If you want to survive the stiff competition of today’s market then the first thing you need to do as an independent freight forwarder is focused on building strong relationships which would positively affect your company’s bottom line.

Independent freight forwarders who don’t take the power of networking seriously run the risk of falling behind in the competition. One needs to realize that networking is crucially important for the growth of the business which is why they should think of networking as a business investment rather than a recurring cost.

In this post, we are going to talk about 7 essential networking strategies which are imperative to improve your networking:

• Make it to the Annual Meetings and Logistics exhibitions

Participating in the networking events is vital especially if you’re working in the logistics industry. You will get to secure more businesses within 2 days of networking than you can do in months of business tours, saving both time and money.  Getting to know your future partners would have a lasting effect on fostering a mutually beneficial business relationship.

That is why Conqueror Annual Meetings are the most opportune moment to spread the word about your business while forging strong bonds with your existing and potential partners. While at the meeting, always make sure to spend more time with people you don’t know and never be shy to ask questions.

• Stablish first contact with your partners

If it is your first time in a network, you should know that first impressions count, so you will have to prepare a good introduction email. In order to do so, do not just describe your company, rates and services. It is essential that you do some basic research about the person you are about to contact so that in this email you can show that you know them and are interested in them. Choose the appropriate words to explain to them why they need you and what value you have to offer. Do not forget to select a suitable subject that will grab their attention.

• Follow up with your potential clients

If you have made the move to get in touch with your partners, do not stop there. Once you have made contact with a potential customer, they will not hire your services unless a proper follow up is done. The same happens after attending an Annual Meeting or a Logistics exhibition. Acquiring new customers is not guaranteed just by being there.

This is one of the most significant steps and you should pay attention to it to be successful. Your customer needs to know that you care about them and that you are available for them no matter what. Moreover, if you keep in touch with a potential client that at first didn’t seem interested in your company, they might change their mind if they suddenly need services like the ones you are offering.

• Send out a substantial portion of your shipments to your network partners

Always remember that the first step in getting more shipments your way is to send out more shipments for your partners within the network. This is what forms the basis of a constructive business relationship.

What you need to do is take a look at Conqueror’s Network Directory and contact those members who are operating in the areas where you can offer business.

• Join the technological revolution in the logistics industry

In the last 10 years, the freight forwarding industry has gone through a technological revolution and more and more independent freight forwarding companies are now trying to modernize each aspect of their operations. The digitalization of various aspects of the supply chain industry has enabled loads of useful and time-saving features such as real-time tracking of cargo, automated quotation generation, transparent invoicing etc.

Conqueror’s member-exclusive software FreightViewer allows you to send a quotation for your door-to-door services within less than a minute. Agents need to keep pace with this technological revolution not only to survive in the industry but also for multiplying their incomes.

• Put together important news and achievements of your company

Increasing your visibility is always going to have a positive effect when it comes to growing your business. This is precisely why compiling information about your company can really help you promote your company within a network.

At Conqueror, we always ask our agents to send us all the details about the latest news of their company so that we can put together a piece of news and publish it on our website’s news section and our social media pages. So whenever your company handles an important shipment, organizes a special event, gets an award, welcomes a new member or celebrates an anniversary or any other special event, make sure to send us all the details and our PR team will compile your information into a news. This is going to help you with building your brand and increasing your company’s visibility. 

• Spend more time on social media

Social media is a rather cool platform to promote your business and every company is making the most of the social media sites. Make sure to have a strong presence of your company on all the major social media pages and try to take steps toward increasing your number of active followers.

At Conqueror, we always post the latest news about your company on Facebook and Twitter. So make sure to follow our page and hit the like and share button to spread the word about the power of our network.

• Always keep updated your contact details in your profiles and website

Your profiles and website should be always updated with all the latest changes in your contact information so that your partners can always connect with you on time.