News for Tool Hire, Equipment Hire & Plant Hire and Rental Professionals

Grab all opportunities

3 February 2021

Grab all opportunities

I had an interesting conversation with a hirer recently whose in-depth knowledge of his customers, industry awareness and a can-do attitude is enabling him to find additional retail opportunities and revenue streams.

“We are obviously willing to sell new equipment and consumables to customers but we have also been sourcing other items for them,” he said.

“We recently hired some plant to a long-established client who asked us if there was any chance we could supply the stone and gravel he needed as well. Then they asked about getting topsoil for a forthcoming job. And I’ve just priced up some Type 1 stone for a project.

“The point is that the customer wanted us to supply them with these non-hire items. It made it so much easier for them because, as they told me, we know them, we know how they work, we know the sites they’re working on and we know what the job needs.

“At the moment, everybody has to grab every opportunity that’s presented to them. If you say, ‘No, that’s not our forte, we just do equipment,’ then I think you’ve missed the boat.”

He added that, with so many people having to work from home in the current lockdown, it can be more difficult for end users to source what they need.

“In some cases, if you’re ordering spares it can take a couple of days for your enquiry even to be acknowledged because of disruption to the usual communication channels, let alone getting it processed. Then there are the knock-on effects of shipping and transport times.

“So if you have the right supplier contacts and can offer your customer more of what they need as part of your service, everybody wins. You just have to be flexible and willing to adapt to market needs.”

Furthermore, the happy customer didn’t question paying a sensible price. 


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