Engineering Manager and Matsource co-founder, Nick Robbins, uses his experience of metal procurement to share some practical advice on how metal suppliers can sell more material in less time.

‘Do more with less’ has been banded around for well over a decade now. It’s been around so long that it’s become an actual ‘thing’. Even the infamous Tony Robbins (American author, coach, speaker and philanthropist) has some pretty good pearls of wisdom to share on the matter to be fair. That said, I want you to keep reading my advice, so you’ll have to get to the end of this article if you want to know what Mr Robbins has to say!

But before we get into the nitty gritty of how to sell more material in less time (after all, that’s what you’re here to find out more about), I want to set the scene of why I’m sharing my advice – which is based on being in engineering for over 30 years. 

Casting my mind back to 1990, I was senior procurement manager for Allied Steel & Wire, and probably would have stayed there a lot longer if it wasn’t for it going under. Fortunately, it worked out ok for me. It put me on another path which ultimately led to JR Gilbert Engineering where, as a co-director, I was on the front line of buying materials to keep the business moving – literally.

So, having been on the side of the customer, and the metal producer, I’ve got experience of both perspectives. I know the challenges. I’ve felt the frustrations. And working with my co-founders, I’ve channelled this into the development of Matsource to deliver a material procurement solution that delivers many benefits. The most important of all being the gift of time.

Lost time is never found again

Some more pearls of wisdom. This time from Benjamin Franklin. ‘Lost time is never found again’. Which is true. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. And while a typical pub quiz might have you name Benjamin Franklin as the only Founding Father to sign all three documents that freed America from Britain… a specialist subject round on Mastermind would need you to know about his success as an inventor, including his exploratory work and achievements with electricity.

As a man who led the charge (pun intended) for innovation in his lifetime, I think his inspirational quote is worth sticking on a post-it note on your desk.

So, if lost time can’t be found again, what’s my advice for industry peers? That’s easy. Don’t lose it in the first place. Now, that might be easier said than done in most areas of business, but when it comes to selling your materials – especially if you’re holding excess stock – it’s easier than you think.

Sell more material, in less time 

Now, as an industry veteran, I know that changing the way we do things, especially procurement, is not a quick process. Lost time can never be found again, but putting some time into making changes is a great investment that will pay dividends in no time at all.

And when I say invest some time, it’s literally minutes. Registration as a supplier with Matsource is quick and easy. Even getting your stock on to the system can be done with a few clicks.

The absolute beauty of the platform is that once you’re on there, you don’t have to do anything else! Well, not strictly true. When you get order enquiries, you need to take a look and decide if you want to quote (and you can choose not to). But before they come rolling in, you don’t have to be chasing your tail trying to generate enquiries. They come to you. It’s like a virtual sales force working hard behind the scenes to sell your stock… and it doesn’t cost you a penny.

I think there’s room for one more pun in this piece. And what better way to finish than ‘time is money’. Do you really want to be wasting time when you could be adopting new ways of selling that help you make more money?

And on that note, I almost forgot!

You’ve made it this far, so as promised, here’s the Tony Robbins article how to accomplish more with less.

Clearly not as focused on the metals industry as my advice. Well, truth be told, it doesn’t mention metal procurement at all. So, if you want to do more with less when it comes to metal procurement, or want to bend a friendly ear of someone who used to be in the market for buying metals, drop me a line or connect with me on LinkedIn.