The first two processors that immediately came to my mind were PET Power in the Netherlands and M&H Plastics, which is HQ’d in the U.K. Why those two? If you’re at all active in the industry, they make it easy to know about them. Both exhibit at trade shows. I’ve received marketing materials from both—infrequently, granted, but the number of processors with anything more than a standard company brochure and a proactive marketing program is so small that it’s pretty easy to keep track of them. I’ve spoken with gentlemen at both firms; again, it’s been awhile, but I’d met them at tradeshows and conferences.
I mentioned those two to her, and then did some Googling to find alternatives. Wouldn’t you know the two companies that kept appearing, seemingly regardless of what combination of search terms I used? PET Power even appeared at the top of most searches when I switched to German search terms.
In the end I helped her find a handful of others. The RFQs go out this week, I’ve heard, and I’ll be nosy enough to ask how that goes. But that broad-based marketing program—attend some trade shows, show up and even speak at a few conferences, start a proactive marketing program, and top it all off by ensuring you appear high on Google lists—is a pretty unbeatable combination. You may not know which aspect pulled in the new business, and maybe you cannot determine your marketing effort’s ROI for years, if ever. But you’ll help your company be around for enough years to give you time to ponder the question. —[email protected]
