"Advising customers and covering all their needs"

The secret recipe of sales managers Roland and Tim

Working safely starts with purchasing high-quality products. Mennens has a wide range of these products and provides organizations with specialist advice, inspection, testing and training. But how do you market these products and services? Sales managers Roland van Hees and Tim Veenstra can tell you all about it.

Roland started at Mennens in 1985 in the inventory management department. Roland: "Those were different times. We kept track of the purchase and sale of materials in a physical card box. Everything was done by hand, and we were still working with typewriters."

Sales in earlier times

The product range was also different. Roland: "We mainly sold steel wire ropes, chains, shackles and fibres. We did give advice, but differently than now. With the introduction of, among other things, the Arbo Information Sheets (AI Sheets) and the EKH, services such as advice, inspection and testing took on an increasingly prominent role in our sales."

Extensive product range and premium partners

In the meantime, the product range has been greatly expanded, including overhead cranes, jib cranes, hoists, lifting belts, hydraulics and fall protection. Roland: "Here we work with 'premium partners': only the best suppliers, whom we select for quality, reliability, durability and continuity."

"For the safest solution, we keep asking until we have the best solution"

More than 'pushing boxes'

At Mennens, sales are more than just "moving boxes" and scheduling services. Roland: "You ask, we deliver. These are highly specialized products, where safety comes first. We always ask customers about the application, circumstances and use. Using this information, we give extensive advice. We always think carefully about this. How can the customer benefit most, and work as smartly as possible? But above all: how do we guarantee safety? We keep asking until we have a satisfactory answer."

Customer issues

Tim started working for Mennens in 2012 and as a sales manager he knows customers’ challenges well. He explains: "Customers come to us with an issue, but usually don't know the suitable solution. For example, they have a concrete item and are wondering how to hoist it safely. We then ask the customer about its use and come up with a solution. Sometimes a customer indicates that he needs - for example - a certain type of shackle. Here too we ask how he is going to use it. It may turn out that we recommend another, better solution."

Inspection, testing and training 

The use of almost every product in the Mennens range requires inspection and/or testing. Training in the use of these products is also important and often mandatory. Roland: "We add value by offering all this under one roof. Delivering products and the associated periodic inspections and tests. And training, to properly handle products and solutions. In doing so, we take away all our customers’ concern and contribute to the continuity of their business process."

Tim: "As an example: almost all fall protection equipment has a maximum lifespan. It may be that we approve a device in February, whose maximum lifespan expires in April. We alert the customer to this and make a new proposal on the advisory report. This way, the process can continue seamlessly in April."

Roland and Tim reveal the secret recipe of sales at Mennens. Roland: "Customers just want things taken care of. They appreciate that you think along with them and help them make the right choices." Tim: "At Mennens, we successfully respond to that need."

Our house brands Powertex and Ropetex

Powertex is our brand for lifting, load security and fall protection products. Ropetex is our brand for steel wire ropes and lubricants. All the products are suitable for daily use in general industrial applications.

View our house brands Powertex and Ropetex.

View our product range.