Freight Broker Telephone Training: Thanks Dale!

Yesterday I shared some thoughts on how well our telephone training is being accepted. Now, I sort of got into this telephone training business by accident. I didn't wake up one day as a six year old and say, When I grow up I want to do telephone training for people who want to be freight brokers. So here is what happened.

I owe much of my thanks to my older brother, Dale. He started and established an equipment rental store almost single-handedly back in Peoria, Illinois a good number of years ago. At the time, I was attending college. During vacations, I would go to the store - and there was Dale on the phone. I couldn't talk to him.

He was ALWAYS on the phone. I had to settle for glances toward my way as if he were saying, "Sorry." Now, fast forward ten to fifteen years. My brother had sold out to his silent partner. And Dale and I started a consulting business. We set up programs to help others get started in the rental equipment business.

We had a comprehensive approach for a one-stop, turn-key system. He put together the operations plan and I did the cash flow projections. And he then explained to me that the telephone will make or kill the rental business owner. He said that people calling in needed good, solid information. So they got an earful after explaining to Dale what problem they were having.

Many of them, I know, literally ran down to the store after getting off the phone. They had finally found a solution through Dale.

Dale said most businesses have inexperienced people taking the phone calls and then not really responding accurately or with the right information. Now Dale worked his behind off on the phone for years. But he built a multi-million dollar business -  all starting with the telephone.

You see, Dale studied every piece of equipment he rented. He knew not only which tool to use for the job, he knew  how to best use it.  So, when we worked on our consulting business, he had detailed step-by-step outlines on each piece of equipment. And his goal was to train our clients to learn that information and then to relay that information over the telephone to those who needed solutions and sometimes quickly.

So now Dale is retired and piddles around several days a week at a local home building store. He doesn't take phone calls like he used to but he talks to people as they come in. Dale is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to tools, construction and home building.

I don't think he ever really realized how valuable he was to others. But he loved his work and he was a true professional.

He still is in high demand when it comes to customer service as he piddles around and I really think he misses the old days on the phone. So, thank you Dale for giving me a heads up on how important and powerful the telephone is.

Comments

[John]

There probably is. Freight classifications fall under LTL work and this is a different animal when it comes to calculating rates.

Rates are based upon primarily weight, density, damageability plus other factors.

I usually steer my new clients away from LTL work regardless of how lucrative it is. Most beginning brokers do not have a network of shippers and carriers to make LTL profitable - at least in the beginning.

[Keith Wright]

John,

Is there a manual that list the classification of freight and the format to calculate the rate?