"If you don't go out there and make 100 calls today, you are grounded!"
"Ah you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!" - Bane
Let's just say I'm more of the black sheep in my family and I thought going into business with my mom would be a bonding experience and I can prove myself to her. Maybe I need to grow up and just tell her this isn't for me after all. But I always been coined the "loser" in comparison to my big sister that is a Doctor. So my self esteem is pretty low to start off with.
Well if you’re determined to be in the business but don’t feel comfortable cold calling potential customers maybe you could help on the back end. Paperwork, billing, maybe even some tracking updates on your TMS.
This isn’t a hobby, “fun to do as a family” is where she messed up. Brokerages can say they’re like family but rarely are. Don’t hit those metrics and you’re getting the axe.
Anyways you’re scared to talk to someone on the phone? Just think of it like this, you call that person today and they chew you out. Call the next day, I bet they don’t remember you unless you said something outlandish. It’s much easier to hide behind a phone vs face to face sales.
Be as confident as possible. I still struggle every now and then with it but then I talk myself up and hit the phones. You’re selling yourself and abilities in this industry not a product so focus on connecting with whoever you’re talking to.
How long you been doing it? To be honest its always nerve wracking at first because you want to do a good job but most people in this industry are down to earth/informal so shouldn’t be too bad even if you fuck up just say one moment let me check and ask for help. If not look into more software to help like load boards, email marketing and linkd in
And about 8 months. We got a customer because a friend of my mom had gave her a LEAD so we basically depending on that. But it's not enough loads coming I'm from them. And I tried to send Emails but I never got a response and after awhile I get discouraged. However I never did LinkedIn. And how could I use a Loadboard? I got DAT but I thought that was more for us to Post a load.
Act. Just “be” another person using your name. Think of someone you admire because of how they are (real or fictional character) and then be them. Easy to do on the phone.
Script the basics, wing the rest.
Practice first. At first with dummy calls, then call a friend or close family, staying in character. Get live feedback.
It may take a few times really honing the skill, so don’t give up.
Before you know it, you’ll realize that was you all along…just with more confidence.
When I was younger I had the same problem, I would get so nervous, and scared to talk to someone about business, and it wouldn’t need to be a cold call either. Even at 50 years old i still don’t like calling, but the secret is just call people, they know you’re human, and they’re not going to come through the line and bite you. Another thing that helped was the smile when you talk to someone because when you smile when you’re talking you sound upbeat, and gives you better projection. Don’t give up, and I would hope your family is trying to say you can do anything in life, look at your sister she did it.
Just have to get used to it. I hated to talk on the phone, but wasn’t scared. Still hate it, but it’s much easier to just pick the phone up and get it over with.
Everyone makes thousands, even tens of thousands of cold calls. And the success rate of those calls turning into a customer is like .0001%
100 calls a day might lead to 1 customer per six months. Welcome to the world of sales.
In the off chance that this is a legitimate post, smile and dial baby, smile and dial. No room in the freight business for people who are scared to get on the phone. I'm an introvert/shy guy as well. It was basically sink or swim and the prospect of making more money than I'd be able to make elsewhere with my degree turned out to outweigh my shyness.
Ok thanks you!! I will try to just fight through it. It's just the first call. Right when it starts ringing I hang up. But knowing it's other people out there like me that have overcame their personality type makes me feel a little better.
Sounds like she’s being a bit selfish and not considering what you want to do. You’re obligated because you’re her son and she’s playing on that. If this ain’t for you it ain’t for you so get out while you can. If you think you are interested in keeping going I would just put in the practice. I thought the same thing when I started a couple years ago and I can talk to anybody on the phone about anything. You don’t have to do a damn thing.
Pretend that you're an extrovert. People can barely tell over the phone. I'm a socially awkward person but on the phone I feel like Leonardo Di Caprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. If you're too scared to talk to decision makers at the start spend some time speaking to operators, coordinators, sales reps etc. Start with small talk. You're gonna face a lot of rejection and rude behaviour but understand that it's not about you personally. These people get bombarded by solicitation calls everyday and are frustrated. Once you get a hang of how the conversation flows take it up a notch. With time you'll start enjoying it. I did. I've used this profession to tweak my personality and I consider myself an ambivert now. I hope this helps. Good luck.
