Welcome to our new freight broker and freight agent blog!
The goal of this blog is to provide the trucking/logistics community interesting and useful information including training, tips, trends, strategies, news & more!
I plan on posting new updates weekly so check back frequently or better yet subscribe to receive BLOG UPDATES directly to your email when new posts are added.
I look forward to sharing and more importantly…hearing your feedback!
Regards,
Dennis Brown
www.freightbrokerbootcamp.com
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely return.
If my problem was a Death Star, this article is a photon tropedo.
LOL, Are you serious?
Something wrong?
This site is like a classroom, exepct I don’t hate it. lol
Thanks guys, I just about lost it looking for this.
Good to see a taleant at work. I can’t match that.
Thank you Christy, I try. Are you a freight broker or interested in learning more on how to become one?
Whvoeer edits and publishes these articles really knows what they’re doing.
Hello – I have a small question maybe someone from this blog can answer it….once you become a freight broker how do you find your customers (shippers)? Are there special Loadboards for brokers?
Thank you.
Great question Maria! When building your freight brokerage or freight agency you should focus mainly on manufacturers, distributors and producers that make
or distribute product. There are tons of load boards out there but the reality is they are mainly filled with carriers and brokers and not actual shippers/producers.
The face of the matter is, there is only way to successfully sell anything and that is to develop and build a relationship and then provide value….yes that means selling.
Some brokers sell over the phone and others do it face to face but in any event I have never seen any broker or agent become successful by trying to build
successful customer relationships off of load boards. Hope this helps!
So how do you find shippers? Does taking a $4,000 freight broker class do that for you?
No matter what the program cost there is no freight broker training program that I have ever seen that is going to find and secure shipping
customers for you! There are some very good classroom training programs out there and if you think you are the type of person that needs
or wants hands on training and can afford them I highly recommend them.
If on the other hand you can work independently and/or have a limited budget and still want to learn how to become a freight broker
or freight agent online training like http://www.freightbrokerbootcamp.com can work just as well to get you started!
Great site with great articles.
Glad you are enjoying the blog. Let me know if you have any other freight broker or freight agent related topics that might make an interesting post?
How do you sell yourself to the customer. What should i say to a prospect customer
Hi Mike I appreciate your question but it’s kinda like asking the security guard at your local bank the combination to the safe!
If it was that easy then everyone would do it. Becoming a freight broker has a lot of components and being able to sell yourself
is definitely one of them. So while I can’t right you a script I will give you some basic ideas.
1) Do your research on the company and the contact. (Sale intelligence)
2) Try to be different than the crowd by being funny, interesting and by sharing interesting information
you have gathered about them or their company. (Differentiate)
3) Most of all “Don’t BEG”, sales is not about begging or even closing it about finding a new
and providing more value than your competition.
4) Focus on rapport and relationships because people buy from people they like.
My favorite sales mentor is Jeffrey Gitomer, I strongly suggest “The Little Red Book of Selling” and “The Little Red Book of Sales Answers”.
Another book of his I read recently that I really like was “The Little Black Book of Connections”…Excellent!
-Dennis
Good morning, I had some training prior to launching my Freight brokerage. I am 3 months into my business and would like some checks and balances making sure I am doing the right things, most improtantly the best and most efficient way to grow my business. Dennis does your program get into growing the business?
Hi Jeff, my online freight broker training program covers all aspects of the business including setting up your freight broker authority and bond to customer acquisition to setting up your home office.
One note, this is not a sales training program it is designed to teach people the concepts and strategies to get started as a freight broker or freight agent. All I can say is give it a try we offer a
60 day 100% guarantee if you are not satisfied. How does that sound to you Jeff?
Hello,
I recently purchased the course and so far I am really pleased at what it offers and the cost! Anyhow, I am in the process of getting my licensing ect done and wanted to “test” the waters. I am pretty good on the phone but I have NEVER solicited for freight services.
