Source: Kathy Fulton, Executive Director, American Logistics Aid Network/ALAN.

"It's all about the company you keep."

This is a phrase used by many - and it holds relevant meaning for TMSA members, given the fact that 22 member companies have been named to the "Top 100 3PL List" by Inbound Logistics magazine, which is an Affiliate TMSA member. 

TMSA went back to school a little early this year. The organization’s July 29 Strategic Interest Group, moderated by Founder and CEO of CX University, Mohamed Latib, PhD featured a mix of insights from research findings and first-hand experiences from participants.  A special thanks goes out to TMSA Corporate Member, Courtney Keenan at RLS Logistics for sharing CX trend data and insights in the B2B sector to support the discussion.

Transportation and logistics marketing leaders have relied on the power of outsourcing for years to scale, grow and optimize their efforts. Ideal for small in-house marketing teams and organizations that don’t have the infrastructure to target growing audiences, outsourcing has always been an invaluable tool to logistics firms.

In today’s market where truck capacity is tight and rates are volatile, never before has it been so critical for sales professionals in transportation to build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with your carrier partners. But as most of us know, relationships between brokers and carriers have a history of being strained. Some carriers maintain a belief that margins are much higher than they are, while brokers are working to fill a load as quickly as possible at the highest profit margin. 

Are you a Hunter or Farmer? If you are in sales, this question is often asked when referring to your sales personality profile. When it comes to sales strategy and your most effective approach, it’s good to instantly know which one you are.

One of the top insights to come out of TMSA’s May 27 Strategic Interest Group, comprised of an even split of sales professionals, marketers and consultants, was the demise of sales travel due to the efficiencies of virtual sales meetings. 

When it comes to the business mix of your company, there’s truth to the old adage: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” It can be important to diversify your customer base to successfully increase revenue and growth, particularly if you’re a smaller but fast-growing enterprise in transportation and logistics. But diversifying your customer portfolio also is important because if you’re concentrated too heavily on a single industry or commodity that you transport, you risk volatility in revenue and resources as demand rises and falls.  

TMSA held its latest Strategic Interest Group featuring President and Publisher of SupplyChainBrain, Brad Berger on April 28^th. 

In the transportation and supply chain industries, trade publications are still widely read and respected. Their readers are a high-value audience who subscribe because of their interest in the published topics.

Getting into the right mindset for selling is crucial for business success, especially in current times. Even at Landstar, the best way for independent agents to gain business during a global pandemic is to maintain a positive attitude, to get in the right mindset and to understand the psychology that goes behind selling.  

Even before the pandemic gave transportation companies hero status, the industry was on a roll. In July 2019, transportation jobs rose 49%, officially making it the fastest growing industry in America.  

If I were to ask you to think of a memorable customer experience, what comes to mind? I’m willing to bet a bad experience or two pops into your head, along with maybe a really excellent one. There are many theories why, but in general, most of us tend to remember the bad experiences more than the good experiences, unless they were particularly astounding. 

While working with a customer recently, we introduced the concept of Make-or-Break Moments. Those critical points with any customer that, depending on how you approach them, can help you accelerate your relationship, or really tank it. When things go wrong is certainly on that list, but it might surprise you that it’s also critical to consider what to do when things go right.

It’s no surprise that technology is the major driver of industry transformation today. Its many manifestations from driverless trucks to AI keep it firmly at the top of oncoming transportation trends. However, demographic swings and lasting changes in consumer preferences will also determine the opportunities and challenges on the road ahead. 

Many in transportation and logistics call it “consultative selling.” This means a sales approach that prioritizes relationships with shippers and other qualified buyers, and opens dialogue to identify and provide solutions to a prospect’s needs. It’s hyper-focused on the customer, rather than the product or service being sold. Ultimately, it guides the salesperson to better understand the challenges faced by the prospect so they can position their solutions in a more compelling, relevant, effective way.

The most successful sales reps in transportation and logistics know that when a presentation is done right, making a sales presentation with impact is a high-earning skill. So make sure to invest adequate time and energy to perfect your sales presentation techniques. Don’t lead with differentiators, lead to them. And be personable and conversational. Here are five sales techniques that will help you to successful close more deals quicker.

If you’re a sales or C-level executive looking to grow your business, you likely have one thing on your mind: keeping your funnel filled with qualified leads, and making sure those leads convert along the sales pipeline.

Successful prospecting requires a coordinated strategy among your sales team, including your channel partners, but it can be taxing for them to execute this strategy every day when they’re focused on so many other tasks that are critical to business growth.

The transportation and logistics industry is the behind the scene force that delivers the products that we use every day without fail. The toothbrush you use in the morning, the computer you use at work, the bed that you sleep in have all been given to you through some sort of transportation. But how much do you really know about this industry? Do you know the different types of transportation? What type of transportation your company should use? Or even the basic definition of ‘transportation?’ TMSA breaks down the basics for us in its on-demand webinar Transportation 101. 

At a basic level, the definition of transportation is moving something from point A to point B, but it becomes a bit more complex when you layer in additional services on top of the core of transportation. Services like routing, regulatory compliance and driver management turn basic transportation into logistics. If you add services like returns and warehousing, then the service becomes a supply chain.

It’s expected that 2021 will be the year of continuous change in digital marketing in the transportation and logistics industry. Here are five trends to leverage.

Digital Marketing has become a major part of modern B2B marketing. More and more, practitioners in B2B supply chain marketing are providing authentic and customized content, leveraging chatbot technology, using social media marketing to a greater degree, and creating an engaging user experience. These are key trends in 2021.

What are the best ways to work with editors, publishers, and reporters to achieve publicity that will beat the averages?