Earle M. Jorgenson had a favorite saying.....it was (and still is) even painted on the wall above his office door...."Hustle....Thats All"

The faster you reply to ha sales opportunity, the better the chance your client won't head to Google and find it himself.

AS SOON as you get the RFQ and decide to work it, reply....even if just to let the client know that you're on this one and will have a quote very soon.

The Internet has taught people to expect things instantly. Amazon can deliver darned near anything overnight.....and they display pricing online. Obviously, at this point we can't match that, but many suppliers are getting pretty darned close.

Take a look at www.rolledalloys.com or www.onlinemetals.com. The industry is rapidly moving in that direction. I am writing this in 2015.....if you're reading this any more than 2-3 years later, I am willing to bet that most of the major distributors are offering online pricing, stock checking and ordering. Heck, back in 1978, well before the Internet, Ryerson would give a free computer terminal to their better contract clients who could view their material and schedule releases.

Bottom line.....HUSTLE!