The importance of your delivery driver as being your best salesman: The impact of your driver or delivery personnel is more important than you might imagine when it comes to your business. With drivers delivering more and more items in today’s world B2C world, they seem to be at a premium and in demand, and rightfully so. In my world, it is not unusual to get more than one Amazon delivery just to my house regularly.
Recent Podcast
In my recent podcast with Bob Natale, Laundry Consultant, this subject came up, and here are some of the takeaways. The link for my podcasts is https://www.hospitalitycleaning101.com/podcast/.
Whether your company has one truck or a fleet of delivery vans, management and owners need to realize their drivers’ importance. In many cases, they are the company’s brand identity face, and it’s no longer the salesperson. See, fewer salespeople see their customers as much because of lockdowns, gas prices, and Zoom, for a few. So makes the formula, in many cases, your driver, your BRAND.
When a customer calls your office, do you answer with the same person who knows everyone by name, or is it voicemail prompts? Possibly that makes my point as the reason they see their driver as your BRAND. But, in doing so, you have the responsibility to have them in appropriate attire and professional image. Especially if you are selling chemicals or cleaning products, it’s imperative. But, then again, is your vehicle clean?
Key Points
In my recent podcast with Bob, we reviewed-
- The driver should convey a positive impression to all customers’ business parties.
- Drivers can influence future sales with suggestions and recommendations at the actual point of purchase.
- If there is a backorder, it can be addressed immediately, and make sure a solution is in place.
- Have they seen any new construction on their route which resembles a business that would fit the persona of a new customer?
- A paperwork trail should be made out and turned in at the end of the day with the management with any issues they might have heard.
- Also, the driver can be trained to look for opportunities and let the customer know a salesperson will contact them later in the day. ( Hopefully, the salesperson or office follows up )
- If there is a billing problem, it can be communicated to the office immediately.
Now lets me explain there is a time restraint for all of this because the driver has a time limit that I am also aware of.
Let’s now be accurate because the driver only has a certain amount of time, and we don’t want them driving faster or breaking the laws on parking. So what can and should you do? The answer is straightforward: to pay them for their efforts. Rewarding their actions helps alleviate this, and it’s a win-win proposition. They will find the time if they are compensated.
As Bob stated, you need not want to make drivers commissioned or paid for the complete order; however, they should make extra money for any new sales.
As any medium-sized companies try to grow their sales with existing accounts versus acquiring new buildings, the driver can recommend the end-user with a possible flyer or even drop off a sample.
Summary
The driver has a significant position, which is now more than ever. Therefore, up to their image with a crisp uniform, offer immediate compensation and bonuses, and your business will be rewarded for your efforts.