Do you want to sell to couriers?
There are many thousands of one–person courier businesses in the UK, with hundreds more researching the industry at any one time, and dozens of new couriers starting up every week.
It is a very competitive industry and couriers are always willing to look at new products and services that will help them beat the competition.
But there have been many scams, or just ill–conceived businesses, that have left couriers out of pocket for no benefit, so we tend to be sceptical of new services and products.
If you can give couriers confidence that you are a genuine business with a good chance of success, many will be willing to buy into it. These guidelines will help you give couriers that confidence.
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What couriers want
These are some of the things couriers will look for to indicate whether your business is genuine. Not all of them are appropriate for all types of business, but you should try to match as many as possible.
contact details
There should be contact details with names, an address, email address and a geographic phone number (not 0870 / 0871 or premium rate).
professional web site
If you have a web site it should be professional looking and easy to use, without spelling or grammatical errors.
realistic claims
Any claims you make should be realistic and reasonable, especially with regard to potential earnings, guarantees of work, hours of work, and amount of effort required.
clear terms and conditions
There should be a clear statement of terms and conditions, including:
- promises/expectations of service levels, products or services to be provided
- if the service involves payments to couriers, when and how they can expect to be paid
- exactly what the supplier is committing to, and for how long
- exactly what the courier is committing to, and for how long
- dispute resolution processes and refunds policy
costs
There should be a clear statement of costs, including:
- all costs explained before any application/registration form is started
- whether VAT is included or not
- no hidden costs, such as one–off admin/registration charges or non–optional extras
- for ongoing costs (such as weekly or monthly charges), an explanation of what they cover, and how and when they can be stopped
background and history
Explain any background and history of the business, including who is behind it, and any relevant information about their previous experience in the industry or previous business activities.
existing customer/member base
Try to give information about the current state of the business, such as:
- how many customers you have (genuine existing customers, not a list of potential customers)
- how many members/subscribers you have
- if appropriate, give some indication of geograhical spread, vehicle sizes, or other information that will help couriers decide whether to hand over their cash
- if possible, contactable references for customers and couriers who have used their service
Additional ideas for new startup businesses
Most couriers are reluctant to lay out any money on a service until they have heard from existing customers/members whether it is worth the money. So if your business is a completely new startup you will need to consider a few other ideas.
introductory offers
You should consider making introductory offers, such as reduced costs or free membership for a limited number of people. They will be able to try your service without risk, and they will pass on their opinions and experiences to other couriers.
You could perhaps make it a condition of the offer that they agree to fill in a feedback form so you can improve the service and use their comments in your advertising.
who's taking the risk?
If the business doesn't work out as planned, will you still walk away with a pocket full of couriers' money? Or will you agree to refund a proportion of their money?
Have you invested any of your own time and money in setting up the business? What development, marketing and advertising have you already done before you start taking other people's money?