SolidCAM US Aggressive CAM Sales Strategy in 2022
Dear SolidCAM US sales hunters,
Let’s have a bird’s eye view of our situation in the US.
When we started Intl SolidCAM sales, decades ago, I knew the US market will be the toughest, because of the strong local competition (MasterCAM, SurfCAM, GibbsCAM et al.). So, we started in Europe, specifically Germany, and APAC, specifically Japan.
We are today the CAM leaders in the German market, fighting for 1st place with Hypermill. However, we will pass them a lot soon, because they specialize mainly in Sim5x and have neglected their mill-turn solution, which is the fastest growing niche in the CNC market. All other local German CAM players are way behind, and MasterCAM also is a small player.
In the US market, we started working with SolidWorks resellers. It was OK for a while but then it deteriorated because they could not build a serious CAM team, as the SolidWorks resellers in Europe and APAC did. So, about a decade ago, when Shaun Mymudes, SolidCAM Inc COO, joined us, we decided to change the strategy and build our own SolidCAM marketing, sales, technical support and post team. We also worked with EZ Sell partners, who bring us leads, but we do all the work.
Let me analyze the important ingredients of this mainly direct sales strategy:
Product Strategy:
Through several decades of customer-centric development, our excellent product today has the following main advantages:
- Integration with main CAD products, SolidWorks and Inventor – two additional integrations are coming through 2022. So, our machine shop customer can have the CAD of his choice, with SolidCAM seamlessly integrated and associative to its model – a hugely superior CAD solution to the meager own CAD of other CAMs.
- The easiest to learn and use CAM system, with a Structure and User model so clear, that a new user could figure it out in 1/2 hr – no exaggeration!!
- Offering the unique, amazing and revolutionary iMachining 2D/3D technology, with the best timesaving, optimum toolpaths, dramatic tool life savings and the only really working iMachining wizard in the industry, that takes out the guesswork of setting the optimum variable cutting feeds and speeds, for all stock material types, cutting tools types and CNC machine parameters.
- The absolute best simulator in the CAM industry.
- Easily customized, best post-processors in the CAM world.
- Complete CAM solution for all CNC machine types, especially for the fastest growing niche of advanced mill-turn CNCs, including Swiss type, where we provide today the absolute best CAM solution.
- Providing important complementary solutions, like the Shop Floor Editor/Simulator, CIMCO Edit tight integration and, the SolidMetal interactive manufacturing workplace.
- Important new R&D developments on the way, including enhanced Hole Wizard, associative coordinate systems, multi-part project, U-axis & collinear axis support, nesting, SolidCloud..
Marketing Strategy
- Leveraging the ubiquitous Modern Machine Shop (100,000 subscribers) and Production Machining (20,000 subscribers) publications, both the printed and digital online versions, by putting Ads, publishing Sponsored Content articles, digital showrooms and joint Webinars.
- Leveraging all social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, including putting ads there
- Leveraging Google and YouTube mediums, including putting ads.
- Best Website and Forum to share with all prospects and customers – a new website is coming soon, with an Online Shop, and a Customer Forum will be launched shortly.
- Product reviews in our website, the expanding number of happy customers, with word-of-mouth recommendations, are all additional great marketing tools
Technical and Post support Strategy
- Our HQ-based technical support teams guarantee absolute best online support – as opposed to our competitor’s reseller-based technical support, which can much less than optimal, depending on the technical level of reseller.
- Our HQ-based post processor development and customization guarantees best customized G-code output for every customer, a great advantage vs our competitors.
Sales Strategy
- With all the Product power and strongest Marketing, the Product has still to be sold – so you sales hunters are our frontline fighters, battling in the trenches, fighting daily in the hard, mostly cross-upgrade, US CAM market.
- We provide you the maximum number of leads coming through all our lead-generation activities – website, social media, google, zoom-info, purchased lists, etc.. A smart lead management process in our CRM, guarantees best results.
- Constantly following all advances in Leads Prospecting and Virtual Selling processes through books, forums and podcast, in order to always further sharpen your sales skills and processes.
So, with all above, we should ASAP catch our fair and well-deserved share of the US CAM market (huge 700M yearly, according to CIMdata!).
Just Do it and immensely Enjoy it!
Emil Somekh