Cover driver sales lead?

[wisedragonfly]

As a cover driver you had better not be turning in sales leads until you talk to the bid route driver period

Since one of my many duties exposes me to Sales Leads and awards paid to the drivers, I can tell you that a lead is a lead and payment is made to the service provider that submits the lead that gains new volume for UPS. It works on first come first serve basis. There are no restrictions stating that cover drivers can not submit leads from the regular drivers route. If the regular driver does not submit the lead where there is opportunity, then it's open game for the cover driver or whoever submits the lead.

With that said, in my district if a management employee submitted a lead and any type driver submitted the second lead, I would allow the driver to be awarded over the management employee.

Cover drivers should feel free to submit their leads and regular drivers, supervisors and managers can not do anything about it. End of story!

 

[Dustyroads]

Upstate, we agree on more than you think. I'm happy that the lead program has been financially successful for you, but that really isn't an accurate measure of the success of the program. I'm getting money evey month from leads my center manager put in my name from companies a thousand miles away, that I've never heard of, or handled a package from. It must be a real success for me, wouldn't you say?

You are fortunate that your center manager is measuring pick up volume and letting employees know the score. Unfortunately, there are center manager's that don't even know those numbers, when asked, they say, I'd have to look that up. But, they can tell you how many drivers aren't participating in the program.

You are so right about quality leads. The same applies to drivers abilities to obtain successful leads. Some areas have very little potential for new business. Some drivers are just not good salesmen. Some drivers are pushed so hard, they don't have time to do interact with customers at all, like it or not, that is reality. The meaningless demand for one lead per driver per year is foolish. What do they plan to do to a driver that can't or won't produce one? The answer, they will give a fake shill lead in his name, and everyone will be happy with the success of the program.

As for my giving permission to cover drivers to submit leads, it wasn't permission at all. I was trying to directly answer the question that the poster of the thread had asked.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Yeah, I was being a smart ass with the "permission" thing--sorry.

 

[Catatonic]

Upstate, we agree on more than you think. I'm happy that the lead program has been financially successful for you, but that really isn't an accurate measure of the success of the program. I'm getting money evey month from leads my center manager put in my name from companies a thousand miles away, that I've never heard of, or handled a package from. It must be a real success for me, wouldn't you say?

This why the Sales Lead program is not perceive favorably by many people.
You have UPSers that are not concentrating on their jobs because they are submitting sales leads for drivers and other people just to meet the numbers.
Upper management has to be careful how they set up goals and how those goals are measured.
For instance, the easiest way to increase SPORH is to decrease the number of packages at your pickup stops.

 

[Dustyroads]

Hoaxster, you are right on target here. Funny thing, it's like the Emperor not wearing clothes. Everyone on the management ladder knows what's going on, but they fear that, "your center was the worst in the division" telephone call, and to explain how the numbers are flawed is seen by those above them as challenging the system.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

Why are we all assuming that a sold sales lead will result in a new p/u account? The 3 of 5 sales leads ( sold) that I put in while covering, only resulted in additional volume with occasional OCA's.

Upstate, I think it has been established before that your BD people are very good at what they do. And you must be a good sales person as well as a driver to sell so well. If I could do as well as you, I would view sales leads as a competitive game and that "game" would be on for me FT. As it is now, I am just starting to get the hang of leads. It's not as easy as management and BD make it out to be.

P.S. Again, all sold sales leads do not result in new p/u accounts.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Helen, thank you and, you are right, not all sold leads result in new P/U accts. Some new accts do not wish to pay the weekly fee so will either bring their pkgs to the center, UPS Store, drop box or will find and/or make arrangements with the driver. Some will call in an OCA. Others will have them ready for when the driver makes the delivery.

I have one account that has grown from shipping as few as 5 per day to where a slow day is 100. They are moving to a new facility soon and have requested a feeder pickup (Yessss!!!) and I will clean up the leftovers when I drive by later that day.

The basics of the program are solid but, much like any other UPS program (Rural Remote), UPS finds a way to screw it up.

 

[Mike23]

I would think that the increased volume would result in some of our laid off drivers being called back to work but I know that this is not reality. How much more time can an additional P/U take?

According to my onroad sup it's about 2 deliveries = 1 PU