Delivering Sales and CRM Success with Andres Obando, Coordinadora

Hi, this is Clint,

And this is Lizzy.

Today we interviewed Andres Obando, VP of sales at Coordinadora Mercantil. This is our first interview with a company based outside of the United States and Colombia specifically.

That's right. And he gave us a few different tips that our audience can learn something.

Yeah, you know, I think the one that really jumped out to me is what it's like to run a business with your family. That's always a tough challenge out there and to grow one of the largest businesses in Colombia with your family members, was certainly a challenge that he figured out how to get around.

Agreed. And I also like his tip for CRM administrators on deploying CRM functionalities that I think our sales team and CRM admins can learn from.

That's right, start small think big move quickly. And he's a man of international travel. So getting to know Andres as a person I thought was really a neat part of today's show. So with that, we're gonna go ahead and kick off the show now and we'll let you guys all get to know Andres better. Thanks for joining us today on the Fuel Growth Podcast.

What is the right growth equation for your company? Is it pipeline?

Brand?

Products?

Customers?

Employees?

Join us as we interview CEOs, entrepreneurs and seasoned executives to explore what it takes to propel your business into growth. Joining us today is Andres Obando, Vice President of Sales at Coordinadora Mercantil, the largest logistics and delivery company in Colombia. Originally from Colombia, Andres studied business as an undergraduate at Babson College in Boston, and then earned his MBA at IE business school in Madrid, before returning to Medellín to ultimately run sales for Coordinadora. Andres speaks English, French and German in addition to his native Spanish, and is the author of three books. Welcome to the pod Andres.

Hi, Clint. Hi, Lizzy. First of all, thank you very much for this invitation. It's amazing to be here and talk about our company talk about logistics, and how it's going all over the world was specifically in Colombia and in Latin America is having a huge wall warm. So it's very interesting.

Yeah. So we are happy to have you join and also to learn from you today on just thank you. I'm actually going to kick us off. We like to get to know our guests better with an icebreaker question. I understand that you are a world traveler. Can you talk to us about your all time favorite meal and where would be the ideal setting to enjoy it?

Awesome. I think that is an icebreaker it's very gets gets the nerves out. But I really think I'm more of a romantic even though like I'm in business logistics, a lot of Excel, a lot of Gmail, everything. Apps, plugins, whatever. But I think I'm more of a romantic you'd like my personal life. I'm a big reader, a big literature fan or a big travel fan. So I think I would probably choose like an enteric gods in Paris. There's a specific restaurant there. That's called the Leyland records. And I love it. And any day of the week, I will be happy to visit Paris again.

Beautiful, and it's one place I have not yet visited.

Well, Andres, tell us a bit about your company. What exactly does Coordinadora do? And how do you stand out in your market? Perfect.

So we're 57 year old company. It was actually founded by my grandfather on the level on and he started being a surgical salesman in Bristol Myers Squibb. It was called Squibb back in the end and back in the day, and he won a couple of prizes, the best salesman in the world actually traveled to New York for world like price. And he saw that there was a big lack of logistics in Colombia. And that whatever he he was able to sell from one city to the other. It didn't arrive the next day or not even the next month, if he went back to another city in Colombia, and to do to visit the same the same pharmacy, and the products that he had sold weren't even there. So he saw this, this lack of logistics, and he found that Coordinadora today we are basically based on personal service company. So we are very a lot of cross docking a lot of E-commerce. And we're most mostly focused on on packages, we're not focused on big truckloads of for example, the the route from point A to point B of a huge struggle, either oil or gas or anything like that. It's basically personal service. And that's where we're mainly focused on I think, in being in the in the transportation industry. One of the important things is to find a focus and find where you're good at because you can't do everything. And there are a lot of opportunities that that come to the table on constantly. And really, I think one of the most important things is to look to figure out that focus and strategy and keep on rollin with that.

