Are you a Freight Agent that gets a stomach ache at just the thought of picking up the phone to make cold calls? Even with a great script at the ready, cold calling is a tough task to complete. However, with today’s technology, there are other systemized and predictable ways to prospect without making hundreds of cold calls. Don’t get me wrong, cold calling is still a part of developing new business, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing.

WARMING UP YOUR COLD CALLS

In the age of voicemail and caller ID, the success rate of cold calls is low, hovering around a two percent conversion rate, according to LinkedIn. So, before you pick up the phone to make call after call, you can help your chances of success by putting on your marketing hat. By using some form of creative marketing, you’ll find businesses who are looking for your solutions calling you for more information. I’m sure everyone would love to receive warm calls versus relying on cold calls for new business.

Many of our Freight Agents have found success by trading in cold calls for a combination of social media, emailing, and warm calling. 

TRADING COLD CALLS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

According to LinkedIn, 75 percent of business-to-business (B2B) buyers use social media as part of their decision process. So, if you haven’t joined the professional social media network, LinkedIn, already, then now is the time. 

Make Sure You Look Professional

To get started warming up your calls, you need to have a LinkedIn profile that looks professional. Just as you’re finding probable prospects and looking at their profile pages, shipping managers don’t generally do business with someone they feel is not professional. Trust me; they will check out your profile. 

Creating a professional profile is a relatively easy thing to do. You can get ideas from other Freight Agent profiles on LinkedIn, but in the meantime, here are some quick tips for building a great profile so your prospects can get to know you.

1. Use a Professional Profile Photo

LinkedIn profiles with pictures are 14 times more likely to be viewed. Choose a photo showcasing you professionally, at your desk, in your office, or a simple friendly headshot. 

2. Craft a Headline That Shares Your Value

Have your headline answer these two questions so visitors know what you can offer them right from the start: Who do you help and how do you help them? For example, “I’ve helped X number of companies save X amount through outsourcing their logistics.”

3. Make Use of Your Cover Photo Too

Instead of keeping the generic blue gradient cover photo LinkedIn provides, consider adding your company’s logo, tagline, or even a family photo. The cover photo is your opportunity to give the viewer more insight into who you are as a person and freight agent. 

4. Include Your Contact Information

This may seem simple, but surprisingly, not everyone does this! It’s important that you include your email address, phone number, blog, or company website, so it’s easy for your prospects to gather more information and get in touch with you, setting you up for that warm call. 

5. Let People Learn More About You

Craft a summary to let your viewer learn more about you and your Freight Agent business. Get more specific about your work, projects you’ve completed, or results you’ve helped drive. Include keywords your buyers might be searching for to snag their attention and let them know you are a possible solution for them. And most importantly, include a clear call-to-action, communicating why and how your prospect should get in touch with you. 

6. Strategically Make Use of Your Time and Activity on LinkedIn

Your viewers can see your LinkedIn activity, like your most recent comments, likes, and shared content. This part of your profile can show your authenticity, so be sure to consider how you spend your time online. For example, are you offering advice or support to your connections? Congratulating them on a promotion? Sharing your knowledge with others in groups? All this can be seen on your profile so make sure you are showcasing how knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful you can be! 

On the LinkedIn Path to Warm Calls

Now that your profile LinkedIn is ready, here we go! Below is a basic outline for building a LinkedIn presence on a path to warm lead relationships and calls.

Making Connections

Utilizing LinkedIn messenger is essential when sending out your daily connection requests to shipping managers.

Shipping supervisors, logistics managers, and warehouse managers are the first people to start sending connection requests to and then continue with the many other titles for shippers that you want to search for.

Your first message should be simple and warm: 

“Hello, I’d like to connect with you.  Having a professional connection like you in my network will be a plus for me. Thanks, Your Name.”

If they respond back to your connection request, send them a message back & thank them for accepting the request. Remember, they’ve looked at your profile and approved you.

Making Use of Email

After you have thanked them, then the process of trying to find an email and or phone number begins.

Finding the shipping manager’s email or phone number is key to moving forward in the process. You can do this with a simple Chrome extension, like Get Prospect or UpLead, that connects to LinkedIn. If it doesn’t, this may slow you down.

Once you’ve obtained the email, ensure the first email you send is a simple introduction telling the shipping manager who you are and what you can do for their shipping needs.

You may find the benefit of incorporating a mass emailing system. They can save you time by sending several emails at once and give you insight into analytics, such as open and click rates. There are lots of applications to choose from. Some are free, like MailerLite or MailJet, and some require a small monthly fee, like Mailchimp. Any good mass email system should let you know if an email is invalid, blocked, or if the email has been opened. This is important because it will let you know they have read your email. 

It may take several emails for the shipping manager to like and trust you enough to get on a phone call with you. Remember, getting on a warm call versus a cold call generally gives you the upper hand because of the process the shipping manager has already been through in getting to know you. You have gained their trust at this point.

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade?

While not necessary, some agents will choose to upgrade their LinkedIn services for prospecting. LinkedIn has other paid services you can investigate, such as LinkedIn Premium, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Both are fee-based services and can work very well.

Now that you know the basic process, you’re ready to start reaching out to shippers without the stress of making any cold calls. Work this process through. It could take a little time, but this method of prospecting has been tried and proven, and the payoff can be huge for your business. 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO PROSPECT FOR NEW CUSTOMERS ALONE

At Trinity, we understand running your business is hard work, so we have an entire Team to help you. This includes assisting with your marketing as we consistently work to provide you with new marketing material and content to share.  

Let us help you do what you do best, building relationships with your shipper customers and carriers while receiving world-class support to put you ahead of the competition.

