3 Ideas to Expand Your Sales Strategy
It sounded like a catastrophe of biblical proportions… a woman in the hotel parking lot was wailing that someone had broken into her SmartCar and stolen her GPS. Her biggest concern wasn’t the cost of the gizmo, but the fact that she couldn’t find her way home without it.
Technology is terrific, but there is something to be said for not totally depending on it. Technology serves best when it enhances our abilities, rather than replacing them.
Many coach operators are accelerating their use of the internet as a sales tool. While that isn’t a bad thing, it isn’t without risk.
Selling is hard. Once you get past the clichés and misconceptions, it’s a discipline like accounting, management or maintenance. It’s tempting to put marketing effort (and dollars) into nifty websites, splashy advertising and using on-line brokers. They’re easy, tidy, and it’s fun to see our names in lights.
Sales, and business, are almost always about relationships. One exception is self-serve gasoline, which is a commodity sold almost exclusively by the lowest bidder. It can only hurt the charter/tour part of our industry if we sell luxury service as a commodity that goes to the lowest bidder. When we become too dependent on technology for marketing, we come dangerously close to that position.
A lot of fine operators just don’t like “selling”. For a long time many depended on the Yellow Pages for marketing. For some, that thinking has evolved into depending on brokers, and leads generated by websites.
While you need a good internet presence, don’t fool yourself into believing potential customers visit your site solely for the great graphics or prose. If they found you electronically, they are “shopping”, and it’s already about price. There will be minimal opportunity to show them why you’re worth more than your competitors.
For those of you who love selling, and hanging out with clients, keep it up. On the other hand, many of you don’t have the time, or inclination, to sell. That isn’t a good reason to abandon the effort. You hire mechanics, lawyers and accountants to handle specialized parts of your business… Why not a sales person?
Here are 3 ideas to expand your sales strategy.
- Hiring a dedicated salesperson will expand awareness of your company to new groups. We’re not just talking about telephone sales, but rather going out and meeting folks. Hire someone to tell customers why your company adds value to their trip. They give your company a “face”, and they work for you. They can connect with groups that already charter buses at various industry conferences, and ask for the opportunity to serve them, as well as selling the concept of coach transportation to folks who hadn’t yet considered it.
A wise bus executive tells of a friend that hired a salesman with hopes that he’d increase business. The operator had decided on a 6 month trial effort. He asked his buddy how long it took for the salesperson to pay for himself… “6 weeks”. That may not happen every time, but consider it.
2. Utilize members of your team who have firsthand knowledge of the services you provide. We’re in a seasonal business, so drivers are sometimes looking for extra work. Your best drivers are good with people (otherwise they’d be driving trucks). Why not give them the opportunity to try sales?
3. Make sure that every electronic inquiry gets a human response, at least by telephone. Train your people to treat phone calls like sales calls, and do more than just give out prices. Make a valid phone number a mandatory field on web site requests for quotes. If a potential customer won’t give a phone number, they’re primarily interested in beating you up on price.
Please don’t think this is a knock on using every modern tool available. It’s not. You need a first rate website, and working with brokers is a good way to fill dead spots. The point is that the only way to control your destiny is to take hands-on responsibility for selling your company.
I was hanging around my buddy’s scuba shop last week when a gentleman stopped in just to thank the young woman that had sold him the “right” product. The customer’s kindness made two points. Properly done, salespeople provide a real service… and it really is about relationships.
If you are looking for additional training for your sales team, please reach out to On Your Mark Transportation today to learn how we can partner with you for the new year.
Keep Your Team Running On Time
A driver for GBB (Great Big Busline) decides to start his own charter service. This entrepreneurial soul figures that he can hold his costs down by using GBB’s buses, simply picking one up off the “ready line” every time he has a charter. They’re sitting there, fueled, cleaned and serviced, why waste such a valuable resource?
It worked fine for months. He’d show up in uniform and his passengers all assumed they were chartering from GBB. One day he was late for a pickup, and his customer was concerned enough to call GBB, asking when the coach would arrive.
You guessed it… someone in Operations cleverly figured out that they didn’t have a charter that day. Realizing that GBB ran scheduled service, and virtually no charters, and voila… an explanation for the buses that drivers couldn’t find on the ready line in recent months.
SO, the Driver/Charter Operator won an all expenses paid holiday in the Entrepreneurs Section of the Greybar Hotel.
All because he was late.
Survey after survey tells us that nothing frosts the busy public more than a coach that is late. It’s bad enough when a line bus runs behind schedule, but there are often factors that can’t be controlled. There is no excuse for a bus STARTING its run late, or missing the spot time for a charter.
It sends a message to the customer that their time is less important than the bus company’s, and can induce panic when scheduled events are at risk. The customer picked the start time for a reason.
