A Truck is Better Than No Truck

Introduction

Not all loads are easy to cover.  I guarantee there are some loads on your board right now that leave you scratching your head about why anyone 1) accepted it, and 2) expected it to make money.  That’s just the way things work sometimes.

Unfortunately, those loads still need to be covered and SOMEONE needs to find a truck.  They might need to get creative to make something work, but that kind of problem solving is one thing that sets high-performing brokers apart.

A Problem Load

Imagine this scenario: You’re an account manager and you have a load on your board that is a problem.  It picks up this afternoon from some middle-of-nowhere facility, the transit time is wonky, and it doesn’t have enough money in it.  To make matters worse, it’s for a big customer and having a service failure is going to cause major issues.

You ask your carrier team what they’re hearing and you get a bunch of unhelpful responses:

• “There’s nobody posted”
• “The transit time doesn’t work”
• “You underquoted this”

All of those responses are accurate, but not one of them helps solve your problem.

A Solution!

Finally, you go ask the highest performing carrier rep for help.  Within five minutes, they come back with this:

“I don’t have anyone who can pick this load up today…everyone is too far away to make the pick on time.  What I do have is a carrier who can pick up first thing tomorrow morning and still make an on time delivery.  You’ll lose $200, but we’ll get this load picked up and delivered.”

That response is why this person is a high performer.

Providing a Solution

High performing brokers understand that part of their job is providing solutions to problems.  

In the context of tough-to-cover loads, this means bringing options to the table even if those options aren’t a perfect fit.  High-performers recognize that they don’t need to provide a perfect solution, but they do need to provide A solution.  

It’s more work, but what’s the result?

• They become known as a go-to person to cover tough loads
• Account managers pay them back with high-margin freight
• Their booking numbers go through the roof.

Something to think about the next time your team is struggling to move a load.

Sync Logistics Training

If you found this interesting, check out what we’re building at Sync Logistics Training.  We cover this topic and more in our coursework on Carrier Sales.
Reach out to nick@synclogisticstraining.com for more information.