Megan Lowery & Brandon Russo: Mastering Sales-Marketing Synergy & Leadership in Logistics

I am Jennifer Karpis-Romain , executive Director of the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association , which is a trade nonprofit educating and connecting marketing and sales professionals in transportation and logistics , and I'm really excited today to have on the show Megan Lowery , who's Director of Marketing , and Brandon Russo , who's Director of Sales at FST Logistics .

And we talk so much about the importance of sales and marketing alignment , but so often I feel like when we have those conversations , we're having it with one or the other side . Rarely do we bring both sides of the leadership together to really talk about how to engage and how to do that successfully . So I'm so excited to have you both on the show .

How are you guys ?

I started at FST , where now I am the director of marketing . So from industry experience I have about two years , but then sales and marketing experience I'm coming up on about seven .

So as I was going through my senior year , I really started looking at other 3PLs or third-party logistics companies in Columbus , found a job at another relatively large organization Fortune 250 company , got my feet wet there , spent about four years there , found my way to FST in 2020 , really started as kind of the sole salesperson , which is kind of crazy to think

about . And here we are four years later with a relatively large team on both the sales and marketing side .

So , like I said , love having you guys both here to really talk about the importance of sales and marketing alignment , and to me , part of that is because both of these teams are part of your revenue generating model and both have to be firing well to get maximum output and what you're doing , and sometimes , if you're not working together , you're working against

each other , and so I would love to hear both of your perspectives on why this is important , especially if you're looking at achieving your overall business and revenue goals .

We offer a lot of services in the market . We do warehousing , we do transportation , we do retail fulfillment , e-commerce fulfillment .

So you know , marketing and sales working really closely to identify what those key messages are out to the market and then having a team to consistently communicate that message out in the market gives us a really good ability to sell and close business . So the alignment is absolutely crucial .

in the Dallas , fort Worth area , something that we don't really know how to go about , and so we knew in that moment that we have to work together to have that consistent messaging . So it's you know , what collateral do we need when going to conferences , trade shows or meetings ? What are those specific phrases ?

Or how do we actually sell this on prospect calls ?

That's something where you know , we know right from the beginning we have to work together on because , to what Brandon was saying , if we don't have that consistency externally , it's going to be noticed and at the end of the day , both teams have the same goal and that is it's to grow the business and build that revenue .

So if we can work together , revenue goes up , customer experience goes up and then the entire company wins . Yeah .

So we've been , you know , trying to take a lot of advice from those people to use for , you know , our sales and marketing efforts , and it's going to be awesome .

We're going to a big trade show here in March called Expo West and we're really excited to communicate a lot of , you know , that new location , hopefully get some people out there excited about it and maybe find some new customers .

I know , when I was back in my days of being director of marketing , I started a company and we went to trade shows and I made the president come to four trade shows with me just so I could hear him pitch .

I need to know , as the marketing person , how you sell the business , because I don't know that coming in and I have to be able to listen to how you do that so that the marketing reflects what you're actually the sales talk track to , so that the marketing reflects what you're actually the sales talk track to , and so I like that .

You said that like let's go to our team who has experience in doing this and getting their feedback on keywords and things and then building the marketing and the sales strategy around that , because you don't have to start from scratch , and if you don't have to , why would you ? But sometimes we forget to do that .

It also makes those people feel more involved in the process and more engaged and excited for what's to come because they were part of that process and they , but we really started going to a lot of trade shows here within the last couple of years and we had some newer marketing folks that were attending some of the shows , so we actually built elevator pitches

for them .

But it's funny you brought that story up because we did something very similar to our organization .

sell and how we communicate , and it did . It helped us tremendously . But even you know we have sales trainings that we do and things like that in the marketing team . We are always sitting in there and we're always understanding , just because we have to exactly to your point yeah to megan's uh point there , though .

Yes , you need to . Yeah , Megan , you said you were new to the industry and so you didn't have that exposure of what the industry does , let alone what FST specifically does in that . So you have to hear it , you have to listen , it has to be ingrained .

And I love that you do the elevator pitches for the marketing team too , because you want to be equipped at the booth or whatever you're doing . Whoever's there can usher people along , and that's really important . So I think that's a really good strategy and example of how powerful it can be when sales and marketing are working together . Yeah , no , absolutely .

And that kind of brings us to our next point , because you guys believe so strongly that these teams should be aligned . You actually had your first ever internal sales and marketing summit and that really focused on giving your sales , marketing and your relationship management teams , the tools , insights , strategies to hit the ground running . Come together for a day .

Tell us about that , how it came together , how you knew who to include in that Love to hear more about it .

So we all kind of sat down collectively and really started to build that summit . I think Megan and I knew we wanted to do something similar , but really this was kind of that final straw that really made us want to move forward with this event . But we really started planning and preparing . We had a couple months . We thought the event went really well .

