In 2016, my wife and I moved to Minneapolis. On top of needing a new wardrobe, I would need to find a new career as well. As you could imagine, the Minnesota association of real estate doesn’t offer reciprocity to California license holders. The company I worked for represented ALC and an introduction was made. Without logistics experience, Tracey Lewin and Toni Rooney took a chance on me.
With four years at ALC under my belt now, I have had moderate success by applying what I learned during my time in real estate. Back then it was not uncommon for courtship to last 6, 12, 18 months, or longer. The longer sales cycle gave me an opportunity to make a personal connection and build the trust that was necessary to make the sale. Countless books have been written on how to sell, how to prospect, what to say, how to say it, how to close, etc. Like any salesperson, I have spent my fair share of time and money on books and seminars in search of that magic bullet. Over the years, I must have tried a dozen different elevator pitches, each one feeling more unnatural than the last. The truth is, I’ve never been comfortable selling in a traditional format. I don’t like the way it feels. Instead of getting fulfillment from closing the sale, what I discovered is that it’s the small wins along the way that energizes me, generated from making a personal connection with the prospect on the way to an eventual sale.
Shipper’s budgets were blown out of the water in 2020. Brokers are getting second looks and opportunities that were never there before. The larger companies are always going to have holes in their network. If a prospect tells me that they will “keep us in mind for when a mutually beneficial need arises,” it most likely will never happen. I have to stay in front of them for when that need arises. I’m constantly reminding myself that nothing happens fast with big companies. It takes a great deal of patience and discipline to respect the pace at which the prospect needs. Referencing shared customers, sending relevant articles, giving market updates with the occasional meme have been some methods that have helped me get responses. However, I have noticed when dealing with Fortune 500 type companies that require long lapses between communication, having something personal to only you and the prospect is the best way to wake up a conversation.
When engaging a prospect, I must assume that the prospect knows what I want, so the goal after the initial touch is to just keep the conversation going. I always ask the prospect to provide a follow-up timeline. I believe that asking the question immediately separates you from the pack. Asking for freight is a yes or no question, and the reality is, without knowing the ins and outs of their network, I really don’t know what I’m even asking for. The central goal is to stay present with the prospect in a way that causes them to start subconsciously thinking about ALC and where we might fit into their network. Long enough for the prospect to need ALC.
It felt great to have my strategy validated recently on a call with a shipper. My contact commented that he liked my approach because I listened to him. He could tell that I was in it for the long haul, and not just looking for the quick sale. He's a career logistics guy and was a broker for many years before he took over the dry side for the company he's currently with. He made the decision months ago to try out ALC in a few spots, and the fact that we ranked 14th on average in the recent bid was a good thing, now he just needs to see us execute. In this interaction, many things were in my favor since the company was based here in Minneapolis. Once I learned that he was on the board of the local CSCMP networking group, I invited myself to the next event. COVID ended up getting in the way, but it gave us something in the future to talk about, personal to us.
Asking a prospect to provide a follow-up timeline may only be the start of a conversation, but once you get that ball rolling, the opportunities are endless. While I may be a BDS, we all are essentially in sales. As you make your next call, think about what type of sales strategy fits your personality? The simple process of taking time to align your sales strategy with your personality may be one of the best investments you ever make.
