Ford Storage’s Post

FreightWaves reports C.H. Robinson has laid off a significant portion of its US sales team, with sources suggesting over 50% reduction. The company cites a focus on technology as a driving factor. How will this impact the industry? #CHRobinson #layoffs #freightbrokerage #logistics #freightwaves #freightbroker #logisticsindustry

People + Technology yields the highest level of service. Communicating and collaborating with customers becomes difficult when the human aspect is diminished. #Freight #Logistics #SupplyChain #Truckload #FreightBroker #DryVan #ShippingSolutions #layoffs https://lnkd.in/eQ2U_j5S

C.H. Robinson slashes over 50% of US sales team Truck brokerage giant C.H. Robinson Worldwide laid off around 80 members of its remaining 150 sales representatives in the U.S. on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the cuts. The source said the sales division of the publicly traded brokerage has slashed U.S. sales jobs by around 89% over the past six years as it turned its focus from its people to embracing technology. In a statement provided to FreightWaves, the company said that “less than 2% of NAST [North American Surface Transportation] roles were impacted in June as a part of a restructuring to ignite growth and provide greater opportunity for our sales employees.” Read more about this here: https://lnkd.in/g-PwxmYr -------------------- Follow The Elite Network " We partner with shippers, 3PL providers, Brokers, and carriers to create a powerful, collective online presence."

💡 FREE TIP FRIDAY 💡 Question: If a BROKERAGE is reaching out, what is the number one thing you would like to see them explain about their business? Answered by a major retailer:  "# of carriers, geographic coverage areas, FB and Van capabilities, Of their full carrier base, how many carriers make up 80% of their revenue, do you have strong drop trailer capabilities, annual revenue and last 5 years of revenue change, existing large shippers they do business with" I don't know if I have ever loved an answer more. Let's unpack this: ✔ Number of carriers: what type of capacity can you offer them, do you even know how many carriers you run with? Hint: higher numbers don't always equal the best answer here ✔ Geographic coverage areas: what are your strengths, and do they align with the shippers' network. "We cover all 48 states" is not going to be it folks ✔ Flatbed and Van capabilities: know the equipment types you specialize in and have solid capacity in, articulate it and stick to it ✔ How many carriers make up 80% of their revenue: This shipper is looking to understand if you have high carrier reutilization and retention rates. Incredibly keen of them, not all shippers understand this of brokers. If you are able to provide committed carriers and keep a strong core base you are more likely to provide drop trailers, high service levels, and be more nimble to take on excess volumes and projects ✔ Drop Trailer Capabilities: He is asking this of BROKERS, man I love that. Don't just say you can, explain why you can. Not all brokers know why and how to do this, so backing up the statement is crucial. ✔ Annual Revenue and last 5 years of revenue change: We probably don't all put this in an email. But highlighting your growth shows the shipper the strength of your model and your partnerships ✔ Existing large shippers you do business with: what's your street cred? What's your resume? If you are successful with their peers there is a higher chance you will be successful for them. Happy Selling! Follow me for a sales tip every Friday! #sales #logistics #trucking #supplychain #retail

Let’s be honest price sells. At least initially. When I was a freight broker 2 of my biggest accounts came from losing money. My largest account that turned into a 25-30k a month account I lost money the first few loads. And I didn’t make good money until a few months in. Another account that turned into a 5-10k a month account I was in the red after a month and 30 loads. I think the issue is a lot of brokers lose money on 1 load, and then raise their rates. Shippers are onto this game. Was it risky for me to go in red for so long? Of course, but I was confindent in my performance and service. Service and performance keeps customers, but price gets you in the door. I am keeping this in mind in the recruiting game. I am leaning towards the business development side of recruiting ( selling companies on using our services and having a killer recruiter teammate, who has 10 years in the game in the logistics space. More on that later. Why? Because I think it’s similar to logistics it’s about relationships and service. It’s also a volume game. If your pricing is better than most and your service is equal or better than others it’s hard to lose business. Greed is the biggest downfall of a lot of sales rep. PS: I think this is the first time in 6 months I’ve made 2 posts in one day, but this was on my mind and I didn’t want to lose this thought. #kidfreight #sales #logistics #trucking

Today was a reminder that persistence and a clear vision of the bigger goal are the keys to success. While the day had a rocky start, I quickly reminded myself to stay locked in on our commitment to consistency. It was about reminding myself that I was there to absorb information, understand pain points, and above all, show up. But here’s the exciting part – our efforts are paying off! A lot of shippers were requesting quotes and expressing their interest in setting us up as a vendor on the backend. It’s a testament to the power of staying focused and delivering consistent value. Every day in sales is a new challenge, and the lessons learned are invaluable (if you choose to learn). Here’s to embracing the journey, staying locked in, and consistently striving for our goals! #Sales #Shippers #HunterLogistix #HunterFreightBroker #FreightBrokers #Carriers #TruckDoctor

Last post confused some freight agents not understanding revenue vs gross profit, and c2g vs split model. Early at MoLo, sellers were quoting spot loads, leading pricing events, and helping w issue resolution. I had 8-10 people helping my daily operations, plus a large carrier sales team. Eventually, we built an account management team for enterprise accounts. Seller pays for an account manager to come in and run point, manually handling quoting and tender acceptance. If the seller was making 10% commission off the gross profit, seller gave up an additional 2% to bring on an AM, leaving you with 8%. You also have a monthly "hurdle", which is your salary. So if your salary is $50k a year, you needed to hit $50k in GP for that month before you take home commission dollars. In my mind, if I could take more off my plate to focus on sales, I could make up for that 2% loss in the long term. Shoutout to some awesome people that crushed it with me during some wild times! Emily Madden Taylor Krug Dale Renshaw Jordan Pastron Jared Fetter #teamwork #freightbrokerage #splitmodel

I’ve always found the “sales only” role in logistics odd, personally. Calling potential shippers/customers, building initial relationships- only to hand them off to someone else. And from there, due to rampant failure/turnover in this industry, the logistics managers at the shipper/customer get passed from new hire to new hire over the years, constantly having to build new relationships and having hiccups in service because the new hire doesn’t know logistics well and doesn’t know the particulars of the shippers business and needs. Just seems odd to me that anyone would want to roll with that business model. Cradle to the grave is the way, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because it’s what I’ve done for 17 years, but the relationships I build are mine- forever. My customers never get handed off to some oblivious kid with little to no logistics experience. I know my customers business and needs inside and out- there are never surprises. If it wasn’t for the one year I had to take after TQL due to a non-compete, I’d likely have customers that I’ve worked with for 17 consecutive years… That’s irreplaceable trust for both my customers and myself. Good luck to everyone laid off by CH. Even though turnover in logistics brokerages is probably around 90% by year two and likely close to 95% by the third or fourth year- you can have longevity by being great for your customers, and by handling everything for them yourself.

Sales is not a game for the faint-hearted. You need to develop a thick skin to absorb the amount of "NO's" before striking gold with that coveted "YES." But remember, each "NO" brings invaluable insights. Conversations with shippers unravel a wealth of information. Seek knowledge in every conversation, even if the answer is a “NO”. Shippers are paying top dollar for MEDIOCRE SERVICE. Whether it is a carrier or a broker, they often feel like they're stuck in a never-ending cycle of problems rather than resolutions. The remedy? Hunter Freight Brokerage Our pledge is to link shippers with the carriers needed to move their freight while prioritizing QUALITY as our guiding principle. #Sales #HunterFreightBrokerage #Logistics #SupplyChain #CustomerFocused #Shippers #Carriers #HunterLogistix #TruckDoctor