Freight Broker Agents can make very little or tons of money in this multi- billion dollar industry. It ‘s really based on how many customers that agent can obtain and how much effort they really put forth in securing new leads. Although a individual may have the right skills, if the agent does not properly practice selling to shippers , they may if very difficult to acquire new leads. This can happen regardless of how many successful cold calls are being made, The problem here is that the new freight broker agent is not really experienced in sales. You must realize that you are essentially working for a brokerage as an sales agent .One of your main responsibilities will be to acquire clients that need their loads to be hauled.
There are many calls to be made as an agent , so the objective is to be extremely effective in making your out calls. You will undoubtedly need to have the mindset of a person is qualified in sales as your goal is to sell services to clients. As a new Freight Broker Agent you may not be familiar with how to properly sell your services . When you get the right person on the phone , the cold calling technique can be somewhat difficult especially if you are new . You must know how to ask the right questions as you do not want to sound unprofessional . You will also discover that this industry to be very competitive as on average for every 300 calls made , you will only receive one prospective client . While this is success ratio is very low with proper training and putting maximum emphasis on your selling strategy you can still be very successful . This can be feasible with only a handful of shippers providing loads.
It is very important to remember that just one single shipper has the potential to supply you with 5 to 10 loads per week. So it’s imperative not to think about the number of shippers & clients that have been signed up in the beginning. Put your main focus on getting 1 to 5 loads as this will help to establish your customer base. You will discover that some shippers will have 2 to 5 loads per month, while others will have 2 to 5 loads per week. Contacting the right shipper is the most important factor in making profits as an freight broker agent .
It’s very important to carry out some research on all your potential shippers. Before you start making your calls, try to find out what type of business they are involved with. See if you can get names and email addresses so that they are the correct individual to speak to. Be sure you are knowledgeable of the client’s time zone.
You need to be well prepared knowing what questions you will want to ask or what information you will need to access. This should be included in your welcome cold call script that will briefly introduce you to the potential shipper .If your main objective is to just obtain contact information just be straightforward and right to the point. This will definitely show professionalism on your part and time will not be wasted. If the plan is to market your service , then practice your cold calling technique until you notice that you are not sounding unprofessional. Remember to take excellent notes
Utilizing your notes from past contacts and knowing which clients need to be called back on your daily lists. Be sure to have an email template or PDF with all the needed contact information & especially include anything specific talked about in the last call. Be sure to include your generic email & have your fax template prepared to be sent. This should outline what services you can provide and other important information pertaining to your agency.
You should always be familiar with the type of loads you can haul and what equipment you can service, This can be a van, reefer, flatbed, full truckload or LTL delivery. This helps determine if the client is suitable for the brokerage and also assists in the selection process of potential customers.
An example of this would be : You brokerage may only provide support for freight that is loaded onto a flatbed truck. As you continue to make your daily calls you then discover that there is a need for food companies that always need this type of truck load to be hauled. You can then shift your focus on food companies , because you know that these firms will be a perfect match with your agency.
Your main function as a freight broker agent would be to locate a carrier with the proper truck to transport the haul
Thinking about joining the logistics industry as an freight agent or broker? I would suggest that you signup with a legitimate logistics training course. There are many to choose from
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