1033. #TFCP - Freight Sales Q&A Day!

And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals because that's what I am right at the end of the day. And I want to provide the right information from the people who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve. So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life. Sonny Sharma. Good to see you, man. Just coming in from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Dude, I wonder are you are is already snowing up there for you, man. I mean, it's, it's vastly different from sunny California. All right, Corey Buchan, TGif, everyone. He's coming in over on YouTube. Today is going to be a Q and a show. All right.

We are going back into that because my guest that I was going to have on today had a last minute scheduling conflict earlier this week and wasn't really last minute because at the end of the day, he gave me about like a four day heads up on that one. But, you know, we're going to switch it over into a Q and a day throughout the week. I get some, definitely, I get some questions about pretty much all walks of the industry, right. A lot of them are on business development, cold calling, you know, how, what do I say? What do I do and all of that. So I'm going to kind of roll in with a lot of that.

But before we go into that, I do just want to give like, kind of like a little heads up on some other things that we got. You know, I do drop a weekly newsletter. All right. And if you want to get subscribed to that, I don't auto sign people up for it. I won't dm you to ask you to register for my newsletter or do any of that stuff because I believe in like a value based thing wherever. I only want you to be subscribed to my podcast and all of that because you see value in it. And the same thing with my newsletter. So if you want to subscribe to it, go to my website, the freightcoach.com, and then it will auto prompt you to register for that. It releases every single Wednesday. And again, it's just about the transportation industry.

It's just another way for us to kind of grow the podcast, grow the following, grow this little slice of media that we like doing every single week. And yeah, so just go over there and check that out, you know, and I also go live. Or, you know, I'm on pretty much every social media platform out there. So if you just look for the freight coach on YouTube, Instagram, tick tock, all that stuff, you'll find me on that. And if you want to subs, you know, follow me on there, that'd be awesome as well. You guys, I'm just trying to, you know, reach as many people as possible and again, just give my perspective on the transportation industry. And, you know, as always, rest assured, I, I've actually done this job.

I've been doing this job for a very long time, and I'm going to continue to do this job for a very long time because this isn't a hobby to me. This is, this is my career. I love this industry and I'm going to continue to do this literally for the rest of my life. Lamar asks, how do It? Bro, every day you are full of energy. Lamar, it comes in the form of this, my denim branded coffee, which is black rifle coffee. And I just drink that and I, man, I thought I find a way to motivate myself because in all honesty, man, I've been self employed now for the last four years. And not every day is sunshine and gumdrops and all that fun shit, but, you know, I got to create my own discipline with it and I've done that.

And that's just kind of like what I built my life around. A lot of it will boil down to the system that I've created for my life. And it's, you know, it's pretty boring. If anybody out there looked at it from the outside looking in, like, there's no fancy dinners that I'm attending or anything like that throughout the week, I am legitimately I do the same shit every single day, man. Like, I get up at the same time, I go to the gym at the same time, I follow the same routine. When I get into work, I follow and follow the same routine literally every single day. And a lot of it's just down to boiling, you're boiling down to controlling my controllables with that because there's a lot of stuff out there.

And I'm going to get into that a little bit later in the show, because there's a lot of stuff that are outside of my control. And, you know, also, dude, like, I literally am, like, living out my dream, right? Like, for the longest time, I wanted to be my own boss and do my own thing and go for it. And I'm doing that, man. So it's like, not all days are good, you know, like, I face challenges just like everybody else, but I choose to approach it with, you know, conviction every single day. Like, I'm going to fucking win, right? Like, that's my mentality. Every single day is I'm going to fucking win. Sonny said just got back, dog. Dude, let's go, man. Got back from the Dominican, man. You guys are island hoppers all the time. I love it. Tracy St.

Clair, good morning to you. She's coming in over on YouTube as well. But let's see here, guys. Whoa. Oh, hold on. We got, never mind. That was one of our bids earlier today. Cause I actually move freight. I don't just have a pretty face. But yeah, you guys, green screens. If you want to get the most accurate pricing out there, hit up my friends over at green screens, all right? They're in the upper right ish. I don't know. I'm left hand side of your guys's screen. But anyways, hit them up, you guys. I use them to price out all of my freight, all right? Literally every single load that I move is priced in one through green screens. And we are just about to finish up our fiscal year here. And we have seen in pretty solid growth year over year. Right?