Yeah, I've certainly learned that in my career that that focus is how you differentiate focus is how you stay in doubt, focus is how you excel as a company. So Coordinadora is is essentially the the UPS or the DHL of Colombia, is that correct is

that FedEx DHL ups like those every one of our competitors, and actually partners for international parcel service,

and I was visiting Bogota and Medellín, just a few months ago in June, and I saw your trucks all over the cities. That's a brand that everybody sees every day whenever they're outside of the house, right?

Yes, precisely, we actually, we think of ourselves as part of our marketing strategy is having our trucks completely like branded and very beautiful, very tidy. Because at the end of the day, that's, that's, that's what our main marketing strategies and we are not saving as well, like, we're, we think we're one of the most basic physical marketing, the biggest physical marketing company in there in the country, actually, because we have, like our brand all over the country, because of our jobs.

It's a household brand, we would say. Now, you mentioned this, just briefly at the intro, here, you have a special relationship with the company and the other leaders that you read the company with, tell us about a family run business.

It's quite interesting, actually. So I'm part of the third generation of the company. And it's three of us, three of us are cousins that are working inside the company, my cousin is you either the generational jump a couple of years ago, and he's acting the President right now. And it's been quite fun, actually. But it's been, of course, a big challenge and a challenge that came in difficult years, or confusing for the world because of COVID. And different reasons. And political stability, has security in Colombia in the last couple of years, it's been a roller coaster, in a way, but that has also made us learn and be prepared to manage the company in stable times, which we hope we already arrived to those to those types that are that are more stable, or at least we don't have ups, peaks and valleys. And then like during COVID. And during a couple of protests that were here in Colombia, and especially specifically in 2014, where we basically didn't work for during a whole one. So in a lot of peaks and valleys. But yes, going back to the family, run business, I think one of the most important things to be united as united as persons understand ourselves within the company, as a as professionals, but also as people. And one of the most important things that I think, and my aunt, which was she was the precedents for 40 years she did was united to unite us in that sense. And she's actually the one that constantly keeps the family united in the personal personal lives. So it's it's important that we're all focused on the same struggle. But I think there's still many challenges to come this race challenge just started.

Yeah, that's something that I wanted to do is it must be hard to balance the demands of growing one of the most recognized brands in Colombia, and doing it with your family, and you've just thrown out your cousins as partners in the business, your aunt, do you have any advice for our listeners who are in a similar situation?

Yes, I think one is one of the most important things definitely with running a business with your family is letting the egos out, like not not not making the movie, be a problem, nobody has to be focused on why somebody the president why the other one is not the president, that's not the main focus on strategy, the main to grow as a business, and we have to see the big picture to to make sure that being a family doesn't intervene in their growth of the company. And the other the other is also have an a big ally protocol. So we actually did a huge like six months of work with EY in the accent game and, and work with the holes that lead the people inside the company, and outside the companies that will start bringing like so some rolls of work and of engagement to make sure that we don't have you don't have problems, not even not even thinking about the present, but in the future. And also because there's we are a third generation, but we're 16 cousins. And already those six things cousins have a couple of them already have children. And those children already are coming of age, we have to set all the rules of engagement to not have problems in the future.

So on just when you are seeking external support from EY in this case, you said Do you find that that's a one time or do you feel that you need to do that on a more regular basis or routinely with your team, in this case, your cousin.

We did that three years ago. And we constantly like to time like one time, every two or three months, we unite with one member of each family because of each nuclei. And with those, we constantly remind ourselves of like what we agreed upon three years ago. And up to this point, it has been good. But I think of course, there's there will be moments where we would have to go back and check the paperwork, check all the rules, see if there's, there might be changes that we might have to do, or we should go back to implement. And we haven't done a lot of exceptions throughout the way throughout the years, and make, like focus that either direction or and like our strategy or family strategy toward the what we react and agreed upon a couple of years ago.

Well, let's shift gears a bit and talk about running the business. Tell us about your approach to building a great sales team and hitting your sales targets. Maybe you have a framework for creating a highly effective and engaged sales organization.