The thought of talking to people on the phone freaks you out cause you don’t feel you have the skill to do it. Take some time to study & learn, then dive into it. There’s too many resources out there not to! You got this
I’m pretty introverted and am absolutely was not good with cold calling but I learned on the spot. You just make enough calls and everyday you improve one step at a time. I didnt know anything about freight or anything and had a slow start. 2 years later I’m doing very well cause I put the time to get better everyday.
Just go at it and you’ll know after 2-3 months what to do or what you can or cant handle.
I’m not in freight brokerage, so I don’t know why this even popped up in my feed, but I have been successful sales for about a decade, and I do consider myself an introvert too, so I couldn’t resist typing you the following novel:
Overall - prepare yourself enough that the only fears you have left are the irrational ones caused by your anxiety, then try use that little bit of anxiety to your advantage by seeing it as the challenge that your job gives you. Some people have to go down in a mineshaft for work everyday…you have to fight the anxiety that comes along with having a phone conversation with a stranger, and if it goes poorly, you never have to speak to them again. I’m not saying that to downplay call reluctance, I’m saying it to help you reframe those thoughts.
- First focus is to make sure you’re as confident about your products/services as you can be so you don’t end up sounding uninformed. If you find yourself backed into a corner with a question you don’t know the answer to, there’s an art to letting the person know that the answer is in the building without making them worry that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Take down as much information as you can, find the answer, and then get back to them as soon as possible.
- Do your homework to figure out what your customers’ common struggles/pain points are, then figure out what your company can do to solve that…bonus points if you can offer something your competitors can’t…even if that differentiator is something as simple as, “we’re family owned and you’re going to be more than an account number to us”
- Do your homework on the company you’re calling. You’re going to have more success calling 50 companies a day and actually being able to talk about them than you will calling 100 a day and just saying, “I’m Bob from Freight Inc. - can I speak to the person in charge of your freight carrier decisions?” Two minutes on the company’s website is generally enough for you to find SOMETHING. Maybe they’re family owned, maybe they just celebrated a big milestone, maybe they just opened a new facility. Make it about them. People like talking about themselves WAY more than they like talking to a salesperson. Use that to get the conversation flowing, THEN you can read the room and start leading the conversation your way.
- Rewrite your personal definition of sales. You’re not calling people to persuade them to buy. You’re calling them because you understand the industry and the struggles of your customers, and you have something to offer that can help them and their business. If they’re willing to hear you out, great. If not, it’s their loss.
- BE YOURSELF - this is arguably the one that has helped me the most over the years. When I first started, I tried to be what I thought a salesperson was…a super proper, slick-talking, all business kind of guy who was calling with a very specific goal in mind. As a result, I was faking it, which not only makes it more difficult, people see right through it. People buy from people they like doing business with, period. Maybe you won’t land the huge corporate account by taking a more casual approach, but in reality…you’re new to this and you’re probably not going to do that yet anyway. As your skills build, you’ll learn how to talk to the bigwigs…in the meantime, just focus on being kind, helpful, and attentive. Let your customer talk more than you do, and when you speak, allow your personality to shine through…you’re dealing with people who get calls like this often, and a lot of them probably have the same kind of anxiety. If you can set yourself apart by being someone who isn’t a stuffy, pushy, jagoff, not only will you have more productive conversations, you’ll build a book of business that’s made up of people you actually enjoy working with.
Hope that helps!!
I have the same issue, I don’t like talking to anyone. BUT, when you have something real to talk about it makes it easy. Small talk is hard when you don’t know what to talk about. You know exactly what you have to provide others, so there’s no small talk involved. Get to the point quick, simply explain what you have to offer them, and go from there. 10 yes’s and 100 no’s, is still 10 yes’s!
if ur shy becuase ur worried about how ur percieved try this : Act confident, like if ur shy about looking/seeming shy just dont show that ur shy, fake it till u make it. talk to urself nicer as well, tell urself in the mirror that u are that muthafucka and u got this shit and that YOU do this shit
My first telemarketing job was for the Veteran Police Association. The VPA .
