Salesguy and 100 years of business

browniehound

Well-Known Member
I know I made fun of salesguy for his post about submiting a sales lead. I wasn't making fun of his intent (unless he was trying to be a wise-ass), I was making fun of his approach. If he was sincere in his intent then I have to agree with him.

We as UPSers bust our humps every day in the hope that we'll have a secure retirement. I don't mind working my tail off if I know I will be able to kick back on the porch at a relatively early age and drink lemonade all day. I believe UPS is the best place of employment for me to do this.

This is why we need to protect what's ours and do what we can to grow the business. I'm afraid, however, that the problem is deeper than getting 100% driver cooperation in the sales lead program. Its just not enough to stem the tide of today's fierce competition in my opinion. They smell blood, and its our blood, sweat, and tears that are in jeopary.:mad:
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Totally agree, I didnt make fun of him either, just his approach, and disappearance, and then on return, no quality answers.
 

Channahon

Well-Known Member
Browniehound,

UPS has always prided itself on the core business at UPS - the package segment. The competition out there is fierce for our packages, and unfortunately, some volume is lost.

However, our greatest visibility and brand recognition is our Brown Trucks, that the public equates to service.

So as much volume as we can retain and generate on the package side of the business will keep job security for all UPSers.
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
Channahon,
UPS' bread and butter is the ground package. Am I correct? Is this also the least profitable parcel? Aren't we doing well in growing air and international volume?

I think service providers play a large role in keeping customers happy and thus retaining our business. From what I observe, most service providers participate in the sales lead program and steer the BD people in the right direction.

With all the effort of our drivers we are still losing the groung volume. Is it due to our drivers pissing customers off? Is it due to our drivers not producing sales leads?

My guess is probably not. Our drivers have been pissing customers off for years. The ones that do never change.

Then possibly UPS has higher costs than the competition and people will always shop for the lower price. Does that mean the drivers are overpaid?

I would suggest that UPS drivers get paid the most, but their routes are more efficient, their methods are more efficient, and their volume is higher than DHL or Fed-Ex and should warrant a higher wage.

So my question is, why are we losing volume? And why hasn't the stock price moved in 8 years?

Thanks in advance for your insight.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
"So my question is, why are we losing volume? And why hasn't the stock price moved in 8 years?"

Brownie......just before going public, we split 2 for 1 and the stock was worth something like $25.50. How do you figure that's not going anywhere ??
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
"So my question is, why are we losing volume? And why hasn't the stock price moved in 8 years?"

Brownie......just before going public, we split 2 for 1 and the stock was worth something like $25.50. How do you figure that's not going anywhere ??


Moreluck,
Wasn't that while the company was private? What was the closing price on the day the stock was made available to the public? Was it 80 bucks? What is it now? If the stock would have grown at the same rate as the S and P or the Dow everyone would be sitting pretty as they are at all-time highs.

Why is this the case? Its such a solid company. Is it because the perception is Fed-Ex has a greater potential to grow than UPS?
 

Cole

Well-Known Member
The sales peeps when they do try find they don't get the neccessary support from the heirarchy as per usual. You know the bonus thingy!
 

Channahon

Well-Known Member
Channahon,
UPS' bread and butter is the ground package. Am I correct? Is this also the least profitable parcel? Aren't we doing well in growing air and international volume?

I think service providers play a large role in keeping customers happy and thus retaining our business. From what I observe, most service providers participate in the sales lead program and steer the BD people in the right direction.

With all the effort of our drivers we are still losing the groung volume. Is it due to our drivers pissing customers off? Is it due to our drivers not producing sales leads?

My guess is probably not. Our drivers have been pissing customers off for years. The ones that do never change.

Then possibly UPS has higher costs than the competition and people will always shop for the lower price. Does that mean the drivers are overpaid?

I would suggest that UPS drivers get paid the most, but their routes are more efficient, their methods are more efficient, and their volume is higher than DHL or Fed-Ex and should warrant a higher wage.

So my question is, why are we losing volume? And why hasn't the stock price moved in 8 years?

Thanks in advance for your insight.[/quote

Profitabiltiy goes both ways at UPS, at the origin and destination. The district is held accountable to profit numbers, to ensure UPS is proposing contractual rates to our shippers, and still be profitable on the deivery end of the cycle.

The more ground packages delivered to one stop, the more money UPS makes at that stop. Add premium packages with ground, if within time commit, that's a cha-ching for UPS.

As any BD person will tell you, their approach to selling a customer on UPS is not our rates, but "bundled solutions" for all their shipping needs. Technology(tracking, tracing, performance reports, exception notifications) and other UPS subsidiaries can be involved the the shipping needs of our customers. I have seen where UPS shippers have chosen to go solely with Supply Chain Solutions, so we still have the account, but the carrier for packages is not always UPS.

Our drivers are not overpaid, however, our drivers should try to contain their emotions, in not pissing off our customers. I know this can be hard to do sometimes, but they should notifiy their management team if an issue arises with a customer, regardless of the issue.
Diverting to another carrier, personality conflicts with any UPS employee.

Sometimes our customers leave UPS due to claims issues: damages, theft, driver release, misdeliveries, etc. And I can tell you, our drug, computer, electronic and video games shippers hold UPS accountable to find solutions, if UPS wants to keep their accounts.

