Andy Martin - YRC Logistics EU

I heard this story the other day from a very successful business professional. I thought it was very valid especially in a global service industry where personal knowledge and knowledge on your organisation combined with team support is critical.

When I was in my teens I worked a summer with my uncle who was an engineer in Manhattan. He purchased a lot of building material. I remember an endless stream of sales people trying to meet with him. I'll also always remember something that stuck with me from that summer. I asked my uncle once how he decided which products to purchase as all the sales people told a good story and had similar prices. My uncle told me he listened carefully not to the language of selling but to who knew the most about building products and how their products would benefit his firm.

That is what we need to teach our people. Most buyers think like my uncle did..

Labels: Global Development Managers, New business, Sales, Training

Last week our 12 strong sales team spent some time together over a day working on Power Canvassing.

Part of the coaching includes making sure we feel good about making prospect calls, as well as ensuring that we highlight the value we are able to add to our clients and that their requirements match our global service offering.

The day involved a video, debate, role play and ended with 90 minutes of Power Canvassing putting into practice what they learnt in the earlier sessions. The 90 minutes session was a great success which the sales team securing 26 appointments with some good prospects and importantly their business requirements fit our strengths and service offering.

Labels: Coaching, Sales, Telephone Sales, Training

Labels: Cost, Economy, Sales

We recently had one of our sales team (Global Development Manager - GDM) move on. He was/is a great guy who joined us 18 months ago after a difficult period in his career and I would like to think he enjoyed his time with us, as well as taking with him more sales and operational knowledge. This guy used all the support areas that we have developed to have a very successful 2008, but unfortunately he was offered almost double on his basic salary plus reduced targets which on the surface is hard to compete with. We all have to do what is best for our family, that is our first responsibility, but his departure was a shock and made me reflect on what we provide for our sales team compared to our competition.

As a freight forwarder having a strong understanding of how to move freight around the world, how to consolidate and build solutions to suit the clients needs are of course a must. Building support to stop sales doing the things that stop them selling and helping sales to succeed is also a must. I have been at, and worked in sales environments where I was given a Yellow Pages and a tariff, then advised “see you next month for your review.” Not a great experience and unsurprisingly I failed.

The YRC Logistics sales process includes a weekly teamwork call with sales and all the support teams (technology, regional managers, compliance, EU transportation, freight solutions, customer service and procurement) plus me and fellow Directors where we all dive into the main prospects of each GDM pipeline. We discuss what more can we do locally or globally to support the GDM, such as can I join a visit (they tell me this is the kiss of death!), what extra value can we add to the supply chain, have we used the support services and if we cannot find a winning solution or the prospect does not have pain, or no desire for change, then we agree AS A TEAM to move on and work on another prospect.

 

We as a company can always do more for our staff, as we can for our clients, if we think we are the finished article then we have our heads in the sand. In this industry you learn every day and the departure of a successful GDM makes you evaluate your sales process and support services, which is why we asked our GDM’s for feedback, the responses were varied, but all very similar to what you see below from one of the GDM's. It is great to read, but even though I am pleased, I am not satisfied as always believe we can do more.

Feedback from a GDM: -

Proposal Genie

This is a fantastic tool and can be tailored to suit the individual requirements of the prospect – now I know my way around the various pages, it takes no more than 10-15 minutes to produce a professional and impressive document. I do tend to amend some of the text in Word and check the relevance of all the information but again this takes me 10 minutes instead of hours starting from scratch. Having the ability to convert to PDF and email also is a great advantage although it can clog up my mailbox somewhat.

Sales Support

I think it’s great that Jessica provides us with the credit checks, import trade information and introduction pack for the appointments, prints and sends the proposal genies. Dawn Taylor is also a fantastic resource and she is great at getting into some of the more difficult appointments  – most other organizations expect you to get your own appointments with no help.

SME’s (Subject Matter Experts)

I have to say that it is great to have the depth of knowledge within the organization to call upon.  I am constantly working with Steve Birch, Sharon Robey and Chris Birch to close business and try to win the business.  I would also say that TC has been a fantastic support in my understanding of import regimes like SIVA etc.

Walking the Walk

Having brought on a few customers now I have to say that we do not just pay lip service to our promise of customer excellence.  Chris Birch has been a fantastic support, making sure that everything goes to plan and that customers and informed and happy.  We did a review yesterday at  XXX  where we had it confirmed that we are now their forwarder and the comment from the lady who does the day to day job was – “it great to get answers to our questions, in fact Chris gave me copies of our paperwork before we had them”.  In terms of what that means to me – I go out and promote our excellence with confidence knowing the team won’t let me or the customer down.