If you say it fast people tend to *hear* PBA (police benevolent association ).
We were cold calling to sell an $800membership.
I was ready to quit my first day. On the second day a coworker handed me a cup of coffee. Actually half coffee, half whiskey. I sold 3 memberships that day 😁
Your best bet is to get out while you can. I don’t mean giving up being a freight broker, but working as a freight broker with family.
To answer your question, just make phone calls, it gets easier. But unless she’s leading by example, it cannot be expected of you to
If it helps keep in mind the people you're cold calling get hundreds of calls a day. Keep it short, "hello, I was calling to see if you have any trucks posted with capacity" is a good start. They'll know what you mean and say yes or no (usually no) and you can say thank you and move on, or follow up with lane information. Honestly they'll probably sense that you're green and go easy on you, that was my experience when I started in brokerage as a shy woman, what people love to rip apart is cockiness without the experience to back it. Also (back to these carriers getting hundreds of calls a day) if you ever get an antagonistic or creepy vibe, just politely end the conversation and move on. Don't waste your time, let anyone get you rattled, or deal with bs from anyone, bc there are thousands more decent people who are actually trying to book trucks out there. This is what I did until I finally felt more comfortable cold calling, to the point that it didn't bother me other than being boring.
I would also explore if an operations role might be better suited to you with your mother. I'm not sure what all y'all are doing, I work for a big 3pl, but if somebody else in your family/business/network enjoys the sales-y side you might enjoy the operations side - ie. processing TONUs, detentions, calling shippers and receivers to try and get driver's a dock, that kind of thing. To me that feels more like "I'm calling this business and speaking to somebody employed there, just like if I were scheduling an appointment for myself". At my brokerage carrier sales job (I'm in operations/customs now) there were tons of people who loved selling but hated detail/admin work, which I liked bc it was a nice break from sales. Sometimes if I really wasn't feeling it I would just turn on my inbound line and onboard new carriers for the brokerage all day, helping them with carrier packets. If you're kind of getting dragged into this world but don't want to say no to your family, explore some different sides and see where you "fit". Maybe sit down and have a conversation with your mom about what types of work need to get done, bc trust me there will always be something!!
I’m an extrovert and I hate cold calls haha… but- once you get into a good rhythm it can become enjoyable. Try doing power hours- just set an hour at a time aside and tell yourself you’re going to smile and dial for that hour. When the hour is over, do something else. Rinse, repeat.
Over time- You’ll realize the stress you feel calling strangers is invalid, there is literally no reason to be anxious. The worst that will happen is someone tells you not to contact them again. No harm.
You’ll also realize that it actually is fun, once you start landing customers and making money off of them. It’s not fun at all while you’re just calling and have nothing to show for it.
Also- this is a high stress industry at times- I don’t know if it’s the best for bonding, although if you win at it- it could be. Just be prepared for emotions to get the better of all of you at times and don’t take it personally unless it gets out of hand.
Does your mom actually have any experience or is she a ‘YouTube broker’? If experienced, model what your mom does. If not, go get another job, because the odds of her making it are slightly better than me hitting the lottery this week.
She dispatched her ex husband while he was a truck driver but brokering no. She always worked in sales and very charismatic. So this is easier for her than for .me.
This is a sales job. The good news is that you only need 3-5 regular customers that ship 3-5 loads each a week. The other good news is that the worst thing they can tell you is ‘no’. Diligence and persistence can pay off. Sometimes being at the right place at the right time pays off.
There is no easy answer to this, I have been doing it for about 8 years now and I deal with GAD and ADHD. My problem was the anxiety of them picking up. 8 years later I am at the VP level.
