In a recent interview with Ben Dubose of NACE, HoldTight’s VP of Sales, Ken Rossy, shared his perspective on the COVID-19 crisis and how it has been affecting our neighborhood of the corrosion industry.
Water jetting, vapor blasting, and dry abrasive blasting have all been able to continue, since they are generally classified as essential businesses. But budget cuts have caused project delays. One fear many industry suppliers have, in Ken’s view, is that projects which have been delayed might be put on hold indefinitely or cancelled.
In these circumstances many of the normal face-to-face rituals of doing business have been paused. Conferences have been cancelled – NACE Corrosion 2020 most notably, but many other events. In the Houston, TX area, where HoldTight Solutions is headquartered, many petrochemical plants have shut their doors to suppliers and contractors – in many cases there are no employees there to greet them anyway.
So HoldTight is doing what many of our customers and partners have done – reaching out to connect with clients in different ways, through webinars, Zoom and Skype meetings, and phone calls.
Since many people in the coatings and surface preparation world feel locked up and lonely, Ken suggests, they are more open to a personal touch. In these circumstances, the quarantine practices actually open up new opportunities for creatively connecting with clients. Try sharing a little bit of your personal or business struggles with a client who seems receptive, and they might reciprocate, opening up the door to more meaningful business relationships.
Finally, a flexible approach to sales, with strategies like more flexible terms and shipping and quantity based discounts, has allowed HoldTight and others to find win-win situations to cope with the crisis.
To all of our customers, partners, and peers in the industry – we miss you and look forward to reconnecting on the other side of all this!