One of the advantages of a firewood business is it is very easy to stand out and beat your competition. Because the firewood business is so easy to get into, it can be done and often is done by people with very little business sense. Because of this, someone with just a little common business sense can blow the competition out of the water.
Firewood dealers often have a reputation for the following:
- They bring less than the full amount of wood that the customer ordered.
- They bring wood that is green or wet when they say it is dry.
- They don’t show up to deliver the wood when they say they will.
So here is the big secret to out competing your competition. Are you ready for this? Here goes. Don’t do those things. It’s that simple. Instead of doing those things, do the opposite. Show up when you say you will, and if you can’t make it for some reason, call the customer and let them know. When you show up, bring the amount you agreed on. I like to throw a little more on, which makes customers very happy. And bring them wood that is dry if that is what was agreed upon. If it’s not dry, make sure they understand that before you sell it to them.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Assuming the quality of your firewood is good, if you can do those 3 things, you will out compete probably 90% or more of your competition. This is why my customers continue to buy firewood from me year after year.