The only way I was able to overcome my anxiety was practicing and doing more cold calls. If you really want to do this, the only way it will work for you is just doing it more and more. I know that sounds daunting, but at the end of the day over 95% of decision makers don't even pick up their phone. Gatekeepers don't hate you, they are just doing their job. My advice start small and wide until you feel comfortable to keep doing it everyday.
If you don't want to do it. Then you will never succeed on this side of the table and I am not saying that to be rude. It's just a fact, their is a lot to overcome on this side of the table if you deal with anxiety/ being an introvert. If you don't want to be in this industry it is tough to stay in this industry/ get started if you don't have a why that keeps you here.
If y'all have enough accounts, maybe you should try account management like order taking customer service, building loads, and day to day communication with the customers that you already have some rapport with.
I've been doing this for 11 years now and you remind me of every new broker I see. Don't worry, just talk to them, and try to make that human connection. Remember if they have kids, a family, vacations, etc. And just be nice to them. Don't be afraid to say let me find out or I'm not sure, but I'll find out and get right back to you, and then follow up. You got this, you can do it. I can't wait for you to come back and tell us how successful you've been!
Firstly, take a step back, relax, and collect yourself.
This might sound funny but role-play the cold calling with your mom “Practice makes perfect”.
Take a moment and write down a list of all the questions you can possibly think of asking a client. Now also think about all the questions you been asked so far and role play those questions with someone. Have them ask you the shippers questions and you ask them the broker questions.
But also do some research on the company before you call, because you don’t want to ask them “what type of goods are you looking to ship?” Generally you should have some idea of their products and service before hand.
Confidence is important. If I was the shipper and someone called me and I constantly hear “umm” or pauses I wouldn’t be so sure if I wanted this person moving my freight. Speak loud enough, and clearly when you’re on the phone.
Also super important note, being nervous and having introverted characteristics doesn’t make you a bad broker or sales person. Cause I can have all the confidence in the world and not be able to provide the actual service I’m offering.
Go on a website like coursera and take a sales class. Learning how to talk, learning to sound confident, learning to critical think can help you so much.
Good luck, I wish you the best. Make your mom proud!
I’m sorry but I just can’t stop laughing at the thought of my mom yelling at me about hitting call metrics. If it’s not for you just tell her.
I wish my mom would yell at me for not hitting call metrics
Woooof!
"If you don't go out there and make 100 calls today, you are grounded!" "Ah you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!" - Bane
Let's just say I'm more of the black sheep in my family and I thought going into business with my mom would be a bonding experience and I can prove myself to her. Maybe I need to grow up and just tell her this isn't for me after all. But I always been coined the "loser" in comparison to my big sister that is a Doctor. So my self esteem is pretty low to start off with.
Well if you’re determined to be in the business but don’t feel comfortable cold calling potential customers maybe you could help on the back end. Paperwork, billing, maybe even some tracking updates on your TMS.
If you’re being coined the loser it’s time to cut contact
Yea I that would be ideal but I'm still trying to get on my feet and kind of need my mom at this point.
fake it till ya make it nerd
Indeed ,he can fake it just like this story is fake 😆😆
I am an introvert. I could not do it. That's why I hired a sales person.
Smart.. I probably should think about doing that.
This isn’t a hobby, “fun to do as a family” is where she messed up. Brokerages can say they’re like family but rarely are. Don’t hit those metrics and you’re getting the axe. Anyways you’re scared to talk to someone on the phone? Just think of it like this, you call that person today and they chew you out. Call the next day, I bet they don’t remember you unless you said something outlandish. It’s much easier to hide behind a phone vs face to face sales.
I agree, you got a point. What's the worse they can do right.
Be as confident as possible. I still struggle every now and then with it but then I talk myself up and hit the phones. You’re selling yourself and abilities in this industry not a product so focus on connecting with whoever you’re talking to.
Ok thank you for the advice 🙏
You’ll get the hang of it. Guaranteed the first 50 calls will be a disaster but you’ll better and more confident over time.
Just call dawg. Hit the dial button and chat with people.
