Flex and Rigid Sales and Marketing with Al Wasserzug

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

After decades in the PCB industry, Al Wasserzug of Cirexx International has seen marketing and sales trends come and go. I recently caught up with Al and interviewed him via email about the latest sales and marketing techniques, the value of traditional methods such as trade shows and conferences, and the particular characteristics of marketing flex circuits.   

ANDY SHAUGHNESSY: For anyone who may not be familiar with Cirexx, give us a quick background on the company and your own background.

AL WASSERZUG: Cirexx was established in 1984 in Silicon Valley as a PCB manufacturer and has grown over the years to become a full service PWB supplier. The company offers design through assembly of printed circuit board and flex circuit products for a variety of markets and holds several professional certifications and registrations.

I have been in the PWB industry for more than 38 years and have served in nearly every facet of a manufacturing organization. With Cirexx, I manage business development in the Midwest and Southeast U.S. where I have an opportunity to utilize most of the skill set I have developed over my career. While I continue to specialize in flex circuits, I have also enjoyed learning and participating in the growing RF/microwave PCB niche.

SHAUGHNESSY: How would you describe the Cirexx marketing philosophy?

WASSERZUG: The Cirexx marketing approach can be wrapped up in one word: focus. We focus on a particular market segment, technology, region and/or customer account and then saturate that entity with all things Cirexx. We use all available tools: The Internet, trade shows, “lunch-n-learn” events, sales reps, cold calling, technical interface/assistance and a lot of face time with key individuals.

SHAUGHNESSY: Do you think trade shows, conferences and advertising are still important marketing avenues? I hear this argument, pro and con, quite a bit.

WASSERZUG: These are all tools that continue to have great value within the context of a larger marketing plan. They will individually seem like a waste of time and money if they are not incorporated into a dedicated strategy from which the entire sales team is working. You can add all forms of other common sales instruments to this list and similarly get pro and con on each for the same reason: use of social media; sales reps vs. direct sales; value of “lunch-n-learns,” etc. Every organization must have an overall plan to achieve a specific objective. Then, and only then, will they readily see the wisdom—or lack thereof—in any one particular approach.

To read this entire article, which appeared in the December 2016 issue of The PCB Design Magazine, click here.