As an independent freight agent, you are responsible for your own success. The good news? That means the sky is the limit! If you want to thrive, you’re free to thrive. But alongside that freedom is the need for effective strategies. Staying on top of the ever-changing freight market and building the business you envision won’t happen overnight.
Here are eight strategies independent freight brokers can utilize to thrive in freight:
1. Understand Your Customer
This first item is foundational: do you understand what makes you different from other freight agents? Do you know who your ideal customer is, and are you implementing strategies that appeal to them?
Start by looking at your book of business and analyzing your data. Learn who your typical customer is based on your stats. By better understanding who you are interested in working with and who is most likely to say “yes,” you’re setting yourself up for success on future prospecting calls with like businesses and serving your existing customers better. Here at Tallgrass, we call this a “Book Breakdown,” and it’s just one of the many ways we support our agents.
2. Stay on Top of the Market
While the freight market is no longer on life support, preparing for every possible roadblock is important. Smart freight agents stay on top of the market, paying attention to industry trends and staying up on the latest. Bonus: Your customers will get to know you as a trustworthy resource!
3. Make a Plan — and Execute It!
Once you understand the state of freight and your own place within it, you’re ready to build out an actionable plan to go after business that utilizes your strengths. Working your plan is just as important as building it! As Tallgrass President Sean Richardson puts it, “The plan sitting on your desk collecting dust is just paper with words. Are you going to execute on it? How are you holding yourself accountable to that?”
Being an independent freight broker doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Accountability is valuable for ensuring your plan doesn’t go to waste. Our agents receive as much support as they desire, from professional development and ongoing education to back office coaching.
4. Think Like a Business Owner
As an independent freight agent, you are a business owner! And it’s important to think like one. “In a lot of instances, our agents are running multi-million dollar companies,” Sean explains. “They need to have that mindset. What’s the next step? What’s their future plan?” Accountability can be helpful. But ultimately, you need to have discipline and think of yourself as a person running a company rather than a 9-to-5 “cog in the machine” employee working for a paycheck.
5. Be Proactive, Not Reactive
Proactive freight agents will always be ten steps ahead agents who are reactive in their approach. “Start accounting for the ‘What If’ before the ‘What Ifs’ become realities,” Sean advises.
And proactive agents don’t just stop at the “What Ifs.” Sean emphasizes the importance of long-term strategizing. “There are going to be agents out there who are already planning now for what they’re going to do six months from now, what they’re going to do a year from now,” he says. “If you’re not doing that, you’re already behind the game.”
6. Be Aggressive
Freight is a cutthroat industry. And if you’re not aggressively going after your current and prospective customers, someone else will. Sean says, “Every time you’re on a call and you’re looking for a new business, you’re trying to get someone fired and get yourself hired in their place,” he says. “You have to have that mentality.” This competitive mindset can be the difference between a growing, thriving business and a stagnant one.
7. Bring in New Business
Never assume the freight market is dried up. There is always new business to be found!
The freight market has remained hot even through the difficult market of the last few years, Sean says. “All of our numbers show that new business has remained consistent month over month. Through the pandemic, through the downtime, through the hard times, our agents have still proven that they can bring in new business every single month.” There are always opportunities to be found in freight if you know where to look for them. The secret to bringing in new business is prioritizing your prospecting. Make the search for new customers part of every single day.
8. Find the Best Freight Brokerage
While your success in freight is ultimately dependent on you, having the best freight agent program in the country at your back can make a huge difference! When a freight broker joins Tallgrass Freight, we work closely with them to analyze their strengths and help them better understand who they’re selling to based on their own unique data.
We care about seeing our agents succeed, because your success is our success! We’ll be as hands-on or hands-off as you want us to be, supporting you in developing a growth plan and new lead opportunities. If you’re interested in seeing how Tallgrass can help ignite your freight career, take a look at how you can become a Tallgrass agent.
