Starting A Courier Business
Author: Naz Daud

Businesses often need an urgent door to door delivery service
and sometimes the mail service either can not do what is
required or is far too expensive. This is the niche that the
local courier company occupies; delivering parcels, valuable
documents, boxes of files, hazardous material & office furniture
safely and quickly to their destination.

If you like driving and being outdoors then a courier business
could be ideal for you. But before you even think about getting
started, you will have to decide what kind of delivery service
you want to offer.

Are you going to deliver locally or further a field? Once you
have decided how many kilometers you are willing to travel it's
a simple matter of drawing a circle on a map to identify your
market place.

Then you have to examine the types of goods that you are going
to deliver. Are you going to focus on small packages, fragile
goods, pallets or full loads? Your decision will dictate the
kind of transport that you need. Motor bikes are great for
delivering urgent documents but a van will be required for
anything larger.

Is this going to be one person business or are you thinking
about employing drivers? It is possible to run a small local
courier business single handed but if you are targeting a larger
area then you will need to get decent drivers that are fit and
reliable.

Now it is time to research your competition. What kind of
services do they provide and what is the going rate for their
deliver service. Initially you will need to undercut the
competition to get started but in the longer term quality of
service is much more important than just price alone. Once you
get a reputation for providing a great delivery service then
word of mouth will spread and a lot of your business will come
from recommendations.

Your target market place will dictate how you advertise. For a
local delivery service it is a good idea to deliver leaflets to
all the businesses in your area followed by a phone call with
the intention of getting in front of the decision maker. Often
the person that you need to speak to in a small business is the
owner but in a larger company it could be the secretary or
warehouse manager that makes the decision.

Other cost effective ways of getting your message across
include advertising in your online business directories and
placing small adverts in the paper.

It is a good idea to work for a courier business delivering
parcels to learn the ropes before you start on your own. This
will help you to achieve a lot. You get to meet a lot of
potential customers, see how the delivery service operates and
finally decide if a courier business is right for you.

Communication is vital in this business and sometimes a mobile
phone is just not good enough. It is a good idea to have
multiple communication devices like pagers and radios to back up
the two way communication so that you can always keep in touch
with your base and your customers.

The way to make money in this business is to deliver the
maximum number of parcels whilst driving the minimum number of
kilometers so plan your journeys accordingly. You can get great
software that will help in this manner as will a good satellite
navigation system for all your drivers.

If you are not sure about starting the business on your own why
not consider a courier franchise? There are many available that
offer full training and support. You can also count on the
network of franchisees to get your parcels delivered on time.

Is it a bird… is it a plane… no… it's your local courier,
delivering your urgent parcels quickly and efficiently to the
final destination in pristine condition.


About The Author: Naz Daud - CityLocal Internet Business &
Franchise Opportunity http://www.citylocal.co.uk
http://www.citylocal.co.uk/frontend/franchiseinfo.php?cityid=79
http://www.citylocal.ie
http://www.ecademy.com/module.php?mod=blog&uid=120141
http://www.citylocal.co.uk/cities/Dundee/news/article/921/