Mitchell Overdrive etc

M2M: You may be shocked to know that I am in a technology field of work.

A website isn't a must-have for a company currently working on a 12 week backorder, and that has continued to have a waiting list for their products practically since they began. If their business starts to fall off, then it would certainly be time to look into it.

With that said, your website is neat, good work.
 
P.S. said:
Because the "me generation" is rasied to assume that if you don't have a website, then it isn't legitimate.

Imagine... How did the world function without the WWW? Oh, the humanity!!!
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Like it of not this is the way business will take place. Information on the web is moving towards the number one place to find what a business has to offer I would venture to say 80% of all inquires are now made on the web.

As for "How did the world function without the WWW? Oh, the humanity!!!" Substitute ANY modern "convenience" for the WWW, automobiles, planes, cell phones, electricty, computers, cameras and the list goes on almost forever.

ANY business that does not have a web presence is losing money PERIOD!

A business does not need a full shopping website, just a simple this is what we are and this is what we have, Bergs is an example of a simplistic website that answers basic questions and gives contact information for more info.
 
P.S. said:
M2M: You may be shocked to know that I am in a technology field of work.

A website isn't a must-have for a company currently working on a 12 week backorder, and that has continued to have a waiting list for their products practically since they began. If their business starts to fall off, then it would certainly be time to look into it.

With that said, your website is neat, good work.
Click to expand...

In my opinion if a company always has a 12 week backorder I would think it is time to expand. Web presence would bring in more business to continue the feeding of the expansion. Here is a case where word of mouth almost hurt the sales with the wrong information getting out to the public. Instaed of having to field phone calls answering questions they can get the basic questions answered on the web and devote that time to production matters. What are the potential customers doing when they are presented with a 12 week wait? Customers waiting is an indication that there is room for successful competition?

Again in my opinion.
 
Mr. P.S. Thanks. I'm pleased with the way my website came out but I think next time I'll use a template to make things easier.

I agree with you that with a 12 week backorder they don't need a website for generating more sales at this stage. Websites are not only about selling. A website gives you a voice...without one you cannot speak directly with the public to state who you are, what you do, what your values are. Word of mouth is good if what is being said is good...but if people are saying that Mitchell sources parts from China...well, the backorder problem will soon go away.

If I heard or read Mitchell sources parts from China, the first thing I would do is find the company website using a search engine to see what the company itself has to say. If there is no company website...in 2013 that's not a good sign. It certainly doesn't tell me they are committed to producing a quality product and customer satisfaction.


 
It seems this entire contentious thread would be unneeded and moot if Mitchell did in fact have a simple web page!

Going back to the O.P., QUOTE from Forditude: "Mrs Mitchell expressed concern that someone on the Ford Barn had posted that they are now sourcing parts from China." I find it intriguing that a principal in a successful business faced with knowledge of possibly damaging miscommunication or misinformation from a specific source (FordBarn) would not immediately take a proactive position and personally do something.

It is noble that Forditude took this to a F.B. thread on their behalf, but as they would say in court "that's hearsay", second-hand, not from the horse's mouth. I don't question the accuracy of Forditude's statement that their stuff is not outsourced from China, but I stand by my earlier "sanctimonious aloofness" statement. The individuals may be sweet as pie and honest as George Washington was during the cherry tree incident, but as a business if you don't care enough about your customer base to deal with it other than by passing on a hearsay testimonial, in my opinion that speaks volumes.

At this point I'll also agree that running a three-month backlog may be good for the stability of your business, but running that way for years without expanding your capacity certainly says nothing about how much real concern you have for the consumer of your product. Again, in my opinion, aloof despite a sea of testimonials relating a wonderful personal experience.

Would I buy from Mitchell? I would find it really tough to part with a weeks income based on what someone said to me on a phone conversation. I'm not saying no, but I'm comfortable when I can see something in print from the manufacturer, like a webpage or a .pdf product or specification sheet that I can easily print or save.
 
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I have been to the Mitchell Manufacturing shop. It is some what a small family operation. On site you will find all of the required machinery to manfacture their products. It is all made in Colusa, CA. I have no idea where the China remarks come from. Further, it appears that they have all of the business they can handle as there is always a waiting list with a lead time to purchase an overdrive unit. Perhaps, from the Mitchell point of view, a web site is not necessary. I do know they do answer their phones.
 