There are so many things in transportation that are hard to control, but “showing up” isn’t one of them.
So, what steps can you implement within your company to ensure this doesn’t happen? Below are 5 ideas to help keep your team running on time.
- Pay for drivers to arrive early. Drivers need to turn up at your garage early enough to easily make it to their pickup on time. If a driver can’t show up on time, how can you trust them with your coach and your passengers? It’s worth it to your company to build into the schedule ample time on the front end to cover for any unexpected delays.
- Require drivers to take the time to pre-check their pick up spot. If it’s a new or unusual pickup spot, allow drivers time to scope it out in advance. Checking to be sure that drivers won’t encounter construction or road delays getting to the pick up location. It is also key to make sure that the location has plenty of space for loading the bus.
- Establish clear lines of communication for when trouble arises. On the rare occasion where a driver really can’t make it, clear lines of communication need to be established, so the customer never sees the hiccup. A meteor striking their car is a reasonable excuse for a driver’s absence, but not for failing to let the appropriate person know. With modern technology like GPS and cell phones, we need to do a good, honest, job of keeping the customer informed about where their coach is. The only thing worse than knowing it’s late… is NOT knowing it’s late (is it coming at all?)
- Buses that are ready to go should be… ready to go. No surprises when the driver leaps into the seat. This requires that your maintenance team plan well ahead of a trip to complete any safety checks or repairs. Nothing should be done at the last minute. When there is a problem, it’s better to know sooner rather than later. Depending on the size of the company, spare buses and drivers can be part of a plan, but no matter what… there must be a plan.
- Don’t farm work to companies that aren’t as reliable as yours, because you’re going to be blamed for their mistakes.
Getting this right starts with management letting everyone in the company know that, other than cherishing safety, being on time may be the most important thing your business does. It may involve some personal sacrifice at times.
It doesn’t matter how well the rest of the journey goes, the atmosphere is poisoned if the trip starts late.
Woody Allen got it right when he said “80% of success is showing up”.
How to Effectively Manage Your Team While On the Road
“Teaching moments” are most effective when done in real-time. Historically, in the transportation industry, the group of employees who had the most responsibility, and could put your company and lives at risk, had no supervision while they were working. You could catch, and correct, mistakes by office people and mechanics in real time, but drivers were out there on their own.
The first sign of trouble might be a nasty letter from a passenger, or a court summons, days after the incident. Worst case would be seeing it as a Fox News Alert. There was no opportunity to observe, and correct mistakes on the spot. Sometimes we tried the “organic method” by “ghosting”” some runs, but even then, criticism came after the act and could be subjective.
New electronics are opening an era where you may be able to exercise some real time management of your drivers. This is not to imply that coach operators are flighty, but it offers opportunities on two fronts. Bus drivers are similar to many other groups, in that there are good ones, and bad ones. The new technology is going to help make objective judgments as you sort the wheat from the chaff. Second, the electronics will make it possible to break bad habits, and refine skills, in the good ones.
Here are 4 ways in which you can utilize technology to oversee and train your drivers.
- Simulators have come a long way, in terms of realism and affordability. They offer the opportunity for drivers to practice, with you observing, all sorts of situations where you might be hesitant to risk a real coach. In many cases you can rent time, and put drivers through realistic situations without bending metal.
- Event recorders. There is a variety of on-board safety equipment currently available, with more on the horizon. One such pivotal tool is event recorders, which have been with us for a while. Savvy drivers will do all sorts of good things to avoid setting off the nasty little light that glows when they exceed preset G forces. Sometimes they even resort to driving smoothly. These gadgets also provide a visual, audio and data record for every accident, or sudden stop.
- GPS remote monitoring. Many GPS systems allow you to know exactly where your coach is, at all times, and how fast it’s going… right from your desk. They can be set to alert you when certain speeds are reached, or if the bus goes off route or schedule. Some of the new tire monitoring systems can be tied into the GPS communication, so you can call your driver and alert him to a tire running hot.
- Onboard computers have been around for a while, and while not strictly “real time”, you can download all sorts of information, such as speed, fuel consumption, and hard stops. Some sophisticated operators pay drivers a bonus for things such as staying within speed parameters, or fuel efficiency.
Other advances in technology help drivers manage their own schedules. One new tool is the means to electronically record and track driver’s hours of service. Technology also now exists to monitor a driver’s eyeball for signs that they are about to fall asleep, and make some sort of emphatic suggestion that a stop is in order.
Companies now have more opportunities to manage and train drivers than ever. By selecting the right equipment, you can help protect your company from unnecessary risks. You’re going to be held responsible for your driver’s actions, so why not have a measure of control?
