Sales Lead Training

[Positive Positive]

I have worked In BD in the Uk for the last 6 years and have come to realise it is a load of rubbish .All it actually is about is Managers Supervisors Team leaders trying to climb this brainwashing career ladder .The commision structure is worked out by people who do not even have a degree in Maths and probably not even a GCSE ,.....honestly ask.... I did
If UPS were a small business they would never survive for every Driver lead inputted there are 5000 other leads pushed aside why ? Because it is a new project and someone from high above has said it would be a great Idea ,It doesn't matter how many employees suffer because of it I see employees sitting on excellent leads and being told to ignoe them or change them into driver leads just to make the figures look better I have never witnessed such greed .Driver lead push what driver would really want extra work on for the same pay ?and sorry to kill your ego drivers but do you really think you make that much difference don't let them powerheads brainwash you as all their interested in is climbing that career ladder .I believe in the concepts of UPS and the conduct book but the majority of management and supervisors and team leaders in the Uk need to read it .I have my own business now after 10 years UPS has taught me something if they can do it so certainly can I and I have seen the top people the very top

 

[trplnkl]

Here's a new twist to our sales lead program. Monday an OCS came to me and said I was one of his designated drivers for sales leads. He said that I had to turn in a PRODUCING sales lead within a certain time frame or he would not get his stock bonus for the year. What a load of crap that is. My problem is that I am a cover driver and am only on a given route for a week at a time (best case) and do not have the time to establish a report with a prospective customer. Plus, because of "really fair " allowances I have to keep the wheels moving just to get all the businesses delivered . Doesn't allow for time to talk with consignees about becoming shippers.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Trplnkl, it is hard enough for a cover driver to get the pkgs off the car, let alone find the time to develop a "rapport" (sorry) with the customers. Your focus is where it should be, taking care of the customers while you are on that route. Is the seniority driver on this route active in the sales lead program? If so, it will be very hard for you to find a "producing" lead. If he is not, there may be opportunity so, if you have a slow day, take a moment to look around while you are at one of your pickup stops to see if they are using a competitor and, if they are, ask for a contact name and submit the lead. Do you have a drop box P/U on this area? These are an excellent source for sales leads.

Bottom line, as a cover driver it is your job to take care of the customers, get the pkgs off the car while meeting and/or exceeding the level of customer service offered by the seniority driver. Submitting sales leads would be bonus and your center manager should realize this and that it is not your job to secure his bonus.

 

[barnyard]

Another bonus to the rewards program is that if you travel (say to Mexico), you can go to an American Express office and use the card to buy the local currency.

I took my family to Mazatlan a couple of years ago and sales leads paid for all our spending money while we were there.

Another way to cash in on a sales lead is converting a 2-3 time a week OCA customer into a daily pickup. If a customer ships 5-6 NDA's a week, the weekly pick up fee is greatly reduced.

Also, watch for when the DHL sales reps are beating doors down on your route. I turned in 3 leads for pickups that had been visited by DHL. All 3 signed long term agreements and I got a nice bump on my lead card.

Leads are so frikkin easy, it's ridiculous. For me, I find the hardest part is remembering to do it.

TB

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

That sounds like a great new slogan for the program:

Leads are so frikkin easy. For me, the hardest part is remembering to do it.

Just curious, how much have you earned over your career from the program? I am just over the $8,000 mark.

 

[barnyard]

Between $2500 and $3000.

I would do a lot better if I would remember to do the leads myself. There have been a few that I forgot about, then remembered while I was going over the route with the regular driver on Monday, I'd remember and say, "Oh by the way, I was going to talk to so and so about a lead, maybe say something to them and turn it in yourself...."

I've also turned in quite a bit of UPS Freight business and I don't think we get a dime for that....

TB

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We are eligible to receive points for UPS Freight leads. It works the same as the pkg lead program works.

 

[barnyard]

Now we are, that's just started within the last quarter or 2...

Tom B

 

[filthpig]

Allow me to vent my spleen. When it comes to sales leads and ANYONE who works in the Midsouth District in BD, UPS can eat my butt. I take this position because I repeatedly turn in good sales leads which NEVER get followed up on. Also, the reps in our district NEVER take care of their customers. They don't go by to see how things are going or see if the service is up to snuff, stuff like that that GOOD salespeople do.
To top it off, yesterday my center manager calls me and asks if anyone had spoken to me concerning sales leads. Someone had. Anyway, I went to the last 2 businesses where I had submitted leads and found out that NO ONE had contacted them. These leads were submitted a month ago. Crapola.

 

[BigBrownSanta]

The last few times someone has talked to me about sales leads, I have been 40 stops over my max on those days. Seems to me, my route doesn't need any more volume. If the company wants to try to punish me for not submitting sales leads, maybe they should start by CUTTING 40 stops off my route.

 

[barnyard]

Allow me to vent my spleen......

I follow up. I ask if a lead received a call, if they have not, I talk to my center manager. Once I talk to the center manager, the follow up is almost immediate. I also periodically ask if there are problems or issues and if there are, I alert the sales guys that work with our center.