Yes, of course, I think what we have done with our sales team is really interesting. We also coming back to focus, we have seen that our brand is mainly focused on big, big companies, big and medium sized companies, which makes our sales team extremely important. Because at the end of the day, when we when we talk with a big company, we need people that are constantly talking to them the whole the whole the whole day. And that makes a great need for a huge sale or this but we're we're around 100 people. And a couple of years ago, we actually implemented SugarCRM. And that really helped us out to organize the leads and organize the different potential clients that were coming in, because we hadn't completely disorganized everything. So everything, all the different cities because we're we're like we're a personal service company, we have ups and all the fixings in the country. And that makes that our sales teams are also located in all these cities, which makes it difficult to organize without without a CRM, where we can actually see the data and input that they're they're they're performing are inputting the whole the whole time with the potential clients. So in that case, we I think our sales team is ordered by two big things. One is core service to us services is the most important part of overbroad of our company, which is being a company a logistics service company, focused on big brands, they they are not looking for branding, or branding, they're looking for actually service and not having problems. At the end of the day, when we are also talking about a service company. It's the most important thing that we're looking at, we don't have problems in the moment that we that we deliver. So that's one of the big focus and the MPR focus will be branding for the smaller clients that we will see great potential. At the end of the day, there are a lot of new e commerce coming in. And new new brand new grandstander wants to sell inside the country and outside the country. And we want to be the logistics partners for the for the company. So the branding also helps for when the salesperson comes to knock on the door. They already know what what quarter you know, they sound the whole trajectory that we've been working on in the last 50 years.

I'm curious understood aside from CRM, which is a tool that your team is heavily reliant on. It sounds like Are there any other tools that your team is using and the sales work that's helping to keep track of polls?

Yes, we do. We also have a big department, it's all concentrated on Clixsense. And I think they are there for the sales team is very motivational to be constantly looking at their sales, day to day live, like in a live way. So they can check exactly how many units we've been picking up every day and how they're doing compared to the month before. And that was the same month last year. And before honestly, before these tutorials we were pretty blind a couple of five, six years ago. And I think that has more than a team to keep growing right now. Where are the double duplicating or sales sprawl from last years or new new clients, not complete sales, but um, new clients have been duplicated. And I think that because of our service and because of our branding that has been growing a lot

outstanding and so sounds like you've had a lot of great success with technology and enabling your salespeople to have the right tools at the right point in time, but also focusing on on hiring the right people and getting them into into that place and working with the clients day in day out. That's that's exactly the right way to approach business. However, sometimes every leader makes some mistakes. And learning from those mistakes is sometimes the the most important way to grow as a sales leader. So tell me, what are the top two or three mistakes you've made? And how did you learn from them?

To answer this question, I would have to go again. So the first thing that I point out about focus, I think once you grow, once you invest and grow a lot in marketing, once your brand is, is really known throughout the country, there are so many opportunities that come to the table. And I think one of the most important things to say no, a lot, in a way, like most most of the opportunities that come to the table, even the great ideas, you if they're not booked, not on your cert not not coherent with yours challenging the best, probably the best thing you have to do is say no, and keep focused on your strategy. If that idea comes that fits in your strategy that fits in your whole network, then then I can probably say yes, and I wouldn't probably say that one of my biggest fail failures would have to be one of one big idea about selling WMS, which is a warehouse management system or the hub's that if a partner came came to, to offer to us six to seven years ago, and we said yes, we focus the wholesale seam on the on selling the WMS. At the end of day, one year, one year pass and sales were not growing, the our sales team were full, were this concentrated on on two big things that were being acquired. Because yes, of course, the WMS system can earn looks like it will be a good a good bet for a company or parcel delivery company. But at the end of the day, a sales team and a salesperson can only take like a couple of things to in the in their day to day basis. So I think that will be a big, big, like failure for us. Especially because at the end they did a tractor sales and parcel and transportation that year. So I going back to like the, what I learned from that is definitely like, keep focusing and make sure to accept ideas that are cohere with your strategy

I agree to that one, I've made that mistake myself. And I can certainly imagine trying to turn your sellers into both software salespeople and logistics salespeople at the same time was, was probably more than could be accomplished.