Many of our Freight Agents see a 50 percent increase in their business over a two-year period from joining. Will you join them in their success? 

Building relationships in business is the number one way a freight agent can succeed.

Relationships are the key to success as a freight agent. You may think this concept is nothing new, but now COVID has changed the way we meet people and build those relationships. Gone are the days when you could walk into many companies and catch someone in the hallway or bring them lunch; many offices and buildings aren’t even open to visitors, and the person that you need to speak with works remotely. So, how do you genuinely build relationships to meet your customer’s goals and grow your business and network?

TIPS FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN BUSINESS

Genuine Care

This can’t be faked. If you don’t genuinely care about helping someone meet their own needs or goals, there isn’t any other tip that will work. This also means that not every customer may be the right fit for your business, and you are not the right fit for them. That’s okay – because if you don’t genuinely care about the well-being and success of the other person, it just won’t work!

Learn About Your Business Relationship

I love asking new salespeople what it takes to build a relationship in business. I hear things like knowing birthdays, knowing what sports they like, or if they have kids. This is all great information to know, but when a customer is entertaining another broker, knowing their birthday won’t help very much! It’s all surface information.

Learning means knowing how you can help them. Find out other information, like what’s important to their business or what threats there are to their business. What are their company goals and values? What measures do they use to check performance? And most importantly, learn how their business works, from procurement to end user sales. This kind of information will prepare you to be the person they’re looking for when their business needs help.

Offer Help Before They Ask

Don’t you love it when someone goes out of the way to buy you lunch in advance, ultimately solving your unknown problem of figuring out what to have and making it? This same idea works for your customers and goes hand in hand with learning more about your customer. Spend time taking that knowledge to figure out how you can help your customer’s business succeed. By being proactive instead of reactive with your services, you can further strengthen your business relationship and show your commitment to your customer’s success. Solve those problems that they aren’t even thinking about solving yet.

Have Excellent Customer Service

Customer service is a top priority in building relationships in business. Perfecting your interactions with your customers so that they leave floored by your service will not only improve your relationship with that customer but open the door to new ones.

Be An Educational Resource

Learning about your customer’s business is key, but they also rely on you to be the subject matter expert on all things supply chain! You want to be a helpful and educational resource for your customers to rely on.

Keep Up With Your Contacts

You may not have the bandwidth to keep up with all your contacts, but routinely checking in or engaging with them is important. Of course, you don’t always have to call or email. There are many other ways to engage with them, such as commenting on something they shared on LinkedIn or sending them a congratulatory card for a career milestone – every small interaction shows them that you’re keeping them top of mind and making them feel valued.

Go Beyond One Load/One Truck

Learning about a company’s business gives you the opportunity to help their supply chain process. Find out their real needs instead of just serving the load in front of you. How can you partner with them to solve the needs and goals of their business? Is saving on freight costs the most important thing?

Work with them to provide dedicated shipments that can be serviced more efficiently and effectively. If on-time delivery is most important to your customer, then work with motor carriers to make sure that they understand the importance of delivery and become familiar with their freight so that the customer gets exactly what they’re looking for.

Ask for Feedback

Instead of assuming your business relationships are happy, ask for feedback. Having open and transparent communication is the basic factor in building relationships in business. When you take the time to ask your relationships how they feel, you promote a conversation to uncover areas of improvement and further prove your commitment to them.

Don’t Forget Motor Carriers

Having a strong relationship with the motor carriers that you work with is as important as the customer! Motor carriers are the heartbeat of the industry, and can teach us so much about what is happening day in and day out. By building great relationships here, you also gain great insight into their business and they into yours. This makes communication during the load process so much better for everyone.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU WITH BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN BUSINESS

Our tagline is People-Centric Freight Solutions® for a good reason. Our culture and services focus on people and building relationships in business. And we’re here to help you succeed. It’s important to us at Trinity to help our freight agents find ways to keep their businesses successful and growing.

Here at Trinity, we understand running your business is hard work, so we have an entire Team to help you. With over 30 years of experience aiding in the success of our freight agents, many of them see a 50 percent increase in their business over a two-year period from joining.

Let us help you do what you do best, building strong relationships with your shipper customers and carriers while receiving world-class support that puts you ahead of the competition.

Spend less time on those back-end tasks and more time learning about the people behind the sale and winning their business.

What does being an Independent Freight Agent with Trinity Logistics mean? We are so glad that you asked! Trinity Logistics is a leading name in the freight broker community, and a big part of our growth is due to successful partnerships with Independent Freight Agents.

what is an independent freight agent?

An Independent Freight Agent is someone who partners with a third-party logistics company (3PL) and uses their brokerage license so they can arrange transportation of freight and utilize the support services of that company. The Independent Freight Agent owns their own business and gets to focus on the part of the business that they do well (moving freight) while Trinity Logistics, in our case, supports them through back-office applications such as billing customers, paying carriers, and more.

Being an Independent Freight Agent is the best of both worlds for an entrepreneur! If you’re a freight broker, you’re certainly aware of the expenses that are associated with the business, not to mention one of your most valuable assets, your time, which oftentimes gets overwhelmed with handling non-revenue generating activities. This is a primary reason freight brokers look to partner with a 3PL like Trinity Logistics.

why work with trinity logistics?

There are a number of companies that an Independent Freight Agent could partner with, but what sets us apart from many others are all of the “extras” that come with being an Authorized Agent for Trinity. We take those “extras” very seriously!