I guess the Mitchells will just have to tough it out without the business of MikeK and M2M. my suspicion is that they are not too worried. they have plenty of sales and their customer service is personal and personable.
expand the business? maybe they don't want it to be any bigger than it is. seems like a legitimate choice to me. if they are OK with it, perhaps all of us should be too.....
 
I am waiting for my number to come up and my overdrive to be shipped from Snyder's. Supposedly I am number two on the list and should get mine from them in the first part of February. I was told 8 to 12 weeks waiting time and it is working out that way. Snyder's says they usually get a unit a month but for some reason they haven't had a shipment since November.

Did I buy my unit based on "what someone said on the phone," of course not I went on the research of all the overdrives available and decided on the one that I liked best. I then got a ride in a friend's Model A that has a Mitchell and I loved it. I also have a buddy that has one in his 37 pickup. I'm sold.

Truthfully I wouldn't care if it did have some Chinese gears, seals ect. in it. I wouldn't like the politics of it but I would still buy the unit. Now a days It isn't a matter of if your car has foreign parts in them but rather what percentage of them are made on American soil. You would hate those numbers. Everything is outsourced and without getting political whose fault is that? The consumer?

I thought I could get a break on the price of a Mitchell and tried calling all the parts vendors to see who had one the cheapest. There is a little bit of a break in the price between some of them but the price Snyder's charges is the same price that Mitchell charges directly from the factory. There was no advantage ordering from the factory. Thats fair.

Talking to the lady that answered the phone for Mitchell was a hoot. She certainly wasn't sanctimonious or aloof and I wonder how that really applies here. She sort of took a break and talked to me about the waiting period and their production of the transmission and overdrives. She said they are a family business but employ some non family. She could train some more folks to put together units but they would eventually catch up and then they would have to lay someone off. The way it works now they can keep full time employment going for their people and still do good work. If you are happy with the way things are working...don't change a thing. If you donl't like things they way they are...change something.

Basically they have found what works for them and they can keep it going for good of all. How many businesses out there have failed because they tried to go big and couldn't.

How many months back log is it to buy the other makes of Model A overdrive units? Got a spare torque tube so you can send in a core or will your car be down waiting for the unit to be finished?



At this point I'll also agree that running a three-month backlog may be good for the stability of your business, but running that way for years without expanding your capacity certainly says nothing about how much real concern you have for the consumer of your product. Again, in my opinion, aloof despite a sea of testimonials relating a wonderful personal experience.

Would I buy from Mitchell? I would find it really tough to part with a weeks income based on what someone said to me on a phone conversation. I'm not saying no, but I'm comfortable when I can see something in print from the manufacturer, like a webpage or a .pdf product or specification sheet that I can easily print or save.[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE][/COLOR]
 
As I was writing the previous post I got an email from Don Snyder saying that my overdrive will be shipped next week and they wanted to confirm if I still wanted it.

You bet ya!
 
Chris, I agree with you 100%. Expanding a business is not the correct model for many and cannot be assumed to be the correct path for others. Happiness and personal satisfaction are often overlooked. I know many locally owned businesses that are doing well and are content at the size they are at. Conversely, I know several businesses that have expanded and did not do well or went belly up. Expansion can bring on many unforeseen headaches.

Scenario 1:
In reference to the Mitchells let's speculate...they start a web page...orders come in at a faster pace...they hire more....they expand their facilities...the market becomes saturated...business falls off...workers are laid off...expansion bills can't be paid...the business suffers a near total collapse.

Scenario 2:
On the other hand...they go to meets and shows...spend time as a family...get orders...fulfill the orders with a quality product...the whole family is employed...the 2 month back order ensures them of future employment...financial stability.

A person/family does what they want to do. What makes me happy and brings me peace of mind may not be what brings another satisfaction. Walk a mile in my moccasins...
 
dean from bozeman said:
Scenario 1:
In reference to the Mitchells let's speculate...they start a web page...orders come in at a faster pace...they hire more....they expand their facilities...the market becomes saturated...business falls off...workers are laid off...expansion bills can't be paid...the business suffers a near total collapse.

Scenario 2:
On the other hand...they go to meets and shows...spend time as a family...get orders...fulfill the orders with a quality product...the whole family is employed...the 2 month back order ensures them of future employment...financial stability.
Click to expand...