So green screens has a lot to do with it and the accuracy of their pricing because I use them to price literally everything that I do. But let's get into it here. Today it is q and a day and it's going to be leaning. We're talking about, like, sales here, right? Like the reality of book of business. Because the question that I got, and again, all the questions that people send me, I, they're anonymous. I'm not going to put your name out there. I'm not going to do any of that stuff because I have people who work for very large companies who reach out to me and then I have just, you know, individuals, you know, who are, you know, independents and stuff like that they reach out to me as well. But again, everything is anonymous. All right?

And it was, you know, talking about struggling in business that they've been making cold calls now for 90 days and they haven't gotten anywhere. There's no conversations, there's no callbacks, there's nothing like that. What am I doing or saying wrong? That is a very open ended question. Right. Because a, I don't know what, you know, who you're reaching out to. I think that knowing, I want to start with knowing who you're reaching out to, is pretty important. And again, if somebody else talks about it, I haven't seen it, but, you know, a big thing that you're going to get out there and you're making cold calls, right? So if you're calling food shipments, for example, if you're calling a food manufacturer, more times than not, they're going to be customer routed.

And they're customer routed because a lot of these private brands go to them like a CPG company, you know, or whatever, go to these food manufacturers because they don't have a manufacturing facility, right. A lot of these companies, you know, we're baking cookies in their kitchen and then it took off. And now they need to hire a commercial facility because they just signed a big order from somebody and they will go and hire a food manufacturer who has all their ingredients is willing to do it. They're going to co pack it, they're going to label it, they're going to do all of that. And then they're customer routed those facilities because that brand, that of cookies or whatever it is, you know, is using them.

And then they're the ones who are placing those orders because they, you know, they got Costco, they're selling them on Costco. And then what they'll do is they'll let that manufacturer know about this order that's coming in and you got to ship it out to the Costco, DC and Kansas City or whatever that looks like. Right? So you could be calling a lot of these facilities and they might not organize their freight. And that's like a very common misconception out there because everybody's like, oh, they're just lying to us. That not always the case, right? Like they might organize a little bit of transportation, but the majority of it is probably customer routed. So I think who you're going after really matters. Right. And then, you know, like, again, I do a lot of open deck freight. Okay.

And a lot of rental companies, for example, depending on the size, some of them, some of the larger ones, they do use outside providers and stuff like that. But some of the smaller regional ones that you're going after, they have their own trucks for, like, literally everything they've transferred to, they transfer between their locations with them. They do all of their customer orders with them. They might rarely have a load that they send out of state, and that's where they come in and work with an outside provider. But that volume is pretty low. Right. So you might be calling the wrong people, and, you know, not every person that you call is going to have freight. And that's something that I never really believed. I always thought everybody was lying to me, but that's not always the case.

As I got out and talked to more and more people, and a lot of my friends who are shippers, they really opened up my eyes to a lot of this stuff. So I think it's really who you're calling, who you're going after. That might be why you're, that might be why you're not getting anywhere is because you might just be, you might just got some bad leads. You might be calling the wrong companies or frankly, it, you know, harsh reality. It's what you're saying. Maybe you're sounding like literally everybody else. You know, I had yesterday, I was going to make a post about this yesterday just to, you know, to kind of help out some other people out there. Yesterday was the first time that I got hung up on in the middle of my pitch.

So don't feel bad if that happens to you, because that happened to me. And it, but it's rare, though, right? It's very rare that happens. I think most people that you call are going to be cordial. Some people are going to be short, some people are not going to be short. But ultimately, you need to it, you need to really shift your focus in it when you're developing business, all right? Because ultimately you're looking for a yes. And I've talked about this on the show in the past, so I'm not going to dive too deep into that. But when you're reaching out to people, what are you even asking them? Are you just calling them to say, hey, let me talk to the person who handles your freight, because I want to get set up to start quoting on your freight.