Relationships

The first one has to be the relationship! The culture of Trinity is second to none and treats team members like family and that relationship extends to the Independent Freight Agent. There is a division in our corporate office that is set up for the sole support of the Independent Agent and becomes a liaison between the Agent and Corporate Services. Because of the close relationship with that group, our company is consistently celebrating the individual successes of the Agent office, celebrating new babies and milestones in the lives of the Agents, and serving as a sounding board when an Agent just needs to talk with someone.

Continuing Education

In addition to interactive training to get you comfortable with moving shipments as a Freight Agent with Trinity, our team continually offers training and education designed to assist you with your business. And we realize education can not be a one size fits all approach. For that reason, we not only offer training that is geared towards common mode, sales, or operations opportunities, but as needed, the team at Trinity will work alongside you to assist, educate and train for specific needs. One of Trinity’s Guiding Values is centered on continuous improvement. We don’t just put those words on a website, we offer the support to truly allow you to advance your skill set and knowledge to grow your business.

Operational Support

Part of the support that Trinity Logistics offers Independent Agents is not only administrative but operational as well. With corporate teams specializing in Less-than-Truckload, Intermodal, Warehousing, Drayage, International, and Managed Services, the Independent Agent can get the support of experts in these modes while maintaining full service to their customer. Additionally, as a company that has been an integral part of the transportation industry for more than 40 years, Trinity has a well-established relationship with the shipper and carrier community. ‘

Having the Trinity name behind you as a freight broker can be the difference when a shipper has a choice of where to tender their freight, not to mention the impact it has on carriers when they see multiple logistics companies with shipments that match their available equipment. Having that nationwide brand recognition and reputation gives a single-person office the power of a major player in the industry.

Reputation

Partnering with Trinity Logistics partners an Independent Freight Agent with one of the Top 3PLs, as named by Transport Topics and Inbound Logistics. We’re also under the Burris Logistics umbrella, further expanding our brand reach and the solutions we can offer shippers.

Additionally, Trinity has a great culture that’s been recognized for several years and you can feel that company pride any time you talk with someone at the corporate office. The biggest impact that Trinity’s reputation has for an Independent Freight Agent is the creditworthiness of the company. Trinity maintains a Five Diamond Broker rating on Internet Truckstop. Part of our entire strategic plan is to develop relationships with carriers and paying them on time is a huge part of that!

This Agent testimonial says it all:

“Whether training on new Trinity technology, answering a billing or claims question, or offering advice on a customer – they help handle it directly.  Each team member is a pleasure to work with and their positive outlook always leaves me smiling.” –  Lyn, Maryland

join our independent freight agent network

Independent Freight Agents are an integral part of Trinity’s business and we are consistently working to expand our program.

We realize you have a choice in who you’d like to partner with in your business. However, if what you’re looking for is a long-term partnership that is supportive of your growth, offers you continued education to remain competitive, and most of all, is made up of a Team of people who are passionate, dedicated, and striving for excellence, then Trinity Logistics may be the Independent Freight Agent program for you. 

If you want to learn more about our Independent Freight Agent Program, click the button below! 

Every day, all day, your life as a Freight Agent is a steady stream of fires that need to be extinguished. From negotiations to late deliveries, and the phone ringing off the hook, keeping your head above water is the only thing that you dream about at the end of each day.

Remember those dreams of growing your Freight Agent business into a large income-producing machine? You knew that one day you wanted to take your business to the next level, but now the idea of taking time away just to pick up lunch is a pipedream – let alone planning a full-scale growth strategy.

So, how do you do it? How does a Freight Agent know when it’s time to take the leap into growing his or her business? How do you know what to do next? Keep reading to find out the first steps in recognizing the time for growth and moving your numbers in the right direction….Up!

How TO RECOGNIZE WHEN IT’S TIME TO GROW YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS

Know Where You Are

The first step to reaching your growth goals, or even deciding what those goals are, is first knowing where you are now. This step always seems like a no-brainer. Sure, you know how much the deposit into your bank account is every week, but do you really know how it got there and how much you possibly left on the table at the end of the week?

This is where you have to take some time and learn your numbers inside and out. How many shipments do you move in a week? What is your average margin per shipment? What is your net revenue? How many customers do you arrange shipping for every week? Then, how do these numbers compare to this time last month? Last quarter? Last year? Have you grown since last year? Are you moving more shipments, but your deposits are the same? These questions will help you decide what your next step is in planning your growth strategy as a Freight Agent.

Know How Much it Costs You to Run Your Freight Agent Business

Don’t forget that time equals money! Do you have fees associated with the company you broker through? How much goes into your pocket compared to how much goes to the company? What does it cost to use their operating system, load boards, or ancillary services?

So, now that you know where you stand, are you ready to take the leap? Growth can be a scary thing, so here are two areas to help determine how to jumpstart your growth:

JUMPSTARTING YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS GROWTH

Determine the Need for Additional Help

Are you a one-person operation moving 100 shipments per month? Think about the time it takes you to cover one shipment, track it, handle any issues that arise, and keep your customer informed throughout the entire process. Now multiply that by the number of shipments you have waiting to be booked, or in transit, each day. Maybe, it’s time to bring in some help!

You will never be able to bring on new business and keep the service level you need to maintain with your current customers when you are managing 15-20 loads per day all on your own. This seems to be a “sweet spot” for many freight agents. You know, that “magic number” to let you know that it’s time to bring in the help!

Start looking for someone who shares the same values and work ethic that helped your business get where it is today. Then, have them slowly start taking on some of the day-to-day duties that keep your head submerged underwater so that you can do what you do best – build those customer relationships!

Analyze Your House

No, not your real house…your work house. What is the company you broker with costing you at the end of the day? What do they offer to help you grow? Here are some questions to start asking yourself to make sure that you are partnered with the right company:

Devoted Freight Agent Support Team

Are you just a number when you call and have to leave a message? Do you talk with an actual person who knows your business and cares about your success?

