The right focus enabled Fresvik Produkt to reverse a negative trend
Fresvik Produkt started in 1980 and today has 40 employees. Photo: Trygve Indrelid
Success story #2: "We've focused on the area where we're best, and specialized in it.
We at Gasta want to tell more about our customers, and show differences and similarities. How do you create success? What digital tools are used? How do they work with marketing? This time we talk to Fresvik Product.
Last year, Sogn Avis wrote that Fresvik Produkt made a profit after several difficult years. The years 2009 and 2010 were two particularly difficult years for the cornerstone company, which posted losses of NOK 6 and 7 million. But now the trend has reversed.
"In this industry, we have a very short horizon. If one year is good, it doesn't necessarily mean that everything will go well in the future. So we have to take care of every customer, even if we think it's a one-off. They must be treated in the best possible way so that they want to do business with Fresvik Produkt in the future."
Focus on core business
Gyda Bøtun, Managing Director.
- "We've focused on the area where we're best, and specialized in it. This means that we supply our own insulation elements for cold stores and other warehouses. All our panels are fully customized and locked together with an eccentric lock. A unique solution," says Gyda Bøtun, Managing Director.
She says that the positive development is a result of good interaction throughout the company. From the salespeople, through the organization, to the carrier who brings the product to the customer.
Depending on trust
- "Our success depends on customer confidence, both in us and in our product. We have to deliver on a par with similar products," explains Bøtun.
Fresvik Produkt is currently the only company in Norway that produces such insulation elements. They compete with imported products, usually from low-cost countries. This means they are completely dependent on the Norwegian market having confidence in them and perceiving them as a decent company with a good product.
- To achieve this, all employees who come into contact with our customers must inspire confidence," emphasizes Bøtun.
The fact that they are the only Norwegian company left in their industry says something about the fact that this is a tough market, and Fresvik Produkt is small compared to its competitors. Their advantage is the flexibility they can offer. Bøtun says that customers are likely to experience a completely different reception if they turn to European suppliers. "Here, you often have to stand in line regardless of the assignment.
- We can turn around when the customer has extraordinary circumstances.
Multiple communication channels
Salespeople are responsible for much of the communication with customers. But in recent years, companies have increasingly worked with digital marketing, using newsletters, social media and websites. This is to be more accessible to customers.
- So it's good to have a company like Gasta that can help us see how we should present what we want to tell our customers," says Bøtun.
This enables them to communicate better with customers they don't often come into contact with. "We regularly send out newsletters, which have an open rate of around 40%, and occasionally we receive good feedback from customers who comment on what they have read.
Can't settle for success
Fresvik Produkt has been on Facebook for a while. It's a more informal communication channel, where they talk about small and large events in the company.
- We haven't considered this to be a major marketing channel, but we are constantly surprised at how many people read our Facebook page and how quickly it reaches our readers. I think we have much more to go on here.
What they do know is that communication with customers is crucial. They must feel that they are well received and that Fresvik Produkt is interested in solving their challenges.
