Answer your phone!!

Ok, this may seem very basic, but please...if you are running ads, ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!

Over the last couple of days, I had about 8 calls in a row that were "we have CRT monitors" or "Do you take TVs" or "I have 2 computers, but I live 5 hours away" or "what do you mean you only pay $3 for this practically brand new P3 machine? It works great." I was ready to throw out the phone!!!

Then, I had a call this morning while I was on my way to what I thought was an important meeting...or chance to get some business meeting. My phone rang. I didn't recognize the number. I hit silence, took two steps, then answered the phone. On the phone was a nice, polite, cordial voice. I thought great...telemarketer (it was only 8:30 and I was thinking...I'm their first call this morning kinda nice.) Then he proceeded to tell me he worked for a "large company" and that they had some ewaste....Well, about 20 minutes later, I have an appointment tomorrow and we will discuss and finalize our arrangement. Turns out to be a corporate IT department for a national retailer that has hundreds of stores all across the country. They run all of their computer recycling through their store near me.

Well, long story short. ANSWER THE PHONE! You never know who you may talk to or how your business may change.

Mud

Oh yes sir! How many times do I get into a rough streak like you had but then as fast it came I get into a good one. You just never know whats on the other end of the phone.

Got to admit I've ignored calls, and regretted it.
Learned the hard way on that.

Nice to get a good call occasionally. And we sure want to hear about the score when you're through hammering out the details.

I'm the same way, I've gotten into the routine to answer all calls that come in because you just never know if it'll be the one.

the ones I hate most is multi questions for the same answer category, do you take computers ? keyboards? yes I take all electronics and scrap metal..............do you take dvd players?

Hey you guys when I answer ads lately I just remember we are mostly all just getting by. FOr instance If you called my number you be forwarded to my wives phone. THen every question you had would not make any sense because the person who made the ad isnt picking up.

WHy is my phone not on LONG story but its my fault and ofcourse it involves drugs sex and rock and roll.

second why is a non decision maker answering sales calls, I have a whole business model that just needs some buying money added to it and boom you got 7 figures. The truck the warehouse the 8 years of thousands of customers a niche a great land lord no business debit and fork truck scales off a highway 45min from boston and off a major highway that goes from boston down town to new york my shop is 50 feet of a direct exit. And loading docks and all the tools you need. why am I not there and why is a wife with a 4 year old there please call my phone and find out 978 790 7039 it will forward to 978 790 2217. Please call her because we have a whole business thats totally paid off and has recycled profitably 20 million pounds of batteries and rotors in last 8 years at this locatoin with no safty incidents ever and i cant walk in the place!!! We are turning away profitable customers please call. Ill admit im the reason the business is stalled but its just money its not the business. You do recycling in New England you should call me.

Ill start my own thread I think my story is very very similar to why many of us are scrapping. Im not sure if I want to downsize or upsize. I could in a few years with less than 5 people make this a 10 million dollar a year business. If you do ewaste, batteries or trailerload scrap in Near a Major city you know a million dollars of sales is just a few trailers of copper cats and batteries. Im in a location that is with in an hour of Boston Providence RI Mancester And Nashua NH WOrcester MA Greelfield MA and 1 1/2 from conneticut vermont maine upper NH, I have a niche and one that Ive mastered. YOu like money adn dont want to work you should call me before I do this out of my basement just because .................................

Scrappers cant get loans. If you start a scrap business from scrap in the back of a truck and it ends up doing millions please dont do it cash because everything you made every contact every sale you can not prove to a bank and you will never build business credit. Im not lying Im leaving 7 figure sales income with customers calling each day to come in because I have no buying money because I was not man enough to save capital while I was growing a business and repairing my personal life after a serious Illness in 2011. Im telling protect your businesses men and women because the business isnt just the building you rent or own and some machinery its your sales and the thousands of thousands of people you meet and do deals with. Without proper book keeping it looks like you made 1200 to 4000 batteries a week disappear into thin air, whats sad is you get a few months behind on your rent your land lord has the right and I totally understand need to get someoone else in there. Rent maybe is lets say 2 k a month but for some reason this month and last you cant make what happens. Now you turn customers away you have no buying money so now your business goes from making thousands a day in sales to costing you money, your customers cant bail you or me out because they are scrapping to save their lives and must sell so they start going to another yard and the other yard is like this is chistmas!! Now over a few months rent and like 4 to 6 k your 7 figure business is gone... All because you made a few mistakes. One document, two get credit on your scrap business, when you cash checks each day for thounds do it at the bank you do business with so your sales on on some ledger somewhere so you can go a bank when you sit out of luck over a months rent and say let me borrow 10 or 20k now and ill pay it back or use my collateral then in a month you will need that each week. Funny thing is if you would have cashed the daily checks for8 years they would see your already doing 2o to 40 k a month in sales just with a few grand a day. You guys see that.

I know there are cat buyers and battery buyers like me that took lets say nothing and got up to 5k free cash and spent it all each day buying and sold each day, you buy 5 k each day and sell each day 5 days a week, thats easy buyign off junk yards not scrap yards auto recycling companies you got 25k a week in sales each week if your running 10 percent margin before operating cost that 5 a day is making you 2500 a week. Problem I had is I had this stuff coming from road and shop and my expenses with my illness when I got sick in 2011guess what I was in the hospital for sept 2011 to 2012 I came out of the hospital with no buying money only debit because I had a real business with real expenses and a warehouse and customers but no line of credit. Each month since 2011 sept 13 I know the day I made enough to break this buisness even and make enough to provide for my wife kids.

This is crazy for 3 years I had my little scrap business make enought to cover est 5 to 8 k a month it always happen not easy when you have no line or credit and buy batteries for a living. I use to sell good batteries many people know me thousands of people but many dont know what happen they think I dont want to work or my lazy and dont pick up the phone but Im doing my best to stay live and stay postive trurth is i have a wife and two kids this year alone we were attacked my family and I have had over 100 doctors appointments to go to and it thinks its amazing we kept the business and place we live at,consideing my wife disabled, one of my children has some minor special circumstances and I have a killer business that I built up that anyone with what most people owe on there car have for free cash can make millions with this business but its a business that is set up as a indoor yard it has fixed expenses nothing comared to its sales but it needs capital to buy and im going on two months late on my rent and this has not happened since 2011 when I got sick with MRSA Pneumonia from a very public fall. I just dont understand it I sometimes wonder is god saying Aaron your selling yourself short go back to church and to it full time Carry the cross. I dont know because as we all know owning or being in scrap we get to talk and meet so many different people from street homeless folks like I was once to businessmen making bank. Its a neat way to make cash help people (you pay them lol) and tell a awesome story. Man if the lord Says Aaron you get to keep Stillwater what a story anyways. THing is doing all this lead acid battery recycling and the ewaste learned you cant do this right without some start money and care about how its done. Lead acid batteries and crt I want to change the way we handle them.......

Anyways back to topic of post yea it stinks when a dude dont pick his phone up but how do you know whats going on in his life.... Little more patience maybe. Your lucky to have a phone. I dont like them much after learning the true cost of our data but it is what it is.

Aaron with Stillwater