The 3 Things Every Buyer Wants to Know About Your Job Shop — And How to Build Content Around Them

Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re trying to win over new buyers for your manufacturing business, there are three questions they’re always asking:

1. What’s your quality like?

2. Can you deliver on time?

3. What’s your pricing structure?

If you’re not creating content that directly answers these questions, you're leaving money on the table. Let’s break down how to build a content strategy around each one — and actually earn trust with potential customers.

1. Quality: Show, Don’t Just Tell

Buyers want to know your shop delivers consistent, high-quality work. Saying you're ISO certified is great — but let’s be honest, every shop says that. It’s not a differentiator anymore.

So how do you stand out? Show your quality metrics. If you’re tracking things like defect rate or customer returns, publish that data. For example:

• “In May, we shipped 8,742 parts. We had zero returns.”

• “We took corrective action on a rejected part. Here’s what we did to fix it.”

Not only does this show accountability, it builds confidence. Content like this is gold on LinkedIn, your website, or in a capability statement.

Buyers love transparency. If you're already collecting quality metrics internally, it's time to start turning those into content.

2. Timeliness: Prove You Can Hit Deadlines

Lead times matter. Whether you’re a prototype shop or a production-oriented job shop, buyers want to know you can deliver on time — and not just “usually.”

Most ERP systems track when a job starts and when it’s completed. Use that data to calculate your average lead time and your on-time delivery rate. Then put that on your website and social channels.

Example content ideas:

• “Our average lead time in Q2 was 15.3 days.”

• “We delivered 96% of orders on time last month.”

It’s not just about claiming fast turnaround — it’s about proving predictability. Buyers will trust you more when you back it up with real numbers.

3. Pricing: Stop Hiding Behind “Contact Us for a Free Quote”

Here’s a big one: pricing. Most manufacturers treat pricing like a black box. They slap “Contact us for a free quote” on the site and call it a day. Spoiler alert — everyone offers free quotes. That’s not a selling point.

What buyers actually want to know is: what drives your pricing, and how can they get the best value?

Use your pricing page to educate, not just convert. Here’s how:

• Explain cost drivers: Is machine time the biggest factor? Labor? Tooling?

• Show how to save: Can reordering quantities, choosing a different material, or adjusting tolerances reduce cost?

• Then invite them to reach out: But only after you’ve provided real value.

This builds trust and makes you more approachable to engineers and buyers early in the decision-making process.

Final Thoughts

If you want to turn visitors into leads — and leads into long-term customers — start building your content strategy around what buyers actually care about:

✅ Quality✅ Timeliness✅ Pricing

Answer these three questions clearly and publicly, and you’ll start attracting better-fit customers who are already sold on working with you.

Need Help Getting Started?

I help job shops build this kind of content strategy — from lead time analysis to cost-driver education to showcasing your quality metrics. If you want help setting this up for your shop, Request a Free Marketing Plan.

Let’s turn your capabilities into content that actually sells.