Page 195 - Schooley Mitchell Marketing Manual
P. 195
SCHOOLEY MITCHELL
MARKETING MANUAL
Cheat Sheets – Small Package Shipping
Manual Revised: April 3 2025 Confidential
- 190 -
Small Package Shipping and Courier Cheat Sheet
Fact Finding /Document Gathering Best Practices
Ask for online access to all vendors, or at least the largest accounts we will audit
If no online access, request a minimum of three months of invoices in both PDF and CSV formats
If paper invoices only, FedEx is typically OK, UPS may require End of Day Daily Shipment Reports from WorldShip software for every day during the billing period.
Ask for rep contact information.
If known, utilize alternative LOA template to streamline authorization process.
Ask for a copy of the most recent Pricing Agreement for each vendor. Briefing Points
Category Pain Points
Pricing agreements are complex, with discounts that vary depending on many criteria.
Dedicated sales reps can be challenging to work with.
Surcharges added to invoices without notice (Ex: Additional Handling Surcharge).
Annual general rate increases.
Weekly invoices.
Implication Questions
Do you have software to identify late shipments and claim refunds within the 15-day requirement?
Do you have software to compare your weekly invoices to your Custom Pricing Agreement?
Savings Opportunities
Negotiating improved discounts to transportation services.
Negotiating discounts on various accessorial charges.
Optimize carrier pick-up charges.
Ensure appropriate service level usage.
Optimize usage of carrier-supplied packaging. Real Client Stories
Truck Repair Company
Mike is the general manager for a multi-location truck repair company. Each location had its own shipping activity and staff responsible for the process. Various staff members would handle shipping differently depending on their location and individual department. For example, Doris might overnight some paperwork while Jamie or Jonathan would ship parts for repairs through the ground network.
Mike struggled with visibility into the small package shipping expenses, having only a handle on the final annual number of about $700,000. He knew that this figure was creeping up over time and eroding profit margins but lacked the time and resources to devote to cost reduction. When Schooley Mitchell approached with its unique business model, Mike was happy to let us dig in to see what we could uncover.
In our deep dive, Schooley Mitchell made a couple of important discoveries. First, the discounts provided on the account were outdated, so we negotiated improvements to drive approximately $1,000 per month in direct price reductions. Secondly, we discovered that the business was consistently paying an additional charge of $18 per package for address corrections being assessed each time a specific location of the business shipped to another
OR INTERNAL USE ONL
FY