New (potential) Broker Question

Thank you for your service. See my answers below.

1. It is entirely possible to establish relationships and maintain them over the phone/email. To me this is widely accepted and practiced these days, and should not be a major factor in your success. However that being said, that doesn't mean you won't come across some some customers that would prefer a face to face meeting at some point. You might also find in certain situations that a face to face visit might help secure new business or help maintain a current customer. I would say this would be the exception versus the norm. If nothing else like you said you could have an agent that travels or perhaps an outside sales guy, if you really thought you needed one, but I wouldn't necessarily count on needing it from the start.

2/3. As far as training goes, this industry is no different than any other. It is best to be well prepared before jumping in. There are lots of things you will learn along the way but you want to know at least how to get started. That being said, from what I know about the broker training courses out there, most of them are a grab for your money and may not offer the most content. Or at least not offer you anything different than what you could learn while earning some income for someone else. I would suggest not putting a great deal of money towards a training class if you choose that route. Sometimes a benefit of these courses is that they will package some customer leads for you that way you don't have to gather them elsewhere.

When it comes to starting out and expenses I would strongly urge you to try an get on as an agent with a brokerage or as a sales agent or dispatcher for an asset based carrier. This would be much like a new driver starting out with a carrier before going as an owner operator. The company you work for would provide you with all the back office support you need, and eliminate the need for most of your startup expenses. Most will let you work from home (unless maybe you dispatch for a carrier) and could even provide you with a bit of training as well.

Most companies will want you to bring a "book of business" with you in order to setup as a full agent, however you may be able to leverage your military experience in order to get around that. If not they may refer you to other agents within their company that you could work for or be a sub agent for in order to get your feet wet. In any case it is still a good idea to prepare yourself to be without income for at least 6 months as it can be a slow road getting started. The one thing to think about if you go to work as an agent for someone else is that most will have you sign a non compete agreement that will last for a certain amount of time after you leave them. This is something you will need to considering you exit strategy should still plan on going on your own someday.

I am by no means an expert but that is my two cents, I wish you luck. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

 

I have a 25'x8' tandem flat with fresh apitong, straps, chains, binders, racks. I will go anywhere except the West coast. I will haul anything! LOL. I just like moving stuff on my classic Pete 362!

 

Yes I was in the Corps many moons ago. We have a son in the Navy and my wife has 34 years with DOD . I started doing this ( hotshot ) about 9 years ago. I was leased to a guy to see if I enjoyed it. He had carrier numbers and broker numbers. We did some business out of Letterkenny in Pa. As a carrier we had this idea of brokering military loads and moving them also. However he was not able to obtain the bond to move forward with it. I got my own numbers and moved on. I still think that is a good idea. A broker having access to Government freight and a strong working relationship with carriers ( knowing where they are located loaded or not before even biding ) would be a win win situation every time. While this idea is on your table maybe you could find the answer to this question? Let's say you knew a carrier was going to Jacksonville Fl. how long before you would know what was up for bidding outbound? I have no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the process. Thanks. Mike

 

Where are you located?

 

Cowgirl chaser thanks for your service. I have no advice on the brokering front but just some tips on us drivers. 1 always be honest if you are honest with us we will be honest with you. 2 I know as a driver my bad day can affect how I communicate with people the same can be said for everyone, never let your bad day affect how you communicate with others. 3 stuff happens on these roads accidents,breakdowns and traffic ALWAYS remember this. 4 rate does help people forget most things but don't slit your own throat because of it. If you become a broker and do everything you say you will be a rare bred among snakes and sharks in this business