Thermal Processing welcomes its newest sales representative to its staff, Susan Heinauer. She has more than 20 years of experience in sales and promises to bring her unique style and acumen to making sure advertisers get the best possible exposure with our readers.
What about the industry and heat treating in particular gets you excited?
I have worked in several different industries. My media sales career began in industrial thermal processing with Industrial Heating, Process Heating and Process Cooling, and I have really enjoyed it. I like the customers. One thing that I’ve noticed, and I enjoy, is working with different types of people. You have large corporations, but then you have family-owned companies. There’s such a wide spectrum of folks that you work with that add some variety. In some cases, you work with the people who founded the company, so they have a different perspective.
Technological advancements over the years have kept the heat-treating industry on the cutting edge of improved productivity and energy efficiency to meet the industry’s changing needs.
What part of your sales background has most prepared you for interacting with the heat-treat industry?
After almost 20 years in media sales in the industrial thermal processing industry, I’ve worked with a variety of companies from large corporations to family businesses. The heat-treating industry includes companies of all sizes, market segments, and regions and I welcome the challenge to learn my client’s needs and work with them to achieve their goals.
You use analogies you developed with other companies to demonstrate how you’ve helped them in the past?
Yes, but, of course, you still have to tailor your proposal to what the client’s needs are. There’s a lot of fact-finding, and also, some companies just want branding, and some companies are all about leads. In many cases, a comprehensive integrated plan maximizes marketing efforts.
What do you do to try to convince a company that they need to increase their advertising visibility?
In my experience, it’s really finding out what that potential advertiser is looking for. I have to really take their lead and work from there.
With so many companies seeming to be reducing or eliminating their marketing staff, do you find it more of a challenge to get their attention? And how do you get their attention because of that?
Well, it’s difficult, and it’s a challenge, but it boils down to persistence. Just stay with it. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told, “Thank you for staying on me because I really wanted to do this. I just didn’t have time.” My very last email might start with, “I’m sorry to be a pest, but I know you are busy, so just want to check with you one more time.”
At this month’s HeatTreat 2023 show, what do you hope to accomplish while you’re there?
Some of the clients that I’ve been assigned are new to me, so I’m going to introduce myself. Everyone knows Industrial Heating where I did work, and I know many exhibitors and their history with Industrial Heating. But since the nature of sales is often by phone or email, I am excited to meet clients in person and have already set up some appointments. I look forward to meeting as many exhibitors as possible to see how Thermal Processing can fit into their marketing plans.
Any particular types of companies that you hope to talk to while you’re at HeatTreat?
Everyone — -starting with all my clients that are on my list assigned to me, I want to introduce myself and talk about how happy I am to be able to walk up and hand people an issue and show them the outstanding quality of Thermal Processing’s print magazines.
In addition to that, are there any other ways you would present Thermal Processing as a must destination for their ads?
Well, the quality of the editorial, of course. That would go along with handing an issue to people who may not be familiar, although I’m sure most people are. It’s selling the brand as a whole, and all the different platforms we offer from digital and print magazines and then website and e-blasts. There are many other opportunities to work together, for example, as potential editorial contributors, which is always a good way to begin a great relationship. Bottom line is that I am thrilled to be a part of the Thermal Processing team, and I am looking forward to working with existing and new advertising partners.
To advertise, contact Susan susan@thermalprocessing.com
