Whether you work for a freight brokerage or operate your own, it’s important to now and again take stock of what’s working and what’s not. There are some key questions to ask yourself about the industry and your brokerage.
Most of these questions are about common freight broker frustrations such as tedious, tiresome administrative tasks that take time away from actual sales activities. For brokerage owners, it’s important to think about the status of ongoing operating costs and risks. For agents, it’s worth asking, “Am I being supported by my company? Am I being enabled to thrive?”
If you’re being honest about your future in the shipping industry, think about whether your freight brokerage does these three things:
You spend the majority of your waking hours at work, so it stands to reason that a little peace of mind in the workplace goes a long way. There’s almost nothing worse than feeling worried at work all day every day.
Yet, that’s how many freight agent feel, especially if they work for a brokerage that has an in-house sales team or an internal brokerage. Fighting constant high-pressure sales battles against people who are SUPPOSED to be on your side isn’t helping YOU.
The freight transportation industry has at least one thing in common with virtually every sector: the importance of speed and flexibility. Sales come and go in the blink of an eye.
Becoming an independent freight agent isn’t for every single person in the industry. However, if planned well, the move from internal account representative or logistics coordinator to independent agent can be an incredibly liberating experience, giving you the freedom to concentrate on what you do best: find and cultivate leads into customers.
