With demand for warehousing space at all-time highs, it can be hard to find clients that line up with what your Warehouse can offer.

While every warehouse would do well to be as flexible as possible, there’s always the risk of a client not being a good fit for the services you offer, and knowing this ahead of time can save a lot of trouble for everyone involved.

Every warehouse’s offerings are as different as every client’s needs, but by asking a few simple questions of every Potential client you come across, you can cut to the heart of the matter and figure out what you need in a client – and what your clients might need from you.

Questions to Ask Your Potential Warehouse Clients

Does their product type fit with your storage?

One of the easiest ways to figure out if your clients are an ideal fit is by seeing what they need stored, and seeing if you can handle their needs.

Sure, every warehouse can offer pallet racking and wire shelving for the usual consumer goods, but do you have more specialized storage? Can you offer things like medical equipment shelving or walk in freezer shelving for specialized products – or, if not, would you be able to introduce these shelving types without taking on a lot of expense/disruption to your warehouse layout? If you can’t easily answer these questions when a client needs them, it may be time to pass on it.

Are they willing to adapt to your current technology?

These days, warehouses are as online as any other business – if not more so, in many respects.

Warehouses these days can offer technological solutions at every step of the supply chain, from customer portals (for tracking orders and managing communication) to inventory tracking so everyone can see how much inventory is left for any given item. If your potential customers don’t seem too enthusiastic about using them, it may result in you needing to spend more time than is necessary on entering their information manually – and that could create bigger headaches for everyone down the road.

Do they carry items that traditionally move slower?

This one is always going to be a matter of perspective, but if you’ve been in the warehouse business long enough, you probably have a good idea of what moves and what doesn’t.

Be it seasonal items, or products that just tend to linger longer between orders than others, you don’t need a lot of clients taking up valuable space with products that aren’t going everywhere. Sure, not every product is going to be a million-seller, and even the busiest clients will have stuff gathering dust on the shelf – but if you’re already pressed for space, you might need to start being a little more choosy.

If you can answer these questions when talking to a new potential warehouse client, then you’ll have a much better idea of what to look for – and which clients will be a better fit.

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