The reality is that there are not enough sales staff to do everything that happened in the old days. It is the same in EVERY industry. Don't think so???? Look at the railroads and LTL. Railroads and many of the LTLs have farmed their sales out to transportation consultants (UPS logistics is one of those companies that do sell rail transportation.)

We have a decided advantage in that we do see our customers every day and can relay that info to our sales force.

Sales leads can be turned in by ANY employee. I have seen driver supes turn in leads that they discovered during ride-alongs. I turned in 3 leads while I was a preloader (made $200 on 1 of them) If you want the dough, beat the bushes.... But don't bitch when you get a new pick up and find out that someone else is getting the cash from the lead.

TB

 

[barnyard]

duplicate, my bad

 

[BrownSuit]

We are eligible to receive points for UPS Freight leads. It works the same as the pkg lead program works.

Yeah, you actually get 125 points for every new Freight Account. Just don't go select UPS Freight unless there is an opportunity present. It sends a separate message to B/D to follow up on the Freight.

 

[browniehound]

I think I have posted my philosophy on sales leads before, but I will do it again for this topic. If I see an opportunity I follow-up on it. I just started a new route. In the last 2 weeks I asked every customer that I see using Fed-Ex or DHL "who is in charge of shipping desicions and can I have their contact info?"

After this, I think I should be left alone. I never get any positive results when I ask for contact info. I get cold resposnses most of the time and no new volume more of the time. These people use the competition for a reason and its not because I didn't ask for a sales lead!

UPS wants 2 good sales leads every month. I have a certain amount of businesses on my route. This doesn't change from month to month, so I don't understand how I can generate 2 sales leads every month?

Anyway, its not because I don't want the pick-up volume. I would much rather spend my afternoon picking up volume rather than delivering it!

I'll steer BD in the right direction, but its their job to close the deal. That is my opinion on Take Charge.

Brownie

 

[toonertoo]

I had a lead tonight. One of my customers accidently sent 35 pkg nda, and I told them and they said let em go. Maybe it will increas our sales, so I said Ok, and submitted a leadfor NDA. Maybe Ill get paid as I didnt on my freight leads.

 

[looper804]

I had a lead tonight. One of my customers accidently sent 35 pkg nda, and I told them and they said let em go. Maybe it will increas our sales, so I said Ok, and submitted a leadfor NDA. Maybe Ill get paid as I didnt on my freight leads.

If you feel that you should have received credit for a lead that sold you should let your BD account rep know about it.In my facility they are very helpful when this happens.

 

[toonertoo]

The lead was last march, march 2007, I have talked to everyone, and they are not helpful. I am glad yours are, thoThe owner says he saves 2k a month, and I got 25$,............. this april.

 

[Coldworld]

Dont you all think that many more leads would be turned in if our mgt team would start strating us like employees, and not lying, stealing trash. It is so counter-productive to be out there following drivers around, trying to catch someone do something then start the firing proceedings. It absolutely makes me sick to think how many of my co-workers are treated, like thieves. I really cant get past this and just want to know what you all think of it. Lets beat the horse day after day, but then ask it to plow the back 40 in record time....it just doesnt work. And I want to hear from management on this one too.

 

[trplnkl]

Trplnkl, it is hard enough for a cover driver to get the pkgs off the car, let alone find the time to develop a "rapport" (sorry) with the customers. Your focus is where it should be, taking care of the customers while you are on that route. Is the seniority driver on this route active in the sales lead program? If so, it will be very hard for you to find a "producing" lead. If he is not, there may be opportunity so, if you have a slow day, take a moment to look around while you are at one of your pickup stops to see if they are using a competitor and, if they are, ask for a contact name and submit the lead. Do you have a drop box P/U on this area? These are an excellent source for sales leads.

Bottom line, as a cover driver it is your job to take care of the customers, get the pkgs off the car while meeting and/or exceeding the level of customer service offered by the seniority driver. Submitting sales leads would be bonus and your center manager should realize this and that it is not your job to secure his bonus.

Thanks UpState.
The route I am on this week covers about 1/3 of a town with the population of roughly 10k. The majority of my stops are residential and of the businesses I deliver too that are not already shipping accounts are service type businesses and not manufacture or supply. There is no "drop box" due to there being a local that is set up much like a UPS Store. There are several "World Ship" (internet)and "ASD" shippers that already have accounts, just not pickup accounts that drop their packages off at the packing/mailing business. I talked to one of the "internet shippers" about a daily pickup and his question to me was " why should I pay for daily pickup? I get it shipped without having to pay that already". So I can see no chance for getting a producing lead. Talking with the "intown" driver about this and he said he had encountered the same situation. LOL, next week I will probably be covering the "intown" route. Another week without much possibility of a good lead. I feel bad for my OCS that has this undue pressure placed on him, but I'm afraid I just can't help him out this time.

 

[BrownSuit]

Thanks UpState.
"ASD" shippers that already have accounts

Why do they use ASD's? "Would it be okay If I had one of our sales reps contact you about how you can save time using our website or software?"

There's your lead. Anytime that you can get a customer off an ASD the cost of service goes down and our revenue goes up even if there isn't any new volume.