Scenario 3:
They start a web page with ONLY Information about the Product and their CONTACT INFORAMATION, NO emails, no prices, no ordering ability..ONLY For the purpose of information given....a very fast page to get up and going. Will it increase business....??Not the intention ONLY for people to know how to get a hold of them,. I will continue to buy either way but
There have been a lot of inquire on how to get a hold of them. I am a believer from being in business that in this century you MUST have a presence on the web... and a presence for CONTACT information only.....:p
 
dean from bozeman said:
Scenario 1:
In reference to the Mitchells let's speculate...they start a web page...orders come in at a faster pace...they hire more....they expand their facilities...the market becomes saturated...business falls off...workers are laid off...expansion bills can't be paid...the business suffers a near total collapse.
Click to expand...

That was my first reaction to the comment. Thanks for saving me the trouble! Folks often don't understand business plans and expansion. Yes, there is certainly a saturation point for their products. Why rush (and spend money) to get to that point? Speeding up production in a limited market only has value if it can be done at no extra cost. If that were possible then it should also be possible to reduce costs and maintain the current level of production which would make even more sense economically.

True expansion would require expanding the product line and chasing new markets. However, what would that be? Obviously there would be no market for 1923 Buicks! Think about it.

I do agree that a simple, non-interactive web site that tells who they are and what they do would be simple, cheap, and beneficial.
 
Marco Tahtaras said:

I do agree that a simple, non-interactive web site that tells who they are and what they do would be simple, cheap, and beneficial.
Click to expand...

Exactly what i said in
Scenario 3:
They start a web page with ONLY Information about the Product and their CONTACT INFORMATION, NO emails, no prices, no ordering ability..ONLY For the purpose of information given....and a presence for CONTACT information only.....:p
 
I knew I saw a site about the Mitchell it is at www.flatheadv8.org/mitchell.pdf also if you type in mitchell overdrive another one about the mitchell 1000 also has some info. I figure on ordering one from the vendors over the computer just for the simple fact that my hearing is shot and the tiny phones they make nowadays make it very hard for me to order anything over the phone. As far as a web site, the way they are selling the O/D's do they really need one? Just my opinion
 
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Maybe this will help??
 

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CarlG said:
Maybe this will help??
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Basically it tells nothing. Not everyone even understands what "gear splitter" means. Doesn't even mention the 2/3 synch trans.

It doesn't tell you:

1) What they have - OD's for A's & some later torque tube Fords
2) What OD ratios you have to choose from- 26% or 36%
3) Suggestion as to which OD ratio works best for what.
4) That you can have lever or cable OD operation
5) That there are different OD placements for Vicky & some late '31's
6) How to install it and operate it- link to instructions
7) That you can buy or borrow a gear puller from them
8) What you need to send in (torque tube?)
9) About how long a wait & is that OK with you?
10) Some picture of the OD, both standard and Vicky box location
11) Some install pix
12) What their 2/3 synch trans is all about
13) What trans ratios are available:
Std/std/std or +15%/std/std or Std/+15%/std or +15%/+15%/std
11) Which ratio set is recommended fit for what conditions
12) How to install it and operate it & some install pix
13) What to send in (stripped case & shift tower, I think)
14) How to strip down and clean case & tower
15) How to pack/ ship/ address
16) Current estimated wait - is that OK?
17) Any warranty info? (may influence your decision)
18) Any maintenance info? (may influence your decision)
19) Some nice shop pictures & smiley staff faces
20) Other- I'm sure I left some thing out of this list . . .
21) A nice USA flag & info about where non-in house parts are sourced from

If you can see the entire laundry list with some pix you will be prepared when you call to order. No 'Did I forget something' fears. I can easily see how something as complicated as this can lead to miscommunications if your only info source is a phone call. No need to post prices or anything. Just basic modern times web info, a courtesy which is NOT presently forthcoming from Mitchell as a business. I never said any individuals there were sanctimonious and aloof, its their business practice that I find lacking.

If this were the 20's/30's a competent business would have a flyer covering the above that they would mail you. They wouldn't just say 'call us and we'll tell you'. Today a brochure translates to a web page and some printable product .pdf's.
 
Most business cards actually tell you nothing.

If you were to fit all that on a business card, would you still be able to read it? :confused:
 
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