Back From Boulder...

Hello again!

I just got home and off of the road from a trip to Boulder Colorado, for a web-demonstration of the Oxford Instruments PMI-MASTER Pro mobile spectrometer. I had a great trip and the prospects seemed very impressed with the operation! Not that is of great interest to you, but the reason I bring this up, is that in our current, massively connected lifestyles, it is becoming easier and easier to gain information and exposure to the products we need to stay competitive, without the expense, hassle and risk of moving equipment and people around the country to see an instrument operate. (you can see a recording of the demonstration if you like. Go HERE to see the you-tube video)

I am a firm believer that education is the most important part of my job. There is a lot of information out there, and much of it is terribly inaccurate, if not willfully misleading! At first, the people I interface with don't know if they can trust the information I provide or not (I certainly hope they do, but it is completely reasonable for them not to!) so being able to see for yourself goes a long way to clearing up misconceptions and erroneous assumptions that we all make in our heads, and helps us verify that what we are being told is true.

With metals analysis, the ability to see important elements, like carbon for instance, with precision is such an important factor. The ability to SEE that reproducibility is a prime motivator for the people who desire analytical equipment. Sure, precision specifications are provided, but there is something almost magical about seeing the PROOF, right there in front of you, especially when it's your own, familiar materials being analyzed. There are many other reasons as well, but my experience has taught me that this is generally the main factor, with ease-of-use, configuration flexibility, and even prestige following closely behind.

Just as a little exercise, imagine you are out shopping for a mobile spectrometer for your company. You search the web, you see this model, you see that model, you read the features, check the bells and whistles, you check on pricing. Geez... they all seem to be close in performance and investment. Which one will you feel most comfortable recommending to your organization; the ones displayed in the handsome, polished fliers you downloaded, or the one you saw analyze YOUR materials accurately and precisely? I know where I put my trust; in the claims I can VERIFY.

That's the main crux of my post today; verify the claims being made before you write the check. One of my prospects was relaying a story of a colleague he works with. They analyze materials in the field to determine proper welding technique and application of materials. They were told by the sales rep "Sure! This analyzer can analyze carbon steel NO PROBLEM!" And strictly speaking, it COULD analyze carbon steel... the salesman just "forgot" to tell them that the actual carbon WOULD NOT be part of the analysis.

They didn't verify the claims made. They spent many tens of thousands of dollars. They now have an analyzer that is almost useless for their true needs. They are reluctant to purchase more analytical capability because they have already spent so much of their budget. Maybe they can recover some of the investment by selling the analyzer, but they will never gain the VALUE from the analyzer.

I try to make it easy for the people I work with to verify my claims. If you are dealing with me, I will try my darnedest to provide you with accurate and verifiable information. I offer demonstration for the equipment I recommend, whether in-person or via web-sessions, so they can trust that they will see the value from the product applied to their operation. Don't trust anyone who won't stand behind their equipment/service/claims to at least that level. I sure won't,and you shouldn't either.

Well, I am getting ready now to fly to Las Vegas for the International Society of Recycling Industries conference and exhibition. If you will be at ISRI, please come and say hello at booth 1221!  We may have some special offers we can entice you with, but we will definitely have equipment we can demonstrate for you.

Thanks for reading, and if you haven't already done so, sign up for my free newsletter HERE as I will be sharing tips, techniques, stories and information on upcoming specials and other useful information that may help you with your metals analysis challenges. It's spam-free and I don't share addresses.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Walter