10 Expert Tips to Boost Your Freight Sales Game
Looking to improve your sales as a freight broker? Check out this compilation of industry experts' best sales advice to help you succeed.
1) Stand out from the crowd. Kurtis Tryber looked for ways to differentiate himself from everyone else. If you can find your niche and always deliver on performance, you’ll be noticed as a specialty, and the customers will seek you out.
Kurtis Tryber, the CEO and Co-Founder of EXO Freight, said this: “Many of our early customers were interested in our specialization in the open deck market, which was a key differentiator. When we discussed with customers whether they were using our technology, had their own, or planned to integrate with us, the focus was on why we were different from the other brokers in their mix. Our core competency was to concentrate on this open deck space, an area where many big companies do not invest because it requires a lot of resources. We found that most customers agree when we share our story and explain why we focus on certain niches. They almost always agree when we go into a shipper and discuss our approach. This is the biggest piece.”
2) Work on your relationship-building. Building trust and rapport with these key players in the industry is critical to establishing a loyal customer base and securing repeat business. Strong relationships help freight brokers to negotiate better rates, secure capacity during peak seasons and manage unexpected disruptions or issues.
Rafael Quintana, the VP & Partner of Big Truck Logistics, says: “To stand out and turn customers these days, you need to lean on your relationship-building skills. With brokers blowing up customers 35 times a day, you have to find something in common and avoid using the same canned lines. Finding common ground not necessarily related to freight, such as asking about a shared network or upcoming events, can help you stand out. Instead of asking the same questions, try to come up with a different angle or ask a different question. For example, you could offer to put one of your trucks on one of their loads. This goes a long way in building an actual relationship.”
3) Get it right the first time. Letting your guard down, being unprepared, or trying to cut corners are going to burn you in the end. Always put in the highest effort because even one-time mistakes can cost you big time. Don’t try to take the easy way out.
William Kerr, CEO of Edge Logistics, gives this advice: “The big secret about freight brokerage is that you don't make money by getting paid more than everybody else. Customers don't pay certain carriers or brokers more than they pay everyone else. The market dictates what the rates are. Likewise, you can't magically have trucks that provide excellent service for below-market rates. So how do you make money? By making fewer mistakes than everybody else. By getting it right the first time, and not having to change your plans, bounce loads, recover loads, or book loads off-market.”
4) It’s all about the customer… but it’s also all about you. Find a way to satisfy the needs of all parties involved. You want to approach the conversation that keeps the sales cycle moving along. You don’t want to lay things out in a way that leaves you backed into a wall and closed out to negotiation.
Director of Business Development at Energy Transportation Group, James Doc Brown, said this: “You've got to make sure you're not trying to sell yourself in a way that you can get pigeonholed and hit a brick wall, because you'll have nowhere to go then when they tell you "your prices are a little high Jay, like 25% higher than the people I'm using right now". So, I find you've got to use an approach that's going to allow you to negotiate and have further conversations and take the sales cycle further. So, the approach I've always believed in is I go in with my needs and not so much theirs. But, because I've done the homework on the clip, I'm going to position my needs in the best way possible that I think it's going to meet their requirements and what they need. But, it's about me.”
5) Don’t forget the importance of homework. By doing your homework and learning about a company's distribution centers, products, and processes, you can better understand their needs and how you can provide value. This can help build trust and credibility with the company and increase the likelihood of a successful business relationship. Conversely, not doing research and approaching a company with generic or irrelevant offers can lead to a lack of interest or even damage your reputation.
Doug Estrada, Senior Director at Walmart Logistics, spoke more about this: “The biggest annoyance are those that don't do their homework before making a call or sending spam or probing email. It doesn't show they've taken the time to educate themselves about the company. So, a lot of times, I'll get emails like, 'Do you want to track your business?' or 'Do you know how to track your product?' or 'Do you want to use warehousing?' It tells me right there they've never heard of Walmart before. I mean, 90% of the population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart store, so you would think they would investigate.