Depth of Services/Toolkit

When I first started at YRC my perception was that I would be looking for import accounts – sea and air – I am pleased to say that I was very wrong and its great for me to be able to walk into a prospect knowing that we have a solution to offer them

Management Support

I feel that the YRC management is approachable, supportive and helpful; this has not always been the case in other organizations.  The comments on this morning’s call were very true when Marty said that  XXX Logistics give you 6 months to hit targets or you are out – I have worked for organizations with this mindset.  YRC are encouraging and work with me to achieve the results needed.

Admin

This is a niggle that it takes a long time to complete reports, dynamics, check FCL, credit checks, import info, sales packs, proposal genies, conference calls – oh and get appointments but when I step back and look at other companies I have worked with, in reality I have always had to do these things and this is what makes us professional in our approach

YRC Brand

I find that when talking to someone for the first time they have never heard of YRC – on one hand this is good because they have no perceptions but on the other, it can take me longer to persuade someone that we are what we say 

"I feel part of an exciting team and that YRC will be taking the UK by storm, building a fantastic reputation for being the company to partner with and trust – I am glad I applied for the job! ”

Labels: Global Development Managers, Sales, Subject Matter Experts

As part of our internal sales training we use some of the techniques that are taught by Gavin Ingham, so we encourage our sales to read his blog http://www.gaviningham.com/, which I do on a regular basis.

However, today I read a recent post of his titled "The Simplest Sales Tip Ever" and could not agree with his comments epecialy the below: -

"In 2009, selling is proving to be challenging for many businesses and in many markets. “Good enough” is no longer good enough. If you want to succeed you have to sharpen the saw in every area of your business, particularly sales. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be complicated. The bad news is that you have to identify these areas for tightening up and tighten them up yourself, no-one else will do it for you."

"The difference between sales success and sales failure is often small. The gap between making sales and not making sales is often down to a few seemingly trivial actions. The paths of the sales superhero and the sales loser are often no more than a few feet apart. Little actions make a big difference."

Labels: Cold Calling, Sales, Telephone Sales, Training

With our aggressive expansion plans across the UK and mainland Europe, YRC Logistics is looking for talented people and the best teams in the industry to come and share our vision.
Are any of the below applicable to you or your team?

• Not receiving the rewards you deserve?
• Concerned about your future prospects?
• Are you looking to be a part of a larger company?
• Have you recently been made redundant?

Then you may be what we are looking for! To arrange a confidential meeting, please telephone James Clark on +44 (0)1784 480100 or email james.clark@yrclogistics.com

Labels: Procurement, Sales, Staff

Much of the first few weeks has seen my time focus on the 2009 sales plans for the UK. It was great to hear about several new clients trading with us already and it was really pleasing that as well as competitive freight pricing, other value added services like European Transportation, Purchase Order Management, Customs Compliance are being well received.

The biggest pleasure I get though, is when I hear that a client recently said during trial shipments that they have noticed a significant reduction in their shipping departments time in calling to ask questions about shipments, the reason for this is because the information has been received via our shipment audit system.

On a not so good point, it is disappointing that a valued, long term client with a good credit rating has been driven into administration. This client was not only good for YRC Logistics in terms of revenue but like a personal friend to the YRCL office so the sadness is doubled.

Labels: Powerview, Sales, Service

The induction & training system at YRC Logistics is aimed to give new staff a deep understanding of our strengths, capabilities and our weaknesses. It is also aimed to ensure we have common practices in terms of confirming prospects needs via Memos of Understanding, only sell where we can add value and teach GDM's how to utilise the Subject Matter Experts to full effect.

I know this is basic stuff and I am sure there are similar processes at many companies, but a few years ago we did not have this process in place, and I am afraid to say we had some sales staff failures because of this.

Whilst I am talking about Sales Induction and Training I have to mentioned one of our sales management team, David Payne. I know his involvement in the induction of new staff has been a major plus and has resulted directly in new deals being won.

His assistance in training GDM's especially in the art of prospecting has been invaluable for a number of new and experienced staff. He also tells me he could beat anyone in the company at darts but always forgets to bring his arrows when we meet so I am not so sure about that.

Labels: Global Development Managers, Recruitment, Sales, Staff, Subject Matter Experts, Training

As part of the YRCL formal training we stress the importance of understanding the clients needs and making sure we confirm our understanding of their requests. This can be via a Memo Of Understanding (MOU) for sales and "confirmation of booking for shipments" by operations, but I think good customer service is really just also a sign of good manners.

