From the desk of Peter Steen Hansen, President & CEO of CAS DK

Being one of the biggest suppliers of telescopic ladders on the European market, we had a great wish of “moving on” entering the US and Canadian market place.

Entering into a new market being an unknown supplier is costly and very challenging, and at the same time with a strategy of only targeting the top 10% of the largest potential customers, the mission is almost impossible.

We made contact with Curt Powell and Steve Powell from the Presidents Council and started immediately to travel all over the US and Canada in order to learn as much as possible about the market, enabling us to adjust our products and strategy to the “American way” of preferences and way of doing business.

During the following year we participated in 12 “Buying days” (or “speed dating meetings”) which is a cost efficient and very effective way of getting the possibility to sit in front of the relevant buyer or “decision maker”. At the end of each session you get a very honest and clear feed-back and you can easily decide on the next step.

We have also participated in the buying days at the Hardware Show in Cologne, and also participated in an excellent buying day at the Hardware Show in Shanghai with a follow-up meeting straight thereafter with one of US’s biggest retailers’ Shanghai office.

Because of our high interest from the buyers, we entered into an agreement with the Presidential Council to get started with a very effective marketing introduction which included several “full week” trips all over the US and Canada to meet the careful selected buyers in their own offices and started a more detailed dialogue, which now has resulted in more than 25 introductions to the largest potential Groups of retailers in the US and Canada.

Already after the first year we got the first account signed up and others have followed rapidly.

Being a new supplier to a new market we would never have achieved this without the full and strong commitment from both Curt Powell and Steve Powell. Being with them during our sales trips is a real pleasure recognizing how well known and respected they are amongst the buyers and all the way up the CEO/Presidents at the visited Groups. This in combination with their very in-depth knowledge of each group and very professional and skilled introduction is a real success factor for anyone who wants to enter into the US or Canadian market.

I highly recommend both Curt Powell and Steve Powell and the entire team at Presidents Council to anyone who is looking for a skilled organization and team to get a cost efficient introduction to the US and Canadian market.