logo
episode-header-image
May 2025
1h 9m

The Sales Mindset Shift: How to Grow Cur...

MakingChips LLC
About this episode

This might be one of the most important conversations we’ve had in the Machine Shop MBA series—because we’re unpacking a mindset that quietly limits the growth potential of so many shops: the “cashier model.”

We’ve seen it time and time again—shops waiting at the counter for purchase orders to roll in, instead of actively building relationships, solving problems, and driving new revenue. That model might work for a while, but over time it leads to stagnation. That’s why we brought in Mike Fritz, a fellow host and the mind behind Machine Shop Growth, to break down exactly why shops get stuck—and how to break out of it.

Together, we explore the three customer types every shop must understand: current, dormant, and new. We share how we approach each one, the psychology behind why they buy, and the specific tactics we’ve used to unlock more value from the accounts we already have—while building smart pathways to growth.

If you’ve ever looked at your sales numbers and wondered why things aren’t growing the way they should, this episode might explain why—and what to do next.

Segments

  • (0:00) Getting back into the groove & introducing the sales topic
  • (0:50) Top Shops 2025 is coming up in Charlotte, NC!
  • (1:50) Welcoming Mike Fritz back to the show
  • (5:30) The “cashier model” and how it quietly limits shop growth
  • (13:38) Why you need to love on your current customers
  • (21:43) Account management tactics that unlock growth
  • (27:24) Psychology of current customers and how to earn more work
  • (32:06) Grow your top and bottom line with CLA
  • (34:00) Strategies to win new customers in your niche
  • (42:00) The importance of top-of-mind awareness
  • (45:30) Hiring for network strength and turning people into growth assets
  • (47:55) How to leverage a CRM to get in front of customers
  • (53:09) How to reignite a dormant customer
  • (1:03:41) Being a sales-driven organization gives you options
  • (1:07:58) 3 reasons to listen to Buy the Numbers

Resources mentioned on this episode

Connect With MakingChips

Up next
Oct 6
Winning the Talent War: Recruitment, Retention, and Culture with Mike Tamasi, 487
Recruiting and retaining great people is one of the biggest challenges in manufacturing today—but what if the solution isn’t just about wages or benefits, but about building a culture where people thrive? In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, we are joined by guest co-h ... Show More
58m 45s
Sep 29
Leadership at the Core: Building Trust, Systems, and People with Kyra Tillman, 486
Leadership is more than a buzzword—it’s the backbone of every successful machine shop. In this episode of MakingChips—Machine Shop MBA, hosts Paul Van Metre and Jen Dubose sit down with Kyra Tillman, owner of BTM Industries, to explore what real leadership looks like on the shop ... Show More
46m 24s
Sep 22
Strategic Growth & Vision: Building a High-Performing Machine Shop with Peter Doyle, 485
In this special MakingChips Machine Shop MBA episode, we sit down with Peter Doyle—CEO of Hirsh Precision—to unpack what it takes to grow and transform a machine shop with purpose. From his roots as an Air Force officer to leading a former Top Shops award winner, Peter has blende ... Show More
51m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Money Bootcamp: Investing for retirement
Welcome to the Santam Insure your Future money boot camp with Maya Fisher-French and Mapalo Makhu.  In the last two episodes we looked at saving and investing for those goals we want to achieve during our working years. But at some point, we want to kick back and retire, or at le ... Show More
33m 13s
Sep 2024
How to Retire: Understand the Role of Working Longer
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine sits down with Yahoo Finance c ... Show More
17m 32s
Feb 2024
Roger Young: Visualizing Retirement Is So Important
Our guest on the podcast today is Roger Young. Roger is thought leadership director at T. Rowe Price, where he and his team conduct research on retirement planning and financial planning matters. Roger has been with T. Rowe Price since 2017. Prior to that, he was a financial advi ... Show More
49m 44s
Sep 2024
How to Retire: Stay Flexible with Your Retirement Spending
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine sits down with senior nerd at ... Show More
19m 6s
Aug 8
The Magic Number Needed to Retire Comfortably?
💸 Learn to invest in what matters most. Check out our free investing and retirement resources. How much do you actually need to retire? In this episode, find out what the experts say is themagic number and how to plan today for the retirement of your dreams. Next Steps: • 🎥 Wat ... Show More
14m 13s
Oct 2024
How to Retire: Know What ‘Enough’ Means in Retirement
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine sits down with personal financ ... Show More
22m 14s
Aug 2024
Q&A: The Unintended Consequences of Early Retirement
#529: Anonymous, 60, recently lost her job and is worried about retirement. She owns a paid-off triplex, living in one unit and renting the others for $30,000 a year. She used her 401(k) funds to buy the triplex and now has $50,000 in retirement savings and $150,000 in cash. She ... Show More
1h 16m
Apr 2024
Rather Than Retire, Buy a Business
Get $200 off your ticket to the M&A Launchpad Conference in Houston on May 11th:https://www.malaunchpad.com & enter code ACQUIRINGMINDS At age 63, Maurice Thomas wasn't ready to retire, so he bought an electrical contractor with $1m in earnings instead.Topics in Maurice’s intervi ... Show More
1h 20m
Nov 2024
If You're Not Taking Retirement Seriously, It's Time To Start
💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!  You don’t want to wake up in retirement and realize you spent all your money without ever taking that trip to Sandals, do you? Find out if your retirement savings are on target, plus how to make sure you have enough ... Show More
8m 2s
Jul 2024
Game-Changing Career Tips (ft. Ari Murray)
Listen up kiddos, because the elder millennials are here to tell you a tale about the dos and don’ts of career growth.Grandpa Daniel and Grandma Ari have learned a lot about moving up a rung or two on the career ladder. And we’re here to teach a lesson or two to you young’uns on ... Show More
8m 42s