Even as far back as 15 years ago, we would get calls from small offices looking for shredding services. They would explain that they were looking for a service that could come by once every two weeks to pick up about 100 pounds of paper to shred.
Believe it or not, we would politely explain that they did not have enough materials to interest us and we suggested they buy an office shredder. For us, at that point in time, that was NOT the business we were in. We made our living off of 300 accounts that generated a minimum of 2,000 pounds per week.
But that was then, and this is now. And now, the small office with 100 pounds of paper to shred IS the secure destruction business.
Back then, the market was different and supported a different business model. First, the number of small offices realizing they needed secure disposal was extremely small, so that portion of the market was not there. Second, the scope and scale of most plant-based operations was geared for large volumes handled in bulk. Third, the market we served—large generators, highly sensitive to security—was the most profitable.
During the last eight years, each of these three factors has turned 180 degrees, resulting in the nature of today’s market and the opportunity to move even further toward a mass-market approach.
Even with business-to-business services, there can come a point when they are so ubiquitous that they are marketed more like a retail product. Think of how UPS or FedEx market their services. We all know their colors. We all know their slogans. We all recognize their trucks. Secure destruction services may never reach that point, but with virtually every office a target, it is worthwhile to take a serious look at branding.
The good news is that you do not have to be a national company to brand your service in your local market. Cities across the country are full of all types of businesses that have branded themselves in such a manner. And these companies did not do it with a million dollar marketing budget.
Companies who build a local brand do it by using a consistent image, a consistent message, delivering consistently high-quality customer service and prospecting ferociously.
The untapped market for secure destruction is bigger than the current market. Successfully capturing it will require excellent execution and better branding. n
Bob Johnson is the executive director of the National Association for Information Destruction. He can be reached at exedir@naidonline.org.