This is an area I believe many industries miss a trick. For example this week I had an important visitor from YRCL USA. We booked him in the normal hotel we use and normally he gets a decent service. The key items he needs are a large bed (because he is 6ft 5') wireless Internet connection and a decent shower.

This visit he was given 2 small beds, a room that was outside the wireless connection area and a shower that didn't work. The attitude of the staff was 'you did not stress these were important'. Had the hotel employed a MOU culture (good manners) they may have avoided this and avoided losing a client.

Labels: Minimum Service Standard, Sales, Service

It is great when I hear a success story about winning a new client. It is sometimes even better when I hear that we have developed more business from a existing client.
Our London team with Markus Higham, Vince Thomson and Martin Wall have been handling the airfreight for a client over a number of years. With our improved seafreight procurement we are now in a position to offer very competitive rates for their 2500 teu per annum and have secured this business.

I believe while the rates were important, that fact they have trusted us with this large part of their business is because of the deep customer service ethos. Guys like the above really understand they are not just moving boxes they are moving someones livelihood and this is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.

My thanks to the team for a great job.

Labels: Core Values, Minimum Service Standard, New business, Sales

With such a dynamic and fast paced environment, especially in a difficult economic climate when resources are tight, making the most of internal talent is for me very important.

We have been developing Subject Matter Experts (SME) in many areas that support our core services such as international air/sea forwarding, customs brokerage and European Transportation. The SME provides support in many areas like Purchasing Order management via PVPO, Customs compliance, China Business Development, supply chain and trade management. Rather than conducting regional staff training seminars or have local power users (This did not work for us in the past) we have found that encouraging staff to travel to other offices to learn freom the SME's is more advantagous.

For example, a Global Development Manager from YRCL Glasgow recently spent 2 days in the YRCL Southampton with our SME for Purchase Order management. Not only did everyone share general ideas on how to serve the client better, they spent valuable time with a prospect showing the value of the system and then real time in the office watching how the system adds high value to the client. Although it was benficial for the GDM to learn more about one of our services, the real bonus was the teambuilding and the sharing of ideas on 'how to serve your client better'. If the results we see from similar days are the same then I am more than happy to encourage and fund these type of meetings.

Labels: Global Development Managers, Sales, Service, Subject Matter Experts

I am pleased to welcome Brenda Sunley as part of our growing Global Business Development team. Brenda will be based in Birmingham and has over 20 successful years in distribution, freight forwarding, supply chain, vendor consolidation, purchase order management and contract logistics. In her career she has worked with such as EXEL & Eagle Global Logistics. Whilst many companys are looking to freeze employment of new staff, we at YRC Logistics are looking to expand our sales team. Brenda is joining us at an exciting time where she will be able to use her experience and knowledge to provide creative network solutions for clients with a need for global transportation solutions.

Labels: Global Development Managers, Sales, Staff

One of YRC Logistics' key initiatives is to build more support for our clients in mainland Europe, as always, this is driven by our client needs.

To that note, I am very interested in speaking with highly talented professionals that have a deep knowledge in the German logistics market.

We can offer a really exciting future with a massive client base to develop in the region for the right person or team.

For more information please contact: uksales@yrclogistics.com.

Labels: Core Values, Email, Global Development Managers, Logistics, Recruitment, Sales, Service, Staff

As part of our aggressive development and expansion plans I am very excited to have 2 new additions to our sales team. We have recently developed a new sales recruitment process and we believe the new selection criterion is very challenging and only the very best will succeed through the various interviews, tests and activities. Only a couple of weeks ago we had a seemingly positive candidate who performed well in the first interview, but their weaknesses were exposed in the second interview & activity. We also have seen some candidates who did not want to return for the second interview as they did not feel comfortable presenting YRC Logistics back to us, which is concerning considering this will be part of there normal job function. In the past I believe we may/would have employed these candidates and it would have been a costly mistake. In short we are continuing to upgrade our skill set and only the very best will be accepted. So it is with great pleasure that 1 person has already made it through this new process and I know that he will contribute to the continued success of YRC Logistics EU.

Mike Metcalfe (London Heathrow)

Mike has 25 years experience in transportation and sales, he recently joined YRC Logistics from one of the largest independent commercial vehicle hire and sales company’s where he successfully used his consultative sales skills to secure large fleet contracts with major transport logistics’ companies in and around LHR.