I know the Sales Lead program is a sensitive subject for our drivers and operations management. In some cases, no follow up done by BD and drivers sometimes feel their efforts were not appreciated. I do believe this has been addressed and hopefully is getting better.

As far as UPS stock not moving along over the years. Word is Wall Street doesn't really care what you did when quaterly results are released. Although, they are looking for companies to make their targets. Wall Street wants to know what your future holds and how you are going to get the results.

I wish I had a crystal ball, as probably everyone else does. Although the price is not desirable, the dividends have increased over the years.

Feb 2000 - 17 cents a share - May 2007 - 42 cents per share.
 

local804

Well-Known Member
Moreluck,
Wasn't that while the company was private? What was the closing price on the day the stock was made available to the public? Was it 80 bucks? What is it now? If the stock would have grown at the same rate as the S and P or the Dow everyone would be sitting pretty as they are at all-time highs.

Why is this the case? Its such a solid company. Is it because the perception is Fed-Ex has a greater potential to grow than UPS?

Brownie hasnt been right on his sports picks but he does have a valid point in his post.
 

jasar13

Active Member
"So my question is, why are we losing volume? And why hasn't the stock price moved in 8 years?"

Brownie......just before going public, we split 2 for 1 and the stock was worth something like $25.50. How do you figure that's not going anywhere ??
UPS stock price, when private was undervalued, hence the split. The last 5 years the return has been 4.94%. The one thing the Board of Directors can control is the dividend yield. The investment world likes to see yields of >2%. My belief is that the dividend was increased to help make the stock more attractive in lieu of the small increases in share value. Large cap value stocks (which includes us) have been out of favor lately. Hopefully that will soon turn.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
UPS stock price, when private was undervalued, hence the split. The last 5 years the return has been 4.94%. The one thing the Board of Directors can control is the dividend yield. The investment world likes to see yields of >2%. My belief is that the dividend was increased to help make the stock more attractive in lieu of the small increases in share value. Large cap value stocks (which includes us) have been out of favor lately. Hopefully that will soon turn.


Wow!!! That's a 284% return if you bought before going public...Also a 4.94% divident yield is better than a savings account...You can double your money in 20 years on dividends alone.
 

wornoutupser

Well-Known Member
Our drivers are not overpaid, however, our drivers should try to contain their emotions, in not pissing off our customers. I know this can be hard to do sometimes, but they should notifiy their management team if an issue arises with a customer, regardless of the issue.
Diverting to another carrier, personality conflicts with any UPS employee.

Sometimes our customers leave UPS due to claims issues: damages, theft, driver release, misdeliveries, etc. And I can tell you, our drug, computer, electronic and video games shippers hold UPS accountable to find solutions, if UPS wants to keep their accounts

OK-
Please explain to me why a driver here was forced by a division manager to DR a stop that continuously files claims for no packages received!
It is a constant cycle that includes other tricks.

The driver told the customer that he had to have a signature- and the customer complained and complained and continue to file claims.
Now he has to DR there again per the DM!
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
I have one of those, all before the center manager that I have now came to the center, this lady cries and whines to him, he tells me to dr it, so I do, in the sig column, I put per center manager. (proper first name)
She has claim after claim, and even denied sig. I think shes multiple personality, coz the name is always different. It is on him, not me.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
Our drivers are not overpaid, however, our drivers should try to contain their emotions, in not pissing off our customers. I know this can be hard to do sometimes, but they should notifiy their management team if an issue arises with a customer, regardless of the issue.
Diverting to another carrier, personality conflicts with any UPS employee.

Sometimes our customers leave UPS due to claims issues: damages, theft, driver release, misdeliveries, etc. And I can tell you, our drug, computer, electronic and video games shippers hold UPS accountable to find solutions, if UPS wants to keep their accounts

OK-
Please explain to me why a driver here was forced by a division manager to DR a stop that continuously files claims for no packages received!
It is a constant cycle that includes other tricks.

The driver told the customer that he had to have a signature- and the customer complained and complained and continue to file claims.
Now he has to DR there again per the DM!


I had a customer who didn't like to sign at her business. But she would....What she really hated was a service cross on her nm1 c.o.d.'s. So you would have to put a service cross on in the car...About 10 years ago she committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. :sad:
 

jasar13

Active Member
Wow!!! That's a 284% return if you bought before going public...Also a 4.94% divident yield is better than a savings account...You can double your money in 20 years on dividends alone.
284? how did you arrive at that number? the 4.94% is not the yield it is the average increase in the price of the stock. The current dividend of $1.68 per year gives a return of roughly 2.3%. Add that to the 4.94 and you get 7.2%.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
284? how did you arrive at that number? the 4.94% is not the yield it is the average increase in the price of the stock. The current dividend of $1.68 per year gives a return of roughly 2.3%. Add that to the 4.94 and you get 7.2%.


I guess I misunderstood the part about 4.94%. But $47 (difference between $72.50 and $25.50) divided by $25.50 (price after 2fer1 split) equals 184% (oops)...The stock was frozen before going public so your cost basis would be less than the $25.50.
 

Salesguy

Sales Member
Reading your thread and the replies make me proud of our force! Brownie is right. We have to protect our core.
Because you can bet on it that our DHL friends do it.
We shouldn't loose any business, because we have the best service providers of the business and we provide our customers the best service available.

Thank you for your support in growing our business and your kind input!
 
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