Your current network sucks. Yada, yada. We're cheaper than everybody. We're better than everybody. You know, there's a myrate of different things that you could be saying out there, but what's your approach? Right? Like, and I've said mine in the past, right? Like, I'm very much a non pressure sales rep. I'm really just calling to introduce myself to everybody, all right? I'm the founder of my company. Nobody's gonna fucking sell for me. Right? Like, I need to go out there and do that. And that's what we do. That's our entire sales approach. And has it led to a ton of business? Absolutely not. But here's what it hasn't led to, a ton of resistance, all right? When we're talking to people, we actually get what we need out of the phone call when they answer, all right? Because I'm not berating them with anything.

I'm asking them some very pointed questions about their operation. Because again, I need to see is it a fit for me? You know, like with my call on my podcast, guest on, I think it was Tuesday, Andrew, with a zipline logistics, you know, it's also like, are you going after the wrong customers? You know, like were kind of talking about, do they even have the freight that you could actually accommodate in the event that they set you up? Everybody thinks that you can do a thousand loads, you know, at any given moment, but is your business set up for that? So I think you really need to look at who you're going after, what you're going after, and will it fit inside of your business in the event that you do end up, you know, getting.

Getting them set up with you and start moving their freight? I think that, you know, everybody wants the big brands out there, but the reality is say a big brand set you up today, and they're like, you needed to pick up a thousand loads over the next two weeks. Are you gonna be able to do it if there's three of you or two of you? Hell, there might even be eight of you, but you've never done that much volume before. Are you gonna be able to effectively do that? You know, so you just gotta be smart about who you're going after. And with that being said, if your intention is.

Cause, like, I go after some enterprise level shippersen and I do that because I know it's going to be 24 months before they get set up, you know, I know the sales cycle that comes along with it and I'm approaching that a lot different than I'm approaching some of my other small to mid sized businesses that are out there that I know might have an immediate need for freight. Right. So, like, how I'm framing a lot of those questions is a lot differently to them as opposed to the enterprise level shippers that I know. It's going to be 24 months before anything might even happen and that's like 24 months before you might even get invited to an RFP.

So, you know, again, I layer it out personally on different sizes of customers that I know, like, hey, this is my two year target, this is my twelve month target, my six month target, and then, you know, maybe a three month target or something like that. So I kind of build up that system, and really kind of go along with that. So I hope that answered your question. At the end of the day, I think a lot of it boils down to what you're saying on the phone. The next question that I got was, is, you know, it's about like cold call anxiety and it's like sales anxiety and everything else. And I'll summarize, it was a wordy one, but it's essentially, you know, not knowing what to say.

I personally think that most individuals need to stop thinking and start doing, always easier said than done, right? Because I'm a human being as well. I'm not perfect. I'm far from it. I have my days, I have my moments. But ultimately you, if you want to figure out what to say, because, like, I could sit up here and tell and I've done this. I've told you guys literally what I say on the phone every single time I cold call somebody. I've done that. Is that going to work for you? Like, is that going to work for Sonny? Is that going to work for Corey or Lamar or Tracy? Or is it probably not? Right? Not in that tone, not in that frame, right?

Like, you have to go out there and eventually you have to stop thinking because, like I just said, out of all the cold calls that I make, yesterday was the first time and I don't even remember that somebody just hung up on me as soon as I started going into my pitch. Right? So, like. And that was the worst case scenario, all right? So I know that there's that fear, there's that anxiety that comes along with it, but eventually you just got to start acting, right? Like paralysis analysis, I think is the biggest issue out there. I really do paralysis analysis or indecisiveness, whatever you want to throw at it, because there's the perfect plan that everybody's searching for does not exist. It's curated. It is formulated. The perfect sales pitch, the perfect sales process for you.

