The sale of logistics services is similar to building a Ferrari car. And not because of the quality of the final product, but because of the amount of manual work needed to prepare the freight quote.
On the one hand, this is not an optimistic comparison. But on the other hand it shows that there is a lot of room for optimization.
Daily responsibilities of the seller
Acquiring new customers, maintaining relationships with existing ones, handling orders, tracking new products in the industry, observing competitors’ activities – these are very time-consuming activities. But they are no different from the tasks of salespeople working in other industries. The real difference is the preparation of quotes for customers.
Typical salesperson in logistics industry buys space on ships from the shipping lines ads local charges and company margin and provides client with freight quote. Seems simple? Unfortunately, the reality is not easy at all. Sellers receive hundreds of files with freight rates – in various formats and in different structures. They need to search hundreds of records to prepare new quotes and update unfinished deals. They spend most of their time preparing Excel sheets containing data necessary to handle queries.
All this makes their work highly inefficient and vulnerable to numerous errors. The level of conversion of orders is far from the results achieved in other industries. According to research, only 10 percent of queries end with the order being placed.
The implementation of freight rate management software changes the way sellers work. Thanks to the software, the time needed to prepare and send quote is minimized and can be used for tasks that bring greater added value.
Freight rate management software and CRM in one
An additional benefit of implementing the freight rate management system is the ability to use this tool as a CRM system. The combination of both types of software in one comprehensive system allows further simplification of sales representatives job.
Easily available data on:
- number of quotes sent
- number of accepted quotes
- average profitability
- win rate
enable analysis of existing customer relationships and allows to increase its level. Providing benefits for both parties.
Freight rate management software can also be used as a marketing automation tool. Analysis of the existing relationship with the customer allows you to design and execute proactive sales activities, which can then be sent to the customer via the system. For customers accustomed to waiting for quotations, this can be a real revolution, significantly changing their current model of cooperation with freight forwarders.
Transparency and employee satisfaction
Freight rate management software can be also used to increase the transparency of sales activities, which is crucial for any organization. Real time access to sales results helps both managers and sales staff. Reports on results achieved, available at any place and at any time, allow to identify the tasks with the highest sales potential and focus on them. They also allow to identify trends and tailor sales strategy. They enable rapid error detection and avoidance in the future.
The transparency of sales activities and results positively affects the work of the sales department. Strengthens motivation to achieve goals. Increases individual and team involvement.
Nov 30, 2019
