New metal fabrication facility comes with sales, solicitation distractions

Ever since moving into its new fabrication facility in North Carolina, Barnes MetalCrafters has been inundated with solicitations from salesmen, robocalls, and telemarketers, which has distracted the shop from focusing on some projects.

Being busy is inevitable in a job shop whether work is slow or steady. You’re finding work, quoting work, keeping employees/co-workers happy, ordering materials, fabricating products, and delivering orders so you can eventually make some money. Throw all that into the everyday toil, and you’ll inevitably get some wrenches thrown at you from people on the other side trying to do the exact same thing. It’s going to slow you down.

I’ve been mentioning our new shop for quite a while and, honestly, will continue to do so. It is an exciting time for everyone in our company and is far from slowing down. I’ve continued to see doors open and eager eyes look at everything that’s possible within our new space.

Aside from the enthusiasm, one thing I have noticed is an influx of salesmen and telemarketers. Some are just making the rounds, and others have never shown their face or any previous interest in our business. I guess everyone tries to get in on the action when they can. We were blindsided when they came crawling out of the woodwork.

Some come with doughnuts and some with biscuits. I’m not complaining, because it’s hard not to give someone several minutes of your time for such a kind gesture. The guys in the shop are very thankful as well. This happened on several days during our first few weeks in the new facility, making the transition much more welcoming.

Some schedule appointments and others stop by making cold calls. Either way, they do take up some of your time. Here’s the catch-22: We might need many of their services, but we are also chomping at the bit to get tasks done. I have tried my best to show that I don’t have ants in my pants when interacting with them, but I’m sure they can tell by my body language. I do cringe at the chime of the front door when I see what looks like a salesman coming through. If you are a salesman reading this, I’m not mad at ya; it has just been stressful adjusting to the growing pains.

We’ve built relationships with some salespeople, and we’re more than excited to show them around to have a few laughs. They’ve seen the progress we’ve made and how far we’ve come. It is a great feeling to see their reactions to the new facility.

One of the worst parts of my day is answering a “robocall” from a telemarketer that has nothing to offer. Granted, the telemarketers must try, but the robocalls are getting ridiculous. Hopefully, something is done about this as even my cellphone gets bombarded daily. I know my warranty is expired on my truck, my credit cards don’t need your help, and our Google listing seems to be doing fine. Thanks, anyways. It’s getting old.

In one instance, I was in the middle of an important training session on a new piece of equipment with three other co-workers when I got paged for a phone call. I had to leave the training session to waste my time with a telemarketer that had nothing to offer. Without a doubt, I started to get testy with the person on the phone. They act like they know you to get past the first line of defense, which is usually the secretary or an automated phone line. Either way, I do my best to be polite since I know they are doing this to make a living.

And as far as solicitations from trucking freight companies go, we are getting so many calls from them that we could rack up tally marks on the whiteboard. I started telling them they were the fourth or fifth company to call that day regarding the same service. It could have been more, but I’m not the person answering the phone every time. I will admit, when alone in the office, I alter my voice and try to entertain myself when talking to these people. That’s just me. I need to find some humor in these monotonous calls.

There is one company that has been put on our blacklist. It made enough worthless visits that we had to put a small sign out front. I won’t tell you the company’s name, but we have had several people comment on the sign and tell us they are glad it’s not them.

Working through the simple distractions can be tough, but it is part of the everyday grind. It could be worse, I guess – no work. So, in the end, to all salesmen, you are welcome here. Just give us a few minutes to work you into our ever-changing schedule. We get rolling in the shop pretty early in the morning and try to stay on task and keep busy to get as much done as possible.

After moving into its new fabrication shop in North Carolina, Barnes MetalCrafters was inundated with solicitations from salesmen, robocalls, and telemarketers. It's gotten so bad, says manager Nick Martin, that the fabricator had to band one specific insurance company, which has been censored in the photo.