05/17/2024 by Greg Massey
Embracing a Growth Mindset: The Key to Freight Agent Success.
How to be a Successful Freight Agent
As a Freight Agent, you might think proof of your business growth is solely measured based on your revenue size. While that’s not totally inaccurate, there’s more to be seen behind the numbers.
Hitting more tangible goals like a certain revenue or office size can be very rewarding. They’re great scorecards to keep track of your business efforts. Yet growth also involves learning to be adaptable, fostering new and creative ideas, and being resilient in the face of adversity.
Choosing to look beyond the numbers for growth and instead embracing a growth mindset can revolutionize your approach as a Freight Agent. One of the best ways to get into that growth mindset is to get curious.
The Best Freight Agents Know The Power of Curiosity
At the heart of a growth mindset lies curiosity. It’s the insatiable “why” behind every question. Curiousness causes us to explore beyond the status quo. It pushes us to find the boundary and see if we can perhaps step over it.
A curious Freight Agent isn’t afraid to ask why certain routes may be preferred. They dive deeper into understanding a customer’s pain points and challenges while keeping an eye out for industry trends. Having that curiosity will help you grow to develop a deeper understanding of logistics and help you tailor your services so you can truly shine against those Average Joe’s.
Yet, to be truly curious, you must also embrace potential failure. You must learn to accept that you might just fail and that failure itself isn’t a bad thing. Failure only becomes a bad thing when lessons are not learned from it. By instead viewing setbacks as stepping stones, you’ll be able to truly be curious and grow. It opens the door to new and valuable learning experiences. You’ll be able to learn what went wrong and how you can improve and adapt for your next opportunity.
The most successful Freight Agents aren’t afraid to fail; they learn from their failures and come back stronger.
Fostering a Growth Mindset in Freight Organizations
Curiosity can only flourish if leadership fosters a supportive environment. This doesn’t mean simply offering words of encouragement. It’s not just about pats on the back. You must be able to provide your Team with the resources and tools they need to feel empowered to be curious and grow. Examples of this can include access to industry research, subscriptions to relevant publications, or budgeting for educational conferences. This way, growth will be fostered organically.
When Team Members feel empowered, they take ownership of their own growth. They may start taking calculated risks or experimenting with new approaches. With their curiosity supported by Leadership, you’ll see them begin to find and drive growth and success for both themselves and the business.
Freight Agents Have an Individual Responsibility for a Growth Mindset
While Leadership should support their Team Members in their curiosity, it doesn’t mean a growth mindset is automatically bestowed upon them. Your Team Members must embrace it on their own. Part of this comes down to who you select to join your Team.
You want Team Members who actively seek out new knowledge and challenges. You want colleagues who are okay with stepping outside their comfort zones and looking to achieve more. They must be committed to continuous learning and improvement.
Growth is a continuous process. Ensure those you take along on your business journey don’t wait for you to tell them to try or learn something new. Even better, be the driver of your own personal development. Be the example and show them how you take on that initiative, and they will likely follow suit.
Growth is a Continuous Journey for Freight Agents
The thing about growth is that it’s not a destination; it’s a continuous journey. It’s not limited to a single, particular result or achievement. It’s not just about getting bigger but constantly striving to be better. That’s why you need to develop that growth mindset to reach your fullest potential.
A crucial part of developing a growth mindset is surrounding yourself with the right people. Here’s where partnering with a company like Trinity Logistics becomes invaluable.
Embrace a Growth Mindset with Trinity Logistics
At Trinity Logistics, continuous improvement is ingrained in our culture and we extend this commitment to growth to the Freight Agent businesses we partner with. That’s why many of our Freight Agents see a 50 percent increase in business within the first two years of joining our network.
Here are some of the key ways we support your growth every step of the way:
Easy Diversification
Let’s say you currently specialize in full truckload freight. However, the freight market is constantly evolving so you could use more logistics solutions to offer your customers. Trinity Logistics has you covered. We have full Operations Teams available that can assist our Freight Agents so you can offer more than just truckload to your customers. We offer multiple modes of transportation including less-than-truckload (LTL), drayage, international, and expedited, along with warehousing and transportation management solutions available.
Continued Education
What if you don’t know much about the other transportation modes Trinity offers shippers? Don’t worry! Trinity has an in-house Education Team that provides you with many opportunities to continue your education and training. We hold monthly mode training classes so you can learn and be confident in what you sell, but there’s also education on sales skills, business strategy, leadership, and any other skill sets you may need.
One-on-One Support
When you join Trinity’s Freight Agent network, you’ll immediately learn and meet your dedicated Agent Support Team. These Team Members work with you to learn about your goals, offer suggestions, encourage you, and help you stay on track. You’re sure to adapt and stick to a growth mindset with the support of your own Team!
Connect With Like-Minded Freight Agents at Our Freight Agent Conference
Trinity regularly holds their Freight Agent conference, giving you the chance to connect in person or virtually with other like-minded individuals. You’ll often hear from speakers including members of our own Trinity Leadership, Sales Directors, our Platinum Agents, and other industry professionals. There are also workshops on sales and operations processes, providing you the chance to hone your skills and understanding. Of course, there’s plenty of time to network included!
Take the First Step in Your Freight Agent Career Growth Today
While we can boast all day about our Freight Agent program, what really makes the difference are the people behind it. It’s our shared commitment and dedication to helping you grow and be as successful as you want to be.
Let us help you embrace growth in your Freight Agent business, in both culture and revenue.
