As part of our ongoing commitment to support growth and strengthen our commercial capabilities, Palletways recently delivered a series of six dynamic commercial workshops, aptly named Palletopia. These sessions brought together representatives from across our network, with three of the events proudly hosted on-site by our own network members.

Led by Vanda Roberts, Head of Commercial at Palletways, the workshops focused on three key pillars of business success: prospecting, customer onboarding, and customer retention. The aim? To provide our network members with practical tools, strategic insight, and renewed confidence to grow their customer base and deepen relationships.

A Commercial Agenda for Growth

Each session followed a robust and engaging agenda, designed to spark discussion and share best practices:

• Business Style Analysis – helping members understand their team dynamics and sales approaches.
• Growth in Partnership – exploring how collaboration between the hub and members drives results.
• Finding New Business – sharing methods to identify and target high-value prospects.
• Managing Customers – Keep the Business! – strategies for retention and engagement.
• Commercial Toolbox – practical tools to support sales and service.
• A Year of Growth – planning ahead for sustainable success.

Building a Prospecting Mindset

A key takeaway from Palletopia was the importance of a structured prospecting strategy. Members were encouraged to think in stages – from identifying leads (the ‘hunter’ phase), to nurturing and qualifying them (the ‘gatherer’ phase), and ultimately converting them into loyal customers. Participants worked with their teams to pinpoint specific actions that deliver results and explored why certain approaches work more effectively than others.