Two of my former colleagues, and now friends – Jason Milks and Johnnie Floyd – have recently started a custom steel furniture business.  I’ve been following their journey with particular interest in their communications to potential customers about their company and who they are.

Floyd (L) and Milks (R) of The Steel Appeal

Before reading this post further, you might want to check out www.thesteelappeal.com for a quick intro to their business.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Mr. Milks for this blog.  He emphasized two key points throughout the interview regarding brands interacting with consumers:

1) Consumers are becoming customers again.

2) Transparency is important.

I enjoy learning directly from others, so here is Mr. Milks’ interview in its entirety:

I believe transparency is a positive quality of the way we market and operate The Steel Appeal.  I am proud of the work we do and the way we market it as well.  I feel there needs to be more transparency in business – especially manufacturing practices.  I believe people respect and will support a company that they believe in.

I recently read the book “Growing a Business” by Paul Hawken and he talks about consumers becoming customers….again.  Hawken explains how before WWII we were customers, patrons, clientele, and then we entered into this era of mass manufacturing, this is when we turned into consumers.

Take a dining room table for instance, What I feel is going on is people are buying the most inexpensive options that may not look like the cheapest, but the inferiority is there whether it be the material used, hardware used to put together, the finish or maybe most importantly the integrity of the company and labor that produced it.

With this transformation of us getting back to being a customer, I think we get rid of this attitude that one can buy a $200 product that will last for three years rather than buying a $400 product that will last for 10 years.  I agree with Paul Hawken that this is what we have been doing with such items as washing machines, lawnmowers and furniture.  What’s more is things are priced to where it is cheaper to buy a new product than to get the original product fixed.  These are inferior/cheap products.

I feel if we are transparent in how we market or show off our company people can see that inferiority is not present in the way we build our products.  With The Steel Appeal – customers can take pride in who built it and designed it – an Artist., what it is made of – American Eco Friendly Materials, where it was made – in the USA, when it was made – in most cases made to order/custom sized, and why it was made – to support a re-birth of American Quality Manufacturing.

If I can use a dining room table for an example, this is your, who, what, where, why, and when, when you shop at a big box store and want to know details of a piece of furniture. These are the details that you are likely to find:

• Assembly Required: Yes
• Material: Wood
• Finish: Black
• Product in Inches (L x W x H): 45.0 x 28.0 x 35.5
• Assembled in Country of Orgin: USA and/or Imported
• Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported

Assembled and Origin of Components = USA and/or Imported…Really?!?  What does that mean?  Material is…Wood?  Oh?  What kind of wood, where did the wood come from?

This is what you would find when inquiring with The Steel Appeal:

• Assembly Required: No
• Material: American Steel with reclaimed barn wood from Floyd, VA
• Finish: Eco Friendly Powder Coat in whatever color you would like
• Product in Inches (L x W x H): Whatever you want
• Assembled in Country of Orgin: USA
• Origin of Components: USA

I sincerely feel that customers want transparency, and I feel that they are willing to pay more for products with it.  Our products have a story, they have character, and I feel as though people will be proud to own such a product.  I feel that the transparency of our company creates that.

For more information about The Steel Appeal, please visit www.thesteelappeal.com.