The individual comes after you say the wrong thing repeatedly until you start formulating the right thing to say and then you start getting people's attention. Then that's your base. Then you make critiques as you kind of grow and scale. There's no magic freight tree out there of, oh, hey, just say this. And then all of a sudden all this windfall of business is going to come your way. That does not exist. If it did exist and I knew about it, I wouldn't be podcasting. I would be selling that for a hundred million fucking dollars if I had that. It doesn't exist, you guys. And it all comes down to the work that you're avoiding to do. So I would highly recommend to just start. Like I, like I've said in the past, set that number, make that call, fuck up.

Set that number, make that call again. Fuck up. And then you just do that a little bit less and less until you get into your flow, right? And then that thing called confidence gets into your voice, right? Because you realize that the big bad freight fairy isn't going to reach through the phone and punch you in the fucking face, all right? And all you have to do is just dial and introduce yourself, all right? And then you go through it, and then you suck a little bit less and a little bit less. And then eventually you get into your system, right? Whatever that is. That number, if it's 30 calls a day, 50 calls a day, 70 calls a day, whatever that looks like. And you got to hold yourself accountable, all right?

You got to hold yourself accountable to make that effort and put in that work every single day. Because ultimately, nobody's coming to do it for you. Nobody knows if it's going to get better. And I can tell you this, I can guarantee you this, the more you wait for it to get better or easier before you start reaching out, the further and further ahead I'm going to get, all right? Because I don't wait for things to be perfect, all right? I act, all right? I act. Some of the best people in this industry I know act every single day. They're not looking to hit a home run, all right? They're just looking to get a little bit better. They're looking for that progress every single day. And then they just follow that process every single day.

Back to what Lamar earlier was saying about how do I have so much energy and stuff like that? And I was talking about the system. I follow my system every single day, and it works, all right? No, it doesn't have a massive windfall in one day every single day. But I'm getting better every single time. I can tell I'm getting better every single time I call somebody, all right? Just like with this podcast, for example, like, parker Cheney commented that I'm like, I think I released my 1032nd episode yesterday. I didn't start out like this. Some. Some of you might think I suck still, and that's fine. But, like, I didn't start out like this. I didn't start out being able to just produce a show every single day like this, all right? This took four years.

Like, realistically, this took four years to develop the system that I have, that I follow every single day for this show, all right? It's the same system I follow in my freight brokerage as well, all right? And it takes time to formulate and develop, and then you realize that what you had developed sucked and you got to make some changes, and then you continue to do that, right? Like, I. I have a machine that I follow for this podcast, all right? I truly do. I have it down to a fucking science, all right? And that took time. That took a lot of time. It took a lot of time to be able to interview people the way that I do, to get the feedback that I get. Hell, I still have people who don't want to come on my show.

So to this day does not affect me. It used to, right? Like, it used to bother me. Like, how do you not want to come on? But there's people out there that I. I get rejected from to be guests on my podcast, which is fucking insane. But, you know, it happens, right? And that. That is what it is. But I'm going to continue to follow my process. I'm going to follow my system because I know it works. I have the data to back it up, that it works in the podcast. I have the data to back it up, that it works inside of the brokerage, all right? We're growing right now. We are growing in a down market, all right? No, we're not cashing checks and buying ferraris or anything like that, but we are growing.

And that's the progress that I'm looking for, because this is a long term thing for me. So I think ultimately, when it boils down to it, sometimes the best thing you can do is stop thinking and just start acting. Start. Just go for it, all right? Because that is the thing, I think that will always kill your dreams more than anything else will, is your inability to just say, fuck it, and act, all right? And it's just like if you are a, you know, contemplating doing anything. And again, I say this coming from the point, you guys, that I was the biggest procrastinator of all time for a very large percentage of my life. Like, I would say 90% of my life, I procrastinated. I didn't take action. I was the king of all start next week or all start on Monday.

And then eventually I got sick and tired of my own bullshit and I made the necessary changes, and I've been committed to trying to get a little bit better every single day now. And it's taken a long time to get to here, and now there's going to be another long period of time that I'm going to look back on this time and be like, dude, you sound like a moron, you know, because I'm going to progress. I'm going to get better. I'm going to do all of that. So that's kind of my thought on it is, you know, eventually you just got to go. You just got to go for it. And who cares, right? Like, ultimately, a complete stranger is who you're calling. A complete stranger is who you're reaching out to, who you're never going to meet in real life.

