Benton Garrison’s Post

Did you know J.B. Hunt recently started a freight agent program? We’re focused on providing value for customers and delivering exceptional service, and our agent program is no different. So, if you’re interested in growing your business and working with an established transportation company, then send me a message so we can talk about how you can get started with J.B. Hunt!

Freight Agents, if there's one thing NOT to ask on a cold call it's this. Under no circumstances should you ask... "Did I catch you at a bad time?" Why? This opens the door for a prospect to end the call right away. Here are 9 questions you should ask. 1. What are your responsibilities? 2. What's your biggest challenge? 3. What are your main priorities when shipping? 4. What lanes are you shipping? 5. What do you look for in a Freight Agent? ...and more! Keep reading and save the blog post to use when you plan your next call. https://lnkd.in/eaQ9u7ej #coldcalltips #freightagent #freightbroker

When you open up a freight brokerage ... Answer your phone calls, over-communicate, care about your customers freight like it was your own personal belongings. The best way to do this is by being honest. When you open up a trucking company ... Answer your phone calls, over-communicate, care about your customers freight like it was your own personal belongings. The best way to do this is by being honest. Then you just rinse and repeat this for the length of your participation in the logistics landscape and you will never run out of customers . #logistics #trucking

I don’t care if you are a broker, shipper, or customer, to be successful when shipping freight, you must have amazing preferred carriers. These guys are my number 1 and have been for years. The conversation attached tells you why. Myself and my team have been working with them for over 10 years. It is very easy right now to scrap long term relationships for “cheaper” options. My advice is to not do that. I see brokers doing it. I see customers doing. I’ve even had one of my long term (over 5 years) customers bring in a new guy to handle their transportation. I know their business, loaders, and customers inside and out. In a matter of a few months, the new guy has completely ghosted me. Won’t return phone calls, emails or texts. I have found out through my many contacts, that he is giving my dedicated freight to someone else over $100 per load. Definitely an easy decision to make in this current market. I just hope I am available to answer his call when he needs help. Brokers, please don’t jeopardize long term carrier relationships over $100.

Most freight brokers would agree that having a customer with a high freight spend can be a dream come true. But what do you do when you land that account? Do you turn into an order zombie responding to quotes all day and letting your support staff book your trucks and manage updates? I personally love to figure out what goals a shipper has for their freight spend to see if I can find creative ways to align my goals with theirs. This makes it a lot easier to find the right carrier for the job AND allows you to create clear expectations for all parties.

The more conversations that I have with brokers within the industry, the more I am seeing one extremely important commonality that they all link with a strong business model. Ready? Drum roll please... They all say how crucial it is to start building lasting and meaningful relationships with carriers. Better late than never, but this is something that you should focus on from day one. Even more shockingly... building these relationships can be done with one very simple, but helpful thing. Communication. Communicate, communicate, and just when you think you are done it's time to communicate some more. 😉 Time is money-- for both parties. More than just that, clear communication on both ends helps foster trust and dependability. The more carriers know they can rely on brokers for good loads and communication, the more they will want to work with those brokers. The more brokers know they can rely on the carriers, the more loads they will throw their way. Best of all? Finding and fostering those relationships also makes a better overall experience for the customer because their loads are getting covered faster and making it to their destinations reliably. Making it a win-win-win. 🏆 #EnglandLogistics #Transportation #Logistics #FreightBrokerage #Carriers #CarrierPartnerships #Success

The faster you figure this out? The faster, bigger, and better your Agent Program brand will be. And if you're going to scale your freight brokerage and attract top agents, consistency is essential. So, don't be this person: "Our Freight Agent Program is the best!" Instead, be this person: "Here is a story on how we helped our agent succeed. We are so proud of them!" First, focus on the success of your current agents, not bringing on more agents. When you do this, and share the stories on LinkedIn, you'll never need to cold call again. P.S. Building trust online is easier when you're genuine. #freightbroker #freightbrokerage #logistics #supplychain

I genuinely can’t believe something like this would happen. First & foremost, I am all for healthy competition; it forces us all to become & do better. However, this week a competitor has been messaging our agents, which is completely normal, BUT they have been spreading horrible lies about us. They sent our agents this email (pictured below) claiming that we were trying to sell Freight Tec. It's a shame that people in this industry would stoop this low. So for the official record: - Freight Tec is NOT for sale, nor do we have plans of ever selling! - Our average agent tenure is 11.5 years, and there is a very good reason why. We believe our top-notch support team, integrity & transparency keep our agents with us for the long haul. It takes years to build up trust & integrity but only a split second to break it. And to the heart & soul of Freight Tec, our agents: Your passion, integrity & dedication to excellence are the reasons we continue to lead the industry, & I am so proud of all of you! Again, Freight Tec is NOT going anywhere. We are just getting started. #logistics #freigtbroker #freightbrokerage #3PL

It has been another great weekend with a great group of students taking our advanced freight broker course. Active listening > Active participation = Proper progression towards scaling your freight brokerage business and journey. Today is all about ops and sales, sales, sales, and oh that's right, I forgot to mention sales!!!! Making a difference one session at a time :). #logistics #trucking #freightbroker

Shipping customers are looking for freight brokers that are PROACTIVE! [See question at bottom of post 👀} Pro·ac·tive means: ➡️ Creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened. In other words... "Being proactive is identifying and preventing potential problems" NOT reacting to them! 🤔 Most freight broker and freight agents are reactionary. Something goes wrong, they fly off the handle and yell and scream at everyone within their reach. More than 1/2 of the problems in logistics and trucking can be prevented. 1) Understanding where problems frequently occur based upon your niche/freight type. ie. experience and training. 2) Having the ability to communicate the issue and solution without emotion and without losing your cool. Good brokers can predict problems! 🪄🧠 Problems with with carriers, drivers, pickup locations, delivery locations, weather, vehicles, technology and more. 👇 🤔 👇 🤔 👇 🤔 👇 🤔 What is your best advice for being PROACTIVE to prevent issues before they happen???