After the Sale: Efficiently Getting Your Products to Your Clients
by Carlos Modesta
Many new business owners make the grave mistake of considering a completed sale the end of the road. They think that their goal has been achieved, profit has been generated, and that’s the end of their worries. But they couldn’t be more wrong, and this mindset can have profoundly negative consequences on their business in the long run. After all, the majority of people don’t purchase goods from a tangible store and take them away anymore. Many order online or in person, but expect delivery to the address that the goods need to be at. It becomes your responsibility to get your stock to them in good condition and good time. Achieving this can encourage further sales and recommendations which will help you to build up a loyal customer base who will continue bringing money to your business in the future. But for many companies, things aren’t as simple as putting a stamp on their parcels and putting them through a postbox. Many will be dealing with large orders that need to be shipped independently. So, if this sounds familiar, here are some of the different options available to you!
By Road
If you are shipping a lot of products internally (or nationally rather than internationally), you can easily get them to your client by road. Just look up local private couriers and read through their reviews. The service that they provide is a little more complex than simply picking the items up from you and dropping them off at their intended destination. Courier services are designed to be as efficient as possible. Consequently, they collect your items and then drop them off at a depot. They will then be sorted into sections alongside items heading in a similar direction and delivered as quickly as possible. If you have a bulk lot going to one buyer, you could alternatively consider hiring a truck driver to take your goods straight from A to B.
By Air
Now, if you are sending products overseas, your best bet at getting them to your customer in good time is to post via air. Think about it: if you needed to visit someone abroad as soon as possible, would you drive or take a ferry? Of course not! You’d jump on a plane. Now, for small or individual items, you can package your item appropriately and put it through the post office. However, for larger scale wares or mass quantity orders, you’ll have to go private and use a specialist courier. For particularly heavy goods, your items will need a large aircraft specifically designed for transporting heavy or bulky loads, such as the antonov an-124.
By Sea
Ocean freight is a more traditional way of transporting goods and still has high demand today for good reason. If you don’t need your goods sent urgently, sending by sea will get them to their destination in equally good condition, but will be a lot lighter on your pockets, meaning that you can keep more profit for yourself!
These are the three options available to any business person, so consider them all equally. Each has its merits, and only you will know which is best for your company!