You have to contact the 3PL decision-makers depending on the shipper. Talk to the director of logistics or director of operations for a mid-sized brand or manufacturer first. After that, bring in the VP of supply chain and finance. The RFP is managed through procurement at a large company and is finally approved by a supply chain C-level executive.
It’s not uncommon to see 3PL deals stall after sales teams reach out and engage the wrong person. Multiple people may be needed to approve the deal since a 3PL takes care of stock, orders, systems and costs.
Look at this logistics decision-maker map to see which people you contact.
The 3PL Buying Committee: Five Roles and One Veto
There are 5 roles in a 3PL buying committee. One reviews one side of the deal and quality or compliance teams can reject providers that do not pass mandatory thresholds.
- Economic Buyer – For small brands, budgets tend to be controlled by the founder or CEO. For larger companies, this could be the COO or VP of Supply Chain.
- Operational Owner – Daily needs are identified by the Director of Logistics or the Director of Distribution and the Head of Fulfillment helps in shortlisting 3PL providers.
- Procurement or Strategic Sourcing – Requests for information (RFIs), requests for pricing and contracts are handled by the procurement director or sourcing manager. They decide who can bid.
- Finance – Total costs, cost per order and contract length is reviewed by the chief financial officer, VP of finance or controller. They conduct outsourcing cost comparison against in-house warehouse costs.
- IT and Systems – The IT Director or systems manager verifies if the 3PL’s WMS, EDI and API integrations are compatible or will work with current systems.
The Veto – Food and pharma quality teams verify standards that must be met. Retail compliance managers can turn down providers that cannot match retailer needs.
The 3PL Decision-Maker Map by Shipper Type
It relies on the shipper to decide who the right first contact is. For small ecommerce brands, founders often lead purchasing, while at larger brands and manufacturers, 3PL leads together with operations leaders manage it.
Ecommerce and DTC Brands
Start with the founder or CEO. If the company has a head of ops or a COO, call them instead. The founder or CEO signs the deal.
- The head of ecommerce or customer experience can veto. They protect delivery promises and returns.
- They care about order accuracy, shipping cut-off time and returns handling.
- They also check Shopify and marketplace links and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) prep.
- Call when warehouse space is tight, after new funding or when a marketplace launches. Peak season and rising FBA storage fees are also good times.
Omnichannel Retail and CPG Brands
The director of distribution or the logistics director takes the first call. The VP of supply chain or the COO signs, and the CFO has to approve.
- Retail compliance managers can drop providers that miss routing guide rules.
- IT can block the deal if the electronic data interchange (EDI) system doesn’t fit.
- They measure on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery, chargebacks and advance ship notice (ASN) accuracy. They also measure shared inventory for retail and DTC orders.
- Call when they win a new key retail account or chargebacks go up. A lease that is ending or a planned distribution center is a good sign too.
Manufacturers and Industrial Distributors
Reach the supply chain director, a materials manager or a plant manager first. The VP of operations or the VP of supply chain signs. At a single-site company, the plant general manager signs.
- Procurement can block providers that are not on its approved list.
- Finance reviews the contract price and length.
- They look at inbound materials support, kitting or sequencing and overflow storage. They also look at spare-parts handling and landed cost per unit.
- Call when the plant grows or adds a new product. Reshoring, nearshoring or inventory stuck in trailers also count.
Food and Beverage Shippers
Talk to the VP of operations or the director of supply chain first. The VP of operations or the COO signs.
- QA and food safety managers can veto.
- They check Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance, SQF or BRCGS audits and lot tracking. They also check first expired, first out (FEFO) rotation and temperature logs.
- They care about ambient, refrigerated and frozen storage. They also care about recall readiness, shelf life and OTIF delivery to grocers.
- Call when they expand into a new region or enter the grocery or club channel. A failed audit is also a good time.
Healthcare, Pharma and Medical Device Shippers
Call the director of distribution or the supply chain director first. The VP of operations or the VP of supply chain signs.
- Quality assurance and regulatory affairs teams can veto.
- They check FDA registration and current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) compliance. They also check Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) traceability, lot and expiry control and validated temperature control.
- They focus on audit trails, chain of custody and regulatory requirements.
