Even with emerging software, technologies and digital marketing tools taking their industry by storm, top freight brokers are only as successful as the client relationships they can build and maintain.
The freight industry, like so many other industries, revolves around loyalty, trust, reputation and standing out. Developing strong bonds with carries and shippers is vital.
Earn Trust From Freight Clients
From retail and restaurants to manufacturing and freight transportation, trust matters. It always has and it always will. Trust is earned, not inherited, which is why top cargo agents must be so careful to facilitate delivery on time every time, and to keep communication flowing freely throughout the process.
The ongoing communication between agent and client is a great way for everyone involved to better understand each other’s goals, needs and challenges. Learning how to address those challenges and meet needs goes a long way toward securing trust.
Cultivate Loyalty
Clients want things they can rely on. They want to find agents who consistently deliver as promised — and they want to confidently work with those agents over and over again, instead of having to take a leap of faith with unknown agents.
Cargo agents can show their loyalty to clients — and in the process develop loyalty from those clients — by diligently paying attention to the “little things.” Those include simple but memorable gestures such as hand-written cards, small gifts, and phone calls congratulating them on birthdays and other such events.
In an industry where too often people and organizations are no more than names on a load board, loyalty helps agents stand out in a way that breeds a broad customer base.
Don’t Make Avoidable Mistakes
Word spreads fast in the digital age. When agents cut corners or don’t keep their word, clients remember — and they spread the word. While loyalty can make an agent’s success, negative word of mouth certainly can break it.
No one is perfect, but avoiding major mistakes — especially the avoidable ones — and exemplifying integrity gives agents a reputation leading to plenty of business for years to come.