The Importance of Sleep and Driver Safety
It was ironic, nearing the end of a 14-hour work day, and I was invited to a lecture on… Sleep Deprivation.
The Australian Triple Trailer Truck Driver-turned expert was so engaging, and informative, that not only did I stay awake for the whole meeting, I learned a few key points when it comes to driver safety and sleep.
Our Australian mentor managed to surprise us with a number of facts. Here are five key points that you should know about the effect of sleep deprivation on driving.
- A huge percentage of accidents occur just before dawn. Most of us understand that all human beings experience a sort of dead zone just before dawn. Everything just slows down. A driver, part of a test, wired up, knowing he was being observed… was still not be able to combat the effect. No amount of coffee, or awareness, can overcome it. The only solution is a break.
The point is, while it’s important to abide Uncle Sam’s regulations, they are a weak attempt to mirror Mother Nature, and her laws matter more. Mother Nature can’t be beat, but there are some ways to accommodate her. Line schedules can be designed with breaks and meal stops during the dangerous hours. Even a few minutes out of the driver’s seat can be helpful. - The other eye opener (a little sleep pun) was that a similar dead zone happens during the afternoon… less pronounced, but just as real, with accident statistics to prove it. He went on to provide tons of information on how useful different sleep intervals were. Many of the best insurance companies will gladly help you find information regarding the safest schedules for your drivers to keep.
- Sell safety to your customers. Make the prevention of sleep deprivation a key component, not just of your safety program, but as a part of your sales process. Charter companies can sometimes convince their clientele that driving through the night is not the safest way to go. Use all of the information your insurance company can provide to help inform your drivers and sales team of the implications of sleep and safety.
Use this information to structure charters and tours that protect you and your customer. When the customer insists, properly placed relief drivers, and scheduled breaks can help. On long hauls, some operators satisfy Uncle Sam by getting 15 driving hours out of two drivers, without having to pay for a hotel room. Uncle Sam may be OK with this, but not Mother Nature. Trust her. - It’s ok to turn down bad business. Try to resist accepting business that you know is risky. If you can’t change the customer’s mind, turn them down. You may save their lives, and worst case, you give an unreasonable consumer to the competition. Let the competitor bet their company’s future.
- Trustworthy drivers are the key to safety. You can provide time, and comfortable lodging, but it’s tough to MAKE a driver rest. One coach driver has faced jail time because, after an accident, he showed up on a casino’s security camera videotape from the preceding night. His employer provided ample time off, and a room, but he chose to spend the night gambling. Investigators spotted him on the tape, and he was charged. Drivers need to understand that part of their job is taking care of themselves.
Commercial vehicle accidents involving tired drivers are now a hot button with the public. We may be one of the few industries where you can go to jail for working too hard, but that’s exactly what has happened to some drivers. If there’s an accident, safety will trump economics every time. As it should.
My early years in the industry were spent driving buses for a non-profit that was completely unregulated. 20 hour driving stints were common. The fact that we managed to operate millions of miles, without hurting anyone, was not a tribute to skill. No driver is skilled when they’re tired. We survived because of dumb luck, or a protective God (I’m going with the theological alternative).
A number of guys still knocking around the coach industry worked for that same non-profit. Times were different, and we were young and naïve. We now understand the implications and risks involved in driving tired. There is nothing more than prioritizing safety for your drivers and their passengers. Years of experience have taught me that no amount of advanced technology can replace a driver operating with enough sleep.
If your team needs assistance developing routes and schedules that prioritize rested drivers, On Your Mark Transportation would be honored to help you. With extensive knowledge regarding safety regulations and statistics, we are able to help your team create an efficient, cost-effective plan.
4 Tips to Achieve Exceptional Customer Service
Many companies sell buses that offer everything from theater style entertainment systems, thru central vacuum cleaners… to the ability to shop online while rolling down the road. But finding a company that offers quality service can be a challenge.
Many companies make you jump through electronic hoops to talk to a real person. They’re only interested in volume, and anything out of the ordinary gums up the system.
If you’re like me, you’ve found some businesses that treat you well, and provide quality service. You’re willing to pay more for the comfort and confidence they offer. Business is part formula, part art. If anyone (with money) can buy flashy coaches, and exercise good business practices, then why do some operators succeed, and others fail?
A smart guy could give you lots of reasons… I can offer only one. Service.
Quality service is both difficult to define, and real. It’s about relationships, and understanding what a customer needs. For the most part, in our business, it doesn’t cost much more to do it right. We have a small, finite, group of potential customers, so we are punished quickly when we let our service slip.
