OT - Soliciting jobs

boneless

Lifetime Supporting Member + Moderator
Join Date
Feb 2008
Location
OKC
Posts
1,627
Hi all,

I see a lot of posts here from people owning small businesses in industrial automation services.

I was wondering how you guys solicit for jobs/projects? The last year I have been contracted full-time by the company I used to work for, but for the next couple of months I will have some time on my hands and thought I might look for some simple jobs in the area.

I have been looking on-line, and the site that stands out is Freelancer.com, it is however flooded with "cheap" offers from abroad. I also skimmed Craigslist, but that site kinda scares me :).

So I thought I ask my expert friends on PLCS.net. I understand most jobs come from worth to mouth, but I have to start somewhere.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
 
As a one-person shop, most of your gigs are going to come from word-of-mouth referrals from people who know you and your capabilities. The only marketing I do is to post under my real name here and on a few other similar forums. I have gotten gigs directly as a result of my activity here. I can also direct potential new clients here to show them the kinds of questions I respond to and the quality of my responses.

I will occasionally contact the OP of a thread I participate in by private message to give him my contact information in case he needs more help.

There is also a help-wanted section here on the site. There are more posts from people looking for work than from people looking for help and many of the ones looking for help are looking for someone to join the payroll rather than a contractor, but I still check it periodically.
 
Thanks for the tip Steve. I actually never clicked that link in the 7 years I have been here :).

I do see the same tendency there as I see on Freelancer.com
 
Being a salesman

I've been running a one-man business for 3-4 years now. First advice: Don’t be persuaded into expensive and useless advertising or directory listings. This is not like selling plumbing or electrician services in the consumer marked. Don’t expect customers or clients to come to you. You have to actively seek your own clients and build your own network. Be a salesman! This may be the hardest part for a tech geek and problem solver like me. I’m not a natural born salesman. But I have learned some strategies and methods that work for me. First I spend a lot of time on the internet, trying to find potential customers in my area. This is kind ‘a like a detectives work. For example manufacturers usually don’t promote their factories or production sites on internet. Finding contact information can be hard. You may call a switchboard and ask for managers e-mail address and phone number. My strategy is to write a short e-mail with link to my web-presentation. No fancy stuff. I promise to make contact. Then after 3-4 days I call the manager. By then he/she hopefully have read my mail and is prepared for a phone call. Slowly you build your network and reputation. And eventually make some profit. For me it’s been hard work. No easy fix or fast money. But I appreciate the freedom of being my own boss.
 
How I started my Word-Of-Mouth "advertising campaign" was get with a few used machinery dealers in the area & do service for them either cheap (as low as $10.00 per hour) or free (if it wasn't too involved.) If they had a unit with a real problem, or that needed the controls rebuilt, they paid the going rate. Also, just showed up without being called to see if they had anything needing repairs.

Then when a customer of theirs called & asked for a referral for service on a machine they bought, or another machine, the dealer would happily give them my name & number.

Got a good customer base that way.
 
Thanks all, I appreciate the tips.

I figured out that advertizing (other than the website, which really doesn't cost that much if you can do it yourself) would be silly. I did contact the local Chamber of Commerce, but they never got back to me. Had the chance to attend their annual "gala" and figured out it is a joke, so glad I did not sink any money in there.

I have been lucky enough that my previous employee agreed to hire me 100% as a contractor, so I did not have the need for more work. Now that I do, it seems like a needle in a hay stack.

All in all, once again you guys come with the best tips. Thank you so much :)
 
Great info in this thread I will also be using this. Thank you.
I deffinately agree with the cheaper rate idea. I have 3 Automation customers now. And I am not the only one that does work for them. But I am cheaper and so far they are happy. eventually I will be fulltime. I am lucky enough that as a subcontractor for an electrical/ainstrumentation/automation company I can also do electrical and instrumentation for filler. lol
 
Think about all of the people you worked with at your former employer who have moved on to jobs with other companies. Those people know what you're capable of. Even if they aren't in positions where they will be cutting purchase orders for your services, they know the people who will cut those POs. Contact them to find out who you should be directing your sales efforts to.
 
Thanks all!

Steve, that sounds like a great idea, that would work for many, but not in my case.

I still work for my previous employer (as a contractor), I would be shooting myself in the foot :)
 
Is your work primarily with Siemens PLCs? Your site says AB but I don't get the impression that it is your primary focus. I am also in the OKC area.
 
Hi Mutabi,

Yes, I am a Siemens guy. My AB experience is limited to programming a couple of PanelVIEW HMI's, but I am looking into getting some more experience.

@Osmanmom, true. But... Licenses, time to completion etc. is also an issue.
 
Good to know. We are primarily AB PLCs but do have a couple of Siemens PLCs and we have needed help with them on occasion. I will keep you in mind!
 

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