Discover how EUROPAGES customers have benefitted from the European B2B search engine and all the services available on EUROPAGES. The following success stories describe the problems facing our customers and show how EUROPAGES was able to satisfy their specific needs. Thank you to all our customers!
How would you describe your activity?
Our activity consists in casting pieces of high-density expanded polystyrene intended for insulation, floating or the manufacture of technical equipment. Put more simply, I would say that we produce floats for swimming pools and boats, and floating key rings. They are used for all sorts of things, from delimiting a bathing area in a swimming pool to marking a slalom or a military zone.
Who are your customers?
Given the various uses of our finished products, our customers work in extremely diverse fields: professional fishing, sports equipment, industry, weaponry or even decorating and leisure. While our customers work in very different areas, the basic material of our products – high-density expanded polystyrene – remains the same. That's what make us unique.
So it's your materials that set you apart from the competition?
Our manufacturing methods are what differentiates us from our competitors. Our polystyrene is very different from that produced by other fabricators. In fact, it is so dense and solid that it looks almost like wood. At STS, we deliberately steered clear of products like polystyrene fish boxes that you can break across your knee; we wanted to manufacture a high-quality, robust material. The hardest part is making yourself known as a unique manufacturer.
To this effect, how do you promote your activity and your positioning in terms of quality?
We make sure that we are well referenced on the Internet. That's our number one priority. In fact, professionals enter all sorts of keywords when they are looking for polystyrene items. That's why we must anticipate these words beforehand, and make sure that they are included in our product descriptions. Being well placed in search results is all-important. Europages helps us achieve an excellent ranking in this respect. I say that based on highly precise statistics which I receive every month, both on our website and for E*Page on Europages. The results are excellent. In my view, our website has been well built. It is clear, uncluttered, and underscores the characteristics of our products. However, we do not specify our prices directly - our site is not intended for e-commerce. Not that this poses a problem; our customers are usually well informed and know what they are looking for. We respond by sending them a quote.
What kind of customers have you reached via Europages?
When we decided to register with Europages, our underlying goal was to make ourselves known. That is still our main objective. If, in addition, Europages can help us close some veritable deals, that would be great. But we are already delighted with our investment, especially in terms of our visibility.
Are you satisfied with your ROI from your listing with Europages?
Yes, we are delighted with our return on investment. We appreciate Europages' approach. Despite its European and international dimension, it stays attentive to its customers, even if they are small or medium-sized businesses. Here, I would like to thank your sales people who regularly visit us, and who are always willing to provide us with details of potential customers. Their friendly, proactive manner goes beyond a conventional professional relationship. I genuinely appreciate that!
What proportion of your revenue is obtained through export?
Virtually none.
Do you count on Europages to help you develop it?
Clearly that was in the back of our minds when we registered with Europages, but it's not as straightforward as that. The contracts we target are not sufficiently large for us to effectively deal with any unpaid bills. And obviously the current economic climate hardly helps with exports. But we are not closing any doors in this respect. We would be delighted if Europages brought us a sufficiently sizable contract that would allow us to export without too much risk. I'll tell you if it happens in the next interview!
