Jen Mazur is the Marketing Director of HMI, the world’s premier manufacturer of concrete lifting and leveling equipment. Founded in 1979, the company has a long-standing record of training and supporting ambitious and successful entrepreneurs who are serious about starting a turnkey business in the virtually recession-proof concrete-raising industry.
Join us as she shares her helpful tips for individuals who are in the market to purchase a business opportunity and get it right…
What is the single strongest piece of advice you would have for someone just starting out in business for themselves?
Learn everything you can about the opportunity you are looking to start. Learn from others’ mistakes. Utilize those that have traveled the road before you and ask as many questions as possible. Ask about daily operations, business structures, marketing―know what you are getting into. Take a test drive!
HMI offers the best kind of test drive. We will teach you every aspect of the business and let you get hands-on with the equipment. With no obligation to purchase equipment, our training seminars allow you to learn every detail of the business from experienced individuals.
What marketing strategies have you found to be most successful in growing your business?
Mass marketing is for fools! Get specific and get in front of your ideal audience. Profile your ideal/profitable customer and make sure to get right in front of them! Only market within your profitable service area, it is a waste of money to market any further. Direct mailing lists or email blasts can get you in front of the specific audience you are looking for. We teach these and many other successful marketing strategies for a concrete-raising business in our training seminars. There are benefits to doing something for many years because you have tried so many different approaches that your knowledge can be a jump-start for those looking to start the same business.
What process do you follow to successfully close on a lead and make the final sale? Any tips?
Have a sales experience for your business written out before you approach any customer. Know what you will say when you contact them ahead of time. Then execute. Do not harass, but make sure you are an informative presence that wants their business. Follow up with them when you say you will and make them feel wanted. Invest in their success. Make sure they know that their success is your success. Set up each customer with all the knowledge they need to be profitable. We are a family-owned business that is proud to say when you buy our equipment you are now part of our family, and we want you to be successful!
What is/are your favorite motto and/or quote when it comes to business? Any final words of encouragement and/or inspiration for the budding entrepreneur?
Learn every detail you can about the business you are looking to enter. If others have started this same business, learn from them. Make sure the people you are talking to know what they are talking about. Ask the hard questions and get the real answers. Are they just trying to sell you something or are they really interested in helping you and making sure you have every tool necessary to be successful. Entering into a new business can be scary, but there are resources out there that can help you. Utilize those resources and have a solid support system set up so that when you are starting out, operating day to day and then ready to expand, there is someone there to share their experience with you. We offer this to all of our customers, and please understand it is a rare thing to find in this world.
More about HMI:
HMI has been manufacturing equipment since 1974. The president of the company started out with no knowledge of how to operate mud-jacking equipment and needed to learn as he went, operating a contracting division in conjunction with manufacturing equipment. This gave him a unique perspective on the business and the rare opportunity to use his equipment on a daily basis. Additionally, his two sons grew up in the business and now have their own list of do’s and don’ts as a result of their years of experience. Throughout this learning curve, HMI has developed complete systems so that no one else ever has to simply “figure it out” on their own. We hold monthly training seminars for those interested in starting a business to show them how our 30+ years of knowledge in this business can be passed onto them and how they can then be successful in their own right. Offering complete systems, training and support is what separates HMI and makes us the “World Leader in Concrete-Raising Equipment.”