Inside 3PL: Meet John Scully, Business Development Manager

Hey everyone, 👋

I’m so excited to be launching our new Inside 3PL series that will be shining a spotlight on the wonderful people behind our brand and make it such a special place to work.

There is no better place to start than with 3PL’s longest-serving team member. I would like to introduce you to John Scully, Business Development Manager at 3PL and one of the most friendly and approachable people you could ever meet – always available to offer help and advice. John has worked at 3PL for a whopping 12 years and for anyone who is interested in partnering with 3PL, he will be the very first voice you’ll hear and face you will have the pleasure to see.

Ready to meet John? Let’s go👇

Barry Ryan: To start, can you tell me a little bit about what you do at 3PL?

John: The emphasis is to bring profitable and sustainable contract logistics-based partners into the business but one of the most important parts of my role is to build a strong relationship with potential partners. They need to trust that they are being given the best advice and that when they entrust their order fulfilment to us, we will take as much care and attention shipping every order as they would themselves.

Barry Ryan: Why did you decide to join 3PL?

John: I was attracted by the ambitious and dynamic outlook of the Company and its ethos of, amongst other things, to conduct business professionally and correctly. We were one of the original trailblazers in the UK and one of the very first companies to offer outsourced order fulfilment to what was back then an emerging eCommerce industry.

Barry Ryan: What does your day to day typically look like?

John: I guess my overall day is pretty typical of most people in a sales role. I’m responsible for following up on all new business, booking meetings, running discovery calls, and then managing a sales cycle to close.

But a huge plus point to the job is that no two days are the same! During peak season I’ve even been known to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in with the warehouse team, picking and packing products to ensure our customer’s orders are shipped on time.

Barry Ryan: What’s your favourite thing about working at 3PL?

John: The variety, fed in large part by being a multi-user operation consisting of customers of different product sectors, and also working alongside a fantastic team of talented people.

I get to meet some very inspirational business leaders and entrepreneurs, it’s a real pleasure to learn about their brand journey and understand how we can join them on that journey to help them grow. We do tend to form solid relationships with our customers and consider many of them as friends.

Barry Ryan: Can you tell our readers about how the order fulfilment and logistics industry has changed over the past 12 years?

John: End-user expectations continue to rise, leading to ever-increasing pressure to service those expectations. It is a kind of pressure we thrive on. The intelligent use of technology and data-driven decision making is becoming ever more critical throughout the industry.

Barry Ryan: What’s a fun fact about you?

John: I enjoy playing the piano, although not sure the neighbours enjoy it as much as I do! I love anything from the ’60s, especially The Beatles.

Barry Ryan: What’s been your personal career highlight working at 3PL?

John: Playing a part in winning several industry awards, such as SME Business of the Year and the North of England Excellence Award and most recently logistics provider of the year award at the Northern eCommerce Awards.

Another thing that has given me real satisfaction is being able to say I’ve been part of the company’s growth. When I started, we were a small team in a little warehouse facility and now we employ over 60 people and have 250,000 sq. ft of warehousing space across two facilities. We ship over 1 million orders a year and work with some fantastic brands who are leaders in their sector like Christy’s UK, Elvie and 11 Degrees.

Barry Ryan: What makes 3PL a great company to work for?

John: It’s the kind of company where if you work hard with the correct mindset, you can progress through the ranks and achieve success both personally and professionally.

Even though the team has grown and evolved over the years we have managed to retain our family feel. We are fortunate to have some fantastic people that have worked at 3PL for many years, and I think anyone that joins the business instantly feels like they are one of the team.

What advice do you have for prospective 3PL candidates?

John: Always look to give 100% and have a positive attitude – you will find that opportunities will come your way, and when they do, grab them with both hands!

Want to join John on the 3PL team?
We’re hiring. Check out our latest roles here.