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Claritus Earns Top Seat Among Hasler/Neopost Dealerships in U.S.A.
Growth and expansion may remain a distant theoretical target for many companies given the current economic forces, yet one Nebraska organization continues to buck the trend, accumulating more employees, more revenue and more market share than other firms in its class throughout its 26-year history. That company is Claritus, a Lincoln, NE-based dealer of mailing equipment and recipient of the most recent National Dealer of the Year for Hasler, Inc., its primary vendor.
The award is symbolic of Claritus’ discipline and purpose. It can only be earned after a dealer demonstrates success across several key points which are validated by third-party customer surveys. Of the 250 authorized Hasler dealership in the U.S.A., Claritus emerged at the head of a list in 2009, leading the way in customer satisfaction, technical knowledge, product quality and annual revenue…aspects of business the company’s executives have put into Claritus culture from the very beginning.
The company itself has been a Hasler dealer since 1985. Today it sells the product line in each of its offices in Sioux Falls, SD; Sioux City, IA; Omaha, NE and Lincoln, NE. Throughout that quarter century, the dealership has grown from a small, four-man company in a single office to a well-established organization with 47 employees, 6,000 customers, $8 million in revenue and a 53% share of the available market. It didn’t happen over night of course.
“Back in the 1980s, it wasn’t all that easy to generate significant growth in the mailing industry, particularly when we were up against a dominant brand (Pitney Bowes) that commanded more than 90% share of the market,” said Jeff Krell, Claritus CEO. “We had to work really hard in order to draw notice from manufacturers before they would authorize us to market their product line.
I’ll never forget trying to become a Hasler dealership and they asked me ‘Who are you and where are you located? ‘. When we landed our first contract for 50 machines they agreed to sign us up.
We take great pride in, 24 years later, winning the number one dealership in the nation award.
Industry Leaders Have Noticed Claritus’ Success
“Claritus is an exemplary dealership that has proven itself time and time again,” said Dennis LeStrange, President and CEO of Hasler. “The company has actually achieved something no other dealer in our channel has; being the ‘Dealer of the Year’ in all four categories of size over the course of 25 years. In addition, the organization’s customer-centric approach has led to consistent revenue growth simply because Claritus knows how to build and maintain customer loyalty and satisfaction.”
Claritus President David Herbert attributes much of the success that Claritus has had with Hasler to its employees. “We’ve had dedicated people who have shared a results-driven mindset throughout our history,” Herbert said. “You just don’t earn a top rank like this unless everyone applies the mindset and the mechanics necessary to produce results. We’ve been doing that across the board and the survey data confirms it.”
Claritus Director of Sales Nick Kellen offered a similar observation. “In a day and age when many organizations have drifted toward telesales, email and the Internet we continue to rely upon face-to-face sales calls,” Kellen said. “It’s a strategy that has allowed us to build personal relationships with customers and prospects.”
Claritus is an AIMED Dealer Member. Congratulations, Dave!
Claritus
Jeff Krell
4201 Progressive Ave
Lincoln NE 68504
www.claritus.com (800) 726-1553 Email: Jeffrey_Krell@claritus.com
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