And if you did meet in real life, you. You'd probably realize, damn, they're just another human being as well. It wasn't that scary. So that's what I would say for that. Just rip the band aid off and do it. And. Sorry, my wife texted me, and I'll always reply to my wife. Little sound advice to all of you gentlemen out there. No matter what, reply to your wife. All right, girlfriend, do it. Next one I got is about books. What books am I currently reading right now? And I actually created a list. And once I. At the end of the year, I'm going to share. I'll share it all out there. But, you know, some really good books that I had just finished up here recently is the hard thing about hard things by Ben Horowitz.

I would highly recommend you guys read that because, you know, again, talk about perspective on things and, like, talk about taking risks and everything else, like hearing him, because he sold his company, small sum, $1.6 billion. Yeah, I know, right? But he sold his company and going through the negotiation phase of that and the exploratory and finding out a bunch of shit. That was an insane read. I would highly recommend reading that one. Another good one. And I've talked about that was, the way of the wolf by Jordan Belfort. If you're looking to develop a sales system that you can follow, that's very simple to follow. He puts it very much out there in that book. I really enjoyed it. And then another one, too. That I really enjoyed reading is how to make a few billion dollars by Brad Jacobs.

Those are the three, those are the top three books that I've read this year, and I would recommend all three of them for you guys right now. How to make a few billion dollars by Brad Jacobs. Like, I might read that one again here coming up. Because it was, you know, he laid it all out there. I mean, the dudes built and sold multiple billion dollar companies, right? So he. His system and his process to follow is all laid out there in the book. And it was a very good read. I'm currently reading Grit by Angela Duckworth. And that book is. It's okay. It's not my favorite. I'm gonna finish it because I finished what I start. And. Sorry, wife. Wife.

Again, it's not my favorite because, I don't know, I guess I could say, I will say I'm a pretty gritty person and I'm. And a lot of what she's talking about in there is this kind of what I follow. But if you're looking to develop grit, I would say that is a very good book for you to get out there and read. But, you know, I think a lot of it right now. And, you know, there's obviously there's a lot of noise in the world, right? There's a lot of noise. There's a lot of out there with. Sorry, give me just 1 second here. There's a lot of shit out there right now that's distracting, right. Whether it's, all the stuff in politics, current events, social media, all that stuff, there's a lot of stuff out there that distracts you.

And I think kind of what you're consuming right now is very important, right. Cause, I mean, I think it's just gonna get fucking even worse here over the next couple of months. I really do. But I think that what you're consuming outside of this is very, very crucial. Right. And it's a lot of, you know, again, back down to controlling your controllables, limiting your distractions out there because it's not as bad, you know, as people want to make it seem. Social media is designed that way. But I think if you go and you minimize your distractions and you control your controllables and, you know, you consume the right podcast, that is the freight coach podcast. Every single day you consume that. Other podcasts that are out there, audiobooks, you know, books that you're reading, all of that. Keep it, just distract it.

And again, like I do every Sunday is social media free day. Outside of me posting my show announcement for Monday, because I haven't figured out how to automate that, I will. That's all I do on Sunday on social media. I would recommend taking one day out of the week and just getting off of it. It is amazing what it can do from you for your mental if you're not on social media for a day. So I would recommend that. I would leave it at that. But that is going to be it here for today, ladies and gentlemen. We will be back on Monday. We'll be back next week. We got some guests coming on and everything else. As always, I hope you guys got value in the show, right? Like I see a lot of you guys coming back every single day.

I see the numbers growing. I see all of that. I appreciate you guys all so much for supporting my dream here. I really do. And if you guys got value in what you heard today, subscribe to the show. You guys, if you guys want to get really ambitious and if you're listening to this on iTunes or Spotify or if you're subscribed to me out there and you think I gave five stars, drop me a five star rating on there, you guys, it really helps the show. It really helps us meet and grow out there, you guys. But that's going to be it. I appreciate you guys. I love you guys and we'll be talking to you soon. Bye.