Success Story: Die-Matic, a Metal Stamping Company, Strengthens Sales Pipeline With Athena’s Qualified Lead Generation Program

Client Profile

Founded in 1958, Die-Matic Corporation is a metal stamper specializing in precision-engineered parts and assemblies. The company provides progressive metal stampings, in house tool design and build, and value-added services, such as welding, tapping, assembly and more.

Business Situation

While Die-Matic’s independent sales reps were experienced and dedicated, most were functioning as account managers focused on farming existing business rather than developing new opportunities.

“We were booming in terms of work. But what we saw internally was that it was all with existing customers. We observed a decline in new opportunities through our estimating process,” explained Die-Matic VP of Sales Brent Lowe. “So we made a decision. We couldn’t sit back and watch our reps suddenly become hunters. I think you either hunt or you farm, and a lot of folks can’t do both.”

Hiring an internal inbound marketing or business development team wasn’t feasible. Die-Matic needed a way to increase new quoting activity and fill its pipeline with qualified prospects without adding internal headcount. Die-Matic senior management decided to look for an outsourced lead generation
company that could start building the sales pipeline. They evaluated three companies but Athena SWC stood out.

Choosing a Partner
“There aren’t a lot of people who can do what Athena does. It’s a tough grind. Athena’s team does a good job with removing barriers. They have the right system in place.” – Brent Lowe, VP of Sales, Die-Matic

What Made Athena Different?

After attending a Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) event where Todd Zielinski, Athena’s CEO, presented, Brent saw clear alignment between Die-Matic’s challenges and Athena’s process model.

“We looked at three companies, but what really pushed Athena over the top was that my conversations with Todd resonated. He had experience with the manufacturing world, and the others did not. I pitched it to the president of our company and we agreed to go with Athena.”

Die-Matic partnered with Athena SWC to implement a structured lead generation program supported by a robust infrastructure. The program included both outbound and inbound sales and marketing activities.

Athena’s team, including account management, marketing associates, research support, and SEO specialists, quickly became an extension of Die-Matic’s sales infrastructure, filling a critical gap in its growth strategy.

Focusing On The Right Targets

Athena’s front-end sales process generated consistent engagement with qualified companies that were aligned with Die-Matic’s manufacturing capabilities.

“Initially, the type of clients we were bringing in were very low volume,” said Brent Lowe, Vice President of Sales. “But over the last year and a half, we’re starting to get into the type of customers that we’re really driving for—longer programs, larger volumes.”

The team played a key role in supporting new account development and qualified lead generation on the front end, helping to expand potential opportunities through strategic engagement and client outreach.

“There aren’t a lot of people who can do what Athena does. It’s a tough grind. Athena’s team does a good job with it. They have the right system in place.”

SEO Improvements

Through a strategic focus on qualified lead generation, the company achieved measurable success in its online initiatives. The company’s SEO and website performance improved significantly. Organic traffic increased by 33% year-over-year, and conversion rates from website submissions rose 102% over two years.

Search engine result page (SERP) positions serve as an indicator of performance. Achieving a top 5 or top 10 SERP means that a webpage appears among the first 5 or 10 organic results in a Google search for particular terms. Over the two years since the program was implemented, the number of Die-Matic webpages in Google’s top 5 search results increased by nearly 300%, and the count of top 10 rankings rose by 220%.
“We’re happy with the SEO portion. I think that’s important, and we’re starting to see a lot of our new opportunities come in through web submissions.”

Growth of the Sales Pipeline

The team played a key role in supporting new account development on the front end, helping to expand potential opportunities through strategic engagement and client outreach. Through inbound and outbound efforts, Athena’s team was able to secure 45 meetings and/or RFQs. The known value of seven of the opportunities surpasses $3 million.