You won’t find oversaturation in the disposable glove marketplace. There is always an untapped need, if you look in the right places.
One of our distributors, it turns out, didn’t have to look far. He saw potential in selling gloves, convinced his management that AIC was the company to work with, and has seen excellent results—all in a relatively short time frame.
Jerry is a sales rep with a successful multi-branch truck parts distributor in Florida. They service large fleets “and have a ton of customers,” he says. “We have an opportunity to sell gloves—a lot of gloves.”
Step 1: Identify the opportunity
He persuaded management at his branch to take a chance by ordering a couple cases of the 8-mil-thick Gloveworks Industrial Orange Nitrile, gloves that are a perfect fit for truck mechanics. His AIC sales rep sent some samples, which they passed out to generate interest. The experiment was a rousing success, as two cases sold immediately.
A few weeks later he placed a larger order. They added to their lineup with Gloveworks Black Nitrile, a 6-mil counterpart to GWON that also features Raised Diamond Texture (RDT) for enhanced grip; and 5-mil Gloveworks Blue Nitrile and Gloveworks Black Nitrile, both excellent multi-purpose gloves.
After ordering four cases of each in three sizes, they sold almost all of them within a day or so. The gloves have since provided a strong addition to an already thriving parts business and reinforced his position that selling gloves was the way to go.
Step 2: Get samples on their hands
Overcoming skepticism is a common trait among the most successful sales reps. They also know how to unlock value in their customer base and take advantage of untapped potential.
In Jerry’s case, he knew he had a winner on his hands. Before he got his company to order anything, he found a few customers willing to try Raised Diamond Texture gloves. He got some samples for them to try.
Jerry went to his boss, shared the customers’ names, then got him to approve a few cases, promising to sell them quickly. “He gave me his blessing,” Jerry says, “and I said, ‘You watch.’ And of course we’ve already proven ourselves.”
He overdelivered on his promise by selling the cases quickly, which led to them buying even more, then persevered until the powers-that-be saw what he saw.
Step 3: Get them to trade up to RDT
“We love your product,” he says. “Our customers love your product. I want to sell your whole product line. We have a lot of potential to move your product.”
Have you had trouble getting your company to carry RDT gloves? Have you encountered customers who don’t see the value of paying a bit more for premium gloves that last substantially longer than standard ones?
If you have customers that already use heavier gloves, the transition to Raised Diamond Texture will be easier—especially if you offer them glove samples. Once they understand RDT’s appeal, they will have an outstanding experience.
