At Berlin Packaging, cross-departmental collaboration is not just a "nice-to-have," but a crucial part of the strategy to winning our customers' trust and business. And Credit plays a key role in these meetings.
Earlier this year, Berlin Packaging had a significant opportunity to win new business from an existing client. Berlin flew the customer to its corporate headquarters in Chicago, where seated around the conference table were leaders from Sales, Operations, Credit, and Studio 111 (Berlin's in-house design center). By the end of the day, Berlin had received the commitment they were hoping for, a five-year contract for 100% exclusive business. The customer's team remarked that it was "amazing" Berlin had dedicated so many resources and it was "strange but impressive" to have the Credit team sit in.
At other companies they had met with, they said, Finance did not participate at all. They felt that, with the Credit team present, Berlin had a deep desire to learn about them and understand their needs. With that understanding, they could expect a smooth and cooperative relationship.
"They came out of the meeting knowing that we wouldn't undercut the rest of the team," explains Credit Director Jeff Perlstein. "They were impressed that we wanted to be involved upfront, rather than just looking at numbers and saying yes or no. It was more than yes or no. It was, 'How do we get there?'"
"Meetings like this," he notes, "are an acknowledgment that no one person can close a major business deal. That doesn't mean that a salesperson couldn't get a contract," he says. "But to maximize that contract and make sure that customer has trust in us, we make sure, coming out of the gate, that we're continuously showing them that they made the right decision to work with us."
Berlin's cooperative internal philosophy, demonstrated by meetings like this one, cascades down to every department.
"It takes every department to land a deal," Perlstein stresses. "It takes Sales to demonstrate price and delivery, operations to demonstrate our warehousing and inventory programs, and so on. Finance and Credit must be involved from the get-go to understand the risks, rewards, and opportunities and to know what's important to the customer. If they rely on fundraising, what are their capabilities, and what's their track record on that?"
Another dimension of this team approach is to bring in experts from within Berlin and from outside to give customers perspectives on their needs and on how they can best be met.
"It's not necessarily a 'you should do this or that but a discussion between our team and their team," he says. "That sparks some ideas within their mindset. They may think, 'Berlin said this. They're a big company, and we're small. Let's put those into action and see where it takes us.'"
Are there conflicts within these teams, such as between Sales and Credit? "Of course," replies Perlstein. "You should have conflicts, but it's how you get past each other's side in the conflict and start working toward a resolution that's important. There's great wisdom in the old saying, 'Don't come to me with a problem unless you have two or three solutions.' You have to build trust in your Sales and Operations teams so that, when you're talking with them about some concerns, they know you're not trying to be the Sales Prevention Department."
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