Tony Miller has turned his passion into a successful business by doing just one thing for customers - and doing it very well.
| Entrepreneur |
Tony and Susan Miller |
| Company |
Universal Sprayer Services |
| Business type |
Manufacture and retail of customised agricultural boomsprays |
| Founded |
1998 |
| Head office |
North Albury, New South Wales |
| Contact details |
+61 2 6040 2006 |
Key Learning Points |
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Passion
Don’t just know your product or service. Be passionate about it. Tony’s exceptional agricultural machinery experience makes him totally devoted to his business and his customers.
Market watching
Read the market for signs such as gaps in service or product supply. Watch for times when people are ready for your product or service because they can’t get similar service elsewhere.
Advertising strategy
Advertise only where your customers will see the advertisement. Judicious local advertising at agricultural field days and in the “country” supplement of the regional daily newspaper plus word-of-mouth referrals has meant the Millers have never needed to cold-call for sales.
Specialisation
Do one thing and do it well. Tony Miller’s decision to specialise only in making and servicing sprayers - and doing that exceptionally well - has paid greater dividends than doing a wider range of products and services at lower quality.
Customer feedback
Involve your customers by talking their language, listening to them, and incorporating their needs into the product and the service. Tony Miller’s desire has always been to make his customers feel important by giving them some input into how the product is made.
Stay customer-focused
Offer your customers only a product that will do what they want and be available whenever they need service or advice. If his customers need him, Tony Miller is available after hours.
Be upfront and realistic about what you can do - and by when
If demand outstrips supply and you are falling behind, keep customers informed about progress and any delays. Tony Miller’s previous manufacturing assembly experience means he knows where delays are likely to arise. He tells customers in advance how long it will take to complete their order.
Disciplined passion
Be passionate about your work, but don’t neglect financial management. Carrying customers on account can land you in big trouble - a lesson Susan Miller learnt in an earlier financially unsuccessful business venture.
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The Universal Sprayer Services Story
When Tony Miller’s Adelaide-based employer decided to close down its Albury branch - leaving no other local agricultural boomspray manufacturers - he was certain a regional market for custom-made boomsprays still remained. Selling and servicing boomsprays had been Miller’s life and passion for more than ten years.
Universal Sprayer Services opened part-time - with capital of $10 - in November 1998 in the Miller’s garage. By November 1999, with annual turnover heading beyond $500,000, Universal Sprayer Services had bought a factory with land to expand.
Miller’s success has brought new opportunities - and new questions. He says: “Well this is the whole problem now that we’ve gone from a very small to a much larger business within twelve months - where is our next step going to be? Do we put the brakes on and stay where we are, or do we keep growing?”