18 WESTERN PALLET
Unleash Your Growth Potential - Developing New Business & Selling the Value of Pallet Services
In the dynamic landscape of the pallet industry, success isn't ensured just by offering exceptional products and services. The key to thriving in today's saturated market lies in effectively conveying the unique value of those offerings to potential customers. This August, at the Master Learning Group session, WPA members and other participants convened to explore the challenges and successes of sourcing new customers and honing sales strategies.
In the interest of privacy, participant comments are not attributed to particular speakers. Here are some of the takeaways from the session:
Focus on the right customers
What does your ideal customer look like? By having a handful of customer profiles, sometimes known as customer avatars, you can better allocate your resources and sell more effectively. Think of avatars as detailed sketches of your ideal buyers. By knowing your target audience, you can build messaging that really speaks to them. This approach can help you be more mindful of their needs.
For example, one supplier to the pallet industry says that their company sells products to customers outside of the pallet industry. While they will work with those customers, they do not actively pursue them. Their focus is on serving pallet companies that pay their bills.
Another participant commented, “My ideal customer is one that buys multiple products keeps coming back and tells others about about the product and services.”
Don’t put your eggs in one basket
One participant observed that it is better to have more medium-sized customers rather than just a few major customers. “If you just have one, or a few and they go away, it usually hurts pretty bad.”
In developing more medium-sized accounts, they are working hard to figure out their particular needs and provide a more personalized service. They are also pursuing more custom pallet business in addition to 48” x 40”. A medium-sized account for them would be a one or two semi-loads per week customer.