Remo Picchietti hates
being kept in the dark.
Take air travel, for instance: “There’s nothing
more frustrating than sitting on
the tarmac not moving and not
knowing why,” says the CEO of
World Commerce Services LLC.
“All the pilot has to do is get on
the PA system and tell us why
we’re not moving.”
To avoid similar frustration
at the 54-employee transportation management and consultation company, Picchietti is
actively engaged in client
transactions in order to disclose changes and anticipate
specific needs.
“It’s all about sharing the
information,” he says.
Those airlines should take
note — from 2004 to 2006,
Picchietti’s emphasis on open
communication has helped
the company post increasing
revenue, from $55 million in
2004 to $65 million in 2005
and $80 million in 2006 before
selling it to Wako Logistics
Group Inc. in 2007.
Smart Business spoke with
Picchietti about how to meet
each customer’s unique needs.
Q. How can leaders
anticipate their clients’
changing needs?
My advice is always to
keep the customer completely up to date, good news or
bad news, because then
adjustments can be made
accordingly, and then there
are no surprises.
It’s all about listening, to
begin with. One customer is
going to certainly have a different need [from another].
Listen to that customer, and
try to tailor to their needs.
The CEO really has to get his
or her hands dirty. That’s the
only way that I can properly
lead this business is if I know
what is happening within our
industries and with our customers.
I am quite often on the road
with salespeople, visiting existing or potential customers.
That is a competitive advantage against the big boys and
girls of the industry.
If somebody is having a
problem or a challenge, they
have my direct-line number,
they have my cell phone number, and, in some cases,
they have my home
number.
If they have a problem
with one of the larger
service providers, they
have an 800 number,
and they don’t know
who they’re going to
speak with.
Q. When tailoring
services to a given
customer’s needs,
how do you avoid
overpromising?
There are some companies in any industry
that attempt to be everything to everyone. Quite
often, that’s impossible.
It’s only going to lead to disappointing the customer and not
winning that customer.
Our philosophy is consistent
and constant sharing of what
our abilities are. We don’t want
to misguide or even misspeak
on either side. We want them
to know everything we can do,
but in no way, shape or form
can or should we make promises on what we might be able
to do because that will only
lead to disappointment on all
sides.
Q. Have you ever turned
down customers because they
were asking for too much?
Absolutely. It’s so counterintuitive, and it’s probably one
of the most difficult conversations I have with key staff,
managers and salespeople —
to actually make the decision
to walk away from a customer.
That needs to be a key component of your strategy — the
willingness and hopefully the
capability of walking away
from a customer if you can’t
properly service that customer.
Q. What is the benefit of
communicating that to your
employees?
If they were attempting to
take care of the needs of a customer for whom we can’t
service properly, so much
time and effort and energy is
taken in trying to do something that we can’t do or
something that they want us
to do that we won’t do.
That’s time spent away from
those customers that need our
services elsewhere. With staff,
they come to understand that,
in the long run, (it’s better to)
properly service the nine customers that we can versus
serving just the one that has
expectations beyond what
we’re telling them we can do.
Q. How do you know when
to expand offerings that
consistently limit your ability
to serve customers?
Counsel very closely with
customers and attempt to
anticipate what they are
going to need.
In some cases, we are invited by the customer to be
involved in their strategic
planning.
These are wonderful customers that want their vendors to know well in
advance of what their plans
are so that everybody can
make the proper adjustments.
If there’s expectation or
anticipation that a vendor is
not going to be able to keep
up with us, then we have to
make a different decision.
Therefore, when I’m on the
other side and I’m promoting
our services to our customers,
I look at myself from their
eyes. Only if I’m going to be
able to be flexible and adjust
are they going to stick with
me.
HOW TO REACH: World Commerce Services LLC, (888) 873-9271 or www.shipwcs.com