Southeastern Convention Preview: Learn How Operations and Sales Can Work Better Together

A great working relationship between operations and sales departments benefits everyone, but especially your customers. Learn how to strengthen relationships between the two teams during “Operations and Sales on the Same Page,” a Women in Propane (WIP) roundtable discussion to be led by industry leader Paige O’Dell during the 2019 National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Southeastern Convention and International Propane Expo in Atlanta in April 13-15.

O’Dell, vice president of operations for AmeriGas Propane and chair of the Women in LPG Global Network (WINLPG), will share insights and personal stories from her impressive career. She relates her experiences in successful business operations and how a close relationship with sales teams makes a difference. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage in roundtable discussions following her presentation.

At AmeriGas, O’Dell serves as a member of the executive leadership team and is tasked with leading operations in the Central region. Her other roles at AmeriGas have included director posts in strategic initiatives, regional and area operations, special projects, and national accounts.

With more than 29 years of experience in the propane industry, O’Dell is now in her second year of a two-year term as chair for WINLPG. She is one of a handful of women involved in the World LPG Association (WLPGA) and that is definitely a rarity as a woman representing the operations side of the propane industry at a global level. She is also a proud mentor in the Women in Propane Knowledge Exchange.

“I’m going to share my personal stories and experiences,” O’Dell said. “There are regular challenges we all experience. Operations is concerned about safety, efficiency, reliability, solid distribution metrics; sales is primarily concerned with meeting promises and deadlines. They are concerned with growing our customer base. While we are all concerned with customer growth, the best way to achieve that has been an organizational issue my entire career in propane.”

A lot of companies struggle with dealing with what the company [operations] wants and what the salesperson promises. “What we’ve experienced when this doesn’t marry well is we disappoint the customer. Above all else, we want our sales team viewed as professional, reliable, and trustworthy,” she said.

“The sales performance is just as important as operations. The sales team should not be perceived as ‘taking a back seat’ to operations. I believe they may feel they don’t receive the attention they deserve for the work they do. The relationship between sales personnel and the local customer is No. 1.”

During the roundtable discussion, O’Dell will also share tactics for how to work as a team based on how she and her team are structured at AmeriGas. “We’re attached at the hip,” she said. “We meet weekly — the director of sales and marketing, the director of operations, and I. We discuss how to manage challenges [and] overcome obstacles.”

Because the directors are located all over the country, the group meets virtually, sharing computer screens as needed.

Working together with operations and sales teams is definitely trial and error, O’Dell said. “It’s essential you learn personalities. You have to understand who your ‘family’ is — know your team and what motivates them individually.

“I think it’s about setting expectations first and then constant communications. Set clear expectations of both sales and operations. Where are we? How are we doing? And, where do we need to improve?”

The Women in Propane roundtable, “Operations and Sales on the Same Page,” is to be held Sunday, April 14, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo in Atlanta.—Karen Massman VanAsdale