only the desperately bored read them. The editor of Machine Design magazine, Ron Khol, draws readers into his magazine with a thought-provoking editorial every issue. I read the editorial first and then scan the rest of the magazine for the latest in machine components and controls. He sometimes has a "Write Your Own Editorial" article full of provocative statistics or helpful professional business advice like "How to be a Good Manager".
Now there is a Machine Design Blog, where readers can read not only read the comments of the editor, but respond and read the comments of others if they wish. You can also use the Forums and Blogs link for other discussion on business and technical topics. Here's a sample of recent discussion of MBA degrees:

If MBAs actually are as gifted as their press clippings proclaim, the United States ought to be an industrial and commercial powerhouse dominating every other industrialized nation. But the facts are otherwise. Excuse my temerity for pointing this out, but for the last four decades American corporations have been staggering and wobbling along pretty much living paycheck to paycheck, so to speak, In my estimation, virtually the entire Fortune 500 is a bunch of sick puppies.How many profitable and growth-oriented corporations does the United States have today? Well, we can name Wal-Mart, Microsoft, McDonald's, General Electric Co., and maybe Intel. And at the risk of over-simplifying the matter, in each case the success of these companies has been due to the vision and drive of a single person, not a phalanx of business-school graduates. I'm sure I missed a lot of other strong firms, but I've racked my brain, and none spring to mind. And if a few did, that wouldn't invalidate my point.

West Virginia is famous for its beauty in the fall. The West Virginia Department of Tourism has some beautiful photographs of the fall colors here. The picture above is a sample of their selection and was taken near Huttonsville, WV, a rural setting in the eastern part of the state. For those coming to the sales meeting in November, you can expect some of the beautiful scenery to be part of your visit. The sales meeting is in Huntington and some photographs worth seeing are here.

Fall has arrived and the prospect of head colds, flu and other winter-related ailments comes with it. How do you decide whether to go to work or not when you wake up with a cold? Believe it or not, you may actually be saving the company money to stay home! WebMD is a website with information on practically any topic related to illnesses or health issues. If you have questions about a particular condition or a treatment, it's the place to start for basic reliable information. Here is an article on how to decide whether to go to work or not.

All of us are somebody's customer every day. In our business we are also somebody's vendor every day. We see the situation from both sides. This helpful article explores the customer-vendor equation with some principles for making business good in both directions. A sample:

Effective customer service is not a slogan, advertising program, button that
everyone wears or a banner touting a, "We Care attitude". It is a consciousness or attitude that penetrates every nook and cranny of the organization. It is a philosophy that is understood and embraced by every employee, that's every employee, regardless of position, length of service or vocation. It is consistent regardless of the period in the week or month, market pressures, department or branch, current sales results, current cash flow, management philosophy of the day or market position. It is not a program that is funded for the short term, but a corporate lifestyle that is on-going regardless of the whims of management, the fickleness of customers or the dynamics of the marketplace.

Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

-- General Douglas MacArthur quoted on http://coachlikeapro.tripod.com/basketball/id47.html

The site is motivation for basketball coaches, but so what? Motivation is motivation!

• It appears that our former West Virginia governor, Gaston Caperton, is working now on helping us to improve our communication. Specifically, in his capacity as the President of the College Board, he conducted a study on the written communication of modern workers and made a startling discovery.

  "Businesses are really crying out. They need to have people who write better," College Board President Gaston Caperton, told The Associated Press. The survey was done with 64 companies across six industries representing 4 million employees: mining; construction; manufacturing; transportation and utilities; services and finance; and insurance and real estate.

  Writing is an important skill not just for management but for workers at all levels and divisions of an organization. Writing is now important for daily use in many more trades and crafts. Many service people get their assignments and make their reports by email or online reporting. Click on the link to find out the six areas of concentration to make you a better communicator.

Some of you have probably already seen Life's Little Instruction Book, written ten years ago by H. Jackson Brown as a gift for his son leaving for college. Follow the link and you can have a copy for next-to-nothing on Amazon.com. It was a book of, well, little instructions for life. They are deceptively useful for every day advice. For instance:

Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.
Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.
Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks softly.
Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.
Be kinder than necessary.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Commit yourself to constant self-improvement.
Don't major in minor things.
Never cut what can be untied.

A well-known sales trainer lists his ten favorites for sales professionals here.

Richwood is a proud member of CEMA, the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, which has been linked at the right since our beginning. Not to neglect our other industry associations, we have added links to NIBA-The Belting Association and the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.

Sometimes the simple truths get forgotten. For instance, people like to do business with people who are pleasant to do business with. Customers avoid unpleasant experiences just like every other organism in creation. Here is a helpful article about bringing customers back by helping your employees put the best possible face on your company. A quote:

Many companies can help themselves by instituting better training programs for sales and service employees. Product knowledge and a desire to help the customer is the foundation that must exist.

The whole website is worth looking over. They offer other free articles and a free email newsletter for customer service professionals.

If you ARE good, there's nothing wrong with making sure you look as good as you are. On the contrary, you need to be sure that the little details of your business look as good as the big items. This means being consistent in good-looking literature, advertising and equipment. Here's a good article from a really helpful site on public speaking, sales training and public relations. A quote:

David Garfinkel, co-author of GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR THE IMAGING INDUSTRY, told me about the experiences of a client. This retailer visited a trade show and was attracted to a distinctive and obviously costly booth for a design firm. He asked them to send him some information. When the letter came, it was on shoddy looking stationery, sloppily typed. The retailer decided not to do business with this firm. Although everything else had looked great, the sharp contrast between the classy booth and the shabby letter did not inspire trust that the firm would and could deliver. The design firm had spent at least $50,000 on their trade show exhibit, but didn't have the common sense to maintain a consistent image by investing in good letterhead and a competent secretary. It cost them a $100,000 contract.