GoTRG is made up of more than 2000 diverse teammates across the globe operating under one vision: to revolutionize returns. With experts in every field from software and engineering to ecommerce and supply chain, we want to highlight the skilled teammates who elevate this company’s mission every day. Each month we’ll hand over the metaphorical mic to a new goTRG teammate so you can better understand who we are and how we continually evolve as leaders in the industry.
Overt o you Brady...
My name is Brady Holzhauer, and I have been an Enterprise Account Manager since 2018. My role at goTRG is managing one of our largest enterprise customers. My goal is to consistently deliver the best experience by creating and communicating the value we have to offer.
When executed properly, a value-based account management strategy achieves 99% desirable client retention. It is my priority to ensure that goTRG never falls in the 1%, and that our client always feels like our partnership is vital to their success.
One piece of advice that stood out earlier in my career came from a VP of Sales at a previous company. This wise exec told me he carried around a book of his clients’ contact information everywhere he went. During pitch meetings, he’d keep the book handy. If the prospective customer asked for a referral, he’d hand them 200+ names and let them pick someone to call at random. His value sharing mentality really stuck with me.
If I do not communicate my organization’s hard work and innovations, I may leave the door open for competitors to step in and pitch solutions that goTRG already implemented. As an effective account manager, I always have to challenge the “status quo,” and anticipate my clients’ needs by offering new solutions.
Ultimately, account managers communicate value in an effort to:
1) Build momentum and sustain the continuous improvement mentality.
2) Tell stories of success that empower positive internal communication for key stakeholders.
The value delivery process begins with proper implementation. goTRG has a dedicated team for implementation and they do a fantastic job with large and small projects. Implementation inside account management requires understanding clients’ needs, goals, and expectations prior to executing a project or service.
In 2020, one of our largest clients selected goTRG to manage their TV returns inside four of their US-based facilities. While the program was launched out of necessity and under tight deadlines, we succeeded because of the structure of the implementation. The pre-rollout phase allowed us to financially plan for the resources we needed – from head count to machinery and pallet jacks. It also allowed us to create a budget with forecasts of volumes, which helped us build out the infrastructure and staff needed to achieve our goals.
Overall, the program was implemented successfully. But remember, value not communicated has very little impact. That’s why we documented the client’s goals and built reporting around the targets. This report showed that we exceeded production and recovery goals day after day.
After the initial phase of this pilot, we expanded our existing program to four new operations, and one facility taking on far more inventory for refurbishment. This grew goTRG’s TV volume by 1,400%. Thanks to careful planning and reporting, we successfully scaled this program to exponential new heights.
Another core component of this value-based account management strategy involves conducting internal reviews. Most businesses review their clients’ statuses monthly, quarterly, and yearly; however, we are adding an annual internal review as well. Our internal reviews ensure all department heads are aligned on key priorities and strategy with the client, including initiatives that are working well and those that need improvement. It is my role to lead these reviews and provide insight to goTRG’s leadership so we can create a plan for the future.
Reviews are so important to anticipate clients’ needs and pitch ideas about how to make them more profitable. When I meet with clients and offer anticipatory guidance, I’m always in a better position to wow them and expand goTRG’s business opportunities.
goTRG’s 9040 disposition engine is a standout example. An AI-based innovation, 9040 started making intelligent decisions about returns at our facilities, which reduced touch-points and expenses. Still, clients were covering the costs of shipping these products to our warehouses. We knew we needed to find a more optimized solution.
In 2018, we partnered with this client, anticipated their needs, and found a method to move 9040 upstream into their facilities. The new functionality allowed for pre-sorting items and preventing low-value goods from being unnecessarily transported to goTRG. Moving 9040 upstream reduced expenses and increased incremental sales for the client worth $10MM+.
I can name so many other examples of goTRG’s innovations – I even have them documented in 30-page overviews for each client (kind of like my mentor’s aforementioned ‘contact book’), but you get the idea. The most fun part of my job is when I get to share the value that our goTRG team delivers through hard work and disruptive solutions every day.
In 2021, my goal is to build upon the culture of creating and communicating value to every teammate within our organization. Why? Because there are so many individuals doing creative work, and I want to share the untold stories of the people working 15-hour days to ensure we stay ahead of the curve. I want to encourage every team across our global organization to make their value known so I can share it with people who appreciate it the most - our clients.
goTRG has such amazing stories to tell, and I hope that by inspiring others to adopt a value-based mentality, we collectively become better at telling them.
