Freight brokerage is a competitive field that requires meeting different people regularly. You have to be on your A-game always and avoid small bookkeeping mistakes to make good in the industry. Here are ways to achieve success as a freight broker:
1. Work on your communications skills
Communication is an essential aspect of freight brokerage, whether you deal with your clients in person or online. Being in the middle of shippers and end customers exposes you to all sorts of people who need constant reminding, convincing, and assurance. You have to learn how to handle these people to keep them and earn good reviews and free referrals.
2. Find a good factoring company
If you want to make headway as a freight broker, you have to partner with a factoring company. Brokerage involves hefty costs that can cripple your business if you rely on payments from your customers to pay for other deals. Usually, invoices take several weeks to a few months to mature. Established factoring companies such as TAFS.com can buy high-balance invoices and advance the bulk of the money in as little as two days, enabling you to continue with your transactions without any shortages.
3. Advertise
Staying relevant in the freight brokerage industry is often easier said than done. Investing in digital marketing can increase your reach and give you the edge on brokers within your level.
Freight brokers with a robust online presence grab the attention of new customers looking for brokerage services online and keep existing customers reminded of their existence.
4. Improve your skills
The shipping and brokerage industries are evolving at a very high rate. Tricks that worked yesterday may not be viable today. Laws keep changing by the day, and the competition keeps getting smarter. Thanks to the internet, you can stay up-to-speed with the industry trends and put yourself closer to the market leaders without spending a fortune attending seminars. There are numerous online classes, free webinars, white papers, and case studies that you can access during your free time to polish your brokerage skills.
5. Build relationships
The freight industry involves a lot of risk-taking. People would rather work with someone they know than a broker who answers the description of the conventional salesperson. Stay in touch with your current clients and keep on building relationships even when business is booming. Some of the small shipping companies and importers you work with are behemoths in the making. Give them a chance to grow with you. In the future, you will be working with clients who trust you and view you as a friend first and a business partner second.
Conclusion
Whether you are a guru or a newbie in the freight brokerage business, you have to work for your success. The above are some of the essential skills you can put into practice to kick-start your journey. Understandably, most of them cannot be perfected overnight, but with patience and resilience, you will get the hang of them and apply them with ease.
