Sales Leads Indeed

[Packmule]

In our building, everyday we get a message through the board "did you turn in a sales lead today?" In my little tourist town, which is nearly a ghost town in the winter, I still managed to turn in 2 leads which I've never heard anything about on follow up.

What I do know is that three years ago, a main street business who used to take packages for the whole community for both UPS and FedEx, suddenly told me they will no longer accept for us because FedEx made them a deal they couldn't refuse to accept parcels exclusively for them. Even gave them a sign to put in the window! So now, every time I deliver there, there is a small pile of boxes going out FedEx. Also, I constantly have would-be customers around town wanting to know where to drop their boxes off for UPS. Gotta tell them, there is no place.

To date, my customer service rep says there is nothing we can do because UPS won't go out of their way to make it worth a business's time to take packages for us, so we continue to lose business to our competitors.

Anybody else out there know what I'm talking about, and has the company done anything about it in your location?

 

[Catatonic]

In our building, everyday we get a message through the board "did you turn in a sales lead today?" In my little tourist town, which is nearly a ghost town in the winter, I still managed to turn in 2 leads which I've never heard anything about on follow up.

What I do know is that three years ago, a main street business who used to take packages for the whole community for both UPS and FedEx, suddenly told me they will no longer accept for us because FedEx made them a deal they couldn't refuse to accept parcels exclusively for them. Even gave them a sign to put in the window! So now, every time I deliver there, there is a small pile of boxes going out FedEx. Also, I constantly have would-be customers around town wanting to know where to drop their boxes off for UPS. Gotta tell them, there is no place.

To date, my customer service rep says there is nothing we can do because UPS won't go out of their way to make it worth a business's time to take packages for us, so we continue to lose business to our competitors.

Anybody else out there know what I'm talking about, and has the company done anything about it in your location?

There are no drop boxes?

The volume there is probably not worth the investment and operating cost.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

To date, my customer service rep says there is nothing we can do because UPS won't go out of their way to make it worth a business's time to take packages for us, so we continue to lose business to our competitors.

We have several business locally that UPS has helped set up as ASO's.

 

[The Milkman]

In our building, everyday we get a message through the board "did you turn in a sales lead today?" In my little tourist town, which is nearly a ghost town in the winter, I still managed to turn in 2 leads which I've never heard anything about on follow up.

What I do know is that three years ago, a main street business who used to take packages for the whole community for both UPS and FedEx, suddenly told me they will no longer accept for us because FedEx made them a deal they couldn't refuse to accept parcels exclusively for them. Even gave them a sign to put in the window! So now, every time I deliver there, there is a small pile of boxes going out FedEx. Also, I constantly have would-be customers around town wanting to know where to drop their boxes off for UPS. Gotta tell them, there is no place.

To date, my customer service rep says there is nothing we can do because UPS won't go out of their way to make it worth a business's time to take packages for us, so we continue to lose business to our competitors.

Anybody else out there know what I'm talking about, and has the company done anything about it in your location?

Many Many years ago just about every center had a sales rep. Then little by little they covered more and more centers. Turn in a sales lead for points yrs ago and you would get a gift card bonus depending on your sales leads. Many a customer would ask me a week or so later about the lead I turned in and they say that no one had called them yet. The sales reps were spread to far and thin. Get sales leads , get sales leads..we get them ,then untimely follow ups. Then when you did finally get the leads there were times your gift card would not have correct amount of credit due you depending on volume generated. So after the company still pushed you for international sales leads ( when you got to the shipper you had to help them fill out the paperwork, remember the template?) you lost time while trying to make commit times on your P/U's. Your numbers were affected at times if you had to spend time showing shippers how to do it right day after day sometimes. Finally UPS had replaced their Sales reps with drivers ( their Plan) and made more profits. Many of us gave up on the sales leads because we were tired of making excuses why they got no call, and then hearing the shipper complain to us that the rep" Promised Them" a certain P/u time while you were on the other side of town covering your other ones.....Ups should try harder to keep the ones they have, not lose them. Then try to woo them back after giving promises that could not be kept

 

[Johney]

I have lost 2 customers to FedEx due to them coming in and cutting their price to beat ours. Both told me they called our reps to see if they could match Fed Ex then never got a call back. I asked our rep about it and get told "Yeah I'm in touch with them and we're working on it" only to be told by customers they haven't heard a word from UPS. WTF???? Get new leads but forget the old accounts? I just don't get it. I'm tired of looking like a fool when I tell people I'll get someone to call them, tell a sales rep, have them tell me they're checking on it when they aren't. I'm sure these reps are no different then us drivers in a way that they must have to set up so many new accounts a month or they get their butts handed to them, but come on don't blow smoke up my ass telling me you're working on something when you aren't.

 

[Indecisi0n]

Honestly UPS could careless about the little mom and pop shops. They don't make real money off of them just like they don't care about ground residential. It's all about big company's shipped airs that they really care about.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

B2B

 

[Indecisi0n]

B2B

 

[The Milkman]

I have lost 2 customers to FedEx due to them coming in and cutting their price to beat ours. Both told me they called our reps to see if they could match Fed Ex then never got a call back. I asked our rep about it and get told "Yeah I'm in touch with them and we're working on it" only to be told by customers they haven't heard a word from UPS. WTF???? Get new leads but forget the old accounts? I just don't get it. I'm tired of looking like a fool when I tell people I'll get someone to call them, tell a sales rep, have them tell me they're checking on it when they aren't. I'm sure these reps are no different then us drivers in a way that they must have to set up so many new accounts a month or they get their butts handed to them, but come on don't blow smoke up my ass telling me you're working on something when you aren't.

 

[Packmule]

We have several business locally that UPS has helped set up as ASO's.

What's an ASO?

 

[FilingBluesFL]

What's an ASO?

Authorized Shipping Outlet, I would assume.


They don't just not care about little shops, we lost a MAJOR account here, that used to send out a full 55 foot trailer every day, and now all we get is one or two pallets, maybe 50-80 pieces out of thousands.

When they start pushing sales leads, I just ask "Hows XYZ doing with their shipping, didn't we lose that account?"

Definitely get the stink eye for that stuff :-D

 

[IlllIIllIIlllIllIIIlIlIlI]

I've put in a few sales leads that ship maybe 5 pieces a day. I never got anything from it. We've also been losing smaller shippers. Seems like they only want a trailer load every day.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

What's an ASO?

Authorized Shipping Outlet------basically a customer counter in a retail store.

One thing I think UPS could do is let people know where their drop boxes are. You should be able to go to ups.com, type in a zip code and be able to download a list of drop box locations within a radius of that zip code. I can't tell you how many times people will express their frustration with not being able to find a drop box.

 

[Limper]

When sales fall off the cliff, management can then blame drivers for not turning in sales leads and everyone gets to keep their job.

 

[ups2000]

Authorized Shipping Outlet------basically a customer counter in a retail store.

One thing I think UPS could do is let people know where their drop boxes are. You should be able to go to ups.com, type in a zip code and be able to download a list of drop box locations within a radius of that zip code. I can't tell you how many times people will express their frustration with not being able to find a drop box.

You can do that on ups.com. Just got to click on find locations. To much work for most people. Much easier to flag a UPS driver down.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You can do that on ups.com. Just got to click on find locations. To much work for most people. Much easier to flag a UPS driver down.

Thank you----I never realized that function was available.

 

[browned_out]

In 23 years as a driver, I can honestly say that I have had two account reps that were worthy of the title. In the last 8 years I have only lost accounts, all sales leads turned in could not be sold. Most of the time when you ask the customer if anybody called or came by the answer is always NO!!!