How to be a successful freight broker agent
TLDR - Here’s what you need to know
- This article provides 7 tips on how to be a successful freight broker
- As a freight broker, you want to bring value to the industry
- Building strong relationships with carriers, being organized by leveraging things like technology and being informed on current trends and the transportation industry are a few things that will help you succeed
- Are you interested in how a transportation management system might help with organization, streamlining processes, and automating tasks? Check out Rose Rocket’s freight broker software
Are you thinking about becoming a freight broker? Or, maybe you're already a broker but you're looking for ways to improve. If you're looking for some tips on how to be a good freight broker, then read on. In this blog post, we'll give you seven tips that will help you find success in the industry.
1. Know how you bring value to the freight market
Figuring out how you bring value to the freight market is one of the most important things you can do as a freight broker. To discover how you bring value to the market, you want to squeeze the niche.
What does that mean? It's the process of discovering an area that you're exceptional at. It's about diving deep into what you're really good at and leveraging your strengths and interests to provide value to the industry. Once you discover that, you'll then be able to identify the types of customers you want to bring into your business.
Rose Rocket's Co-founder, Justin Bailie, talked about the process of squeezing the niche and figuring out how you add value in this video/article and has some great tips about going through this process. You can read his advice or jump to 1:16 in the video to watch the squeeze the niche part.
2. Develop strong relationships with carriers
A good carrier is worth their weight in gold, so it's important that you develop strong relationships with the carriers you work with. Make sure you always communicate clearly and effectively, and pay them on time. Carriers will be more likely to work with you again if they have a good experience working with you the first time.
If you're looking to build out your carrier network, trucking company lists can help you find carriers to work with. Rose Rocket has a Trucking Company Directory, which could be a good place to start looking for carriers.
3. Stay organized and efficient
As a freight broker, you need to be organized and efficient in order to be successful. This means keeping track of all your shipments, communicating effectively with everyone involved in the process, and making sure things run smoothly from start to finish.
You want to make sure that you have processes and workflows in place that help keep you organized and on top of everything that needs to be done. You don't want anything to slip through the cracks, as that can have a negative impact on your customers and carriers.
4.Use technology
In today's world and transportation industry, technology is critical for businesses of all sizes — and it will also help you achieve organization. As a freight broker, you want to use software that makes your job easier, streamlines processes and workflows, and automates manual tasks.
Examples of technology that can help make you and your business more efficient are transportation management systems for freight brokers, accounting softwares, and safety & compliance softwares like RMIS or SaferWatch.
Using technology will help improve efficiency and accuracy while also freeing up time so that you can focus on things like growing your business.
5. Know your stuff
As a freight broker, it's important that you know the ins and outs of the transportation industry. This includes knowing about different types of trucks, routes, logistics, etc. The more knowledge you have, the better chance you have of finding success in this field.
There are a lot of great resources out there that can help keep you informed on what's going on in the industry. The trucking industry is constantly changing and evolving and by reading industry news and blogs, you can learn about new regulations, shipping trends, and other information that can impact your business.
Here are some examples of both written news sources, as well as podcasts that provide advice and information on the industry:
6. Get freight broker training/certification
Even if you've been working in the trucking industry for years, it's still a good idea to get proper training or certification before becoming a freight broker. This will give you a great foundation on which to build your freight brokerage business.
There are many freight broker training schools you can attend to get training or brush up on your knowledge.
7.Build a positive reputation
When it comes down to it, people do business with people they know, like, and trust. As a freight broker, you need to focus on building a positive reputation within the industry.
There are several ways to do this such as networking at events, getting involved in trade associations (many states and provinces have their own associations), and by providing excellent customer service.
To help think about building your brand and reputation, Susan Fall who owns LaunchIt PR came on the Freight Famous podcast and discussed how companies in the trucking industry should think about public relations (PR). Tune into the episode "How to think about PR as Trucking Company" if you're interested in some PR tips.
Freight Broker Business Success
There's no one guaranteed path to success as a freight broker agent, but there are certainly things that successful agents have in common. Hopefully these tips will help you be well on your way towards achieving your goals in this exciting and ever-changing industry.
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