Reputable Corporate Presence

Does the corporate headquarters have executives that know the value of Independent Freight Agents? Do you have teams at the corporate level who are billing your customers and paying your carriers that understand the value of your customer? Does the corporate office consistently communicate its vision and company goals with its Independent Freight Agents?

Fees

Is it costing you to broker with your current company? Are you charged fees? Upfront costs? Do you understand any adjustments to your commission payments and are they justified?

Continuing Education

Does your current company offer consistent education opportunities to help you stay on top of the market? How about classes to help refresh your sales skills? Does your Agent Support team continually offer coaching opportunities to find areas of your business that have growth potential?

Taking a step back to analyze all of this information will help you realize when it’s time to take your business to the next level. Make sure that you know your numbers, that you are looking for the right person to help you, and that the company you are working with is dedicated to helping you grow. Taking the leap into growth can be scary, but the rewards are abundant. Go ahead, take that first step!

TAKE YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Trinity Logistics has over 30 years of experience aiding in the success of our freight agent businesses, with many of our newer businesses seeing a 50 percent increase over a two-year period from joining. Consider joining our Authorized Agent Network today so you can gain more time to focus on your customers, and generate more revenue. We’ll focus on everything else. 

To learn more about our Authorized Agent program and all the ways we can save you time and help you build a successful Freight Agent business, feel free to contact our Agent Team by phone at 800-846-3400 x 1908 or click the button below! 

Taking ownership of your Freight Agent business is important to be successful.

It’s been nearly three weeks since we traveled to the magical city of New Orleans for our much-anticipated 2022 Freight Agent Conference. Between the energy of the city, the incredible speakers, and the camaraderie shared with my Trinity family, it was truly a transformative experience. 

This year’s Freight Agent Conference was held at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the fabulous French Quarter. The hotel’s Carousel Lounge, featuring the city’s only revolving merry-go-round bar, was a great venue for our opening welcome reception, where we greeted Trinity Agents as they joined us from 15+ states across the U.S. and Mexico! A culinary and cocktail-guided walking tour was another highlight for our early arrivals. 

We took in the local sights, sounds, and food and had some fun in the evening donning our best flapper apparel for a 1920s Speakeasy Party to celebrate. While this conference is a great way to connect with our Freight Agents, it’s also educational. This year’s theme was on taking ownership of your business and life.

As a group, we focused on owning our vision, efficiencies, wellness, change, knowledge, and expectations of our future. It was a revelation to learn how embracing and applying this simple yet powerful concept affects our success both professionally AND personally.

We had some great speakers talk about ownership, such as Carlos Mendez of Echelon Front and Dr. John Delony, author of the national bestseller “Own Your Past Change Your Future”. It was exciting for me to realize how closely Carlos’ & Dr. Deloney’s messages aligned with Trinity’s culture and values. As an organization, we understand that each one of us is responsible for taking ownership of our future.

WHAT DOES TAKING OWNERSHIP MEAN?

Taking ownership means holding yourself accountable for your work, regardless of the outcome. It’s about taking responsibility and having the initiative to lead. It’s the mindset that you, as an individual, are accountable for the quality and timeliness of an outcome, even when you’re working with others.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO PRACTICE TAKING OWNERSHIP OF YOUR WORK

By embracing this principle of taking ownership, we become more productive in our careers and show others that we can be trusted, even when the job is serious. Taking ownership of our failures and successes can be hard, but when we stop making excuses and blaming others, it compels us to act, empowers us to solve problems, and ultimately, to WIN.

BENEFITS OF TAKING OWNERSHIP

Helps You Foster Positive Workplace Relationships

Taking ownership of your work encourages accountability and communication with your coworkers. It helps you complete your work while keeping in mind how it affects others.

Encourages Career Growth

Taking ownership of your work encourages you to take action and expand your skill set, take on more responsibilities, and learn new skills, which are all proactive steps in growing your career.

Provides a Source of Motivation

Acknowledging your successes and failures empowers you to ask questions about what went well and what didn’t, develop new ideas for improvement, and accept constructive feedback. Once you take ownership, you’ll find yourself seeking to grow and improve more often.

Earn Business Recognition

Nobody wants to work with someone who makes excuses. By taking ownership of your work and business, you’ll build a positive reputation for great service with your customers. With exceptional customer service, your clients are more likely to recommend your business to other clients.

WAYS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS

Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Taking ownership of your work requires you to be proactive in your daily duties. This means anticipating problems and developing solutions, asking for clarifications on tasks, and working ahead to reduce any stress or issues during busy workdays.

Communicate Your Goals

To reach your career goals, you need to make sure your partners know what you want to achieve. For Freight Agents, this means communicating with your 3PL partner. This helps them understand your needs so they can best support your business.

Ask for Constructive Feedback

Asking for constructive feedback regularly, from your 3PL partner and your clients helps you provide consistent, stellar service. It gives you the chance to better understand what you excel at and helps you determine what areas you can improve upon.

Practice Active Listening

You can practice active listening to enhance your communication skills to take ownership of your work further. This includes taking in non-verbal cues like nodding, smiling, making eye contact, and taking notes, but it also involves making small verbal gestures and asking questions. With active listening, you can better understand the needs of your clients and enhance your memory by focusing your attention on the speaker and taking notes. Active listening ensures you’ll get done exactly what needs to be done and shows the speaker that you are concentrating on them and their needs.

