Get an "in" with local businesses and large corporations

Hey everyone, aside from my spontaneous curb side drive arounds in my neighborhood and random dumpster dives at my work, what’s the best way you guys have found approaching large companies in making weekly or monthly scrap pickups? I was thinking a simple face to face introduction with a store manager or corporate email just explaining what I do and how I can help them minimize any scrap clutter they might build up throughout the month or something? Although I would imagine most businesses have a way of eliminating what they already need to recycle right? I'm just trying to look for those good continuous leads and relationships to make this new passion more steady over time.

Side note- Didn't mean to use the "How to" for this topic. My apologies lol

Depending on the size of the of the company they have ISO standards they have to comply To. Zero waste. Convincing people you can do it better and cheaper is the way into steady stream of material. Honestly having a box of business cards and looking presentable while curb shopping has lead to more long term material streams then anything else. That and Google keywords if you have a small service based Web site. But not looking like a dumpster diver while we're dumpster diving and cards has kept me and my truck spooling for years..

Reminds me of that jack the scrapper YouTube video about the flyer..... he nailed it. Next thing you know your driving around in around mini bin truck loving life. I haven't got that far yet but it's next. Lol

Start small and determine if this is something you are able to do . Great service is what will keep you customers. Figure out if you can provide great service. if you don't know what great service is then you are not ready. I wish you good luck but suggest by your questions only that you take your time before approaching businesses.

When you are ready to make a sales call on a business pick one out that is not your dream customer. If it doesn't go great you will at least have experience when you do call on the type business you would like to have as a regular customer.

Once you go from curb shopping to getting regular customers you are in the sales business.

Practice this in front of a mirror.

My name is: Mike
The name of my company is Mike's electronics recycling
We recycle computer and other electronics in ecologically sound ways and ensure the security of all material.
The reason I am here today is to determine if we should be doing business together.

That's an example of what is referred to as the 4 rights of the customer. Its shocking to watch "professional" salesmen NOT do this leaving the potential customer wondering who they are and why the salesman is wasting their time.

You may not have a company name and you may not be at all in the ewaste business but you can change the quick intro to fit your needs.


Your best investment for you is reading current and old threads. The forum threads contain a Master's degree of information and its free just for you time. 73, Mike

Carry a broom, brush and shovel with you, use it to clean up around the dumpster.

I did this at the area I used to get a lot of my metal from, one day the guy saw me sweeping up. That probably ment more than anything else to him, he actually stumbled and his head went over to one side, eyes crossed.
Told me "Thanks".
From there on he knew I was 'clean' and would notice the broom marks when I used it and know what they ment.

Another time, this was well timed and quite funny.
I had walked out of a shop beside another shop which was having renovations done. At near closing time.

A guy, smartly dressed, was asking a worker "Are you going to fit everything in tomorrow".
"Look, I dunno, we have the guys, but its a mess inside, the others have not got everything out and look, the dumpsters full!! It was only delivered at lunchtime and we have to find space to dump THEIR rubbish before we can even get in"...
There was quite a bit of desperation in his voice.....

So I took a look into the dumpster. Yeah, they had dumped a set of cupboards first...then anything flat like sheet plywood on top of that, 2x4's and a huge pile of old florescent fittings and spotlights over that.

Florescent fittings..… equals Steel and Copper. Spotlights equal Aluminium and Copper.

I started about 15 minutes later. When they were gone. Pulled out all the lights, pulled the ballasts & wire, dumped that around the corner under some stairs up a alleyway.
Sacked up the steel and walked it to my scrap dropoff area 5 blocks away, picked up some nonferrous scrap from there, & walked the 5 more blocks to home.
Got tools and better carrying gear and walked back to the dumpster, kept working till 1am, took all of the metal, stacked everything to save space, slid sheet board down the edges of the skip to give it 'hungry sides'.
Took scrap home again.

Then I turned up again just before closing time to find the well dressed guy talking to the worker, it must have been their 'meet up time'.
"How did it go?"
"Uh, great, we just finished 15 minutes ago, everything's done 'cept that stuff that's getting delivered tomorrow. **** close though. Oh jeeze, the skip, dunno what happened, got here this morning and it was almost empty.... Look, its full up now, if it had not changed we would have been fkd, I don't know what we would have done, they couldn't pick it up today, but, we were able to get everything in. And we spent all day working, we had no time extra at all, I never even had lunch, neither did Baz, we just kept moving,, jus, dunno?"

The skip was several feet overloaded in a big arch across the top, the 'hungry sides' did a great job, they even used rope to hold some stuff on. The skip was parked on a main street on the end of a 5minute parking for goods vehicles only area, 1/2 on a yellow line, near a corner.
I got about $100+ of Copper out of that, about $30 worth of Ali from the spotlights and some domestic Copper for later.

The well dressed guy with the clipboard... He had seen the situation yesterday, he couldn't help much, he wouldn't get any credit but he would be the guy who had explaining to do to upper management. Somehow this worker had covered his ass that day, he knew that.
How? Nobody but me knew. The worker got the kudos for doing what couldn't be done.
I got $150..... Right place, tight time.

Last week.....
left it a day too long, missed out on polystyrene insulation for the house, Brass taps and good sink, steel framing, sheet sound insulated drywal, some light fittings
...
I have thought up a idea of doing a job called 'Skipbusters'.
"We check your skips, remove anything recyclable, restack it for economy".

corporate customer...are you insured? no....click

for large customers, you need to be more convenient than their current method. time and space are money.

Great point. lol