Here are 4 tips to help ensure that your company offers exceptional service that will help you stand out from the competition. These ideas (borrowed from friends over the years) will hopefully help you as well. You can’t control the uncontrollable (profound, huh?) but there are lots of things you CAN make happen.
- RETURN phone calls. Every employee should understand that customers hate not knowing. It should be policy that everyone who works for you returns every call within 24 hours… even to let customers know they haven’t yet got an answer. Clients can correctly assume that if you’re not calling them back when you’re trying to sell them, you surely won’t respond to problems.
- Look into the future. If you have a complaint, you know you’re going to have to address, do it now. If it’s going to cost you $1000, satisfying your customer right away is an investment. Quibbling is going to ruin your chances for future business, and you’re still going to pay the $1000.
- Empower your employees to solve problems. Let drivers make decisions on the road, and have office employees handle questions and problems. Train them, and back up their decisions. When they mess up, point it out so they don’t make the same mistake again. That way you have happy customers, and a constant stream of valuable learned experiences to continue to improve upon.
- Go the extra mile to add value in unexpected ways. Hans Schoeffler, a Senior Executive for a major bus builder, once had a customer in desperate need of a part. Hans loaded that part into the trunk of his car and schlepped across 3 countries to help. It was Europe… they’re small countries. Hans has since passed on, but you can bet there are a ton of folks who remember him fondly. (I sure do.) Someone in your company has time to check Lost and Found for a passenger’s glasses, or call parents and tell them a bus is late. Treat people well even regardless of how busy you are. It will earn you a reputation that will be priceless down the road.
Make service a key part of your corporate culture, and turn your folks loose to provide it. Name a single company you respect that is weak on service. A great man once said “He among you who would be great… should be the servant of you all”. My snatching ideas may have gone too far this time, that’s Mark 10:43, and I may be stealing from the wrong Guy. I’m toast.
7 Actionable Ideas to Retain Drivers
“I’ll buy a bus from you…. if you’ll drive it for me”.
This owner was kidding, in an effort to illustrate the difficulty the current driver shortage has created. On occasion he has equipment idle, despite having work for it, because he can’t get enough drivers. He can’t expand his fleet to meet market opportunities.
It’s not difficult to identify the causes of the shortage. Transit authorities and trucking companies offer higher pay, and predictable schedules. Drug screening and more stringent requirements for licensing further shrink the pool of available drivers.
We all have funny stories about operators who have messed up, but the truth is that driving a charter coach is a complex job. Your drivers, more than anyone else, are the face of your business.
They have to go to strange places, at all hours, and deal with the public on your behalf. Good ones strike a precarious balance between taking care of your customer, and your coach… Sometimes those needs contradict, like when the engine is overheating a mile from the destination. The driver can make your customer love a particular coach, or hate it. The job is half equipment operator, and half salesman.
Hiring, and retaining, good people is critical. Clearly, every trip needs a driver, but another benefit of having plenty of good operators is that you can discipline the marginal ones… and have more freedom to recognize superior performers.
SO… what to do? If there were simple answers, there’d be no shortage, but there are some things you can try. Here are seven actionable ideas you can implement into your business today to help retain excellent drivers.
- Pay as much as you can afford. Easier said than done, but when they’re driving your expensive bus, full of your customers… they are your partner. They can sell your company… or not. Your future is literally in their hands.
- Grow your own… it’s easier to turn a good person into a driver, than turn a driver into a good person. Find qualified non drivers and teach them to operate a coach… your way. It’s a great job for semi retired folks. Younger applicants will have a chance to see the country, with lots of opportunities for advancement into management.
- Consider what additional benefits you can offer your drivers. Higher meal per diems, uniform allowances, permitting spouses on trips, use of your facilities for washing their cars… little benefits such as this show your drivers, they are valued members of the team.
- Build in performance incentives. Safety, economy and reliability benchmarks that both acknowledge, and reward superior performance will encourage drivers to make each trip stand out from the competition.
- Treat them fairly. Some trips are more fun than others, some tip better. Make sure the good ones are spread around evenly. Don’t let a few drivers schmooz your dispatchers into giving them all the good work, because you’ll lose the others. If you are an owner that drives on occasion, don’t take the best jobs.
- Keep your buses presentable. Drivers feel better about themselves when they like, and trust, their equipment. (And they get more tips). Address reported defects quickly as possible, and drivers will feel as if they’ve been taken seriously. Be honest with them when a repair must be deferred.
- Publicly recognize superior performance. It’s more fun (and generally more effective) to publicly compliment your folks, than to reprimand publicly. With any luck, your other employees will get an idea of what you’re looking for.
It’s no secret, but we all need to be reminded… the best people don’t work just for money. They work for recognition, and a sense of worth. Satisfy that need, and your drivers will be happy, and plentiful.