Sales & Marketing Playbook
National Accounts & One Time Bill Accounts
LEVERAGING COD AND ONE TIME BILL ACCOUNT (OTBA) CUSTOMER OPPORTUNITIES
Considering the business mix of Wheaton | Bekins, with many of our shipments being COD opportunities, there’s a great opportunity to take advantage of potential prospects from those COD shipments. Any of the questions below should help you determine if a COD opportunity would qualify as a potential national account. Create a list of probing questions to ask the person relocating, including the following:
-
“Is your company paying for your move or are you being reimbursed?”
-
“Are there others in your organization relocating to another state?”
-
“Who’s the person who authorized your move?”
-
“Would you mind providing me with the authorizing person’s contact information?”
Reach out to your Regional Sales Director to request assistance with this task.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LANDING A NATIONAL ACCOUNT:
Securing an account can be quite challenging, and the process can be lengthy. However, once secured, the expectations begin. To keep the account, you’ll need a system in place to service it.
​
You must have the infrastructure in place.
​
-
Must have a hauling coordinator, expertise (van line and other agent haulers) if you are not a hauler.
-
Must have a coordinator to communicate with customers, especially if the moves are off terminal.
-
The van line also has the capability to manage the agent’s national account if they cannot provide all of the necessary coordination services. (see RSD for details).
​​​The van line encourages the aggressive pursuit of National Account business. Protected accounts are those actively pursued by salespeople, or accounts with a non-expired signed contract or tariff exception with the van line. Protected accounts are not to be solicited by other Wheaton | Bekins salespeople of the same brand.
​
​
​
​
​
There are many methods of securing, maintaining, and retaining an account. Network sales professionals who consistently rank in the top ten of national account sales share their experiences:
According to Steve Morgen, “When working with National accounts, every agent needs professional, competent employees at every level.
-
Receptionist/Secretary – Someone who can set the tone from the start, beginning with incoming phone calls. This person should be able to answer basic questions and direct your client to the proper contact within your agency.
-
Office manager – The office manager should have strong organizational skills. They oversee the Receptionist/Secretary and communicate with the account and employees as needed. In our case, our office manager is also involved with scheduling moves as well as billing our clients.
-
Operations manager – Our operations manager is involved with everything that happens at our agency. They oversee the Office Manager & Receptionist/Secretary as well as manage our warehouses and our labor.
-
Salesperson/Account manager – This person has the most interaction with the account.
Response time, efficiency and flexibility of schedule are most critical when dealing with National accounts.
​​
-
Response time: How quickly you respond to the inquiry or needs of your client.
-
Efficiency: Responding with good, accurate information; not wasting time; and being able to accommodate your clients’ needs regardless of what they are.
-
Flexibility of schedule: Making yourself available on an “as needed” basis. Sometimes that means seven days a week.
National accounts need care and nurturing. If you manage them with a nucleus of personnel as we have, everyone within the Wheaton | Bekins system benefits.”
STEVE MORGEN
All Brunswick
Dayton, NJ
Mariah Potter says, “When servicing national account business, the key components are, 1) quick response time, and, 2) one point of contact that will communicate and follow-up with the customer and the account contact throughout the relocation process.
​
You also need an Operations team that understands the intricacies of the account business and makes sure the crews/drivers are performing. The key is to make it seamless and easy when they work with us, and the business will continue to come in.
Accounts work with many service providers, so STAND OUT and provide excellent service and the results will show.”
MARIAH POTTER
Olympia Moving & Storage
Watertown, MA
According to Frank Landino, “Given my unique role at LCMS, I really have no key personnel in place to support me in my efforts, since I do it all except collect the money!
​
Having said that, I would simply say the following:
​
Stay personally involved in every customer order from your national account(s). Don't just book it, hand it off to a coordinator, and then forget about it.
Stay personally engaged and aware of the critical steps in the order process, and follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! This is one step that has proven to add value to every customer order and account relationship, with value generally defined as some critical combination(s) of function, benefit and cost.
​
When you are perceived as the "go-to" person for any in-house, network or account matter, you will find 3 things:
-
Your base of industry knowledge will greatly expand.
-
Your ability to proactively manage / resolve any (potential) issues before they arise will smooth out any bumps that will occur.
-
You will reinforce the perception that you truly are an asset to your agency, your customers and accounts – and that bodes well for your future and your success.”
