If Mr. Abernathy is the owner/operator of a major craft store chain and Ms. Eliza runs into him at a boutique that happens to be carrying the brand new, up and coming scrapbook supplies she designs and manufactures there’s a unique opportunity presented. If Ms. Eliza plays her hand right she could introduce herself to Mr. Abernathy. She could point out to him subtly that her papers and stickers are on display in the store and that they are selling off the shelves.
Imagine that in response Mr. Abernathy was positive; he basically said she might as well send a sample since they’re considering new products for their spring inventory. You don’t have to think too hard to know that Ms. Eliza is very happy about this opportunity. They exchange a few more pleasantries and then they shake hands and go their separate ways.
Mr. Abernathy may have requested a sample because he was being polite. It doesn’t matter. Ms. Eliza now has an opportunity to send her products in to a buying meeting for what would be a HUGE client for her company. She prepped the package herself; arranging all the products “just so” to show them off effectively. She had it picked up for delivery the same day. Then she sat back and waited to hear back from the elusive, but surprisingly polite, Mr. Abernathy.
So when she never hears back she’s surprised. But then she gets the package returned to the warehouse. It was never delivered. There was a malfunction and it was lost in the shipping warehouse for several days before being returned for an unrecognizable address. And Ms. Eliza has officially missed her big chance.
Ms. Eliza knew that she was working with an untried parcel service. She switched from her major carrier to a smaller, less known shipping company for shipping cost savings fairly soon after opening her company. It made a big difference in her bottom line to lower the company expenses with shipping cost savings. But she realizes after the Mr. Abernathy fiasco that it definitely wasn’t worth it.
I would have told Ms. Eliza that if she was looking to decrease her shipping costs she should have contacted a parcel management company instead of switching to an untried shipping company. The major carriers are more dependable. A professional parcel management company like Parcel Savings would have been able to save her money be making sure that she never paid for a shipping service that was not fully delivered upon. They process refund requests for their clients for any missed deadlines or undelivered packages, etc.
If that package had been sent to Mr. Abernathy through one of the traditional, large carriers it probably would have had a better chance of arriving on time. (Not that they never make any mistakes, but they do offer better delivery rates and guarantees than the average small shipping company). As it is…Ms. Eliza wasted her once in a lifetime “run in” and will probably never have another chance to present her products to that particular company. Don’t be like Ms. Eliza; wasted opportunities haunt you for life. Make sure you’re prepared to take advantage of every one with a solid shipping company for dependability paired with a professional parcel management service for shipping cost savings.
Ben Jamison is a consultant working with companies looking to streamline their shipping processes and decrease their shipping costs. The first thing he suggests for most clients is Parcel Savings. Parcel Savings handles parcel refunds and discounts for their clients. Many first time users are surprised to see themselves receiving $1,000’s in refunds per week.
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