Insider Secrets to Successful Freight Brokering

Finding loads, finding customers .....

There are many ways to uncover customers. Some are better than others. Conversely, some are worse than others. You need to find what works for you.

Two basic search methods that will help you find customers who are using freight brokers are:

1. Finding companies that are in a growth trend, and
2. Creating unique keywords to search on
   

The road to success will most likely be “going where no one else is going” and “minimize going where all the others are going”. This is really saying the same thing in two different ways.

In the next post, we'll point out some techniques that you want to avoid.

Mergers and Acquisitions in Logistics

There are many smaller brokerages being sucked up into larger ones through mergers and acquisitions. So, might you be thinking, Well all the BIG guys are in there? How can I compete if there are just a couple of us in my business or if I'm by myself altogether?

The fear is without merit. Here's why.

You will be a bumble bee among rhinos. You can maneuver and react far taster than any giant. This is one big plus in your favor. Believe me, it works.

Also, you don't need a ton of customers to pay for layers of overhead. You need five to ten good paying customers to do quite well.

Lastly, you will want to go where no one else is going when it comes to finding customers. I'll show you how. The big guys won't touch these types.

Learn more here: www.atexfbt.com

Getting Customers ....

Finding good-paying customers is normally the first item of importance for freight brokers. The challenge is knowing where to go.

There are numerous shipper directories (or databases) filled with various manufacturers many of which may use freight brokers to move their cargo. There is a problem with this method, however.

These shipper directories may have thousands and thousands of brokers using the same directory. You don't have a competitive advantage. And you may be paying well over $1,000 for this directory.

The key is to "go where no one else is going". In our freight broker training, we teach you how to find receptive shippers who are not being called on by many other brokers.

Go here to learn more about the training: http://www.atexfreightbrokertraining.com

A Freight Broker's First Interface with the Customer

Generally, the best way to get customers is through the Internet and then getting on the phone. So, your first contact will be over the phone - but on many occasions, you will be directed to voice mail. So what do you do? How do you handle this?

If you get a recording, listen carefully to get the shipping manager's name. He may say something like "Hi, this is Robert in shipping. Leave a message".

You may leave a message if you like; but in reality, the potential customer will not return the call. They are busy. So, you will call back again. If you can't get a live person after 3,4 or 5 calls, you may want to leave a message. Again, they may not return the call.

So, you go on to the next person on your calling list.

If you get a live person when you call, you want to simply ask, "Do you use freight brokers?" This way you can get to the point without wasting everybody's time. If they don't, you move on. If they do, you will ask if they have a few minutes to talk. If so, you will start asking questions about their business.

Trust me, this is where you will separate yourself from those who don't know what they are doing. Many freight brokers don't have experience and they don't get properly training. They have no idea what to ask. You don't want to be in that broker's shoes because you will probably get the shake off.

Shippers want to talk to people who know what they are talking about.

There is much more to this but this is a general outline and may get you to thinking about how you are going to approach your potential customers. Don't blow it. Either get experience or get trained.

You can get started here: http://www.atexfreightbrokertraining.com

Freight Broker Success

While it is relatively easy to become a freight broker, being a successful broker may be a different story. Many individuals get into this business, thinking all they have to do to find customers is to go to some websites or directories, click on a few buttons and find customers who will then give them load after load after load.

It is not all that easy because many people end up going to the same sources and end up calling upon potential customers who are being called upon by hundreds if not thousands of freight brokers.

Good marketing strategies need to be created. To learn more, check out the eBook on the right hand side of this blog. It's main thrust is creating successful strategies. Some of the principles can be applied to many other businesses but the primary focus is upon freight brokering.

Go now to the right side of this blog post. It sells for a tiny sum of $12.00.

Freight Broker Specialists

Our economy is so diversified that a freight broker can specialize if that is his or her goal. I have some callers asking for training in a special niche. And this is okay, however .....

When starting as a new freight broker, you want to be open to working with ANY cargo. Then, later, you might think about specializing.

Now, the principles involved in freight brokering will span just about any type cargo you desire to broker. So, with our training, you can work with the idea that you are "open". You don't want to turn anything down starting out.

There may be special issues for specialized niches that are too specific to deal with adequately in a lot of training programs. But, most beginning brokers are not interested into jumping into something they know nothing about.

