Interview your clients · Freight Group

Interview your clients

Recently I started to flip the “script” when it comes to my cold calling. Once I have the decision maker on the phone I have always tried to be different telling them my why, how, and what I do. However recently I typically go through that portion quickly and ask them for a few minutes to ask them important questions. A number of questions as if I’m interviewing them for a job.

Questions like the following

How long have they worked for the company
What is their turnover like? Have most people worked there for awhile with promotions usually coming from internally.
How long have they been with their current partners not just freight but all of their business relationships?
Do they enjoy the career or do they hope to land in a different part of the company someday?
Are they valued and treated well by their superiors and owners of the company?
Do they always buy from their suppliers based on lowest prices?
Are the sales people involved with the suppliers?

I finish with “I appreciate your time and the reason for asking all of these questions is before we go any further I also need to ensure you will be a good fit with my company. I have already done my homework and know you move XYZ but it’s important to me that you also checked the boxes correctly above. With my own personal experience I have come to understand that if those boxes aren’t checked then typically a partnership will ultimately not end up working out….” Although this works as a pitch I’m 1000% being truthful. I will explain and it’s not always a perfect recipe in which I decide if the box gets checked but you can navigate that yourself.

Are new - can be a red flag resulting into the question number 2 being answered. If they have been there for too long say 15+ years then it often means they are either going to be set in their partnership but also they probably aren’t being valued and promoted for a reason which can cause an employee who often just doesn’t care anymore, it’s just a job and that can come with a whole set of problems.
High turnover usually means that they will not respect relationships, the employees will be treated poorly by upper management, lack of care, fear…. Promotions coming all externally will also cause disappointment and dissatisfaction within the company.

3.If they don’t respect long term relationships well then what makes you think you won’t be replaced quickly, also often you will find lots of competition with little to no profits while taking up all of your time. A good relationship should take 3-6 months of getting to know each other and their business before starting a partnership.

4.If you truly care about this career and your clients (you should) then you need to look out for their best interests at heart and their own personal business goals.

5.Their happiness is important to you, working with a company that does not respect their employees and treat them well will result in working with jerks, you don’t want that for yourself or the team. Work with nice friendly people always (a bad day is different).

6. I will not be the cheapest guy but I will give you an economic option that matches your expectations. The cheapest rate will eventually just fail or let you down and I can’t do that to you.

7.From start to finish the sales people are involved even if they aren’t. Most companies treat sales people like mushrooms (Keepem in the dark and feedem sh*t). Having them involved especially in transportation will bring you so much closer to this client.

When I finish giving my reasons it will be the first time they have ever been pitched like this and if the boxes are checked correctly then you know it’s a good fit for each other. Because in all business it has to be a win/win situation. Long term relationships are what make this career worth it!

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