How-to Create Relationships w/Brokers

Let me try to explain .... there are dedicated brokers ( McCormick Spices back in the day , and department stores JC Pennys , and alot of small grocery stores.)
They get there loads from them - Affiliated Foods for there stores, DOT Line for alot of Dept Stores , Etc Etc . Tyson is another also.

Then you have the indepedents that collect / arrange loads like Reynolds used to do , where they agree to get a truck , usually for a price and contract , to point A - then to point B. ( they'll want type of trlr , how big , and all the insurance and licensing info before they will use you . )
Then they collect all that info and figure who and what they can use.
(Pro petroleum is a fuel broker , billy bob gas station calls them saying they need fuel and what type and where , Pro will call the various companies and place it on load board to.)
Now I call Pro , say i'm at San pedro with a gasoline tanker and i would like that load, they double check that everything is legit and then they arrange the pickup and delivery .
They - brokers get a piece of all of it . Arranging it , getting the truck or trucks , collecting the money and then paying all involved .
As in everything else , there are good ones and bad ones

When i did McCormick , it was by word of mouth ( my old employer said i was avalible , they knew who i was and what i had , and they signed me up as operator.

Most brokers are cool , but there are some really bad ones too.

 

A lot of it comes from general behavior. I’ve found it’s about a 1 in 10 hit rate.

9 interactions lead to little more than a business transaction, and 1 can generate multiple repeated and profitable transactions.

Once you have 5 out of 50 - it can become a niche that your behavior generated.

I understand that many get frustrated at the 60% mark, and become embittered.

Note - that’s my 8 year experience in a somewhat fishbowl environment that now resembles the open spot market.

 

Get on linkedin .. If you can weather all the nonsense office worker bull #### they post everyday without rolling your eyes or becoming agitated. There is lots of good relationships to be built on there. And its more personable..

 

You're not gonna build a relationship with brokers you haven't worked with, unless somehow you knew them before.

The good brokers have been at this a long time, they've already got good contacts. What are you gonna do that's better than everyone else?

Lot's of folks don't know how to talk to people. Blows my mind. They lack the confidence.

Kinda like a great salesman, he doesn't have to know #### about what he's selling, if he's got the right personality.

Don't know if that's something that can be taught

 

This is a big one. My long term relationships with carriers are areas where I have a) repeat business and b) the carrier has done an excellent job for me and has become my 'go to'. I'd *like* to have more, but the unfortunate fact is that there's a limited number of repeat lanes I have, where the business is frequent and a carrier can plan on that lane, or has the capacity to pickup when it's not something that's consistently scheduled. If the stars align in just the right way, a one off business interaction becomes something like my guys in california, or my guy who runs my freight outbound to Canada. They're friends, at this point.

I guess that depends on the broker. I have a project lane I've been running this year that I *didn't* have a good contact for. I do, now. He runs 3 out of the 4 I have for the week, and I have two fill-ins for the Monday pickups. I'd rather run things like that, since all it takes for me to make it work is a few phone calls and a couple of clicks of the mouse to get rate confirmations for the week's loads lined out. Peace of mind goes a long way and is worth the little extra I'm paying versus trying to find the cheapest option every time.