2006-11-04 Tips for Selling Plastic Pallets

While wood pallets fit the bill for most applications, a pallet supplier can position itself to provide complete transport packaging solutions by being able to provide a specific plastic pallet where it is the best fit for a job.

Here are some tips for selling plastic pallets:

1. Vive la difference! There is a vast array of different plastic products on the market. Educate yourself about them and learn the differences between products.

2. Just as you would for a wood pallet sale, research the requirements of the application diligently to ensure that you recommend the best product for the job.

3. Be knowledgeable about potential regulatory issues, such as fire codes.

4. Look for closed loops (or jittery export customers). Closed loops can provide a terrific plastic pallet opportunity because of very low cost per trip. Also, export customers increasingly are looking to plastic pallets when they have anxiety about whether wood pallets will be halted at foreign ports of entry.

5. For durable plastic pallets, it can still be a long sell. Plastic pallets can be a large investment and therefore may require a patient approach. While repeat sales to the same customer may be unlikely in the short term, the initial sale may lead to sales to other divisions of the same company or other businesses with a similar application.

6. Build supplier relationships with one or more plastic pallet companies depending on the range of products you want to be able to provide your customers. “I have developed a good relationship with several great wood pallet guys that seem to work out very well,” said Hartson Poland of PDQ Plastics. He also gets calls for spot applications where a wood pallet sales representative is looking to source plastic pallets for wood pallet customers. “We get those a couple of times per week,” he said.