Information Weekly
Really Cooking Online
How does a small family-owned business in Stockbridge, Mich. turn a web site into its No. 1 sales channel? By answering E-mail. The Iron Works Inc., which sells more than $2 million worth of high-end gas grills each year, expects to pull in about half its revenue via the Internet this year. Iron Works president Paul Faaborg says the Internet is a boon: The company’s highest sale ever in 20 years – a $34,000 custom grill – was made over the Internet. But he says success is also about common business sense. "Often when you find something online you want, you send an E-mail but get no response." Faaborg says. "There must be a big hole in the ground. We’ve been successful because we respond. If you build a site on the Internet and respond to requests, sales will come." |
