QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
How do I get customers for my machine shop?
Price one of your own parts: Drop a STEP model or PDF drawing — about 90 seconds, no account.
Your part priced in about 90 seconds, no account.
Start with a narrow customer fit you can serve repeatedly: for example, local equipment OEMs that need 6061 and 4140 prototypes in 3-axis work, or a defense supplier that already has your approved process. Build proof around that fit, ask for a specific RFQ and measure every channel. Worked example: a $600 monthly outreach budget and six hours of owner time produces 24 researched accounts, 12 relevant conversations and three RFQs in this illustrative funnel; the arithmetic is a planning assumption, not a promised conversion rate.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Choose a buyer and a part family
“We machine anything” is difficult for a buyer to act on. Pick a part family, material or delivery problem where you can show a real route: turned shafts under 3 inches, repeat brackets with anodize, or overflow work for a larger shop. Write the machines, tolerances, finishes, inspection and quantities you actually accept. A clear no-quote boundary helps the right customer trust the promise.
Build a one-page capability note with photos you own, material and tolerance examples you can substantiate, and a sample quote that labels assumptions. Do not publish customer names, defense drawings or unapproved claims. Ask existing customers whether a short capability introduction is accurate before using it.
| Step | Assumption | Arithmetic |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts researched | 24 | 6 hours × 4 accounts/hour |
| Relevant conversations | 12 | 50% of researched accounts |
| RFQs received | 3 | 25% of conversations |
| Quoted jobs | 2 | one package outside fit |
| Won jobs | 1 | illustrative 50% of quoted |
Use channels that match the job
Existing customers and local OEM supplier lists usually give better context than a broad message to every manufacturer. Visit a technical association meeting, ask a current customer for one introduction, or respond to a distributor’s overflow need with your exact process fit. Public procurement portals can expose RFQs, but read registration, cybersecurity, terms and payment requirements before spending estimating time. Marketplaces can fill a quiet machine while you learn their fees and buyer expectations; they should not be your only pipeline.
For each touch, make the next step small: “May I send our 3-axis bracket capability sheet?” or “Would you like a quote on the two 6061 parts in your backlog?” A generic “let us know if you need machining” gives a buyer no reason to answer.
Measure the pipeline without fooling yourself
Log source, account, date, part family, response, RFQ, quote, award and gross contribution. In the example, $600 divided by one illustrative win is $600 acquisition spend; that is not a useful conclusion until you know whether the order contributes $2,000, $200 or nothing after rework. Keep marketing cost separate from machine cost.
Review the funnel monthly and stop channels that produce conversations but no fit after a fair test. Ask lost buyers whether the reason was capability, price, timing or no project. Treat every percentage as your measured result once you have enough observations, never as a guaranteed benchmark.
What to do next
Write the fit statement, prepare one proof example and choose one channel for a four-week test. Set a weekly block for customer work that does not displace committed production, then review the log with the same care as a job traveler. A small shop wins customers by being easy to trust and easy to buy from: clear capability, quick questions, honest lead time and a quote that names its assumptions.
Illustrative outreach assumptions
- • $600 monthly outreach budget; 6 owner hours.
- • 24 accounts researched; 12 relevant conversations; 3 RFQs; 2 quotes; 1 illustrative win.
| Stage | Count |
|---|---|
| Accounts researched | 24 |
| Conversations | 12 |
| RFQs | 3 |
| Quotes | 2 |
| Illustrative wins | 1 |
Price one of your own parts
Drop a PDF drawing or a STEP file. QuotedPart reads the print, measures the model and prices it in seconds, on default shop rates you can change.
Your STEP file or PDF drawingDrop a PDF drawing, a STEP file or both
Free. No account, no email. Priced at our default US rates until you set yours.
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