As an independent freight agent, you are your own boss. There’s so much power in taking charge of your future! But that also means you can’t rely on others to set your daily routines or establish goal-achieving expectations. When it comes to setting career goals as a freight agent, YOU need to take the reins.
Ready to dream big — and then build a plan to make it happen? Straight from our freight experts, here’s how to set career goals as a freight agent.
How to Set Career Goals as a Freight Agent
“Setting goals as a freight agent is all about holding yourself accountable,” explains Chloe Marshall, Vice President of Growth &Development. “At the end of the day, you don’t have anyone else to blame. If you fail, it’s truly on you. But if you succeed, it’s also truly on you!”
Successful freight brokers know how to set attainable, measurable goals for themselves in the long term that inform how they operate in the short term. It’s just like the drivers who move your freight — you’ve got to know where you’re headed before you plan the route.
Great goals start with a great mindset, Chloe advises. Freight agent career goals should push you as an agent to work harder and be strategic in both your day-to-day and your month-to-month planning. “Get that business owner mindset and put that entrepreneurial hat on,” she advises, “and that’s where you’ll find the real wins.”
Here are some insights on setting goals as a freight agent:
Have a Three-Year Plan
Five years can seem overwhelming to think about in terms of goal setting. So we recommend establishing both a three-year plan and one-year plan. Where do you see yourself in one to three years? What do you want your business to look like?
For most agents, this starts with a statement along the lines of “I want to be a freight agent who makes $X in revenue or profits.” If you have a financial goal in mind, the next step is understanding what your business will need to look like three years from now to achieve that revenue goal. Many of our agents set their financial goals based on our incredible rewards programs.
“Ask yourself: What would have to be true today in order for you to hit those goals a year from now?” Chloe recommends.
One major way you can help your business grow is by hiring a team under you. When you’re no longer a one-person show, your profits can grow exponentially. One freight business may benefit from hiring an account manager to take on the responsibility for some of your customers, while another may prefer to hire an operations person who oversees all the day-to-day tasks of tracking and organizing freight shipments.
Hiring employees for your freight brokerage has the added benefit of further motivating you to prospect and grow your book of business, as you now have more than just your livelihood in your hands. Security in your freight career means security for your employees!
Set and Reflect on Monthly Goals
A successful freight agent sets monthly goals that build towards their three-year plan. These goals could relate to the number of calls or emails sent to potential customers, the number of quotes, the number of freight shipments, or even hiring and integrating your first employee.
At the end of the month, take time to reflect back on these goals. Did you achieve or even surpass your goals? If not, analyze your business during that month to determine why. Was it because you got fewer quotes than in previous months? Was production down for one of your larger customers? Be honest — because if you’re not honest, you’re only cheating yourself. Look at what hindered you from achieving your goals that month and determine if there is anything you can change about how you do your business to prevent those hiccups next month.
Prepare for the Unexpected
A lot is out of your control in the freight industry. Trucks break down, prices fluctuate, and customers close their businesses abruptly. It’s up to you to be prepared to handle these unexpected issues and incorporate them into your goal-setting plan. “When there’s so much outside your control, it’s important to focus on what you can control,” Chloe advises.
These three key practices will help you be more proactive when unexpected problems arise:
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Have a Daily Plan
Focus on what you can control in your business, like the number of outbound calls and emails each day and consistent meetings and communications with your customers. Remember that what you’re doing right now will pay off in three months, so stay consistent and have quality conversations with prospective customers!
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Communicate with Integrity
When problems do crop up—and they will—make sure you are the first to know and are immediately working on a plan to resolve the issue. You never want to be getting a call from a panicked customer who found out through some other means that their shipment is significantly delayed—that information should always come from you, accompanied by reassurances for how you’re working to fix the problem to the best of your ability.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
This is especially important when onboarding new customers. You know the saying — there’s no such thing as a dumb question! Ask about how they run their business, what production looks like, how many shipments they typically have each month, and anything else that will help you get to know their business inside and out so you’re ready for any possible issues that may commonly occur within their sphere of operation.
How Tallgrass Helps Agents with Goal-Setting
We work on how to set career goals with our freight agents before day one, helping them understand what it takes to thrive as a freight agent and create a vision for their future with Tallgrass Freight. Our leadership team works closely with agents to help them figure out what makes them unique so they can better market themselves to potential customers, as well as understand who their ideal customer is.
We also understand that sometimes getting your agency where you want it to be means having tough conversations. Everyone on our leadership team brings a wealth of experience both with freight and with having those difficult conversations, and we’re always available to help agents plan those calls or even to get on the phone with an agent and their customer to help have the conversation.
No two freight agents have the same career goals, and no freight agency looks exactly like another! At Tallgrass Freight, we want you to have the freedom to build a business your way based on you goals. Learn more about becoming an agent at Tallgrass here!