Decision maker for purchasing pet waste products?

Who is typically the decision maker for purchasing pet waste products like pet waste bags, pet waste stations, etc?

I've received responses from a few communities (a very small percentage) where they are excited to do business with me. Based on some of the comments, it seems like a higher percentage of people would be contacting me.

Because of the purchase cycles of my products, it makes it hard to determine if I am reaching the correct (or best) person to give a catalog.

Hello,

Most of the places that you want to do business with are more than likely dealing with major purchases from places like Wilmar, HD Supply, Grainger, Maintenance Supply Headquarters and such. You may want to look at your prices compared to theirs. If you are a manufacturer you may want to find out who they are dealing with and then try to be a supplier to them.

Normally the communities will have a lower deal than retail because of bulk purchasing power. So you will have to do your research.

The other thing is going to some of these expos that are held and show what you offer and give a compelling reason why they should buy yours over what is being offered at present.

It is all about the money!

Hi Nate,

Thank you for such a quick response!

I've known about some of the suppliers you mentioned, but did not know about Wilmar. I can't speak for my prices against Wilmar, but I have been told by several communities that my pet waste bags are less expensive & my pet waste stations are significantly lower in price.

In regards to going to some of the expos, it seems like it would have lots of potential. Aside from the "Events" link on MFI, are there certain resources you would recommend checking for dates & locations of the expos?

I couldn't agree more when you say it's all about the money! I come from an accounting/finance background & had to work with extremely tight budgets. So when I started this business, my objective was to be able to save people money. So I've used the mindset of making money when I buy my product, not when I sell it...buy low, sell low to make money.

Thanks for your insight. It is much appreciated!

Kostas,

Forgot to mention that you also may want to look at the military and the privatized housing. Lincoln Military Housing is a big one. If you have a military installation close to you, you may want to get into the procurement system where when they are looking.soliciting for some items you can make a bid.

GSA is another one you may want to look into and get into their system and listed. This makes it easier when the government impact cards are used for you to be able to get a foot in as well.

Now there is the potential for there to be some large orders dropped and there is the 30 day prompt payment act, so you cash can be tied up and if you are a small business like me, then you cannot afford to have large amounts of money tied up.

There is this thing called factoring. They basically front the money, pay you and the vendor pays you and there are many ways to skin that cat. Find-out who does factoring in your area and if you do not have anyone, I can provide you an email to a father and daughter who are good people to work with. They are well trusted and I met them through a networking event.