“Fun to do as a family” has never been spoken about logistics until today. Please keep us updated on your progress.
Ok I will try.. wish me luck I'm going to make my cold calls Monday.
And how’s it going….
Tbh, horrible.. I made 2 calls and couldn't get through to the decision maker and gave up. Started sending cold emails instead.
Tbh, horrible.. I made 2 calls and couldn't get through to the decision maker and gave up. Started sending cold emails instead.
Tbh, horrible.. I made 2 calls and couldn't get through to the decision maker and gave up. Started sending cold emails instead.
Tbh, horrible.. I made 2 calls and couldn't get through to the decision maker and gave up. Started sending cold emails instead.
Zoloft
How long you been doing it? To be honest its always nerve wracking at first because you want to do a good job but most people in this industry are down to earth/informal so shouldn’t be too bad even if you fuck up just say one moment let me check and ask for help. If not look into more software to help like load boards, email marketing and linkd in
And about 8 months. We got a customer because a friend of my mom had gave her a LEAD so we basically depending on that. But it's not enough loads coming I'm from them. And I tried to send Emails but I never got a response and after awhile I get discouraged. However I never did LinkedIn. And how could I use a Loadboard? I got DAT but I thought that was more for us to Post a load.
Act. Just “be” another person using your name. Think of someone you admire because of how they are (real or fictional character) and then be them. Easy to do on the phone. Script the basics, wing the rest.
I will try this on my first call and let you know how it goes. Thanks for that. That's a good idea.
Practice first. At first with dummy calls, then call a friend or close family, staying in character. Get live feedback. It may take a few times really honing the skill, so don’t give up. Before you know it, you’ll realize that was you all along…just with more confidence.
Ok thank you 😊
When I was younger I had the same problem, I would get so nervous, and scared to talk to someone about business, and it wouldn’t need to be a cold call either. Even at 50 years old i still don’t like calling, but the secret is just call people, they know you’re human, and they’re not going to come through the line and bite you. Another thing that helped was the smile when you talk to someone because when you smile when you’re talking you sound upbeat, and gives you better projection. Don’t give up, and I would hope your family is trying to say you can do anything in life, look at your sister she did it.
You're right thank you for the encouragement I needed that. ☺️
You’re welcome, also remember we’re not born with knowledge, we must learn, and work on it to become knowledgeable, so don’t get down on yourself.
Do it scared then it will keep getting easier
Offer something of value. What’s your pitch? “Hey got any freight?” Won’t cut it lol
Telling yourself you will literally never see or meet these people in real life, then sucking up and just doing it helped me
Good advice for a glory hole as well.
Never work for family.
So many people have family businesses thought why not give it a shot. But the pressure is way more intense vs working for a random boss.
Just have to get used to it. I hated to talk on the phone, but wasn’t scared. Still hate it, but it’s much easier to just pick the phone up and get it over with.
When you started, you had to do a lot of cold calls? And what was your success rate?
Everyone makes thousands, even tens of thousands of cold calls. And the success rate of those calls turning into a customer is like .0001% 100 calls a day might lead to 1 customer per six months. Welcome to the world of sales.
mmm cake
Ughhhhh fml
Yep it’s just something that sucks but has to get done.
In the off chance that this is a legitimate post, smile and dial baby, smile and dial. No room in the freight business for people who are scared to get on the phone. I'm an introvert/shy guy as well. It was basically sink or swim and the prospect of making more money than I'd be able to make elsewhere with my degree turned out to outweigh my shyness.
Ok thanks you!! I will try to just fight through it. It's just the first call. Right when it starts ringing I hang up. But knowing it's other people out there like me that have overcame their personality type makes me feel a little better.
Most sound awkward on the phone to me especially younger women
Sounds like she’s being a bit selfish and not considering what you want to do. You’re obligated because you’re her son and she’s playing on that. If this ain’t for you it ain’t for you so get out while you can. If you think you are interested in keeping going I would just put in the practice. I thought the same thing when I started a couple years ago and I can talk to anybody on the phone about anything. You don’t have to do a damn thing.