Offering Solutions

Offering solutions is more effective than presenting problems. Instead of going straight to presenting a problem to someone, take a few minutes and consider how you would solve the problem yourself. That way, when you finally present the problem and share one or a few potential solutions that you’ve thought of, it shows you’ve taken the initiative and are invested in your business.

Take Advantage of Learning Opportunities

A key part of taking ownership of your business is motivating yourself to improve your skills. See what learning opportunities your 3PL partner has for you. Learn a new mode, takes a sales course, or see if there is a certification you can earn.

Develop Self-Awareness

Self-awareness helps you understand your strengths, weakness, learning style, and more. By having a clear understanding of your habits and needs, you can hold yourself accountable and set goals for improvement or adjust so that you can accommodate your strengths and weakness.

HOW TRINITY HELPS SUPPORT YOU IN TAKING OWNERSHIP

At Trinity, taking ownership is ingrained in our culture. We own the service and support we provide to our teammates, Freight Agents, customers, carriers, and our community. With every interaction, our goal is to create an experience that supports the professional and personal wellness of everyone we are so grateful and privileged to serve.

Our Agent Support Team is here to help you set and achieve your professional goals, provide constructive feedback to succeed in your business, offer learning opportunities to grow your skillset, and so much more.

Trinity Logistics has over 30 years of experience aiding in the success and ownership of our Freight Agent businesses, with many of our Freight Agents seeing a 50 percent increase over a two-year period from joining. So, if you’re looking for a long-term partnership that takes ownership and is supportive of your Freight Agent business, then let’s get connected. What are you waiting for?

To see the Trinity Experience in action:

For information about joining Trinity’s Freight Agent network, feel free to contact our Agent Team by phone at 800-846-3400 ext. 1908 or click the button below.

Are you prepared for your top customer to stop shipping with you?

We recently asked some of our top agents how they keep their businesses moving forward when times are tough. The biggest takeaway was simple but powerful; sales prospecting never ends.

THE SWEET SPOT

All too often we find ourselves in a “sweet spot.” You’ve built your business up with several steady customers and the daily loads come in like clockwork. You’ve worked hard, real hard to get what you have. Life is good and monthly cash flow is strong! It’s very easy to slow down or even stop sales prospecting for new business. I mean, come on, you’re too busy talking with the customers you currently have and booking their loads, right?

WHAT’S YOUR BACKUP PLAN?

Do you ever think about what would happen if your very best customer for whatever reason stopped moving freight with you? 

Are you prepared and do you have a backup plan?  

Many Freight Agents found the first several months of the Covid-19 pandemic a cold reminder of why they should always be sales prospecting for new business. Many very successful Freight Agents lost customers almost immediately due to the disruption in the market. Some Freight Agents’ businesses completely failed. 

Beyond the Covid pandemic, shortages of crucial materials or parts around the world happen from time to time. It can and does happen, many times, without or very little warning. 

Whether you’ve fallen victim to this or wish not to, there are things you can do today to be prepared. Remember, no business is immune to disruption.

NEVER STOP SALES PROSPECTING FOR NEW BUSINESS

Sales prospecting can be one of the most challenging parts of your business, so it’s easy to see why it can sometimes fall on the back burner once you’re comfortable. If you’ve found your sweet spot and slowed down, then start today working on generating new business through sales prospecting. You may say, “I don’t have time.” But, even if you dedicate just one hour a day to finding new business, you are going to come out ahead. 

Freight Agents must have the mindset to always be looking for new business. Without a pipeline of leads, you are not adding business from new customers. There are plenty of opportunities out there and many sales prospecting methods to drum up new business. Here are some tried and true methods that work. The Freight Agents I know that do this in their business are some of the most productive Freight Agents in the industry.

PREDICTING AND DUPLICATING YOUR BUSINESS

What if you could predict the outcome of your daily sales prospecting? Let’s use cold calling as an example. If you keep track of your numbers, you will get better. The key to making sales prospecting work well is knowing your numbers. Knowing your numbers creates predictability within your business. 

For example, can you prospect each day 1 pm – 2 pm and predict what is going to happen? Yes, you can if you track your numbers. But the key to a good business is the ability to duplicate an activity and get the same kind of response.

If you look at the diagram below, you’ll see a Freight Agent’s list of prospects that they have been calling on. In this example, you can see that the Freight Agent is calling on three prospective customers. They have made 35 dials and had 10 conversations with these customers. The result of these numbers has landed them one customer. This Freight Agent knows moving forward that it should take them that number of dials and conversations to land a new customer.

Tracking your numbers is very important because it will tell you the levels of your efficiency.  Set a daily or weekly schedule to spend some time sales prospecting and you will start to build momentum. Your confidence in this will grow, and you will improve, and start adding more customers. Try this for the next 30 days and see what happens. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the direction you are headed! 

ASK FOR REFERRALS

Referrals can be one of your easiest and most powerful sales prospecting techniques. Statistics show that 93 percent of consumers trust recommendations from colleagues, friends, and family. 

Spend some time reaching out to your past and current satisfied customers to ask for referrals, however, make sure you have a good relationship with them. It’s best to reach out to the ones you’ve helped just as much as they’re about to help you. 

A great tip for successfully gaining customer referrals is to get the timing down right. Choosing to reach out for a referral shortly after you’ve impactfully helped a customer with their logistics is ideal as they will be more likely to return the favor with any referrals they may have.

ALWAYS FOLLOW UP

Cold emails or calls that go unanswered or returned can quickly turn into a beneficial conversation if you follow up. Not following up is giving up and greatly decreases your chances of getting a reply. Perhaps when you initially reached out, your prospective customer was busy, forgot about your reach out, or simply didn’t need your services at the time. Following up not only reminds your prospective customer of your available services but broadens your awareness with them. 