6) The initial grind has got to be the hardest you’ve ever worked. One of the biggest challenges for new freight brokers is getting customers. Putting in the time to build relationships with customers is crucial, and it takes constant effort to maintain these relationships. In the beginning, you need to put in those long hours, so that later you create a balance to ensure long-term success in the industry.
The CEO of MoLo, Andrew Silver, said this about hard work: “At least the first couple of years, we were working 15, 16, 17-hour days, just grinding to get the freight moved and get the customers. Rents do every day. You could serve a customer well for five years, one specific customer. You could take care of them 20 loads a day for five years, and if you start slacking for even a week or two, there are 50, 100 brokers right behind you who want that business. And it doesn't take long before that shipper is going to consider giving it away.
7) Carve out your niche. Working in a specific niche allows you to build relationships with customers, carriers, and shippers who specialize in that market segment. This can lead to increased trust and loyalty, as well as a better understanding of the specific needs and challenges of that market. having a niche can also help you to streamline your business operations and maximize your efficiency. By focusing on a specific type of freight or industry, you can develop specialized tools and processes that are tailored to that niche. This can help you to provide better service, more competitive rates, and faster turnaround times.
As the #1 Sales Agent at Echo, Matt Walsh knows all about niche-finding: "To be successful in any niche, you have to have a genuine level of interest and carve out a specific area of expertise. If you're a generalist who just regurgitates sales books without really understanding the nuances of your industry, you won't get very far. You need to have pattern recognition, not just rote memorization. You need to find something you can connect with because others will feel it, whether you're aware of it or not. For example, when I started out as a freight broker, I had previously owned a vending route. So, I called every vending machine manufacturing distributor and spoke their language. This made a big difference.”
8) Be a problem solver. As a freight broker, you are a valuable solutions expert who can provide answers and guidance. In a complex and often unpredictable industry, the ability to quickly and effectively resolve problems can be the difference between success and failure. By providing solutions and excellent service, you can build a loyal customer base and establish yourself as a priceless partner in the transportation of goods.
Jake McPaul, Head of Refrigerated Ops at WARP, explained: “The broker needs to be the solver. Unless you’re dealing with a massive carrier with a ton of assets, then the broker is doing to be necessary to resolve problems. There are actually a ton of people out there who don’t know what they’re doing with freight. So the broker is the solutions expert who is there to give them answers. I, for one, am willing to pay more for better service. I’d much rather be able to go to sleep at night and not think about what’s going on with my shipment.”
9) Size isn’t everything. Of course, smaller or newer businesses really take a hit in market downturns, but there are some advantages of looking out for small/medium-sized businesses. By targeting these underserved businesses, a broker can establish relationships with customers more likely to value personalized service and attention. Additionally, working with smaller carriers may offer greater flexibility and the ability to negotiate favorable rates, as they may be more willing to work with a new broker trying to establish themselves in the industry.
President of Shore Logistics, Marshall Nebeker, spoke about the upsides of SMBs: “The market right now doesn't necessarily look good, but our customer base is small and medium-sized businesses. The greatest thing about being small is that you can just make more sales calls and go after the guys that don't necessarily get called on by the big guys. So that's kind of our saving grace and it lets us write our own destiny.
10) Transparency and clear communication win big. Part of being committed to and invested in clients is to make sure that you are real and honest with them from the jump. One way you can show that is by overcommunicating. You don’t want someone to have to reach out to you looking for information about a load. Shippers are looking for proactive updates from you as their key sourcing arm.
As the Head of Transportation at Veho. Mark McKenna shared this: “I need the most proactive updates possible from you. We'll put requirements in there, especially now with things like your driver must be pre-fueled. We have very strict transit time requirements that we're implementing for this load and other things like that. Again, if you're not dealing with a broker who feels invested and wants to work with you, they're gonna tell you to kick rocks. They can go find easier business out there. You really gotta be dedicated to wanting to do that stuff to be able to do it well.”