To broker loads we need shippers, to find shippers we need to prospect. The math is simple, no shippers, no loads, no money.

Regardless of the training & consulting package you choose, the first thing you learn in training is how to find shippers, how to approach them, and how to respond.

As brokers begin their career they can often get so focused on their day-to-day operation that they lose site of the simple. During training we show you the different tools available to find shippers, but some we can’t show you as you must be aware of your own surroundings.

Are you keeping up with your local news? This information can be invaluable. Often you can learn of new companies opening or expanding their current operation in your local area. Right now, this is going on everywhere. Although the company may not be ready for several months, now is the time to begin making contact. When they do open you will have developed a working relationship, which is crucial as a freight broker.

Are you paying attention to the commercials on TV? Sounds silly right? But actually, this is how I secured a huge account. One day while watching TV a commercial aired advertising a huge electronics truck sale for the upcoming weekend. The mention of a truck got my attention.

At the end of the ad it gave the name of the company that was promoting the event and I took note. A couple of searches on the internet and I had their phone number. Made a call and had orders for six trucks a week. Three to pick up the loads on Tuesday, and three more to pick up where the sale had been that weekend on Sunday night.

I earned anywhere from $300-$600 net on each load. That’s $1800 to $3600 in net every week. As an agent that translates to roughly $1080 to $2160 in commission. These loads paid enough so that I could attract a truck with a good rate, and still have a pretty good net.

One last example, one day when traveling down I-55, a billboard got my attention. It read “Trucks, need loads? Call us. A manufacturer had actually rented a billboard in hopes of securing trucks to move their loads. What I saw was a sign begging for my services as a freight broker. I called, and was moving their loads that afternoon.

A broker needs to be prospecting 24/7. Yes, you’ll spend time in front of a computer to locate shippers, but at the same time you need to be aware of what’s going on in your own backyard.

Talk soon…

TALTOA
800.582.4167
taltoa.com