Have you seen the 2007 film, Michael Clayton?
If not, check it out. Great movie. George Clooney is excellent in the title role, and Tom Wilkinson is even better in the supporting cast.
Anyway….the film is about an unusual type of lawyer. A “fixer.” Someone who helps clients in very sticky situations.
Not “I’m six months late on my car payments and they are going to repossess” kind of sticky, but “I’m a congressman running for reelection and I think I just ran someone over in my car” kind of sticky.
Michael Clayton works in the shadows, cleaning up messes. He is a realist that tells clients, ruthlessly and objectively, what they don’t want to hear. And then shows them a way forward.
Logistics sales is about solving problems
I think logistics businesses need more logistics sales people like Michael Clayton (minus the drinking and the gambling addiction).
I mean people who are wired to solve tough problems. Who make clear-minded, fact-based assessments and are not afraid to offer up an approach that doesn’t jibe with the customer’s vision.
It’s hard to train logistics sales reps to be problem solvers - at least to this extent. It’s a DNA thing. Michael Clayton didn’t “learn” to be a fixer.
(Yes, I am aware that he’s not a real person.)
As a logistics marketing professional, you want to engage with companies that are having problems. That's when sales opportunities are most ripe.
If you’re successful, and these prospects then quickly engage with a logistics sales person who is smart, honest, and a congenital problem solver - a fixer in his own right - that makes for a pretty powerful 1-2 punch.
