Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It's Only Common Sense: It's All About Design

Editor's Note: To listen to Dan's weekly column, as you've always done in the past, click here. For the written transcript, keep reading...

When you’re out there selling PCBs, make sure you pay attention to the design service bureaus and designers in general. These groups can be some your best customers as they not only buy boards, but may also lead you to additional customers.

It’s pretty simple when you think about it: Every PCB starts with design. I take part in endless discussions on how to sell to OEMs and contract manufacturers, but few seem to discuss selling to designers--until I bring it up. Even then I have to convince my clients that it's worthwhile for their salespeople to focus on chasing down board business from design houses. Why is that I wonder? Is it because they think this business is too small? Is it because they are not sure how to do it? Or is it just that they didn’t think of it first?

Here are a few irrefutable facts: 

• No circuit board exists without a designer.
• Designers must make a lot of changes during development and that means more iterations of the board.
• Designers buy circuit boards--they have to buy proof of designs and also prototypes and, often, small production.
• Customers of designers often buy circuit boards from the companies who build the proof of design, the prototypes, or the small production.
• If a designer likes working with you, he or she can often help you find more business.
• More new products are being developed and built today than at any other time in the history of the world. Each of these products must be designed and have PCBs from the onset.
• More and more experts (read the new book Makers: The New Industrial Revolution to learn more about this) say we are going to survive as the leading economic power in the world by the very fact that we currently, and will continue to, develop more products than any other country in the world.

So, once again, what does this tell you? If you want to succeed in the board industry you have to sell to designers. They, more than anyone, know what is going in the current and future marketplace. Designers can tell you better than anyone else where the technology is going and where you should be going if you want to be successful. Pay attention to designers. Get a database of service bureaus and start calling them.

That being said. there are two things you should know about that will help you sell to designers. The first is DesignCon 2013--without a doubt the largest meeting of board designers in the country or, quite possibly, the world. It is the only event that addresses board level challenges. If you want to sell to designers, you have to go where they are. The next DesignCon will be at the Santa Clara Convention Center in January so you’ve got plenty of time to find out about it and to sign up to exhibit if you are serious about selling to designers.

The second is that I-Connect007 has just announced a new magazine solely for designers. To quote Andy Shaughnessy, “Today’s PCB designers deserve their own magazine. Now, it’s more important than ever for designers to have access to the latest information. Design techniques are constantly evolving, with designers dealing with more and more high-speed issues that were once firmly in the wheelhouse of the electrical engineer.

“So, we’ve decided to take action. In November, we’re launching The PCB Design Magazine, a publication that focuses on PCB design and related issues. Nothing more, nothing less… this magazine will be your one-stop shopping for technical information, opinion columns and news about the PCB design community.”

This will be a digital magazine of course because designers are focused on digital. Designers have been online forever and have always been focused on getting their information from the Web. Now, more than ever, digital publications are how they learn about new developments in their business.

Do you get where I’m going with this? If you want to be successful in the board industry you must sell to designers. Now, there's a digital magazine exclusively for designers. If you want to sell to designers you should go where designers hang out: The PCB Design Magazine. Wouldn’t that be a great place to advertise? Wouldn’t that be a great place to let designers know about your company and what you have to offer? It certainly seems like the logical place to spend your advertising dollars doesn’t it? The first edition will be available November 16, 2012. Check in with Andy or one of the other folks at I-Connect007 and see what you can do about getting on board with your advertising as soon as possible. As far as I’m concerned, it's only common sense.