Working with Big Companies

Working with Big Companies…

When starting out as a freight broker, you may find yourself wondering, with so much competition out there in an industry as dynamic as transportation and shipping, how am I supposed to secure a stable, reliable stream of customers month after month?

Well, there are a lot of factors that go into the matter, but today I want to share with you a technique that can make your life as a broker infinitely easier when it comes to finding loads and customers. And as an added bonus, this is a technique that can be applied to virtually any niche, assuming you do your background research!

So what am I talking about here?

Simply put, you want to look for, and get your foot in the door with, some of the big players in your niche of choice.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s take my niche of expertise, hot shot (specifically in regards to equipment for oil and gas extraction and production). Many of the smaller companies in oil and gas tend to rent the equipment that they need rather than buying it for themselves, and when it comes to the rentals, there are a handful of large companies that can supply the equipment, United Rentals being one of the biggest (and the one I work with the most).

In my niche, these rental companies are the absolute BEST shippers to work with for a number of reasons, so let’s break them down and see how they can apply to your chosen niche!

For starters, these big companies have multiple branches and locations across the country, and more often than not, they have one comprehensive database with the brokers and carriers that they have set up, registered, and used.

In other words, once you move a load and do business with one branch, you’ll likely be in the company’s database as a verified and trusted broker for the company to use. This alone is an incredibly powerful source of referral business for your brokerage. In fact, don’t be surprised if you start getting calls from other shippers within the company asking if you can move a load for them!

Additionally, once you’re “in” with one specific branch, it makes things a whole lot easier when you want to pursue another branch (name dropping is completely fine here!). When you get another branch on the phone, simply mention “I recently moved a few loads for (original branch you served), and I was wondering if you had anything that needed to be moved today”, or something along those lines.

Immediately you’ll have some instant credibility, and the closing rate of your cold calls (when you’re sticking to the same company) will go up significantly! Are you starting to see how powerful of a strategy this can be for your brokerage?

Last but not least, we need to factor in the sheer size of some of these companies. United Rentals alone, for example, has over 1100 branches and locations all across the US. Can you take a wild guess as to how many shipments and loads needed to be moved on a daily basis on a company-wide scale?

Yeah, I can’t even begin to fathom that number either!

But in short, this means that there are virtually limitless opportunities to step in, help get a load moved, and deliver value. So as long as you are consistent with your cold calls, maintain good standing with the company and a solid reputation, these shippers can serve as a constant source of loads to be moved!

And with hundreds, if not thousands of loads moving every day across the entire company, there’s plenty of room for everyone in terms of competition!

Now, I do want to make one thing crystal clear about this strategy. Getting that first opportunity, getting your foot in the door with these companies, is NOT going to be an easy task and it’s going to take multiple attempts.

These guys are industry professionals, and they are almost always going to be busy. On top of that, they already have extensive networks of brokers and carriers as it is, and to get yourself in with them, you need to be persistent, consistent, and deliver nothing but impeccable service and value when you are given that first opportunity.

In other words, if you’re set on getting in with a major company, you simply cannot let the rejections discourage or deter you (because trust me, you’re going to get a lot of them)! Keep trying, keep cold calling, keep pushing, keep optimistic, and once you are given the opportunity to show what you can do for them, you’ll be set with a solid client and a massive client network, and all of your hard work and effort will have paid off!

Trust me, if I can do it and get myself in the door with United Rentals, you can do it as well with some of the big companies in your niche!

Just to recap everything, once you’ve identified your niche, take some time to do your research and see who the major players are in that field in terms of shippers. Find out exactly who you should reach out to (or even make a list of multiple contacts at different locations), and keep calling them and try to get an opportunity to deliver value.

So, what niche are you set on pursuing in your brokerage? Do you already have some ideas as to who the big companies in your niche are? If not, why not head over to the Freight Broker Mastermind and throw up a post! I’m sure someone in the group must have some insights and be willing to give you some pointers and ideas!

Well, that’s all I have for you today! Remember, this is not going to be an easy feat to accomplish, but the potential rewards for your brokerage are more than worth the effort.

So get to it with the research and cold calling, and until next time, happy brokering!