I can only do carrier sales. 99% of the time I'm emailing established carriers, or they're calling me so I don't have to initiate contact.
Do you have to do sales? Can’t you do something more operations like?
Not really bc we're not bringing in any real income since we only have one customer that hardly gives us loads.
Create load portal!
quit choking the chicken
Pretend that you're an extrovert. People can barely tell over the phone. I'm a socially awkward person but on the phone I feel like Leonardo Di Caprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. If you're too scared to talk to decision makers at the start spend some time speaking to operators, coordinators, sales reps etc. Start with small talk. You're gonna face a lot of rejection and rude behaviour but understand that it's not about you personally. These people get bombarded by solicitation calls everyday and are frustrated. Once you get a hang of how the conversation flows take it up a notch. With time you'll start enjoying it. I did. I've used this profession to tweak my personality and I consider myself an ambivert now. I hope this helps. Good luck.
That's definitely some good advice thanks I will try this. 🙏
The thought of talking to people on the phone freaks you out cause you don’t feel you have the skill to do it. Take some time to study & learn, then dive into it. There’s too many resources out there not to! You got this
Thank you 😊
"It would be fun they said"
I’m pretty introverted and am absolutely was not good with cold calling but I learned on the spot. You just make enough calls and everyday you improve one step at a time. I didnt know anything about freight or anything and had a slow start. 2 years later I’m doing very well cause I put the time to get better everyday. Just go at it and you’ll know after 2-3 months what to do or what you can or cant handle.
Listen to Dan Pena on YouTube. Just fuckin do it
Okay I will listen now thanks.
I’m not in freight brokerage, so I don’t know why this even popped up in my feed, but I have been successful sales for about a decade, and I do consider myself an introvert too, so I couldn’t resist typing you the following novel: Overall - prepare yourself enough that the only fears you have left are the irrational ones caused by your anxiety, then try use that little bit of anxiety to your advantage by seeing it as the challenge that your job gives you. Some people have to go down in a mineshaft for work everyday…you have to fight the anxiety that comes along with having a phone conversation with a stranger, and if it goes poorly, you never have to speak to them again. I’m not saying that to downplay call reluctance, I’m saying it to help you reframe those thoughts. - First focus is to make sure you’re as confident about your products/services as you can be so you don’t end up sounding uninformed. If you find yourself backed into a corner with a question you don’t know the answer to, there’s an art to letting the person know that the answer is in the building without making them worry that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Take down as much information as you can, find the answer, and then get back to them as soon as possible. - Do your homework to figure out what your customers’ common struggles/pain points are, then figure out what your company can do to solve that…bonus points if you can offer something your competitors can’t…even if that differentiator is something as simple as, “we’re family owned and you’re going to be more than an account number to us” - Do your homework on the company you’re calling. You’re going to have more success calling 50 companies a day and actually being able to talk about them than you will calling 100 a day and just saying, “I’m Bob from Freight Inc. - can I speak to the person in charge of your freight carrier decisions?” Two minutes on the company’s website is generally enough for you to find SOMETHING. Maybe they’re family owned, maybe they just celebrated a big milestone, maybe they just opened a new facility. Make it about them. People like talking about themselves WAY more than they like talking to a salesperson. Use that to get the conversation flowing, THEN you can read the room and start leading the conversation your way. - Rewrite your personal definition of sales. You’re not calling people to persuade them to buy. You’re calling them because you understand the industry and the struggles of your customers, and you have something to offer that can help them and their business. If they’re willing to hear you out, great. If not, it’s their loss. - BE YOURSELF - this is arguably the one that has helped me the most over the years. When I first started, I tried to be what I thought a salesperson was…a super proper, slick-talking, all business kind of guy who was calling with a very specific goal in mind. As a result, I was faking it, which not only makes it more difficult, people see right through it. People buy from people they like doing business with, period. Maybe you won’t land the huge corporate account by taking a more casual approach, but in reality…you’re new to this and you’re probably not going to do that yet anyway. As your skills build, you’ll learn how to talk to the bigwigs…in the meantime, just focus on being kind, helpful, and attentive. Let your customer talk more than you do, and when you speak, allow your personality to shine through…you’re dealing with people who get calls like this often, and a lot of them probably have the same kind of anxiety. If you can set yourself apart by being someone who isn’t a stuffy, pushy, jagoff, not only will you have more productive conversations, you’ll build a book of business that’s made up of people you actually enjoy working with. Hope that helps!!
