Phone skills

It's a fun game. This broker has already taken a 100 deadend calls on loads. You needle them when they're good and aren't verbally"showing their cards" so to speak. The guy is thinking to himself "man I really want to cover this load and not have to take another call on it from a hustler like this" you're making it easier for them to say yes. They want to be done with it. Tighten up the screws,talk quickly,and offer up an easy solution to the problem.

 

I get it cut cost cut cost but your cutting cost to make more money well what about truckers we dont do this for fun or to make company driver wages i become a O/O to be in control of everything and get paid more because i make my own business decisions but some things i cant control fuel being high and insurance keeps going up 20% more than i paid last year but ive been shopping but all i hear is how much more of a risk it is to insure trucks today

so with just fuel and insurance my CPM on just them two things run $.81/mile and add things like vehicle maintenance,truck and trailer notes tags at $2,700 a year 2290 at $550 book keeper tolls and scale fees that also went up this year theres $.38 more a mile add driver income to that at $.42/mile thats $1.61 a mile without paying any taxes and thats no profit

to be in business you have to make a profit most businesses try and be at 30% of there cost so i have to be over $2/mile all miles and i really dont see this changing from driver to driver

 

Bahahahahahaa!!! lotliz told me! Blame her!

 

I worked for a short time at a phone call center. Yep, I was one of 'those' people, lol. We called people on behalf of different political groups and basically begged for donations. One of the worst jobs I've ever had, however, I got pretty good at it and as such, am privy to some info concerning phone sales.

If there was one bit of advice that hasn't been mentioned yet it is the repeat pitch. What they have found at call centers is, especially if you construct the call correctly, it is hard for someone to say no, it is even harder for them to say no twice, and surprisingly even harder to say no three times. I would not believe it myself if I haven't seen it work so well. Rollin' kind of alluded to it when he said he dials up the pressure a little when he's close to a deal and really goes for that extra $50. If they say no, find a way to restate your case, and ask again. You will find that often third or even fourth time is the charm. It's always when I think I'm just about to personally offend someone that they often cave in.

I'm not sure about all this talk about "being professional". What that means exactly, probably varies a lot from person to person. For me, while I think it's important to be kind and courteous, I certainly don't consider it any badge of honor if the broker is surprised that I drive the truck. What does that mean, that they thought I was like a phone slave at some big trucking company ?? I sell the fact that I am a one truck operation. I sell that when you call me you don't have to dial ext.51337. If they tell me, "Have your driver call in". I tell them, "I am sending you the best driver in the fleet, you're going to like him !" or something. I do occasionally get a dim bulb or two who can't quite seem to put it together. But that's okay, not to interested in what they don't think. Some brokers seem to get it, and like the idea of one guy, one number. Dispatch, Driver, Management, Accounting, the buck stops here. So for me, I guess I am professional by my own standards, but I am certainly not going to be pretentious or corporate in any way. That's not my niche.

 

You call it a uniform I call it the costume sad,but they are one and the same.

 

I usually look at the miles from and to. Then figure out what I want to haul it and write that down,then make the call on a load today I wanted $1125,broker offered it at 1075, I said I was thinking 1125 broker said lets meet half way at 1100 so we did.This was 2.65 a mile to me looked around in that area only a dollar coming out so I called and said we are not gonna be able to make this work.All was fine because broker had time to move the load.

 

I am kind of new at this as I usually only haul for one customer(when I work)and I have to take whatever they give me but I pull thier trailers and get round trip milage off the speedometer and the work is sesonal. I decieded to work steady in 2013so I am gonna either pull my flat or the guy whose authority I run unders' reefer until the regular frieght starts back up.I made a lot of calls today and spent a lot of time on the computer,and found some really cheap rates.Somebody is moving these less than decent loads I am sure. many were offered at 1.30 a mile, I chose to pass on them and they were short haul. The brokers I talked with all said they have no problem getting these loads moved at that rate,I was kind of surprised.

 

It means that your phone personality stands out in the crowd of drivers. Having been involved in phone sales, you undoubtedly were able in most cases to quickly determine the personality of the individual you were talking with. The majority of truck drivers that I've encountered display a 'blue collar' personality, while the majority of dispatchers and office workers display a 'white collar' personality. When the broker pegs you as a 'white collar' individual, but then finds that you actually occupy what they consider to be a 'blue collar' role, it surprises them because they got it wrong and things weren't as they suspected. Be offended all you want, but that's the reality.

I also wonder if they have different pitches or sales tactics depending on who they are talking to...

 

A good salesman will adapt their sales pitch according to whom they are dealing.