hey all of you supply guys

[juniorc82]

I have been thinking about getting my resale sales license and peddling some supplies to my residential and small commercial clients. What is the best supplier to buy paper products and mop heads, sticks, and microfiber rags from

 

[daniel@procarpet]

This is a terrible idea!

Why waste your time and efforts on something so mediocre?

 

[daniel@procarpet]

They can buy all this stuff at Sams Club cheap. I don't get it.

 

[Desk Jockey]

You need to PM Doug Rice out of Basehor, KS. He posts here, I think he told me does that for some of his accounts.

 

[Steve Toburen]

They can buy all this stuff at Sams Club cheap. I don't get it.

I'm sorry, Jon. I'm with Daniel on this one. I gotta say the key word for me in your original question was "peddle". Is that really the image you want to send to your clients?

In fact, I posted something on Mikeys Blog about this same subject way back in March:

http://mikeysboard.com/2012/03/06/top-t ... ling-less/

Respectfully,
Steve
www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS Don't get me wrong- I strongly believe in giving clients the OPPORTUNITY to spend more money with us- just pick your battles and focus on the seriously profitable stuff. My two cents...

 

[juniorc82]

They can buy all this stuff at Sams Club cheap. I don't get it.

I'm sorry, Jon. I'm with Daniel on this one. I gotta say the key word for me in your original question was "peddle". Is that really the image you want to send to your clients?

In fact, I posted something on Mikeys Blog about this same subject way back in March:

http://mikeysboard.com/2012/03/06/top-t ... ling-less/

Respectfully,
Steve
http://www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS Don't get me wrong- I strongly believe in giving clients the OPPORTUNITY to spend more money with us- just pick your battles and focus on the seriously profitable stuff. My two cents...

Steve this is a casual message forum so please dont blow this out of context ( peddle). I am working towards building a full blown supply house and marketing to my existing customers is my first step...... jeez I would think that as a sfs guru like you could see the logic in this. I dont want to be 50 years old pushing a wand and I dont want to build my cleaning business much more than 2 trucks because I am not interested in babysitting a bunch of employees as well as accomidating the governments long list of requirements to have a multiple employee business. I have a pretty hefty market share in my area, my name is well known and trusted and selling products is not a bad idea especialy out of the gate I can snag several accounts with little or no effort. so again who is a vendor to buy paper products for resale? Oh and daniel, people could also rent a rug doctor to do their own floors but we seem to make a living at this so that debunks your sams club idea, also daniel what happens if you break your leg or back? if you dont have a business that can go on with out you, your totaly dicked if you get hurt. I want to know I can still have some income if somthing happens to me

 

[Desk Jockey]

:shock:

A full blown supplier?

You think this business is rough, a suppier is much worse. The large volume guys will be able to sell anything and everything cheaper that you will be able to buy it. Even as a full blown supplier.

I'd keep looking Jon there has to been something better that swimming with the sharks. Ivebeensold

 

[juniorc82]

damn this thread is like talking to my freakin kitchen table........... I dont want to rationalize why I would like to get in to selling some supplies nor do I need to hear another broke dick owner op tell what a mistake it would be, I am just looking for a manufacturer or wholesale distributer to get some of these products from to resell to a few clients. .....

 

[Nate The Great]

damn this thread is like talking to my freakin kitchen table........... I dont want to rationalize why I would like to get in to selling some supplies nor do I need to hear another broke dick owner op tell what a mistake it would be, I am just looking for a manufacturer or wholesale distributer to get some of these products from to resell to a few clients. .....

You tell them Jon... Don't listen to them... Best of luck on your new endeavors... shiteatinggrin

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I did it for three years, 79-82. Big mistake for the reasons noted.

Everybody has to learn for themselves.

 

[FB7777]

damn this thread is like talking to my freakin kitchen table........... I dont want to rationalize why I would like to get in to selling some supplies nor do I need to hear another broke dick owner op tell what a mistake it would be, I am just looking for a manufacturer or wholesale distributer to get some of these products from to resell to a few clients. .....

Your local paper supply houses
Janitorial supply houses
Staples.com

those are 3 to start with, most of the commercial accounts of any sizable volume you will be dealing with are pretty savy when it comes to pricing so your margins are going to be tight to be competitive

You should be able to net at least $50 K off a work van annually ... to realize that kind of net in supply resale , you'll most likely need to sell close to a half million dollars of supplies...

and carry at least $50-100K of that in receivables any given month


You should listen more often to your kitchen table, cause as most guys experience , paper resale is not all that profitable

 

[juniorc82]

ok I see this thread has went totaly in a differant direction that I intended. Im not trying to sell my plan to any of you or seek approval from anyone. Damn its not like Im going into the wieghtloss shake biz

 

[Mikey P]

Your local paper supply houses
Janitorial supply houses
Staples.com

those are 3 to start with, most of the commercial accounts of any sizable volume you will be dealing with are pretty savy when it comes to pricing so your margins are going to be tight to be competitive

You should be able to net at least $50 K off a work van annually ... to realize that kind of net in supply resale , you'll most likely need to sell close to a half million dollars of supplies...

and carry at least $50-100K of that in receivables any given month


You should listen more often to your kitchen table, cause as most guys experience , paper resale is not all that profitable

 

[idreadnought]

So I agree with the others. The janitorial supply business is cut throat with small margins and lots of overhead. However a much simpler way to get into that business is to co-op with an existing supplier that doesn't service your area. Let them run a truck down to your area once a week or couple weeks to deliver and use their existing inventory and volume discounts.

 

[ACE]

This is an odd industry because a wide variety of business models are successful. I’m sure there would be a learning curve, but there is potential in selling chemicals and supplies if you could find your niche. The money is where you find it.

 

[ACE]

You should be able to net at least $50 K off a work van annually ... to realize that kind of net in supply resale , you'll most likely need to sell close to a half million dollars of supplies...

and carry at least $50-100K of that in receivables any given month

Sounds about right,
But I bet the little supply business in your example would sell for allot more than a carpet cleaning business netting 50K.