NATDA Magazine March/April 2021 | Page 38

Though the trailer industry did well in 2020 , many businesses were left scratching their heads as to how to reach customers when their doors had temporarily closed . To solve that problem , Firman Power Equipment ’ s Jason Sutton and Matt Flores put their heads together , bought some trailers and took their products straight to the people .
“ In a non-COVID year , we do a lot of trade shows ,” Firman Power Equipment ’ s Vice President of Sales , Jason Sutton , told me . “ In 2020 , we hardly did any because everything was cancelled .”
While COVID-19 may have caused considerable closures across the United States and Canada , Firman Power Equipment devised its own path to success in a strange and unique time . If the company could not set up booths at shows , it decided it would go straight to the source .
“ We figured out that if we pull our trailer into their parking lots , they will come out of the building and let us do a show for them ,” Sutton explained . “ So , we now have a couple trucks that we use to run around the country and visit customers in their own parking lots .”
Firman Power Equipment ’ s new travelling program now boasts three large trailers , all of which are wrapped with Firman Power Equipment branding . Sutton ’ s team loads the trailers with a generators , makes sure the trailers have an awning to keep customers in the shade , and set out to visit both new and existing customers .
“ It means a lot to customers that we take the time and effort to go see them , even in this crazy world where people aren ’ t doing that much anymore ,” said Sutton . “ Doing Zoom calls was a nice novelty , but I think people miss that face-to-face interaction .”
Due to Firman Power Equipment ’ s relationships with larger retail partners , Sutton and his team usually find themselves at corporate headquarters . However , he says that , because people have discovered the new campaign , they are getting asked “ more and more ” to come to events . continued on page 40
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