Yeah, and they think there are like I would I wouldn't name that that was one of my personal biggest defeats for to say it like that. But there are many that come on a day to day basis. And I think the most important thing to, to have in mind is that there's always time to to turn back, like the Saturday, you know, because you you sent a couple months ago and gathered the whole team and told them, okay, from now on, we're doing things this way or commissions or this way, or we're heading toward this market doesn't mean that two months later, you can't come back, rewind and say to everybody, Hey, guys, we had a we had a fault we were we were going to change a couple of things readjust. And like that we're gonna we're gonna actually increase our sales. So I think one of the important things is not not to be afraid to to actually accept your faults, and to tell the team that we are constantly going to be readjusting. Also that I think that's that's important for them to know that no strategy is, is completely 100% Real maybe or not, not like plays placed on stone because we're always have to be rear readjusting strategy.

It sounds like unrest, you've had to create a culture of semi agility so that your employees know that we are going to be experimenting, sometimes we may fail and we may come back and say we're going to try something different because this clearly didn't work. So if I had to take a guess, but I'm looking to you to to verify, do your employees, do you have a transparency model with your employees and and if so, do you find that they are accepting of change

Yes, I think especially when you show through sales and growth that there are opportunities for your employees. They will accept of course that there will be different changes that you will do you we'll be performing on the strategy. And that many times it will work, it will work out for them. But there are a couple of times where in a way they will be affected by whatever change you will you perform at. Remember, the thing is that to show them also that there are different projects and opportunities for them to grow as a, as a professional in talking about transparency, I think your parents also know, you can say absolutely everything Sure, but it's important, it is important to also let them know that there are a couple of things they for whichever reason, you're not gonna mention at this point of strategy.

you mentioned a moment ago that you had rolled out SugarCRM as your new CRM solution. And I'm curious in there any lessons learned on rolling out a new CRM technology for your team? Anything you can share with us? What went? Well? What didn't go? Well?

Yes, of course, I think I think the discovery stage, at the end of the day you learn you learn a lot, you dream a lot. And and everything in paper and pencil seems pretty easy. But at the end of the day, that's when we're when SugarCRM and with any other software, like you implemented a company, there are a couple of things that you you have to depend on the developers. And that is also a huge thing that yours as a company, and as a strategy, you have to also keep in mind that you can say yes to everything. Also, because at the end of the day, we all are, I think many many of the executives out there in this will agree on this is that you can accept everything. Because many times it all depends on your developing team and how fast you can actually work on. And I think that that happened a bit like in the implementation of CRM, that we started to dream with so many things. And at the end of the day, we the best, the best thing that we actually did was to roll back and say, Okay, let's start with a minimum viable product. And then we'll start growing from there. And I think that hasn't been successes.

Work small, think big move, quickly. Exactly. Yeah. You bet.

Well Andres, thank you for sharing all of that with us. It's it's always good to learn some tips from people that have had experience. You do want to ask you a last question. For the show today, where can our listeners find you? Where can they learn more about you? And I'm going to actually add something different that I don't usually ask, Where can they find books that you've written? Since you have authored three apparently,

But, I think the books that I've written them first of all, they're not business books. They're literature. So it's a bit of my personal time. But yes, of course they can. They can. In there's a couple of websites, especially there's one that's called Boostcolleoni.com. There you can either buy the books through E-commerce anywhere in the world. And buy Yeah, it's where it can organic people find this, I mean, find me and find the company, we're LinkedIn where YouTube, where we're an Instagram where we're growing a lot the brown because we understand that even though our big, our big focus is big, medium, or big companies, there is a huge market, where the regular person, how is it in Spanish in a way, and that that we want to brand the company and not everybody finds that in Coordinadora they have a reliable computing word to use, send their e-commerce and grow their businesses.

Thank you. We appreciate your time today.

Well, thank you Andres. I know I personally spent a fair amount of time making sure that I could properly pronounce Coordinadora Mercantil. So I'm just gonna say it one more time because I worked on that for a while. But I want to thank you very much. Andres Obando VP of sales, according to Dora, and for joining us and sharing your lessons learned and getting to know you a little bit better.

Thanks, Clint. Thank you, Lizzy.