PUMP EXPRESS ACHIEVES 2012 SALES GOAL OF ONE HUNDRED 2-TO-100 HP ZOELLER WASTEWATER PUMPS
It’s a story about how expert customer service, abundant warehouse space and effective on-line marketing converged to transform Pump Express from a little-known on-line vendor of last resort for Zoeller heavy-duty sewage pumps, to the nation’s go-to supplier of those pumps among commercial and industrial clients seeking quick delivery. Pump Express Sales Manager Fred Hettinger tells it this way.
“Pump Express began as a direct-to-the public retailer that stocked large Zoeller commercial engineered sewage pumps — a type of pump even Zoeller manufacturer reps don’t usually stock — because we were dealing with a segment of the market that traditional supply outlets don’t often deal with: contractors, facilities managers, mechanical companies and larger end users such as universities, shopping malls and small commercial buildings.”
Ordinary plumbing supply houses cater to the residential and light commercial markets. They are able to operate with minimal commercial pump expertise and typically stock single-phase wastewater pumps up to one-half horsepower. As an on-line dealer, Pump Express was receiving inquiries from customers seeking the large, multi-phase, high-horsepower commercial engineered pumps that are generally obtained directly through pump manufacturers after several days lead time. Surrounded by 500,000 square feet of warehouse space in New Jersey’s Meadowlands, Bergen County-based Pump Express invested the resources necessary to become a master Zoeller pump distributor and joined the small group of U.S. suppliers who maintain this type of inventory. Through effective on-line marketing efforts and industry word-of-mouth, Pump Express’s initial sales goal of 100 Zoeller commercial engineered pumps in 2012 was achieved by early fall, positioning the company as the go-to supplier for a segment of the market that can’t wait more than 24 hours for a replacement pump, and doubling sales expectations for Zoeller’s commercial engineered line in 2013.
“I had a customer last week that had a Zoeller sewage pump fail in a food store. The Zoeller manufacturer told him they could get him a replacement in 3-4 days,” says Hettinger. “The customer was operating with just one pump on the system. If that pump failed the consequences would be dire, so he started calling around and eventually he called us. Not only did I have one, I had four of them. He couldn’t believe that. Not only did he buy the replacement pump he needed, he also bought a second pump to keep as a spare.”
Hettinger says he was able to exceed 2012 sales goals for these pumps through a proactive approach to web marketing and industry word-of-mouth from commercial and industrial clients in need of large wastewater pumps within 24-hours.
“I deal with a lot of customers who service or own large apartment buildings, hospitals and schools. They typically have less than a few hours before they need their systems back up and running,” says Hettinger. “Zoeller has represented the standard for submersible dewatering and sewage pumps for over sixty years and our customers want them. For the Zoeller 280 and 290 series, Pump Express stocks every pump in that class and in every voltage. Pump Express stocks Zoeller Wastemate sewage ejectors in 115 and 230 volts in single phase. In 3-phase we stock 200, 230, and 460 volts. I would say that anyone would be hard-pressed to find another master Zoeller distributor who stocks as many sewage pumps as we do. We are looking toward doubling our sales of these pumps in 2013.”
For more information on the Zoeller commercial engineered wastewater pumps, or any other Zoeller product, visit us at www.pumpexpress.com or call us for details: 1-800-298-4100
