Iron Sharpens Iron: An Interview with New Hampshire Blacksmith, Dave Little

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Today we have the great pleasure of being joined by Dave Little. Dave is a blacksmith, an artist, and owner of Winnipesaukee Forge in Meredith. Learning his trade at a young age, Dave developed a strong passion for his work which led to starting his own metalworking business. 

Link: Hi, this is Link Moser, your local New Hampshire real estate agent. I interview business owners and professionals to bring our community together and keep you in the know. In this interview, you're going to hear from a Lakes Region blacksmith. I want to introduce you to Dave Little. Dave is the owner of Winnipesaukee Forge in Meredith. He has a lifelong passion for metalworking and the outdoors and has created some amazing pieces over the years. Of course, if you need help buying or selling a home, contact my team at nhfineshomes.com. With that, Dave, why don't we start with getting a little background about how you got into what you're doing? 

Dave Little,  Winnipesaukee Forge

Dave: I got the passion early. I was twelve years old and attended camp on Swan Lake, and they had a forge and it was one of the activities. I got to try it, and from the first day I hammered hot iron, I was hooked. I went on from Deerwood and being exposed to it as a teenager to trying it on my own in high school doing a project. Soon after high school, I got a job at a local environmental center demonstrating for the public. I would demonstrate some of the old-timey things that blacksmiths made and answer questions from the tourists coming through the center, usually families. That led to in-and-out of college, I thought I would become an engineer and be a metallurgist because of my interest in metals. I came to find out that I was bound to be an artist. The chemistry and the calculus weren't agreeing with me! So I developed a product line, started doing shows, and you turn around in your fifties, and I guess this is what I do! I'm passionate about the work. I love the process. I love working with people to create custom things: furniture, hardware, railings, gates -- that kind of thing.

Link: That's pretty neat, that you've been doing this really your whole life. You started early and created a career around your passion. 

Dave: Yeah. I like to say that I've never had a real job. I've done logging with horses and a little bit of construction, and I've found a way to support myself doing my artwork for my entire working career.

Link: That's great. Who is your typical customer? What are your customers like that you typically work with?

Dave: I work with a lot of people, Link. I do a lot of custom fireplace screens and screen door installations.  Here in New Hampshire, a large part of my business is the second home market, where people have lake or mountain homes and I do anything from fireplace screens, railings, custom furniture, light fixtures, drapery hardware--any manner of things that would go into a fine home.

Link: Is much of that custom and made per order, or is there a standardized product line that people come and make selections from?

Dave: Well, I have an extensive collection on my website. People can order directly in standard sizes, or customize to make tables and other furniture in any size. Many of the projects that I do are custom from start to finish, so there's kind of a wide range. I work with contractors and interior designers, as well as homeowners.

Link: Great. When I came to learn about what you guys do, my first assumption was, "Wow. Custom hand-forged home products aren't going to be inexpensive." But I was surprised to learn that you have product lines like that candlestick trios that are quite affordable. They are at a price point where anyone can enjoy them.

Wrought Iron Candle Holder

Dave: I've worked really hard to keep my prices competitive with other handmade home accessories. I also have a few signature gift items. As you said, my trio of candlesticks is a hundred dollars for a set of three. These days, where can you get a handmade gift for a hundred bucks? They're made in New Hampshire. They arrange in different ways. They're available in three different designs. They're the perfect wedding gift. I also have other candle illuminations in higher price brackets that are more decorative and specific in their design aesthetic. Lamps are a great example. There are many lamps available, but not a lot of good ones out there. If you go and look for a really nice, decorative, handmade table lamp, you're not going to find a lot with the same level of craftsmanship and detail that mine has in that price point of $350 to $400. They also make a great, substantial housewarming gift.

Link: I was in a house not long ago up in Gilford that had some of your work in there, and I recognized that and it was a great conversation piece on Cotton Hill.

Dave: What was her name? I remember that project! I think I did some furniture and fireplace tools for her, maybe?

Link: Shelly! Yeah, it was neat to see that. It looked perfect there and it added a nice touch to the property.

Dave: I've been around the Lakes region for awhile, so between all the custom work I've done for restaurants and hotels and private residences, I am well-represented in this area.

Link: I've run into the fireplace screen right next door over there, and it is signature work. You really do notice it. It's pretty neat to see that out in the field.

Oakleaf and Acorn Firescreen

Dave: I am really well represented here in Meredith where I've run my business for all these years. We have several pieces in the sculpture walk downtown, and in the inn at Church Landing and the Mills Falls marketplace. So there really is a lot of variety of what I've done with commissions and special projects. One event that I participate in annually, a great showcase for my work and work of my colleagues, is the Annual Craftsman Fair in Sunapee. Always held in the first week in August at the Mount Sunapee resort. It's nine days, it's a long show, but we'll have close to 50,000 people come through. It's a fabulous opportunity to see the quantity and quality of artwork being made in New Hampshire today.

Link: How many craftsman attend that?

Dave: There's over 200 in tents all around the base. It's a fabulous event.

Link: It is, it's great to see it grow over the years.

Dave: Absolutely.

Link: So, wrapping this up, where do you see your business going from here? What new markets or new products are coming up? I imagine over the years to keep it engaging for you that you're trying new things and adapting to the market itself. So, where do you think you would like to take things?