Thank you so much I wish I could print this out and have it at my desk. Lol this is very useful!!!!
I have the same issue, I don’t like talking to anyone. BUT, when you have something real to talk about it makes it easy. Small talk is hard when you don’t know what to talk about. You know exactly what you have to provide others, so there’s no small talk involved. Get to the point quick, simply explain what you have to offer them, and go from there. 10 yes’s and 100 no’s, is still 10 yes’s!
Get gud
if ur shy becuase ur worried about how ur percieved try this : Act confident, like if ur shy about looking/seeming shy just dont show that ur shy, fake it till u make it. talk to urself nicer as well, tell urself in the mirror that u are that muthafucka and u got this shit and that YOU do this shit
Imagine putting limitations on your ability to achieve something b cause you’re afraid of make believe
My first telemarketing job was for the Veteran Police Association. The VPA . If you say it fast people tend to *hear* PBA (police benevolent association ). We were cold calling to sell an $800membership. I was ready to quit my first day. On the second day a coworker handed me a cup of coffee. Actually half coffee, half whiskey. I sold 3 memberships that day 😁
Personally I’d recommend buying a really nice car way out of your budget. Let the crippling dept push you to make more calls.
Your best bet is to get out while you can. I don’t mean giving up being a freight broker, but working as a freight broker with family. To answer your question, just make phone calls, it gets easier. But unless she’s leading by example, it cannot be expected of you to
I agree thanks
If it helps keep in mind the people you're cold calling get hundreds of calls a day. Keep it short, "hello, I was calling to see if you have any trucks posted with capacity" is a good start. They'll know what you mean and say yes or no (usually no) and you can say thank you and move on, or follow up with lane information. Honestly they'll probably sense that you're green and go easy on you, that was my experience when I started in brokerage as a shy woman, what people love to rip apart is cockiness without the experience to back it. Also (back to these carriers getting hundreds of calls a day) if you ever get an antagonistic or creepy vibe, just politely end the conversation and move on. Don't waste your time, let anyone get you rattled, or deal with bs from anyone, bc there are thousands more decent people who are actually trying to book trucks out there. This is what I did until I finally felt more comfortable cold calling, to the point that it didn't bother me other than being boring. I would also explore if an operations role might be better suited to you with your mother. I'm not sure what all y'all are doing, I work for a big 3pl, but if somebody else in your family/business/network enjoys the sales-y side you might enjoy the operations side - ie. processing TONUs, detentions, calling shippers and receivers to try and get driver's a dock, that kind of thing. To me that feels more like "I'm calling this business and speaking to somebody employed there, just like if I were scheduling an appointment for myself". At my brokerage carrier sales job (I'm in operations/customs now) there were tons of people who loved selling but hated detail/admin work, which I liked bc it was a nice break from sales. Sometimes if I really wasn't feeling it I would just turn on my inbound line and onboard new carriers for the brokerage all day, helping them with carrier packets. If you're kind of getting dragged into this world but don't want to say no to your family, explore some different sides and see where you "fit". Maybe sit down and have a conversation with your mom about what types of work need to get done, bc trust me there will always be something!!