In a recent study on sales prospecting, it was found that the most successful cadence based on email replies is six touches throughout three weeks. So unless your prospective customer has asked that you do not call or email them, continue reaching out and try to connect with them. 

ENGAGE IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Everyone uses social media and it’s a great way to find and gain new customers. Statistics show that those who tap in social media for their sales are 40 percent more likely to hit their revenue targets than those who don’t use it. 

There are many ways to use social media to your advantage. First off, you can showcase your expertise. Customers are looking for experts in logistics and supply chain solutions. They want to know who they work with can be a trusted resource for them. Showcase your knowledge by sharing and commenting on relevant industry articles, important freight market news, or any of your company’s high-quality content. Doing so can show potential customers that you know your stuff and can be a reliable source of support for their company. 

And make as many connections on your professional social media accounts as possible. The more connections you have, the more chances for new customers. 

Connect with the customers you close deals with or anyone you know in your industry. Connections with your current customers are a great way to find and gain referrals. Having a mutual connection with your prospects will automatically warm up your outreach and better yet, help spark a conversation with them from the start. 

KEEP YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL

Continued efforts for sales prospecting is a necessary evil for keeping a successful business. It’s the surest way to generate more business opportunities, close more deals, and keep your revenue incoming. 

If you’re bogged down by back-end tasks and need more time in your day to add in sales prospecting, consider joining Trinity’s Authorized Agent network. Trinity Logistics has over 30 years of experience aiding in the success of our freight agent businesses, with many new freight agents seeing a 50 percent increase over a two-year period from joining. 

Join our Authorized Agent network today and gain more time to generate more revenue. We’ll focus on everything else. 

If there is anything we have all learned together over the last few years, it’s that nothing stays the same. While we have used the phrase “everything changes” as more of a cliché, we’ve all had a front-row seat to just how fast things can change and how important it is to stay prepared with accurate information. However, another thing we’ve learned over the last few years is that sometimes a news source may not be the most reliable.

Let’s face it, not many industries have had the spotlight thrown at them quite like transportation! And with so much information, news, and opinions being thrown at you all the time, it can be hard to know what the actual truth is and what is an exaggerated opinion. From social media, public opinion, company-specific data, and political forums, there’s an unlimited number of news sources available, so finding trusted information is as important as ever.

Tips to Make Sure Your News Source is Trustworthy

You can Google any number of articles to find some tips and tricks to ensure you are reliable, but to keep it simple you can head back to your writing class! Using the standard CRAAP method is probably the best way. Yes, I said CRAAP – don’t you love a good acronym?

Here are some tips to make sure that the information you take in is accurate, truthful, and relevant.

C – Currency

Was it published last week or last year?

R – Relevance 

Is this article relevant to what you need? Is this information important?

A – Authority 

What is the source of information? Who is the author? Do they have any credentials or experience in the subject matter? 

A – Accuracy

Can you validate the accuracy of the information? 

P – Purpose

Why was the article written? Was someone trying to argue a point or share information?  

Count on Trinity as a Trustworthy News Source for Transportation

We understand that finding the time to vet resources and information fully is just one more thing to add to your already loaded plate.  That’s why we have a network of Team Members and external relationships that help us stay up to date on the ever-changing market in which we work.

We work diligently to ensure that any information we pass on to Freight Agents and Team Members within the company has the best information possible, as quickly as possible. We make use of trusted sources such as Freightwaves, Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), and many other relationships throughout the industry.

Ways We Share Trustworthy News With You

Daily News Update

As a Trinity Freight Agent, you’ll receive our Daily News Update email every day. This email hosts four of the top transportation news articles within the past 24 hours. Additionally, we share two news articles outside of the transportation industry, the latest Trinity LinkedIn post for you to share, and a motivational quote.

Weekly Update

Each week, Trinity’s Freight Agents receive a Weekly Update email. This email contains any quick information that may help you, such as information on technology enhancements, important dates to remember, and more. 

Monthly Newsletter

The Agent Monthly Newsletter puts you up-front and personal with your Agent Support Team. Members of this Team share information that they think will help a Freight Agents’ business, important updates, Freight Agent office celebrations, and some personal stories to grow our relationships. 

Freight Market Update

Each month, Greg Massey pulls freight industry information from FreightWaves’ Sonar Product and writes a summarized article that we call our Freight Market Update. You can find the monthly update on our blog!

Participating in Organizations and Conferences

Many of our Leadership Team Members participate in well-known organizations and conferences to not only help keep all of Trinity updated on what’s going on in the industry but to share our expert experience and knowledge with others. For example, President Sarah Ruffcorn chairs the Women in Logistics Committee with TIA and has participated in their Connecting to Climb Series. Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Doug Potvin recently traveled to Washington D.C. to testify before Congress on supply chain issues and how to build resiliency for the long term.

We’re Here as Your Go-To News Source for Transportation

It’s important to us that the Freight Agents that work with Trinity have the information they need to make important decisions relevant to their business and the current market.  If you’ve been looking for a 3PL partner who you can trust to be a reliable news source, get in touch with the Trinity Logistics Agent Support Team so we can discuss your business’s unique needs and inform you of how we can work together to meet them.

We often will hear from a Freight Agency on how their business has become stagnant while partnered with either small or start-up brokerages. This could be for several reasons. For one, no business will grow unless the main driving force – which is YOU – is 100 percent committed to its success.

In fact, many of the single-person Freight Agents we have seen with great success in the past five years have a focused passion that affords them no “Plan B”. They are so determined to make their small freight agency work that they don’t even consider failure as a potential option. Having that hunger is essential but finding a partner to support your growth is vital. When considering who that partner should be, it’s important to consider several things, such as;

WILL CARRIER PARTNERS EVEN TAKE MY FREIGHT?

