Coyote Logistics Improves Service Levels to Fuel Growth

The Challenge

Coyote Logistics is a leading global third-party logistics provider that connects shippers and carriers around the world to move more than 10,000 loads every day. The company is committed to delivering smarter supply chain solutions and strategic insights that drive the success of its global network.

Coyote operates on an international scale, with 14,000 shippers, 70,000 carriers, 3,000 trained specialists, and 19 offices across North America and Europe. The company’s global presence represented a significant opportunity to bring the full depth and breadth of their capabilities to its customers through an improved experience. Achieving this higher level of support meant further developing behavior-based interpersonal skills that are universally applicable in selling. Put simply, Coyote leadership wanted to create an environment in which its salesforce could continuously grow personally and professionally in a way that kept the customer at the center of everything they do.

Additionally, Coyote wanted to become an employer of choice for those who were serious about pursuing careers in sales. The company needed its team members to grow with them by expanding their skillsets and developing their ability to adapt in order to serve the evolving needs of their customers.

To support this initiative, Coyote also wanted to create a coaching program in which leaders would learn how to better develop their team members in a way that inspires self-motivation to learn, grow and improve.

Our Approach

Coyote partnered with Richardson Sales Performance to develop a holistic, long-term sales training curriculum. Initial steps involved pre-work, in which sales professionals became familiar with the skills via the Accelerate digital learning, mobile-optimized platform. This approach meant that participants could incorporate learning at their own pace while they continued to engage customers. 

Next, their salesforce began a two-day Consultative Selling course while sales directors and managers participated in a one-day Developmental Coaching program. 

The pre-work served to familiarize participants with the framework and definitions, while the instructor-led training equipped everyone with a common sales language and structure while aligning the effective selling behaviors with the Coyote sales environment. This approach enabled the company to train the entire existing salesforce, while also training all new hires in a three-month period. The result was a curriculum in which participants could learn, practice, apply, coach, and repeat via blended learning. The training led to a new approach in which career advancement was more heavily dependent on skill application than simply sales volume. Additionally, participants experienced an improvement in peer-to-peer and self-coaching which led to ongoing development. 

Importantly, Coyote’s sales team also developed a set of core skills that will serve them well in any economic setting and in any customer conversation. These skills, like listening, questioning, and relating, all establish a higher level of trust needed to transcend the traditional buyer/seller relationship into one of partner and trusted advisor. This approach enabled Coyote’s salesforce to ask the kinds of questions that surfaced underlying needs and led to expanded opportunities with existing customers. This style bolstered Coyote’s focus on offering customers ongoing solutions through continuous improvement, in addition to serving immediate needs. In short, their sales team learned to serve the customer in a consultative way. With digital tools like Accelerate and QuickCheck learners are sustaining their development and taking more ownership of their growth.

The Impact

Members of Coyote’s sales team are now diving into their customers’ businesses and feel empowered to provide the strategic insight and consultative support needed to help solve their biggest challenges. In turn, they are helping fuel Coyote’s growth by improving service levels and increasing the adoption of the company’s full suite of innovative solutions.