Pity the salesperson facing year-end negotiations with a management team that counts dollars, not service, as a full measurement of success.
Suddenly, the people management relied on to market their products and services are scrapping for some sign of appreciation while their books and territories are carved up to ensure they can’t quite reach their extra bonus level or become too comfortable with their clients.
Logistics sales, at some companies, are no different. The top inside salesperson may spend more time grinding through cold calls and chasing new business than paying proper attention to the customers who are already on the book.
“We saw the problem years ago,” said Dan Cser, owner of ICAT Logistics Detroit. “Of course we appreciate and work hard to earn and retain new customers, but ICAT built its reputation in the industry by offering impeccable service to every client we have. We solve problems. We seek solutions in partnership with our customers to make certain their goods are delivered at the right time and place and at a reasonable cost.
“That kind of service takes the commitment of an entire team, especially the salesperson whose client expects and deserves full attention,” Cser said.
A service-minded salesperson is building business by ensuring a long-term relationship with every customer. And a company that recognizes the importance of that relationship builds a solid and loyal sales team that is as invested in the company’s success as is management.
“It’s a win-win,” Cser explained. “At ICAT, our top performers and best-paid sales people are those who best serve our customers. It’s that simple.”
They problem-solve, closely aligning with the operations and marketing teams of their customers. They not only help plan the movement of freight around the world by finding and securing the most practical shipping method, they also can help time deliveries, supervise packing and arrange warehousing, answer questions about documentation and assist in clearing customs. They can track every shipment in real-time.
“At ICAT, we’ve tossed out the old salesman vs. management model,” says Cser. “It didn’t work for our valued employees, it didn’t work for us and most important, it didn’t work for our customers.”
We’re your custom shipping resource. Solutions to our customers’ most challenging issues are derived from decades of success in global logistics. https://www.icatlogisticsdtw.com/