Editor's Focus--Negative Balance

Surveys conducted both by this publication and by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) have found that while many companies offer only one style of shredding exclusively, a healthy percentage offer both on-site and off-site shredding.

Without question, most larger document destruction companies eventually offer both on-site and off-site shredding. A common growth trend is for a start-up company to deploy a mobile shredding truck to build its business, but to eventually lease or buy space for a secure shredding plant that can handle more volume.

Conversely, a recycling company that initially entered the business by establishing a secure shredding area within its plant may find that a certain percentage of clients insist upon an on-site option. In such cases, many of these companies have shopped for and bought a mobile shredding truck as a way to increase their market share.

Therefore, a dilemma faced by secure shredding sales professionals is how or whether to portray one style of shredding as being more secure than the other. The temptation is certainly there for a young start-up company to negatively sell against the style it does not use.

The question becomes whether the short-term gains created by negative selling will come back to haunt such companies in the long run. If a mobile shredding company that has traditionally placed doubts and fears about off-site shredding into the minds of its customers eventually opens a plant of its own, how does it counteract its own spin?

Companies in a variety of industries have stumbled over similar problems, initially trash talking a competitor’s idea only to hoist a white flag a year later and roll out a nearly identical product or service.

NAID certainly concluded that either style of shredding can be accomplished securely and effectively, as it offers its certification program for both on-site and plant-based secure shredding.

Logically, a company that negatively sells against one model or the other is to some extent contradicting NAID’s message, which serves as another valuable marketing edge.

While the temptation to circulate doubts and fears to sell against "the other guy" may be hard to resist, companies that do so had better start thinking ahead. If all goes well and their companies prosper, they may well need to defend themselves against those same negative selling points once they increase their menu of services.