This is typically the bread and butter for freight brokers in their quest for acquiring new shippers. Brokers can better present value and handle the customer’s rebuttals when pitching their services face to face rather than through email or over the phone. Ultimately, dropping in to their place of work is the best way to get a moment of their undivided attention. Otherwise, lower to mid-level employees can act a barrier through phone/email communications, preventing you from making direct contact with the decision maker.
Dropping into the shipper’s place of work also shows them that you’re serious about their business and will transfer that enthusiasm whilst servicing out their lanes, if they choose to provide you with their shipments. Although, regardless of the outcome, it is never a bad idea to start off the potential relationship with a face to face interaction. Follow this door-to-door sales script template to increase your ability to get in front of the decision maker and leave your sales appointment with a win.
Door-to-door sales script:
Hello,
My name is [Your Name] and I am with [Company Name]. Upon completing my meeting with [Customer Next Door] to discuss their shipping operation, I inquired about whether there were any other companies nearby that have a shipping operation similar to their own that I could be of value, to which they mentioned [Customer Name]. I wanted to drop by to see if you could refer me to the person in charge of shipping to learn more about your company’s logistics operation?
Continue to ask qualifying questions in the order they are listed above.
This task is extremely important for freight brokers to complete in order to gain new business. Not every customer you want to contact will be within a commutable distance, therefore, cold calling can be a more efficient alternative to making appointments and creating sales opportunities with companies on your prospect list.
In order for freight brokers to be successful with cold calling, you need to focus on having the following outcomes from every call:
Get past the gatekeeper
Build rapport
Reinforce the company’s strengths
Uncover weaknesses in their operation by asking qualifying questions
Offer a solution to turn their weaknesses into strengths
See if they have an interest in using your services moving forward
Most freight brokers don’t necessarily enjoy cold calling due to its monotonous and mundane nature, however, you must still be effective with it if you expect to generate results. Follow this cold call script to improve your chances of getting past the gatekeeper and securing new business.
Cold calling script:
Hello [Customer Name],
My name is [Your Name] and I am with [Company Name].
(pause)
I hope your day is going well. I just had a few questions regarding your company’s shipping operation and I wanted to see if you were the right person to speak to about that.
(await response)
Terrific! I noticed that your company specializes in [Service] and [Service]. I have always been very intrigued by companies with an operation similar to yours and wanted to see if you could speak more towards how you became involved in [Service].
(await response)
Incredible! Well, I am very impressed on what your company has been able to accomplish. Could you tell more a bit more about your role with the company?
Continue to ask qualifying questions in the order they are listed above.
While email marketing may not be what it used to in terms of open rate, it is still one of the most effective forms of marketing to this day and should be included in your top customer outreach initiatives.
No one ever got a new customer on their first email!
The follow up to an email is just as important as the email itself. Create an email list with all of the prospects you have gathered so you can regularly send out email blasts with quality content. Don’t always be sending emails asking if they have any lanes available. Rather, send out things that may be interesting or beneficial to them: blogs, current events, informative videos, etc. On the 10th email, you probably will be okay checking to see if they have any freight available, that way you avoid spamming them.
It also provides a reason to call or walk into a business in order to follow up on the status of your original message. It’s the same as if you were trying to get a job. If all you do is submit a resume, there’s a very small chance that you will be considered for an interview. But if you call to follow up and/or drop off a resume in person, your likelihood of landing an interview goes up tremendously.
Whenever you’re sending a sales email, it is important to understand that rapport still needs to be built. Try including some terms of endearment into the email in order to create a like/trust factor before getting into the bulk of your email.
Next, share how you can provide more value than the other 11 freight brokers that probably emailed them that day asking for freight. You’re email must stand out!
Follow this email guide to ensure you construct an email that will hopefully result in the customer giving you shipments, or at the very least, scheduling a call to talk about your services in further detail.
Email marketing script:
Hi [Customer Name],
I have been an avid customer with you guys for quite some time and I have to say, I don’t know what I would do without your [Service]. I find it to help me [Value Item] and [Value Item], which has brought me tremendous joy over the years.
I would really love the opportunity for you to get to know me, one of your loyal customers, as someone that can also help make your logistics process simpler. I am the [Job Title] at [Company Name] and I will work day and night to ensure I provide a more efficient shipping process than your current provider guaranteed!
I understand that most shippers are not getting over 90% of their needs met by their current logistics provider. I am offering to bridge that gap because that 10% that they don’t do is what separates me from any other provider you have worked with or will work with in the future.
I’d love the opportunity to get to discuss your operation further, and see how [Company Name] can help improve your transportation needs. I’m always just a phone call away, so feel free to contact me at [Phone Number].
I look forward to doing business together!
Regards,
[Your Name]
As you can see, there are many methods to deliver your sales pitch. You just have to try different ones and see which you enjoy and work best for your company. Just be sure not to limit yourself to the traditional sales strategies for that narrow-minded business practice will result in you missing out on a lot of potential sales opportunities.
We live an a day and age where customers have never been so accessible. Be sure to take advantage of it!
