The evolution of the Freight Industry has brought many changes to the way business is conducted today. Freight has transformed itself from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, much like many other industries that have had to over the years. During the 70’s and 80’s, if you were to try to picture a typical Freight salesman, you would have to look no further then imagining a “John Wayne” type, with a portfolio in one hand, and business cards/brochures in the other. Fast forward to the 90’s and along with many other aspects of life, the Freight salesman has had to undertake a totally different demeanor- that is if they wanted to survive. For the most part, gone are the days of the John Wayne types, and enters the college educated, tech savvy individuals that come in with very little supply chain knowledge, and an abundance of IT and technical experience. Something else that changed, was the fact that in the Industrial Age, it was hard fought to find a female working as a Salesman, but in today’s society, the split is becoming pretty even between genders.
Freight Salesman during the Industrial Age used relationship building, “smoozing”, and a good old fashioned handshake to get them through the doors. The ability to walk in through the Warehouse, immediately locate the manager in charge, and develop a bond with a few one-liners was a prerequisite for a Freight Sales job during those times. It wasn’t unheard of to obtain a Fortune 100 account with just a shake of the hand and a few follow up phone calls in those days.
The Information Age has definitely seen a dramatic change to the way business has been transformed. Decision makers have become masters at “going into hiding” from pesky salesman. They frown upon salesman who waste their time, and revere those who can add value to their organization. It is not uncommon to find these Information Age decision makers with a sales background themselves. They understand the Freight sales mentality, and have armed themselves to defeat the enemy at all costs. But the Information Age salesman has come equipped and ready for battle. With them, they harness such weapons as the Internet,email, fax, twitter, text messaging, blogging and a vast assortment of new technology that has somewhat evened the playing field. Instead of going through the Warehouse door, however, the Information Age sales representative looks to barrel right through the front office arranging meetings with C-level executives. They use the Internet to learn about the company, their White Papers, and even to research these very same C-level executives. Resources such as Linked In, You-Tube, and Facebook has enabled networking without wasting endless amounts of non-productive selling time, and have replaced it with advertising your services on the World Wide Web.
In conclusion, it is not my place to say which style is more effective, because there are still some situations that require that “ole school” handshake and rapport building to leverage a Sales Rep against his competition- that might be the slight edge that is needed. Or in the case of the Information Age Sales Rep, I have heard of a scenario wherein the Rep researched his contact on the Internet, learned not only what college he attended, but left a voice mail message with the contact’s College theme song in the background. There’s no telling between what is right, and wrong in today’s selling arena, but what is clear is that there has been a transformation, and in order for a sales rep to become efficient they need to be able to identify the methods that need to be utilized to get that all important appointment, and close the deal.
Earl White is a business owner/entrepreneur in the Freight Industry. He helps his clients reduce their overall Freight costs as well as helping them to understand the in’s and out’s of shipping. His ultimate goal is to better equip the client to become more efficient in their Supply Chain. His websites are:
http://www.lowermyfreightrates.com
http://www.thefreightwizard.com
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