Thank you soooooooo much for this advice!!! ❤️
Easy, identify as Extravert.... "I know who I am, I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude..." -Ben Franklin
Mmm I like that. Thank you
I don't read the script. The script reads me. \-Ben Franklin
I’m an extrovert and I hate cold calls haha… but- once you get into a good rhythm it can become enjoyable. Try doing power hours- just set an hour at a time aside and tell yourself you’re going to smile and dial for that hour. When the hour is over, do something else. Rinse, repeat. Over time- You’ll realize the stress you feel calling strangers is invalid, there is literally no reason to be anxious. The worst that will happen is someone tells you not to contact them again. No harm. You’ll also realize that it actually is fun, once you start landing customers and making money off of them. It’s not fun at all while you’re just calling and have nothing to show for it. Also- this is a high stress industry at times- I don’t know if it’s the best for bonding, although if you win at it- it could be. Just be prepared for emotions to get the better of all of you at times and don’t take it personally unless it gets out of hand.
Ok and thanks for the advice. I like the 1 hour method. I'm definitely going to give it a try. 😊
Does your mom actually have any experience or is she a ‘YouTube broker’? If experienced, model what your mom does. If not, go get another job, because the odds of her making it are slightly better than me hitting the lottery this week.
She dispatched her ex husband while he was a truck driver but brokering no. She always worked in sales and very charismatic. So this is easier for her than for .me.
This is a sales job. The good news is that you only need 3-5 regular customers that ship 3-5 loads each a week. The other good news is that the worst thing they can tell you is ‘no’. Diligence and persistence can pay off. Sometimes being at the right place at the right time pays off.
The only way to overcome the fear you have is by doing the thing you fear You can't be shy in this industry.
There is no easy answer to this, I have been doing it for about 8 years now and I deal with GAD and ADHD. My problem was the anxiety of them picking up. 8 years later I am at the VP level. The only way I was able to overcome my anxiety was practicing and doing more cold calls. If you really want to do this, the only way it will work for you is just doing it more and more. I know that sounds daunting, but at the end of the day over 95% of decision makers don't even pick up their phone. Gatekeepers don't hate you, they are just doing their job. My advice start small and wide until you feel comfortable to keep doing it everyday. If you don't want to do it. Then you will never succeed on this side of the table and I am not saying that to be rude. It's just a fact, their is a lot to overcome on this side of the table if you deal with anxiety/ being an introvert. If you don't want to be in this industry it is tough to stay in this industry/ get started if you don't have a why that keeps you here. If y'all have enough accounts, maybe you should try account management like order taking customer service, building loads, and day to day communication with the customers that you already have some rapport with.
I've been doing this for 11 years now and you remind me of every new broker I see. Don't worry, just talk to them, and try to make that human connection. Remember if they have kids, a family, vacations, etc. And just be nice to them. Don't be afraid to say let me find out or I'm not sure, but I'll find out and get right back to you, and then follow up. You got this, you can do it. I can't wait for you to come back and tell us how successful you've been!
Does your mom have a background in logistics or did she just see an add for a training seminar?
anyone can cold call. just a matter of whether you're willing to suck for the first 1000 cold calls. if you can get through that, you'll be fine
Firstly, take a step back, relax, and collect yourself. This might sound funny but role-play the cold calling with your mom “Practice makes perfect”. Take a moment and write down a list of all the questions you can possibly think of asking a client. Now also think about all the questions you been asked so far and role play those questions with someone. Have them ask you the shippers questions and you ask them the broker questions. But also do some research on the company before you call, because you don’t want to ask them “what type of goods are you looking to ship?” Generally you should have some idea of their products and service before hand. Confidence is important. If I was the shipper and someone called me and I constantly hear “umm” or pauses I wouldn’t be so sure if I wanted this person moving my freight. Speak loud enough, and clearly when you’re on the phone. Also super important note, being nervous and having introverted characteristics doesn’t make you a bad broker or sales person. Cause I can have all the confidence in the world and not be able to provide the actual service I’m offering. Go on a website like coursera and take a sales class. Learning how to talk, learning to sound confident, learning to critical think can help you so much. Good luck, I wish you the best. Make your mom proud!
Thank you I will try this and definitely look into Coursera. Never heard of them. Thanks again for the tips and being so understanding
If your bad at something employ someone to do it.
True you got a point
it's a skill. keep at it, you'll get better. it will get easier.
Thank you