Reed Esarove is in corporate sales for PalletOne, the largest new pallet manufacturer in the United States. The company provides custom pallets, recycled pallets and remanufactured pallets to customers nationally.
Pallet Enterprise: What do you like best about working in the pallet industry?
Esarove: Change. Every day is a new day and presents a new set of challenges and opportunities for success. I enjoy that the most when working with PalletOne’s customers and my teammates. For me, change brings with it the opportunity to learn new things or things that I just never knew in the first place from customers and from teammates. There are always new and different ways to look at things and engaging the people around me helps me to develop my skills along the way.
Pallet Enterprise: How do you decide whether or not to try a new idea in your company?
Esarove: In my role with PalletOne, it’s not really a matter of deciding to try a new idea…it’s embedded into our culture on every level. My teammates and I are always collaborating to look at new ideas and approaches to situations to develop better efficiencies internally and with our customers.
Everyone has the opportunity and a voice at PalletOne to help drive innovation and eliminate the bottlenecks in our everyday lives. Even if a new idea doesn’t work out the way it was anticipated, we always answer the question, “What do you/we learn from the experience and how can we best apply it going forward?”
Pallet Enterprise: How do you go about your work day to stay productive and on target?
Esarove: This might seem dated but I carry a notepad either on my phone or physically next to my computer. There are very few fixed points in my day so it is imperative that I see how my day is going to start. What I normally think is going to be my day almost never ends up that way. Things come up from customers and teammates that need to be prioritized and accomplished and the good ole note pad keeps me from simply forgetting something 30 emails back. It’s not very high tech but never fails.
Pallet Enterprise: What is your favorite part of your work day?
Esarove: Meeting someone new, whether in my own organization or a new customer or a new employee with a customer. The opportunity to actively listen to their past, present and what they hope to gain is really a great opportunity. I enjoy getting to know the people I work with inside and outside PalletOne. A close second would be simply learning why things work the way they do. We have a number of locations within PalletOne and they all work differently to one degree or another. I think it makes me a better salesman if I can understand how our plants process work and to remain current in the industry.
Pallet Enterprise: How have customer expectations changed in recent years?
Esarove: With the development of so much technology in recent years, I think the expectation of being “always on” is commonplace. Personalizing service has become more important than ever, knowing your customers’ business and tailoring specific services to them solves issues and prevents them in the future. Basic communication is no longer acceptable. One needs to have internal and external data readily available and initiate communication with customers regarding trends in our industry and theirs, but not limited to just market knowledge. Driving efficiency on every level in cooperation with customers is the norm; change is a constant.
Pallet Enterprise: Have economic changes over the past few years changed the way you manage your approach to sales? If so, how?
Esarove: Absolutely, customers are always monitoring costs and service levels. Purchasing professionals are questioning their spends more deeply than in years past. The internet allows purchasing professionals the ability to vet their vendors and their vendors’ sales staff more than ever before as well as locate new ones. Understanding your own costs and communicating trends in raw material, availability and markets is essential to keeping your customers informed. The sales process never ends and understanding that is a good framework for the relationship. Creative options are more so the accepted norm.
