That process takes us further away from the stickiness we cultivate with clients . That stickiness factor is critically important . We want to have a personalized partnership with our clients . Customers aren ’ t just buying Priority Dispatch . They ’ re buying our people , our integrity , our honesty . This stickiness factor becomes even more important in the personalization of relationships . That ’ s lost in the RFP process . It reduces you to being a vendor .”
A Partner , Not a Vendor
Thomas believes successful relationships are about building partnerships : “ Priority Dispatch strives not to be just a vendor . A vendor merely serves a need – or provides an attractive price point . The clients say , ‘ I need this thing to get from point A to point B ,’ and you give it to them . There ’ s a market for those services . It ’ s not the market I chose to be in culturally .”
Simply getting things from point A to point B is transactional . There ’ s no connection there and no chance to develop a sticky relationship . “ I deeply want to embed my organization into my client ’ s companies . That ’ s how you build a long-term relationship ,” says Thomas . “ Priority Dispatch aims to be an integral part of our clients ’ value proposition . Because , if the professionalism and the continuity of service are not important to a client ’ s core business , they shouldn ’ t be working with us .”
Thomas offers an example of a vertical where delivery is a critical component of their value proposition - healthcare . “ We do a lot of pharmaceutical deliveries . These are a perfect fit for our approach . They put Priority Dispatch in the quality-of-life business ,” says Thomas . “ Those deliveries are all about the quality of life for those patients . Deliveries matter in that sector , and we can add to the value proposition of those shippers . We can help bring their value proposition to a new level . Because we deeply understand their value proposition , we can partner with them to prepare for the future . We have deep , trusting , intimate relationships with those shippers . Because they trust us with their perspective on the future , we can help them innovate in preparation for that future . Stickiness is about better understanding who your customers want to be and playing your part to help them get there . We can bring value to their vision . We can change ourselves to evolve in what we do for them . If you ’ re not evolving , at least at the speed your clients are , you ’ ll lose your relevance to them . You can ’ t catch up to their expectations . The more you know about their expectations today and tomorrow , the more you ’ ll be able to develop your capabilities to get in front of their forthcoming expectations . You want to get in front of those expectations because once a gap is created you ’ re already behind it , and somebody else will come along to fill it .”
The Opportunity Matrix
Not all customers will be sticky customers . Priority Dispatch does its best to take on the ones with that potential . They ’ ve developed a tool they call the “ Opportunity Matrix ” that they apply to all business opportunities presented to them .
Here are the six factors that make up the Opportunity Matrix :
• Client commitment - How committed is this customer to developing the relationship ?’
• Fit with core competency - Is this a job that fits Priority Dispatch ’ s core competency ?
• Growth opportunity - Does this opportunity have the ability to grow ?
• Decision maker - Will the Dispatch Priority team be able to have a direct relationship with the decision maker ?
18 customized logistics & delivery Magazine I summer 2024