A little set back

[Bruno of NH]

Today the Woody's off road trailer goes back to the dealer for sale.
2 weeks ago the Mahindra went back to get sold.
I'm renting my friends skid steer when he's no using it for his tree service.
My sales have dropped to almost nothing this season.
I'm working on other options for sales.
Switching to firewood for a week or two.
I will weigh my options maybe lease for the summer months ?
But first work on how to get sales back up.
The economy is great in my area .
Folks tell me they want the product but then not show to pickup.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Hopefully a temporary setback.
My sales have been strong this year except for live edge slabs which I cant seem to give away.
I too have a good number of no shows, seems to be the nature of retail.

[Dana Stanley]

Sorry to hear about your hard luck! I will say a prayer for you. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

[Bruno of NH]

Sometimes the best plans don't workout.
Up till this summer sales were great.
I'm now having to deliver stuff an hour away just to make some money for blades and gas.
I'm hoping with the cooler weather it might pickup a little.
Tried going back to job site work but the knees can keep up with the mind  :D
I'm going to try some new marketing stuff.

[Magicman]

Some way broaden your sales advertising. 

I am continually taking portable sawing jobs that are over 50 miles away and they are website driven.  I wish you the best my friend.

[Bruno of NH]

I need to get a website
I would do mobile jobs if I could get around better.
Things will work out
They always did when I was building. 
I will keep the faith that things will cycle back my way.
I have come to grips with it.
As long as the log deck gets loaded most days sawing will get done as needed. 

[Woodpecker52]

Bruno 90% of my sales are from Facebook marketplace some from Craigslist.  I dropped my prices below the competition to move product and it has been a success. 

[Bruno of NH]

That's how I sell
Lowered my prices and they others are giving the wood away.

[Nebraska]

Have unrelated friends search you see where you are coming up on the list, you might be getting buried for whatever reason. If you aren't getting seen it might have stuff to do with the slump. I will leave the why's to the tinfoil hat crowd. A big part of the problem is the younger crowd's fascination with engineered  white particle board effluent trim and cabinets, etc. Good luck it will turn soon keep your faith.

[Woodpecker52]

I have sold a few live edge slabs but the demand right now is 10 and 12 foot beams usually 8x8 or 10x8's.

[Hackeldam Wood Products]

Market Place works real good here right now. I would also spend a few hours a week leaving my card with tradesman at jobsites and workshops. Put up signs on bulletin boards at stores. 

Call up you regular customers and remind them you have time right now if they need anything. Word of mouth and a good reputation are the best.

Also on slow days build a small shed or a garbage can house or a piece of furniture, when you sell a finished project you increase your profit.

I would offer some cut offs and slab wood for free, people like free and it's a good way cultivate a buying customer.

Good Luck

[Crossroads]

Hopefully this is a temporary setback and things will open back up again....

[customsawyer]

I have never lowered my prices just to get work. When you do that and then the competition does it, you will have to drop again. You both end up going broke. Make your lumber better than the competition and then try new ways of marketing.

[Bruno of NH]

The market place is flooded with wood right now.
I'm not lowering my prices because it will be like working for free.
I will just ride it out and hope for the best.

[Ianab]

Chase the markets that are paying.

If that's firewood, so be it. 

Firewood is a part time "side gig" for me. But it's the end of winter here and I can advertise a 1/4 cord of dry wood delivered, and sell it twice before I can take the FB add down. Not going to get rich, but I get the $$.

Custom sawing? Beams? Tomato stakes?  Etc...

[ellmoe]

I would do mobile jobs if I could get around better.

Mr. Tom kept mobile sawing after he was to the point he could not walk well. He advised his customers of the situation , that they needed to provide labor , and adjusted price accordingly . His advantages were that many of his customers were repeats and he had a sit down mill . Hopefully , you have a "ride - along " or something similar and can try this . Either way , I wish you the best of luck.

[thecfarm]

Yes,I hope you ride this storm out well!!

[Bruno of NH]

I do have a sit down mill
That could be an idea
I go out in public very little now
Mostly to Dr's appointments and to pick up my bands at the sharpen shop

[Roxie]

Tomato stakes?

A Forestry Forum tutorial on Tomato Stake Farming (TSF) to cheer you.  

Tomato Stake Tour in General Board

[Magicman]

I never provide help/tailgunners nor any equipment.  It's just me and the sawmill.

[Bruno of NH]

There is a guy a couple of towns over that copies my FB market place adds word for word of mine when he post some thing.
That's not helping.

[moodnacreek]

By late summer almost every year My sawmill business drops dead. I expect this and look forward to it. Then the fall rush will start and drop dead again. Last year October was so slow I put in a live log deck and that took 4 weeks. Just when deer season starts it goes crazy again. Dry 'live edge' sells like mad just before Christmas. Then trailer decks in winter. If my wife had not worked I would have been gone years ago. Small time sawmill guys often start building pallets or selling tin roofing, etc.

[PAmizerman]

The first couple weeks of August are generally slow for me. Like moodnacreek said right about the time archery season opens I can't keep up. The first two weeks of August this year I didn't have any large orders. I only sold about 2000 feet out of my inventory. Then all heck broke loose and I sawed over 7000 feet the last week and a half. 
Hang in there. I'm sure it will get busier than you would like shortly.

[Southside]

Yea - back to school, last vacation, etc, folks have other things on their mind.  Plus it's been hotter than fish grease in, well August, so that puts a damper on things.  

[YellowHammer]

So Sorry to hear it.  

I'm not sure what your sawmill name is, so I did a bunch of random searches for sawmill, Springfield, NH, based on your profile info.  

I couldn't find you.  I found Peter's sawmill a couple times.

Marketing is key.

I did a google search on sawmill, Springfield, New Hampshire.  Google couldn't find you.

Yellowpage search couldn't find you.  

I didn't see you listed in the New Hampshire Direcory of Sawmills, or maybe you are, but I didn't recognize your business name.
https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000251_Rep271.pdf

Facebook and Social Media don't replace a good webpage, in my opinion. I have hundreds of followers and hits on Instagram and Facebook, which is OK.  However, I have 5,000 hits a week on my webpage and about 50 percent are new visitors.  The webpage generates about 90% of my actual purchasing customers, along with word of mouth.  I know, because I always ask how new customers heard of me.  

Webpages give better broader exposure.  Where's the first place I go to find something?  Google.  

As good as you are, you could do your own webpage, in a short time.  Or Jeff could do it.  

Anyway, we are all rooting for you.  Keep your spirits up and keep rolling.