Why Mike?
I’m a bricks and mortar guy. I own the Bowmanville Foundry. That is about as "smokestack" as it gets. We make real products that we ship all over North America.
So, why would you want to talk to me about helping you to get new clients? What do I know about your business?
Read on...
Business at the foundry was very slow back in 2003. We had just come through a recession and competition from China was hurting my client base.
One day, I was conducting a sales meeting. My sales manager projected a very grim looking chart on the screen. One of those where the arrow is pointing in the wrong direction.
Later that week I was sorting mail at my desk when I got a panicked call from a customer. “Mike, XYZ company just declared bankruptcy!” XYZ was one of my biggest competitors. They were 10 times my size. This could be great news!” I thought. I knew that customers all over the U.S. would be looking for a new supplier. I wanted to be that supplier!
I figured all those new customers would be Googling trying to find a new supplier. I Googled our major product, "malleable iron", and couldn't find our website in the Google listings until page 14. In other words, we were invisible! I had to do something... and fast!
I quickly learned there was something called "Search Engine Optimization" or SEO, that would help raise our site in the search engine rankings. But I found out that it would take months or even years to get to the top position on Google.
I didn't have that kind of time. If I couldn't get to page one in the rankings in the next few days the business opportunity would be lost.
I was curious about those ads that were at the top of the Google pages (and down the side at that time). I wondered; are they expensive? how much do they cost? are they easy to set up?
After some research I discovered that those ads were called Google Adwords, and that the advertising model was something called Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.
I took an online crash course on Google AdWords. A few days later, I posted my first ads for the Bowmanville Foundry. Ads that would only show to people who searched for "malleable iron foundry". In other words, the ads were only showing to those desperate purchasers out there who had just lost there supplier...my defunct competitor.
Within hours, potential buyers were visiting out website, and calling the foundry with requests for quotes.
Suddenly, I had hundreds of qualified leads coming to our website. And dozens of new customers!
Eventually I eliminated our "in the field" sales force. Using online PPC marketing I could get qualified leads for a fraction of the cost of a salesman's cold call, mileage and lunch.
People often ask me how an old smokestack business like the Bowmanville Foundry survives in the new digital and service economy. You just learned the story.
Google Adwords (now Google Ads) has evolved a lot over the years and has become a lot more complex since my first simple text ads.
Doing it yourself like I did all those years ago has become increasingly difficult and time consuming as the ad platform has become more complex and competitive.
Google now does extensive online training, and testing, to certify expertise in Google Ads... and yes, I now have multiple Google certifications.
So, Why Work With Me? The answer is simple...
I will get you new clients, fast, and economically
Why can I make that promise?
Please enter your information below if you would like Mike to contact you to book an initial, no obligation meeting, or call Mike directly at
226 702 0394