Who Am I Missing Out On?
I wonder. How many people in the world do I already know who I’m missing out on doing great things with?
The used machinery business is quite good lately for Graff-Pinkert, though I’m probably jinxing this prosperous period by saying that. Sometimes I ask myself how I have contributed to make these deals happen. I know that sounds like a comment from a business person lacking swag, but it’s good to ask oneself why things are working while they are working. It often seems like we luck into our best deals. We just happen to serendipitously find the one person in the world looking for a legacy Hydromat HB45-12 or an INDEX MS42C CNC Multi-Spindle Mfd. 1999.
Getting lucky—finding that one guy (or woman) who wants to buy our machines—I think can be attributed to our customer network as much as anything. It sounds crazy, but I think at least 50 percent of the deals Graff-Pinkert makes include at least one party who we already have a past relationship with. We have relationships with a colorful cast of characters around the world, comprised of dealers, end-users, and auctioneers. A lot of these people I’ve really gotten to know well for many years, and I regard them as friends. We talk on the phone often, and they actually seem to genuinely care when they ask how my newborn son Abe is doing.
