overview
sales strategies
We live in a day and age where there have never been more opportunities to connect with customers and it’s best to not let them fall by the wayside. Here’s ways to deliver your next sales pitch:
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Go door-to-door
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Perform cold calls
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Prospect to your warm market
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Generate referrals
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Use email marketing
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Attend trade shows
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Join networking groups
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Use LinkedIn advertising
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Sponsor events
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Host small business dinner/event
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Start a blog
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Internet marketing
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Advertise in magazines
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Collaborate on projects with similar companies
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Advertise on social media
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Leave marketing material with customers
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Write letters of intent to companies
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Participate in online forums
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Hand out business cards
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Join Facebook networking groups
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Send mailers to customers
qualifying questions
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Tell me a bit about your business.
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What is your role with the company? (Determine whether you’re speaking with the decision-maker)
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Is there someone else aside from you that is involved with the decision-making process?
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What is the biggest challenge in your shipping operation? (Identify the areas in which you can add value to their process)
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What type of freight do you move? (Time-sensitive, oversized, temperature-controlled, etc.)
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What characteristics are most important to you when working with a logistics provider? (Find out what’s important to them and offer a solution)
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What do you like most about your current freight broker? (Copy the good, fix the bad.)
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Do you keep your options open when it comes to transportation providers?
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What does the process look like for bringing on a new freight broker?
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How do you measure success with your current freight brokers?
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What lanes are you currently shipping?
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What’s your best email so that I can provide you quotes on your lanes that need coverage?
cold calling
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:
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Get past the gatekeeper
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Build rapport
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Reinforce the company’s strengths
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Uncover weaknesses in their operation by asking qualifying questions
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Offer a solution to turn their weaknesses into strengths
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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.