- Call after a new product approval, as distribution grows or when an audit finds a problem. The best teams review providers before price talks begin.
Enterprise Shippers
A strategic sourcer, a logistics category manager or the director or VP of logistics takes the first call. The head of supply chain or the chief supply chain officer signs.
- Procurement keeps the approved vendor list. A provider can’t bid unless it gets an invite to send a request for proposal (RFP).
- They measure network costs, capacity commitments, service level agreements (SLAs), scalability and risk.
- Call around RFP schedules and contract renewals. Don’t wait until the RFP comes out. Reach them before the current contract ends.
Which Contacts Can Help You Reach a 3PL Buyer?
Logistics coordinators, warehouse supervisors and transportation managers can provide valuable input but do not typically have complete control of the 3PL purchase.
| Contact | What They Know | Limitation |
| Logistics or shipping coordinator | Daily tasks and shipment volume | Usually has no budget authority |
| Warehouse supervisor | In-house warehouse operations | Some might see outsourcing as a threat to their position |
| Transportation manager | Carriers and freight costs | Typically does not handle warehousing or fulfilment |
| Direct materials purchasing agent | Parts and raw material purchasing | Does not usually buy logistics services |
| CMO at a DTC brand | Marketing and customer experience | Not typically approving 3PL contracts |
Use these contacts to inquire about monthly order or pallet numbers, current supplier and contract renewal date. Then get with the operational owner who can take the deal forward.
What to Show Each Person in the 3PL Buying Process
Each 3PL decision-maker needs information before agreeing to a provider related to costs, service quality, technology or compliance.
| Decision-maker | Information to Share |
| Economic buyer | Growth potential, operating risks, and total contract costs |
| Operations lead | SLA terms, dock-to-stock time, order accuracy and shipping cutoff times |
| Finance | Landed cost, cost per order, avoided warehouse build costs versus recurring service fees |
| Procurement | Pricing, Insurance, liability limits, contract terms and references |
| IT | WMS features, EDI 940 and 945 support, API integrations and implementation timelines |
| QA or compliance | Relevant Certification and audit results from the last 6 months |
How to Turn 3PL Prospect Research Into Sales Meetings
There are four ways to generate more qualified 3PL sales meetings: target the right accounts, reach out to operations early, get other decision makers involved sooner rather than later and time your outreach with buying triggers.
- Build a targeted list – A long list of logistics leads is too tough to filter; reach out by filtering your logistics prospect list not only by shipper type but also by job title.
- Contact operations first – Find out the volume of shipments, who the current provider is and the contract length/renewal date to identify what they want to buy and when.
- Involve other decision-makers early – Engage finance and IT in the discussion by the second meeting. For food and pharma players, run it by QA before proceeding.
- Time outreach around buying triggers – New retail accounts, the dates of warehouse leases expiring, funding rounds and peak-season planning can provide a reason for requiring a new 3PL.
Persistent outreach can produce weekly meetings. In five CallingAgency logistics cold calling campaigns, this resulted in an average of approximately 15 qualified meetings a month.
3PL lead generation and appointment setting services can call your top prospects to book small initial calls with shipper decision-makers if your sales team is only focused on discovery calls at this time and prospecting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the decision maker for a 3PL?
For most small companies, the decision rests with the founders. In mid-sized companies, the final decision is usually made by the COO or VP of Supply Chain after all costs, service requirements and objectives have been reviewed.
Who chooses a 3PL at a large company?
In a large corporation, the last approver will most likely be an SVP of Supply Chain or CSCO. Procurement, finance, IT and operations review providers, compare costs and requirements and recommend.
How big is a 3PL buying committee?
Most small companies have an owner and 1-2 operations managers. For larger organizations, many groups contribute to vet providers and approve final decisions; operations, procurement, finance, IT and quality.
Should you contact procurement or operations first?
Small and mid-sized businesses have the first approach is to contact ops. For larger-scale companies, you may want to engage with operations or procurement teams for what they are looking for in shipping suppliers, learn more about the purchasing process and interact with decision makers as early on in that process as possible.
When should you contact a shipper about switching 3PLs?
Reach out to shippers prior to the expiration of contracts, leases on warehouse space or the start of peak season. The launch of new retail accounts and sales channels could also induce a review of existing logistics providers.