The days of only being a point A to point B truckload-only Freight Agency are fading. Customers have unique shipping challenges that need unique shipping solutions. Therefore, it’s important to ensure your Freight Agency’s partner has a vast network of carrier partners.

As important, is their reputation among the carrier community. It must be strong enough to foster relationships that promote carriers consistently working with them versus having to always rely on “one and done” carriers. Find out how often carriers seek repeat business with the partner company you’re considering. If it happens a third of the time or less, that could be a warning sign that carriers may give your company a shot, but the relationship doesn’t progress for whatever reason.

WHAT OPERATIONAL SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE TO MY FREIGHT AGENCY BUSINESS?

Typically, most Freight Agents are well-versed in truckload operations as that is where most get their start in the industry. But shipping customers have needs that don’t just require a full truckload of a product being moved.

Does your partner company have a strong relationship with less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers that will provide competitive service and rates? Will you have a team of experts to assist you with those non-traditional freight moves, like expedited, drayage, or international? What about a shipper customer with more complex needs, like a transportation management system to help manage their business?

As you look to grow with your shipper customers, the last thing you want to do is tell that customer, “Sorry, we can’t support that type of move.”

WHAT ONGOING EDUCATION IS AVAILABLE TO ME?

People that are successful in any business typically have a thirst for knowledge. It’s not just about learning something new, it’s also about refining and sharpening the saw on things they have known for years. Does the company you’re looking to partner with offer education and training sessions to assist in that endeavor?

And if so, are they just focused on mode education? Or operational or technical education? What about things that are not directly tied to the day-to-day but are important – like succession planning? Find out how the company you consider partnering with will support your Freight Agency and you as a person.

HOW INVOLVED WILL I NEED TO BE IN NON-REVENUE GENERATING ACTIVITIES?

The sale does not end when the shipment delivers. That sale needs to continue all the way through the administrative support side of the freight transaction. But how much of your time will that gobble up?

If the partner company you’re considering indicates they will do those things on your behalf, what are their processes for those support measures? It’s great when they help get a carrier set up, but at the speed at which the freight industry moves, you know how valuable minutes are, let alone hours of waiting.

And not just normal processes, but not every shipping customer or freight move fits neatly in a box. So how will those needs be met when exceptions occur? Let’s face it, giving a partner company a percentage of the gross margin, you make on a shipment should absolutely come with a clear picture of how they will support your Freight Agency, your shipping customers, and those relationship carriers you have worked hard with to gain their trust.

Ask those tough questions about what happens when this occurs or how quickly a dispute or special need be managed. Remember, the company you partner with needs to be an extension of you and the freight agency you have created.

CHOOSE TRINITY LOGISTICS FOR YOUR FREIGHT AGENCY

We realize you have a choice in who you’d like as your freight agency’s partner. However, Trinity Logistics can help your business grow and remain successful regardless of your freight agency size.

Trinity Logistics has over 30 years of experience aiding in the success of our Authorized Freight Agent offices, as well as offering many extras for our Authorized Agent network. So, if you’re looking for a long-term partnership that is supportive of your growth and offers you continued education to stay competitive, we’re more than happy to get connected.

If you’d like to talk more about how Trinity can support your journey in growing a successful business, feel free to contact our Agent Team by phone at 800-846-3400 x 1908 or click the button below.

Hello there. I’m Holly, Trinity’s friendly neighborhood freight Agent Recruiter. 

Every day I have the privilege of working with our Authorized Agents as well as finding new freight agent businesses to welcome into the Trinity family. This has given me a bird’s eye view of what it takes to run a successful freight agent business. And I can tell you, IT’S HARD!!! It’s a grind. It’s a hustle. It requires a BIG dose of grit and determination. But it’s in our blood! We thrive on the fast pace, the opportunity for unlimited income, and the flexibility of running our own show. 

With all that being said, I’m extremely proud of the tools, resources, and personalized support Trinity provides to our Authorized Agents daily. While I could go into all the things we can do to help support your freight agent business, today, I’ll settle for the opportunity to introduce you to four unique resources we provide our Authorized Agent network to make their days easier and their businesses more profitable. 

SAVE TIME WITH RFPs

Do you find Requests For Proposals (RFPs) an annoying time suck? Not anymore! At Trinity, we take care of the heavy lifting for you. 

Trinity’s Authorized Agents have full access to our in-house Pricing Team for RFPs both large and small. Our Team works hard to combine data from many market sources plus our extensive internal lane history to compare a total of nine data points. That’s some impressive wizardry, I tell you! This will not only save you time from figuring out the right pricing but also give you confidence that the pricing details you share with your customer are spot on. 

And that’s not all! We also provide you with real-time market-specific rates focused on your customer’s needs. This way, you can be as hands-on or hands-off in the process as you choose. 

AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT CAPACITY

You’ve just saved time on the pricing aspect of your RFP. It’s complete, and you’ve won your lanes, but what happens next? 

You get on the phone with your relationship carriers for their rates and volume commitments. In an ideal world, the rates are great and there’s plenty of capacity. Awesome! Time to get back to helping your customers and growing your freight agent business. 

But how often does that really happen? Often, your relationship carriers don’t run those new lanes, don’t have the capacity to commit, or ask for rates above the market. So, what do you do then? Most likely, head on to those dreaded load boards. 

Here comes Trinity to save the day. Our Authorized Agents have full access to our Carrier Procurement and Development Team. This Team of Trinity experts will take the data from your RFP, find you capacity using our proprietary lane matching technology and then get rate agreements in place for COMMITTED capacity to service your customer’s needs. 

