Peter Millikin – founder of What Stationers – After many years in sales within the office stationery industry, I had to cold-call potential clients; I became all too aware of just how disruptive unsolicited sales calls can be for the receiver.
What Stationers came about because I didn’t want to be branded that annoying person on the end of the phone, I certainly had personal experience of the saying, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”
Technology is a wonderful thing, especially if you learn how it work and then embrace it.
The Internet I realised was the future and I set about building a number of authority specialist blogs, including the What Stationers brand.
I wanted to bring buyers and sellers together by providing a wealth of useful and reliable information which buyers could access at their own convenience without any pressure being put on them by a company trying to meet sales targets.
It is true to say, I think, that most people these days who are looking for products, services or general information will decide first of all to “Google it.”Most looking for information about the stationery industry will arrive at my site now.
Do you sell office products?
No, I don’t sell products directly anymore. Because of this, I am able to be objective about what is available and to offer information about a wide variety of companies and the products and services they offer.
How does my website help buyers?
With over 25 year knowledge within the office supplies industry my view is that by making my website a place buyers will be able to make an unbiased choice about who they want to speak with, they can actually avoid any need to deal with cold callers in the future – Read More Here
By accessing the site at their own convenience, at a time which suits their busy working schedules, prospective buyers can seek out the information they want in order to make their decisions when they are ready and in possession of the facts they want.
How does the website help suppliers?
At What Stationers I give companies the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise on a variety of office related topics through the articles they submit to the site. I’m always seeking genuinely useful information – not sales pitches – just because it’s not a sales pitch doesn’t mean that prospective buyers won’t be impressed enough by the article to get touch with the company which supplied it. I have between 50,000 – to 100,000 visitors to the site each year so there are plenty of opportunities to be had for everyone involved with the site – Read More HERE
Why are you starting a video series?
Videos can be both informative and entertaining so in the future, they will be an important feature on my website featuring up to date information about the office supplies industry. I think being a face behind the brand is very important these days. You have to remember the younger buyers prefer to watch then read so I want them to listen to what I have to say.