Regarding our work with Chuck Lohre and Lohre & Associates:
The Web site for Gilman was traditional and a compilation of product literature and other existing company data, simply transferred to the web site. Lohre & Associates completely revamped the site, and not only the site, but the nature and focus of the site. Most of the restructuring was a direct result of the agency’s work and planning with only broad guidelines from Gilman. Today it has become the focal point of our promotional strategy and incorporates useful features for the customer, including:
– On-line purchasing via Thomas Register CAD files on all our standard products
– Pricing for project estimating by our builder customers Mastercard purchasing from Gilman
– The latest news (of course)
– Hot links to other sites (we are an SKF subsidiary). The best part about all this is that the agency keeps this site current and changing constantly with little or no input from Gilman. The only requirement for this to take place is that the agency is an integral part of the sales team and is included in all communications on events, orders and changes taking place at the company.Creativity is something hard to measure, however, you usually know it when you see it. I rank Lohre & Associates very high on the creativity scale. Being a conservative, Midwestern, machine tool company, off-the-wall stuff does not fly, but within the parameters of business-to-business marketing, Lohre & Associates has done an excellent job of coming up with new ways to reach our customers, whether direct mail, magazine ads, product literature, or trade shows.
During our search for a new agency, about three years ago, cost was also a factor. Lohre & Associates was competitive, and in some cases, significantly less in cost to us.
We have had two National Sales meetings since Chuck joined our team, and in both cases, Lohre & Associates was a key factor in its success, In fact, many of our Reps have commented to me on the aggressive and positive role Lohre has played in moving Gilman into a more active sales and marketing position, Chuck has set up a separate web site for them where they can access confidential information they need for quotation purposes and information on what the competition is doing in ads and literature.
We retain Chuck on a monthly basis, under a fixed fee, to generate PR and keep Gilman in the news. The value of the PR we receive, is typically two to three times the investment we make in space advertising. The PR program has been a success and includes several feature articles in “MACHINE DESIGN”.
We receive from Chuck, on a monthly basis, a complete media analysis. It shows what the competition is doing, it has feature articles that may have an impact on our business and it defines the lead breakdown for us. This report keeps my life simpler and I appreciate the service. There are other areas -where we use Lohre & Associates, but in closing, I would say they have done an outstanding job for us, at a competitive price, and with no problems that I can cite. It has been an excellent working relationship.
– Sincerely, Tom Klahorst Vice President, Sales
RUSSELL T. GILMAN, INC.
