The Situation
GlovesByWeb.com is an online distributor of safety apparel: shoe covers, aprons, bunny suits, sleeves, and of course gloves. Their products are high-quality and their prices are extremely competitive. Still, growing sales to the healthcare and foodservice sectors was a challenge.
Clearly, Gloves by Web needed to grow market share in other niches. But how?!
The Solution
After considering several options, we pinpointed the pest control industry. Pest Control Operators (PCOs) face numerous workplace hazards. They handle dangerous substances daily, and frequently come into contact with disease-carrying insects and animals. PCOs need safety gear to protect their hands, face, and eyes, and the owners of pest control companies want to avoid injuries and lawsuits. In addition, the industry is highly fragmented; there are only a few big players, and the majority of PCOs are small, family-owned businesses.
We knew that Gloves By Web had exactly what these business owners needed, and could probably save them money, too. This was a perfect segment to focus on. Now we just needed an innovative way to grow market share.
Instead of simply pitching “great products, great prices, great customer service”, we decided to take a different approach. The president of Gloves By Web, Rob Brown, had a deep expertise in personal protective apparel, and he could speak convincingly about almost anything related to protective gear. . As a bonus, he had done corporate training in his career, so he was a good speaker. We set out on a campaign to engage PCOs, not just pitch products. Here’s how we did it:
- Created a landing page offering a striking, illustrated e-book, The Smart PCO’s Guide to Safety Gloves
- Developed an entertaining presentation on PCO Safety, and began presenting it at pest control events around the country
- Published articles like How Do I Glove Thee? that was featured in Pest World magazine
- Bulked up on pest-control items on the www.GlovesByWeb.com website
Success!
Within one year, GlovesByWeb.com had picked up new clients, built a positive reputation among large and small companies, and added a number of new items specifically for PCOs. By focusing on sharing knowledge instead of selling products, the company got the proverbial “foot in the door” and proved itself to prospects. Best of all was the bottom line, sales to this niche more than doubled.