So, if you often work with RFPs for your customers, go ahead and press the easy button with Trinity!

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

Are you looking for a deeper dive to uncover your most profitable freight?  We’re here to help you with that! By using your load history, our Pricing Team will provide you with a Network Analysis to give valuable insight into your most profitable lanes. With this data in mind, you’ll be able to focus your sales efforts on the markets that produce the highest margin to help you reach your freight agent business goals. We’ll help you work smarter, not harder! 

EASILY DIVERSIFY YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS

One more thought for the day; let’s say you specialize in full truckload freight. In fact, you’re such an expert that you can almost move it with your eyes closed.

But in this constantly evolving freight market, your customers ask you for help with all kinds of other weird stuff like less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, drayage, ocean or air, expedited freight, technology solutions, warehousing, e-commerce…maybe even a total outsource!

With you being a full truckload shipping expert, this may sound intimidating! And the last thing you want to do is send them somewhere else and risk that “other guy” poaching your freight.

There’s no longer a need to worry! Trinity Logistics has you covered. We offer full operations teams for our Authorized Agents to handle ALL other modes besides full truckload. Pair that with our parent company, Burris Logistics, and their opportunities, and it’s simple. You bring the opportunity, and we do the rest. All you need to do is sit back and collect the extra margin for your growing freight agent business.

Additionally, we provide you with monthly mode training classes so you can learn and be confident in what you are selling. There’s no need to be the subject matter expert on all modes when you have Trinity Team Members to support you and your freight agent business. 

JOIN THE TRINITY FAMILY AND BEGIN GROWING YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS

Trinity Logistics has over 30 years of experience aiding in the success of our freight agent businesses, with many of our newer businesses seeing a 50 percent increase over a two-year period from joining. Consider joining our Authorized Agent Network today so you can gain more time to focus on your customers, generate more revenue, and we’ll focus on everything else. 

To learn more about our Authorized Agent program and all the ways we can save you time and help you build a successful freight agent business, feel free to contact our Agent Team phone at 800-846-3400 x 1908 or click the button below! 

If you’ve seen any of the news headlines throughout 2021, you’ve seen how supply chains continually face ongoing stress and disruption from the contiued covid-19 pandemic, labor and product shortages, port congestion, and more. However, even during stressful times such as these, many of our Independent Freight Agent offices have continued to excel. How did our Independent Freight Agent offices continue to thrive in such difficult times? At Trinity, we make sure to work together and support. In 2022, Trinity is giving out more awards, prizes, and trips than ever before. 

Celebrating Our Platinum Agents

Trinity’s Agents can achieve the distinction of being recognized as a Platinum Agent, but what does this mean? A Platinum Agent title is earned by Trinity’s Authorized Agents who are excelling in the field. It is the highest recognition an Authorized Agent with Trinity can achieve, based on revenue and load count totals. Each year we recognize these Platinum Agents, giving them the royal treatment for their hard work. 

Celebrating Agent Office Achievements

Every year our Agent Support Team sends out awards and recognition plaques to the Authorized Agents who had an amazing growth year – and they sent out more boxes than ever this year! With the support of a broker, like Trinity Logistics, Independent Freight Agents can focus on what they do best – move freight. In addition, because our elite Agent Support team takes care of the back-end support, Authorized Agent offices in our network can focus on growing their business. And in 2021, they did just that! We were even able to recognize our Agents’ contribution to a huge company milestone, with a car giveaway. Check out Kelly’s surprise when we showed up at his door to tell him he won the drawing.

Here are some of the highlights our Agents accomplished this year:

• A record number of Authorized Agents reached Platinum status – the highest level of achievement for an Independent Freight Agent at Trinity, which rewards volume and growth.
• 70 percent of Authorized Agent Offices in Trinity’s network reached $1 million, or more, in sales – with many reaching multi-million-dollar levels.

Independent Agent Awards and Perks

Trinity offers the best support possible for Independent Freight Agent Offices that are growing but also some awards and recognition as well. Our Agents are like family to us, and we love to celebrate them when they reach their goals. Listed below are some of the rewards we offer to our Authorized Agents: 

• Plaques and trophies
• Company branded apparel – who doesn’t love a good jacket or hat?
• Trips – our Platinum Agencies receive full travel accommodations, including flights and hotel accommodations for the owner and a guest to our annual Agent conference. In 2022, we’re going to New Orleans! 
• Gifts – we recently sent out a gift to every single Agency owner and their Team Members to celebrate such a fantastic year. We also send gifts every year to our Authorized Freight Agent offices.
• Appreciation – each year, Trinity sets aside a day called “Agent Appreciation Day” – with celebrations including gifts, lunches, videos, and recognition. We honor our Authorized Freight Agents every day, but we take this one special day to play it up big. 

Supporting Independent Freight Agent Offices

While all these gifts and perks are great benefits to being part of Trinity’s Authorized Freight Agent network, that’s not all we offer. Trinity has over 30 years of experience aiding the success of our Authorized Freight Agent offices, and offer many extras for our Authorized Agent network. Hear from Chris Bergman, one of Trinity’s Authorized Agents, about his success story and how Trinity has helped him get to where he is today.

We realize you have a choice in who you’d like to partner with in your business. However, if what you’re looking for is a long-term partnership that is supportive of your growth, offers you continued education to remain competitive, and most of all, is made up of a Team of people who are passionate, dedicated, and striving for excellence, then Trinity Logistics may be the Freight Agent program for you. 

If you want to learn more about our Freight Agent Program, click the button below! 

By: Jennifer Hoffman