Twig Design Railing

Dave: Things that I've noticed, Link, as a friend in the past couple years, is there seems to be a much larger demand for railings and handrails, both interior and exterior landscape railings. Baby boomers: we're not getting any younger, and people are working for that extra safety when coming and going from their homes or going back and forth to the lake from their decks. Just this fall I've got six or seven different railing projects, and I think this is going to be a growth area for us as this large portion of the population gets into their sixties and seventies, that desire for a functional but beautiful safety apparatus will grow. I specialize in a very simple, understated, but handcrafted railing system that's made of solid steel, all hand-forged, that can be installed into exterior landscaping, into granite steps and that sort of thing. I think that will be a big growth area for us. Another area we can grow in as well is I'm working with a hospitality design firm out of Chicago to supply a new hotel with drapery hardware for guest rooms and public areas. We've had some history doing the drapery hardware for the La Quinta hotel chain. We did their national upgrade for drapery hardware for public areas in over 60 properties. This project right now is for an 88-room rustic retreat outside of Chicago.

Visit Winnipesaukee Forge

Link: That's great! How can people learn more about your work and what you do?

Dave: Go onto my website,
IronTable.com. They can like 
us on Facebook, at the 
Winnipesaukee Forge page,
call: 603-279-5492 or 
email me: Dave@IronTable.com.

Link: Great! I appreciate your time today, Dave. Thank you!

Dave: Thank you. Have a great day!

What's the Secret to Making Your Database Work for You?

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Do you track your sphere of influence (SOI) in a database? If you're not building, monitoring and tracking your database, you're missing out on a significant opportunity to grow your business. 

When talking about a database, we're referring to your contact list, a list of every single person you know, and even those you don't know. The database is broken up into two parts: mets and have-not-mets. People I've met are people I could call up, send an email or text to, and they are going to know who I am when I give them my name. The have-not-mets are those who do not know who I am yet and who I am trying to build a relationship with in the hopes that they will be a source of future business. 

If you have your contacts spread out across your phone, social media, and other sources, you really want to pull them all together into one database. I like to export the contacts from my Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, and any CRM systems into one Excel file. Once I have all my contacts in one place, I can sort them into one master list of everyone I know. 

For every 12 people I know, if I'm touching and contacting those people on a regular basis, I should be getting two deals a year from them. One of those deals would be from someone who is buying or selling, while another deal would be from a referral. If I market to them and keep in touch with them, it's going to result in the most cost-effective lead generation possible.

A touch is any point of contact with a potential client, whether it's via email, phone calls, or face to face conversations. The goal is to have between 30-36 touches a year with each contact. This means you have to reach out about three times per month; this might consist of a monthly newsletter, a phone call, holiday greetings, and other small gestures. The idea is to get your database together, work on a campaign to reach them, and execute that plan. 

Just remember, for every 12 people you know there should be two sources of business. If you have any questions about marketing to your database, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear from you!

Why Tracking Your Leads Is so Important

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Today we'll be discussing the importance of tracking leads in your real estate business. Many agents don't keep track of all the leads that they get as well as they should, and that makes it hard to know what the return on investment is from your different lead sources.

To correct this problem, you've got to do two things. The first involves taking a look at all the closings you've had in the last 12 months and assign a lead category to each one of them. Whether the lead was from a past client, referral, or another agent, track the source and place them into different categories. You might be surprised where your leads originated from in the last year.

The second step you need to take is look at all of your expenses in the last 12 months, and group them around those lead sources. For example, did the expense come from a postcard campaign for expired listings, or internet leads that you paid for? If you haven't done this exercise before, I recommend it. It's quite telling to see where your leads come from and what the costs associated with them are. 

Agents tend to want to spend more money on more leads that have a lower return, whereas referrals from our sphere of influence tend to be the most cost-effective source of business. 

If you have any questions for us about lead management, or anything else regarding your real estate business, give us a call or send us an email. We can't wait to hear from you!

The Benefits of the Buyer's Consultation

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So, you've decided it's time to buy a home. Whether you are a first-time buyer or not, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to engage your real estate professional in a consultation.

From a strategic standpoint, the buyer's consultation is crucial. You can meet with your agent and come up with a plan. We can guide you to a mortgage professional, and we can coach you on negotiation strategies. It's much less stressful to have a negotiation strategy in place rather than finding the home you want and not knowing what to do next.

The consultation also allows you to discuss these things in a much more relaxed atmosphere. You simply tell us what you're looking for in a home, what you need for your mortgage, and we can pull the right strings for you as opposed to flailing about and not handling things in the right order. 

The buyer consultation allows us to do you a much better service while saving you a lot of time in the field. We'll also provide you with Internet tools to aid you in your home search.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you!

What Are the Benefits of Working with a Real Estate Team?

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Is there a benefit to working with a team of agents as opposed to a solo agent? We think a team is much better for a number of reasons. 

One of the most important things the Fine Homes Group International brings to the buying and selling process is a team of professionals. Recently, I broke my ankle and had surgery. During the process, I found that the intake process, the surgery itself, and the outpatient process was handled by a team of highly specialized professionals. Each part of the team had a specific role to play, and each used their particular training and expertise to make the process as smooth as possible for me, the patient. 

While the real estate industry is very different from the medical industry, there is something to be learned from my experience: complicated processes are made easier when there is a team of specialized professionals working on different parts of the process. On our team, we have agents who work exclusively with buyers and agents who work exclusively with sellers, which streamlines the process. These agents also become experts at what they do because that's what they focus on day in, day out. We have a staff of people who, once the process has begun, handle the paperwork and ensure deadlines are met.

If you have any questions about how a specialized team of real estate professionals works to ensure success for each and every client, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to hear from you!