YRC Worldwide Inc (YRCW)

[califax]

yrcworldwide @ twitter -

http://twitter.com/yrcworldwide

Get to know Natalie Putnam, leader of the integrated sales team for YRCW.
http://ow.ly/2bg1A
6 hours ago

Getting to know Natalie Putnam



In April, YRC Worldwide took action to better align sales and operations. As a key part of those changes, Natalie Putnam was named leader of an integrated sales team. It's a role she took on with her trademark energy, dedication and focus on results.

Insight: You're out in the field and on the phone talking with customers constantly. What are they telling you?

Putnam: I hear two things all the time:

1. They want us to be here. Customers have a strong affiliation with YRC Worldwide and our brands. They like our people and our history, and they want us to succeed.
2. Life isn't easy for our customers today. They're dealing with ocean capacity and truckload capacity issues. Rates are rising, and profits aren't that healthy yet. We need to prove we're the trusted partner for them across the modes. We want them to be confident that they can bring issues to us and we'll provide the solutions.

Insight: You've really focused the integrated sales team on providing solutions, rather than services. Why?

Putnam: The essence of our solution-based selling approach is that we're here to solve customer problems, not to hit our own sales quotas. We are a consultant to our customer's business, an extension of their supply chain. We act in their best interest--it's about the customer, not us. When we solve their problems, we create a relationship that's strong, integrated and long-term. An important extension of doing solution-based selling really well is the ability to create cutting-edge solutions. By listening to our customers, we can evolve and design new services as customers need them. This helps us remain truly relevant as a business partner who understands business issues and designs solutions to fit.

Insight: Can you give us an example of how that might work?

Putnam: The window service we created for vendors shipping to Walmart is an excellent example--and we've expanded it for other big box retailers. Looking forward, we're hearing more about dot-com fulfillment. The models using that are growing, and require a fast cycle time. There's a great opportunity for us to develop services for the dot-com supply chain as that channel evolves.

Insight: When you do look ahead, how's the view?

Putnam: I absolutely and sincerely believe that we are on the way to rebuilding our company to be more successful than ever. I have spent a great deal of time in discussions with our customers and YRC Worldwide leadership. I am inspired by the amount of work and commitment demonstrated by our financial leadership and others throughout the company. There's a real passion for progress, for moving this company forward. We know the depths we came from last year. We are leaner and more agile now. Business is coming back and people are talking across the company like one organization. We've been through difficult times together and that has forged us into one strong organization. I am really excited about the future.