Logistics professional/ Heading Recruitment of Freight agents for HD Ships♟️ player/ problem solver/ Co host of 2 dawgs 1 pod.
Play to your strengths. I learned early on you don’t want to say “yes” or try to do everything. I had 2 absolute disasters with OD, and bulk shipments early on in my career. Never wanted to touch it again. My first month or 2 as a broker I was trying to get any customer I could. 1. I got in with a bulk customer. They had other freight too, but I got a chance solely to do a bulk load. I had zero clue how that worked (first mistake) I went to this bulk website that apparently had carriers. I realized carriers set the prices. And oh ya there was a ton of different information I had to relay to the carrier I didn’t understand. Then the carrier fell off the day off, and I realized this isn’t van, flatbed, or reefer rate I couldn’t cover….. It was very embarrassing. 2. I got a customer I had done some flatbed with, and they called me up about a machine. This is when I realized I wasn’t going to like a lot of flatbed rate. He spent a hour trying to tell me how he could reshift this machine to make it not”od” Well apparently this is illegal according to someone I was working with who was much more knowledgeable. Customer was irate, and that’s when I realized any product that I had to worry about height ,length, etc wasn’t going to be fun. A lot of you might be thinking well Matt flatbed freight is much easier then reefer. I think for everybody it’s different. For example, my worst grade in school was Art. I got a D. Also, geometry was harder for me than calculus. Certain things that are easy for everyone else stress me out, and certain things others find hard I understand better and enjoy. My niche became mostly food, and flatbed and van products that I understood. It worked out well for me, and I enjoyed it. Find a niche that you enjoy, and that you are good at and go with it. Plenty of freight out there. #kidfreight #sales #logistics #trucking
One benefit of being a broker is the flexibility you can assist in, but I do agree with the fact of sticking to your strengths is more important than trying to wear many hats.
I might try to deep dive into flatbed knowledge someday, and I’ve handled a few heavy tool moves on them, but now I stick to Expedite and dry FTL. I’m transparent letting my customers know I’d rather not mess things up for them if they ask me to quote a flatbed shipment and just refer it out. The potential embarrassment just isn’t worth it.
Matt spot on 🎯 No sense in trying to be everything for every prospect in the market or customer you have. Find out what their actual needs are and match them with solutions that help solve their problems and provide value. Continue to provide excellent service ans communication and the result is a very happy client.
I love your posts. You bring genuine experience and vulnerabilities that lead into simple takeaways that make sense.
ALASKA | GUAM | HAWAII - LTL/FCL Freight Provider
11moThere's a reason that there are niche people out there. Sometimes being diverse in what you offer means that you say yes - and refer them to the person directly. 😉