Waterblasting.com's Challenge
Waterblasting.com wanted to expand its business beyond its home state of Florida and generate sustainable growth for its high-pressure water-blasting service, which removes striping and unwanted coatings from highways, runways and other paved surfaces. To achieve those goals, the company needed to identify contractors and airfield managers in new markets and reach out to them regarding its service's value proposition, so that the company wasn't competing solely on price for government contracts.
The waterblasting process tends to be more expensive than grinding and sandblasting, but unlike those latter two processes, Waterblasting.com's Stripe Hog system operates virtually debris-free.
"In the past, we relied on repeat business and referrals," says Eric Gray, who heads sales and operations for the 22-year-old company. "My goal was to increase sales to justify putting another truck into service."
The Solution
Gray signed up for Onvia's daily sales-lead alerts and procurement-database service after getting a recommendation from another Florida contractor. "I use Onvia to search DOT planholder lists and find other contractors I never knew about," Gray says.
Waterblasting.com works as a subcontractor in about 80 percent of its projects, so Gray spends a lot of time talking to prime contractors. "When I get to meet them, I introduce myself by saying, 'I heard you won the bid on I-4. Congratulations, and by the way, let me tell you how I can save you money on stripe removal.' Walking in the door with so much knowledge gives me instant credibility and gets them talking. I'm not just another salesman."
Using Onvia and old-fashioned marketing tactics, the company has also increasingly focused on its airport business in removing rubber residue from aircraft landings. Most U.S. airports continue to use a chemical process several times a year to remove rubber deposits left by aircraft landings.
"Developing our airport business is slow going, since it's about trying to change people's minds," says Gray. "My goal is to get in the door, get the airfield managers to try us out and see for themselves how much more environmentally friendly, efficient, and better our process is."
To generate awareness among airfield managers and purchasing agents, Gray sent literature to everyone he identified that was associated a relevant bid or RFQ. He used Onvia to find these names.
The Results
Gray credits Onvia with helping him grow the road and airport side of the business by 28 percent in one year -- a 7,050 percent return on the cost of his annual Onvia subscription. The service company has now completed projects in over 30 states and has become the largest purchaser of equipment from sister company Waterblasting Technologies, which sells its Stripe Hog equipment in the U.S. and internationally.
Last year, his airport marketing campaign paid off with an opportunity to demo the waterblasting process at Miami International Airport. As a result, Waterblasting.com won its first multi-year contract to remove rubber buildup from runways. Gray won't divulge the value of the contract but says his competitors can use Onvia to find that figure if they want.
"When I started using Onvia, I opted for a national subscription to help us build business outside of Florida. As it turned out, Onvia information helped us build relationships everywhere, including Florida. With the new business we brought in, Waterblasting.com paid for its subscription in four months."