I called a company today,(did 5 min of research abotut them before I called) and soliticited future services….to my amazement, he said “absolutely”….So in response to the load boards as a tool to find freight, (I could be wrong) I think you are just going to have to really power dial and solicit like there is nobody’s business. I plan on solicting at LEAST 30propsects per day…I currently work in a wealth management firm and that’s all i did the past year. 30 contacts is not the phone messages ect…it’s actually talking to the person you need to.
Eric it sounds like you are on the right track, sales is definitely a contact sport but don’t underestimate the value of “sales intelligence”
and how it can differentiate you from other brokers. For more information on sales intelligence search google for Sam Richter and his book
called “Take the cold out of cold calling”. GREAT BOOK!
You seem to have a bundle of knowledge about the subject, please provide more so that we can enhance our knowledge as well. Thanks for doing such a great job
HEY MY NEW FAMILY NEWBY HERE MY WIFE AND I ARE STEPPING INTO BEING AGENTS AND HAN GOTTIN HIRED AND SO FAR 80% OF EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT OUR OFFICE OUR INFORMATION ON THE BIZZ FINDING FRIEGHT IS NOT A PROBLEM COLD CALLING AND GETTING LOADSHEETS AND TALKING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE IS AN ART FORM BUT SO FAR NOT A PROBLEM OUR BIG PROBLEM IS FINDING TRUCKS HAVING LOADS AND NO TRUCKS IN THE AREA OF THE LOADS SEEMS TO ME TO BE A NOT SO COMMON THING SO I THING WERE MISSING SOMETHING THESE COMPANIES HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YEARS AND HAVE BEEN SHIPPING FOR ALL THAT TIME SO ITS JUST ABOUT US FINDING A WAY TO GET CONNECTED TO THE TRUCKS THAT WE NEED ANYONE WITH ANY THOUGHTS
Capacity is different region by region, lane by lane but one thing to consider is the fact that not all freight is created equal. You have to consider length of load/unload, # of stops and obviously the rate.
A guy I have known for a long time said it best, “There is no bad freight just bad rates” so while you want to offer your customer value be careful trying to be the cheapest or you will find it
very difficult to get carriers to listen.
As for sourcing trucks there is no magic here just a lot of work. Build a database of carriers including a good understanding of what they equipment and lanes they run by searching/posting to load boards, get referrals from
other carriers, network, use http://www.linkedin.com. As you build your database communicate with them what you need via email and phone and most of all focus on building relationships rather than focusing on a load by load basis
like so many new brokers to the industry. You will find it’s all about relationships!
Hope this helps…best of luck!
Just want to say thank you for your course. I found it very informative, interesting and of course, affordable. I’ve got everything in place and ready to go.
That is great Melli! I look forward to hearing about you moving your first loads, I still have the first
check I ever received in this business almost 9 years ago…make sure to keep a copy of yours.
I recently completed a different freight broker course, I got stuck and it left me kinda hanging, I’m having a hard time finding trucks for my freight because I don’t have a broker credit rating when I post my loads on load boards. What do I do?
RE: Finding Trucks :
A good way to find trucks; Do a carrier search for the area the freight is landing and originating. Call each carrier and tell them your story. ” i.e. You are freshly opening up this area and working to get shipping accounts near them, ask if they would be interested in giving you a try when loads come up. Ask them what lanes they like to run ( This will clue you in to the feight lanes in to and out of the area ) …ask them to sign up with you so you can expeditiousley dispatch their truck. Ask them if they have any friends based close by that you could talk to. Network network netowrk. That is the secret sauce. If you rely on the available trucks posted to the boards, you have diminished control on price or availablity. By building a network of carriers you also have the luxury of not having to post your loads on the board. (Posting on the board can give competitors enough info to go after your loads from that shipper)
Make sure you treat your drivers right – ALWAYS pay ontime at the promised amount…this is the first thing that will lose you a carrier. Do not over promise etc…Try to build lanes out/to where they take home time and you have a chance of an exclusive carrier. It takes time to build but in indespensible in building your company.
Good advice…in business one of the biggest lessons I have learned is investing in relationships BEFORE you need them!