Previously involved in logistics and transportation as well as extensive experience in the domestic parcel industry, Mike was responsible for heading up the national sales team for Interlink Express Parcels Ltd the first successful franchised national parcel delivery Company working closely with the MD implementing a national sales strategy which led to the company being successfully sold for £50 million. Mike has worked for some key names where he has successfully used his sales experience in providing solutions for a myriad of clients and industry sectors. In his current role Mike’s primary focus is on securing substantial sized clients that will contribute to the continued success of YRC Logistics EU.

Labels: Freight, Global Development Managers, New business, Sales, Staff

We have aggressive expansion plans across the UK and are looking for talent. So move over Simon Cowell and friends, there is a brand new team of talent spotters in town and they are looking for you if you have the X factor.

We are looking for the best sales and operational people in the industry to come and share in our vision. Due to our continued success and ambitious plans for explosive growth we are holding a series of ‘talent’ road shows around the country. We would like to hear from the best people in the industry or those who can aspire to that title. We demand the exceptionally high standards that you would expect from a service focused company and offer first class rewards for those who can demonstrate their ability to deliver. If you can demonstrate that you have the talent and are interested in meeting with YRC Logistics then please contact me directly or email james.clark@yrclogistics.com

Labels: Recruitment, Sales, Staff

We have a sales professional based in Scotland who is a nightmare to manage. I mean that in a nice way because we try to reduce his workload from time to time when we see him completing so many appointments and meetings we wonder how he can get through the day. Typically through his wife's pregnancy he has just worked harder to make up for time he is off! Anyway, I am pleased to announce the birth of Sam Brian Craghill weighing in at 10 lbs 1. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Craghill, perhaps more importantly a big thank you to Mrs Craghill for putting up with YRC Logistics.

Labels: Sales

One of our sales team recently made contact with a prospect client. After the initial conversation the response to our request for a meeting was "I do not really care what you can do I am just happy to still have a job".

With 3210 companies forced into liquidation during Q1 2008 which is a 4% increase on 2007, retail sales down & fuel cost increasing, perhaps this is an understandable response. I was pleased that the story ended with us finding a way to interest the prospect that all we required was a little amount of his time so that we could see how we could analyse his supply chain and work together to see how we could help increase his company’s profit. In this time of uncertainty, we need to realise that our clients are not just looking to get their freight from A to B, or for nice to have value added services, they are looking for a partner that will work in collaboration to eliminate unnecessary cost whilst not compromising on service.

Labels: Economy, Fuel, Sales

Do you get frustrated when receiving internal email asking you for a solution or opinion for the 'below' and then spend hours trying to understand a string of email communication?

I have found asking the sender to provide a summary of the 'below' with exactly what is required, saves time and ensures the request is fully understood. Especially important when communication is from overseas offices.

Although I have found this is not just an internal issue, we are still encouraging our staff to ensure the email summary is a working practice, so we can answer our clients faster and accurately, which is of course all important.

Lastly, we had our national sales meeting Thursday 5th and was very impressed by the presentations and I intend to set some time aside this week so that I can share some of the good story's and ideas that came out of the day.

Labels: Communication, Email, Sales

On a similar theme to my recent blog sharing the challenges in finding or developing world class sales professionals I cannot believe how difficult it is to source candidates in Scotland. I am sure any clients that trade with us in this area agree we have quality operations at Glasgow airport and at our nearby distribution centre.

Our management team has been with the company for over 6 years and there are many reasons why this set up can offer a great career. Despite being a well established company and using an array of recruitment methods the quantity and quality of candidates is very disappointing. If you are a motivated professional who wants to work in a friendly, positive environment but be part of a multi billion dollar global organisation then we want to hear from you. Also, if you have any ideas on how we can attract professional proven sales people then I would also be please to hear your thoughts.

Labels: Recruitment, Sales

It is very difficult to find world class sales staff. At present YRCL in the UK has a small successful team which we are looking to expand, and as part of our commitment to develop our staff, we are implementing a sales training program for non sales staff. The main reason we have started this program is we have learnt from the past where good staff have shown the ability and desire to move to sales, but failed and then subsequently departed our company.

I see this as a failure of management, which in my opinion is my failure. The training program is aimed to rectify this and includes 'day/week release' to work on the difficult areas like prospecting and canvassing ensuring that before staff move to sales they understand what is expected of them as well as having been trained in the skills that they need to be a successful salesperson. It would be good to hear other company’s experiences on how they have effectively transitioned staff to the sales department.

Labels: Sales