It was an all-day event , it was education , it was review , reflection of 2024 . I think , calling out think you know calling out and really focusing on you know the successes of the team and the group were really important for 2024 .

But then kind of get that morale booster you know what I mean and really start to talk about your goals and everything that you want to accomplish for 2025 . So started with the president of the company and then we started planning from there .

Again , this is a really big year for growth for everyone , and so that was actually something that we even discussed when we found out we were going to do the summit . We sent out a survey to our teams before we wanted to understand maybe some questions that they had or specific areas of development that they were wanting to focus on .

So then that was also a way that we could kind of cater each session to our team , which was incredibly helpful because , you know , we just wanted to make sure to what Brandon was saying . Going into the new year , there was a lot of motivation and excitement about everything that was to come .

So with that in mind , it just really made sense and we got our leadership team involved . They actually really wanted to be involved , which is awesome .

You don't usually get that at other organizations , but our team is really active and I think it was also good for the sales team , for the marketing team , for the relationship managers , to kind of hear from those executives within the business some of the goals and strategies for FST .

How did you kind of cater the content to what people wanted ?

So that was one aspect , just because there had been a lot of planning leading up to it and we wanted to just kind of give our teams that information ahead of time to give themselves also the confidence and the knowing going into the new year .

This was also an avenue that they could use when talking to prospects and then also just some of our partners too , of how we can work with some of our additional partners . If , for instance , you know we're having a difficult time potentially going into a specific business , we have some additional partners that maybe we can work collaboratively on to you know .

Then go back to our prospects to help close business .

So we got some some higher level people that have had a lot of success in their careers and talking about how they got to that point in their career . I thought that was very valuable for the team as well .

So there was a lot of opportunity for networking and it was pretty cool to see , you know , maybe somebody who hasn't been in the business a long time talking to our CEO or something like that business a long time talking to our CEO or something like that .

But , yeah , there was there's plenty of time for networking , which I think in this environment and with these types of personalities was was awesome .

So it really and I think that's the thing you know FST also , we're an employee owned company , so that's something that we really hold ourselves to is we want to include everyone , because we all have to understand the mission , because every single day , whatever you do , directly impacts the success that we have . So it was a very easy .

Yeah , there was no roster of who to pick . We knew everyone needed to attend .

So you know , a lot of transportation or third-party logistics companies might be structured in a different way than our business , but the way our business is structured , you know , sales and marketing work very closely and then the relationship managers , who are essentially account managers , handling customers' business . These three groups work really close .

So with our business , to us this made the most sense as far as which groups to bring in .

So we are a little bit split up but again , we all work very closely with each other . Cool .

So if other sales and marketing teams were interested in launching something like this , what are some of the major takeaways of things you would improve for the next time ? The biggest things you learned .

But we also know that we're incredibly lucky with how well we work together , but then also how well our teams love working together , so that , for one , makes it so much easier because , again , it just motivates us , because we're so passionate about the growth and development of our teams that putting on something for like this , it's not a hassle ever for us to

do .

percent . But I would say too , you know if another company is looking to do this , I think you know the reflection of you know how big is our company ? How many people do we have in these departments ? If it's a smaller company , does it make a lot of sense ?

You know our company has grown quite a bit pretty quick and you know we have a lot of people now in these roles . So we thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to kind of round the troops up and have this event . But I would say , you know , if a company is looking to do it , you know really reflecting on the previous year is really important .

You know , especially on the sales side , you want to call out big wins from the year . There's always going to be opportunities that a company could work on from the previous year . So call out those things If your leadership team is interested in attending , ours obviously wanted to be a part of this , so get them involved .

I think having a senior leader or an executive leader in a business . Come down and talk to the group about some of the overall business strategy that maybe a salesperson doesn't get to hear every day is absolutely crucial to the growth . And then , yeah , talk about your 2025 plan of action . We did an all-day event .

It was a long day , so that's why we also wanted to throw in the learning and development piece . But then hear from the people right , what do they want to learn ? How do they want to grow ? In the learning and development piece . But then hear from the people , right , what do they want to learn what ? How do they want to grow within the business .

Take that feedback and then put it to action for your own sales and marketing summit .

We asked , we asked everyone in attendance provide a personal and professional goal , and that , I think , really helped every employee owner kind of understand where each person was going into the year , because it kind of just level sets what everyone's motivation is and how they want to be better going into the year too .

So doing something like that it's a time of people kind of got a little vulnerable and we were very appreciative by the fact that they felt safe in doing that . But it definitely helps because even our executives who are in attendance , they also share their personal professional goals .

How many times do you hear you know a C-suite ever sharing some of those kinds of goals ? But it really to us we thought that that was great , and then you know , as we dive into the new year and figure out how to help our teams grow , it was also nice to hear those two , especially with our one on ones and things like that .

So we've already taken a lot of the feedback . We got a lot of the goals . We've taken a lot of that and we're now going to put that into action for our second half of the year summit . So it'll be a little bit more of a modified version .

