This is very true, unfortunately with part of the Manager's scorecard being growth, this is something that they look to to make their numbers. It went from being something nice to reward people to a numbers game like a lot of other things.
And that's the driver's fault how? Once again, UPS is wanting trained animals to jump through hoops to satisfy unrealistic goals. Only now they had set the hoops on fire.
What should be happening is the management team should do everything possible to make sure you have a chance to submit a lead. If you don't think you have any opportunity on your route or don't know how to approach customers, they should provide training and help.
You, I and everyone else reading this message board knows damn well this ain't gonna happen.
I don't know of any driver in our center that has even counseled in sales techniques or how to even explain to a customer what we can do for them.
If you already have too many stops, they should provide an allowance of five minutes each day for this sole purpose if you happen to turn in a lead.
How are we supposed to "happen" to get that lead to "earn" an extra five minutes?
What happens is that too many people "just don't want to" and "don't care". That's what tends to drive people crazy.
See, this is part of the problem, the "crazies" tend to think any driver not submitting a sakes lead on demand "just don't want to or don't care"
If you have a good reason - over-allowed, no experience, rural resi-route with no business, not comfortable with talking to people/asking for sales, that's one thing.
Like that would make a difference?
But when you convey a "I don't care" or "I don't want to" attitude, that tends to throw your already tightly wound management over the edge. There are maybe three or four out of 50+ drivers in our center that is not over allowed each day. I can't speak to anyone's comfort level but mine and I am not comfortable with trying to drum up business with the limited knowledge that I have as far as detailed answers to question that pop up when you just ask a customer if they would be interested in a UPS shipping account..
On the same time, if they are encouraging you to submit leads, they need to hold somebody responsible when a lead is not followed up on properly.
And when they don't, what then? Every time we ask about ANYTHING, not just sales leads not being followed up on, we get a, "Don't be a crybaby" response.
It's as easy as sending an e-mail to the person listed in SLIM as working the lead. If that doesn't get their attention they have other methods at their disposal and people can loose their jobs for habitually not following up on leads. It is taken very seriously, the problem more often than not is that it's never brought up.
It isn't my job nor my responsibility to train or order around management. If I them them they should do this or that I get a, "don't tell me how to do my job" attitude.