The contract electronics solutions and PCB assembly market is competitive. But industry attracts many marketing and sales people with glib mindfulness, incapable of critical thinking and having difficulty discussing deeper, more thoughtful complex business challenges. So, many EMS marketing and sales team members focus more on being the OEM’s friend and taking up your valuable time v. understanding OEM business challenges and helping you try to solve your problems with real ingenuity.
How can OEMs rest more assured the EMS marketer or sales person is interested in considering acting in your best interests based on the EMS provider agent’s email outreach? EMS marketer and sales person telephone and voice mail usage is another article.
Escape EMS email hell
How often have you received email from EMS marketers or sales persons, who then – months later – send you another email piggybacked on the original email whether or not you responded to the first email?
If the email was anything similar to the actual example below, its no wonder why you did not respond.
EMS marketers and sales people who do not know any better often fill their first outreach email with paragraphs or several sentences, telling you how good they are and how/why they can meet your needs. Often times you’ve not even had a conversation with these folks – yet they indicate they can solve your problems. What witchcraft is this?
Below, an actual email by a senior director (someone with years of experience) within a tier-1 EMS provider, sent to an OEM decision maker, who then shared it with Venture Outsource. We are not as surprised as the OEM when we read the email. The OEM found it annoying since they’d never talked with the EMS sales contact.
Very few EMS providers offer effective training for their marketing and sales staff. EMS providers should also not treat prospects like candy, frequently trading one lead (personal contact information) with one of their ‘EMS partners’ in industry, often times without the OEM’s knowledge, because an OEM program is not a good fit for them.
The cumulative result is EMS sales people are wasting their time and yours, and compromising how OEM decision makers view the EMS company and worse, never getting to first OEM discussion. This habitual EMS thinking has caught up to reputations of many EMS providers.
EMS email fail
There are several things wrong with this email approach beyond the over-the-top, sensationalized, self-important sales pitch.
To make matters worse, EMS marketers and sales staff (and manufacturing reps) often include annoying PDF files and other attachments you did not ask for, and feel you are going to carve out valuable time to read info from someone you never met or talked with.
The OEM who shared this email with Venture Outsource admitted they were turned off by the message. We see why but the problem persists as EMS marketers and sales folks don’t learn, and worse, some don’t care because theyre incentivized not to treat OEM prospects with the courtesy you deserve.
We have hundreds of other email examples from OEMs expressing surprise how EMS marketers and sales people behave when using email, telephones, voice mail, brochures, PDFs…
The EMS industry has a high failure rate when it comes to new business lead opportunities v. percent of new customer deals closed. Its not surprising most EMS top line growth is from incumbent OEM customers giving their EMS providers additional business. EMS growth has little to do with exceptional EMS marketing and sales techniques.
Its also why EMS marketers and sales folks focus on building existing relationships, because do not know how to effectively identify and market to new customers, and close new customer deals.
For EMS provider professionals working in EMS companies reading this, there is a better way you can convey your services to OEMs while letting them know you respect the OEM’s intelligence and valuable time.
EMS provider info types accessible by Venture Outsource
EMS providers want your electronics design, SMT and PCB assembly and mechanical integration programs yet they are not managing/properly training their first-point-of-contact who reaches out to you and placing your first impression of how you see their company and their service capabilities at risk. Why is this?
EMS providers staff dozens/hundreds of sales and manufacturing rep boots on the ground. This is because, for most EMS providers, prospecting for OEM customers is a numbers game and they lack critical and creative thinking capabilities.
EMS providers respond to dozens, even hundreds, of RFQ/RFPs each month but each of these providers close very few new business deals. OEMs have the money and therefore have opportunity to hold EMS providers to a higher level performance EMS marketing and sales performance. (Read: OEM management of RFQ/RFPs for EMS)
If your EMS sales or marketing contact sends you emails like the one above we suggest you not invest too much time with that person. They’re likely more interested selling you something than learning about your business challenges.
Interacting with quality EMS providers
There are other telltale signs OEMs can look for in first-time email outreach you receive from EMS marketers and sales people that can give you some idea into EMS mindset and leading management’s performance for that EMS provider. We have a long history of in-depth, direct experience with quality EMS providers worldwide.
OEMs can reach out to us for more, detailed info on EMS management execution capabilites, EMS provider competitive placement, and more. Look through our extensive directory of quality contract EMS provider listings. OEMs can also get a custom list of EMS providers matching your program needs.
Get list of EMS manufacturers for your requirements (Its free)
Save time and money. Find quality EMS manufacturers. Fast. Venture Outsource has a massive, global database of contract electronic design and manufacturing capabilities. Speak with a Provider Advisor.
“Was able to very quickly find details on the important elements of setting up EMS and ODM partnerships, talked with an advisor for personalized info on quality providers matching our requirements while getting up to speed quickly about the industry and connect with key staff from like-minded companies and potential partners. Great resource.”
— Jeff Treuhaft, Sr. Vice President, Fusion-IO
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