So, it's an open road. Get trained and then start getting loads that could be anything under the sun.

Freight Brokering is Really Different

Freight brokering is a service-oriented business and from there, it really is different. So many people call me and think they need the "usual" marketing materials like logos, letterheads, stationery and a website.

And here is the latest - QR codes. These are 2-dimensional impressions and might be somewhat compared to barcodes in stores - especially grocery stores where there is a high turnover in inventory.

While none of these above will * hurt * your marketing efforts, they probably won't help that much. I do tell people to print up some business cards for when they are out and about locally. But other than that, think in terms of using the telephone and the Internet.

Getting back to the QR codes -  QR stands for "Quick Response" and those who have smart phones can pass their phone over the QR code. Usually, they will taken to a particular website.

For sure, some day, I will very likely incorporate some type of training on how QR codes can benefit your freight broker business. But I don't move too fast on new technology. Others will get there ahead of me, but that's okay.

The other day I was driving down Mesa Street here in El Paso. I saw a huge billboard with an ad and a QR code. Wow, that's impressive, I thought. The very next day, I was driving again in about the same location and I saw a large SUV with a QR code pasted on the back of the vehicle. It was about an 18" square. Again, I was impressed.

So, keep your eyes open for the QR codes and some day, if not right now, you may be able to incorporate them into your business.

But for me right now, I will wait until things sort themselves out before jumping in.

Get Customers Fast!

I had a co-worker in the past who was a professional bass fisherman. Nearly every weekend he was up bright and early to "make his catch". He would show me pictures of the type of bass boat he wanted. These boats were monsters in my opinion. Nothing like a dinky little boat I had first envisioned. They were built for speed!

One day I ask him, "Why in the world do you need such a speedster if all you are doing is going out fishing?" His simple answer was, "To get to the best fishing spot first".

Then it hit me. I fully understood.

He was competing with many others and getting to the right spot was top priority and those guys took off like maniacs when the whistle blew. I fully understood.

It isn't any different in freight brokering.

IF you want to get customers FAST, to get to the right spot first - you need the right strategies. You need to speed along and the right tools will help you.

There are many freight brokers going where everyone else is going to find customers. It is a deadend, in most cases.

This is why my new section on how to search for customers is such a hit. Instead of tagging along with everyone else, instead of going where everyone else is going, instead of taking crumbs when you could have steak, you can strike out on your own and get there fast.

It's only available in my comprehensive freight broker training.

What's the REAL Cost ..... ?

What is the real cost in taking the wrong or superficial freight broker training? The real cost would be your inability to get a competitive edge because you are going to all the wrong places. Some relatively inexpensive or shallow training will talk about these gigantic shipper directories that they will provide. Here is the problem.

If you are going where everyone else is going you will NOT grab the market share that you need in order to compete and survive. Why? Because you are going where everyone else is going.

I don't know how many active freight brokers there are but let's say that if 7,000 brokers are using a directory of 350,000 potential customers, that yields about 50 potential customers per broker. If about half of those use freight brokers, that yields about 25 potential customers per broker.

You only need 5-10 good paying customers to do well if you are a small office but you may need to work with 100-300 before you find the 5-10 you want to work.

Don't go cheap. Pay the extra several hundred dollars for training, especially if you can latch on to some great marketing strategies. These strategies will pay for the extra cost plus more.

Freight Brokers Looking for Shippers - and Vice Versa

There is an email going out tomorrow to those who have ordered my free eBook, "Introduction to Freight Brokering". In the email, I talk about the produce industry. It is still going strong and will continue strong for a number of months yet. And I talk about uncovering shippers who are seeking freight brokers.

Within the produce industry, and perhaps every industry, there are trends that a good freight broker needs to identify. It is like catching the wave and going with the flow or the trend to keep your finger to the pulse.

I even present a contest where winners can get my eBook, "Success Strategies to Build Massive Income as a Freight Broker", which will given free to those who respond with the correct answer.

By the way, when you order my free eBook (mentioned in the first paragraph), you go on my email list. Your information will not be given to others but you will receive occasional emails from me. You can cancel anytime. If you have not done so yet, go to www.atexfreightbrokertraining.com to order the free eBook.