So , obviously a smaller modified event , but is there anything else you're planning throughout the year to make sure that the alignment between these teams are really on point and that the messaging that you have for your customers is really streamlined .

All right , here were , here was everything that we went over . Here were the goals that we presented for 2025 . Where are we at ? How do we need to readjust ? But yeah , I mean , with how closely our teams work , I feel like we're always just kind of addressing these things .

I don't think there will be kind of any other big like quarterly portion , but with how often we're working together , we pretty much are always trying to hit what we discussed at the beginning of the year and every single kind of group meeting that we have .

Yeah .

When would you go back to and what would you tell ?

But if I could tell myself it would be comfortable asking those questions . Dive into things . But if I could tell myself it would be comfortable asking those questions . Dive into things . If you don't understand whoever you're asking also probably did not understand that topic .

So go to those people , feel comfortable doing it , because then as you grow throughout your career you will one have confidence to be okay with asking questions or being okay by saying I don't understand that , let me get back to you or let me do some research , because it will help you continue to kind of grow in your career .

So that would be for younger me .

echo that . I mean I would say taking the time early in your career to truly understand your industry . Make sure you spend a lot of time learning .

If you can spend time really focusing on what that niche is , what the learning , if you can spend time really focusing on what , what that niche is , what that the business does , that is absolutely crucial because then when you're out in the market you can speak a lot better to it .

I ran probably a thousand miles an hour early , early in my career , so I wish I would have slowed down a little bit from that sense . And then I would also say too , I mean it nurturing relationships . You know I started a company , moved to FST , so I wish you know there were some relationships I wish I would have maybe held on to .

And you know nurturing relationships in any industry , especially on the sales and marketing side , is absolutely crucial for your growth . You never know when somebody is going to potentially move to a different position within a different company . So it's always important to really stay close to people that you work with and work well with .

But I then worked with a lot of really really smart like engineer people the people that were building the tech infrastructure but , I not that person and I never wanted to admit when I did not understand a single thing that they were explaining . And then I realized , though , like we were doing like CRM explaining .

And then I realized , though , like we were doing like CRM stuff , and so the people we're selling to are more aligned with my marketing X brain . So if I don't understand it , our customers aren't going to understand it .

So then all of a sudden I realized everyone's perception and opinion matters , because everyone has a different perception and if your perception happens to be the one closest to the customers , you become more , not more , valuable than everyone else . But that is a differencing of opinion that should be brought to the table and not like put into a little box .

And that really , really helped me and that's always my advice to people is like , really understanding that your voice and your perception is really important and it and you want people to have different thoughts , and because that's how you put the best output , I don't want people to just say yes to me all the time , because I want to be challenged , so that what

we're doing for our members are the best . So I liked that .

And then , brandon , to your point relationship building is so important , I think , especially in our younger careers like don't be afraid to ask for a mentorship or to keep in touch or to reach out , and that's one of the things I do love about TMSA is just there is such a good wide range of job titles and people who've been in the industry at different points

, and so you have that . I loved , when I was on the marketing side of things , making friends with the salespeople that were in TMSA , because it made me then be able to build better sales enablement for my team , because it's like what actually helps you .

I don't want to waste my time or their time , and so I think that that's really helpful in keeping those relationships and not being afraid to slow down to make an impact because it can have a bigger , bigger bigger and better impact for everyone .

And you know , building that relationship with every individual is going to be different . But I think it's pretty cool that you know we've seen a lot of good relationships come out of you know some of the people that we've interacted with in the industry . So really exciting yeah .

One of them , I think , actually kind of aligns with what we're talking about here , and that is we're actually launching a TMSA Future Forward volunteer program where our member companies or members of Next Generation and Trucking Association can apply to actually send their junior members to the show .

We will cover the registration and they will help volunteer for us , but they get to do some work at the beginning , help us stuff the swag bags , help direct people , but they get to attend the show and get to network and get to do all the learning and education . And so if you're interested in that , you can put this .

I have it scrolling at the bottom , but it's a really unique and interesting opportunity because we want people to be able to send some of their junior team members that might not be on that list of approved travel people . So we want to support that .

And then , if you want to , if you're headed to Manifest , so this will be debuting on March 4th , so Manifest will be the week after we are doing a TMSA networking event there at the ITS Logistics booth 504-1030 to 1130 on February 11th , and if you're not headed to the show , you can still join us here on On the Move with Scott Case , who is the chief

storyteller and founder of Position Global , and we're talking about all things going on in the world today , how it's affecting the supply chain and why sales and marketing people should be paying attention to these trends and keeping their customers up to

date . So heavy title going on next week but , megan and Brandon , so excited that you guys came and joined me on the show and shed light into the importance of sales and marketing alignment . It is definitely a topic I'm very passionate about , so was super excited when I saw your Summit and that you were excited to come here and talk about it .

So thank you guys , so much yeah , thank you so much .