Affinity Management at FedEx
 

Those of us who were in the military are probably familiar with an outfit known as First Command (formerly USPA & IRA). There are currently class action lawsuits against them, the gory details of which I will not get into here. I use these excerpts from a newspaper article to illustrate my point that FedEx Management uses similar tactics on our crew force. When you read "salespeople" or "superior officer", think Jack Lewis. For those of you who were never in the military, ask some of your buds about it.


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Officers sue over investor program
Navy personnel paid stiff sales commission
By David Washburn
STAFF WRITER
March 6, 2005


At the heart of the case is the concept of affinity marketing – using salespeople who have worked in the same field or have some other familiarity with their customers. It is especially effective in the military setting, Brewer said.

"Their biggest strength is their weakness," said Brewer of McPhail and other junior officers. "They are trained to follow orders without question. And that is the way First Command sets things up. The pitch comes off like an order from a superior officer."

"This guy was good and convinced me to stick with it," Kimnach said. "I was only an ensign, and I couldn't believe he would steer me wrong."

For a large portion of the crew force, you are right on target!