One can view a supply chain as a series of processes. From inbound freight management, the process of picking up raw materials, to last mile delivery, freight management is a group of practices and procedures that, when performed well, are seamlessly integrated to ensure a company’s goods, arrive on time, at the right place, damage free. Best in Class shippers have tight processes that perform each of the following activities in a highly effective manner.

• Inbound Freight Management

Often overlooked and underappreciated, strong inbound freight management processes allow shippers to leverage the full volume of their shipping activities in their carrier rate negotiations. They ensure shippers treat this as effective means of expense management rather than as a profit center for their vendors. When done well, inbound freight management permits shippers to create round trips and continuous moves to improve network optimization and reduce costs. They ensure inbound materials arrive in the right qualities at the right time at the lowest cost possible.

• Shipment Planning

 Best in Class shippers possess an understanding of the following subjects.

 Modal options and trade-offs (e.g. Air, Road, Rail, Marine)

 Carrier selection and management in each mode of transport

 Routing guide preparation and compliance tracking

Monitoring carrier performance is an ongoing process. Some trucking companies will track performance for new shippers with a heightened level of intensity for a designated period of time and then revert back to old habits or standard service levels when the shipper’s focus is no longer there.

Every shipper should understand that there is no start or finish date to monitoring carrier performance. During the bid process, shippers need to outline the service performance that they expect and set up processes and reports to receive actual performance data on an ongoing basis. A web-based dashboard can allow shippers to monitor key KPIs (e.g. missed pick-ups, on-time deliveries) in real time. Monthly scorecards can provide the shipper with detailed reports and highlight any service failures that may have occurred. For new carriers, weekly reports and meetings may be necessary to ensure a smooth implementation.

As the carriers come up the learning and performance curves, these meetings can be cut back to monthly, quarterly or semi-annual, as needed. Success from freight bids is a result of a high level of attention to detail. Dashboards and scorecards that provide information on service, billing accuracy, missing or lost freight, are invaluable tools. These tools coupled with ongoing meetings will help keep the carriers’ “feet to the fire” and maintain the levels of savings achieved.

Omni-Channel Retailing is a subject we are go to be hearing a lot about in the coming years. This is the first of two blogs on this topic.  In the first blog I will provide an oveview of what the term means and then outline the implications for shippers, retailers and consumers.  In the next blog I will outline the implications for freight transportation companies and logistics service providers.

It is helpful to define some terms to understand what is taking place.  The chart below and some of the content in this blog are taken from an article entitled Omni-Channel Supply Chains Designed for a Retail World without Boundaries by Randy Stang, Vice President of Customer Solutions for the Retail Industry team at UPS.  The chart captures the various retail models visually.

Over the past decade, retailers have been migrating from the basic Single Channel model of store to consumer retailing to the utilization of multiple modes (e.g. store and e commerce).  Multichannel retailing is the use of a variety of channels in a customer’s shopping experience.  Such channels include: retail stores, online stores, mobile stores, mobile app stores, telephone sales and any other method of transacting with a customer. Transacting includes browsing, buying, returning as well as pre and post-sale service.

As the name implies, Multichannel retailing involves serving customers through a discrete set of distribution options.   Pioneers of multichannel retailing include Macy's, Next PLC, John Lewis and Neiman Marcus. The pioneers of multichannel retail built their businesses from a customer centric perspective and served the customer via multiple channels before the term 'multichannel' was used.

In my previous blog, I tried to capture some of the Major Freight Transportation Stories of 2013 (http://www.dantranscon.com/index.php/blog/entry/the-top-freight-transportation-stories-of-2013).  In this blog I will look ahead to 2014 and beyond.  Here are some of the emerging trends that transportation professionals should monitor closely in the coming years.

1. The 10 Miles Per Gallon Truck

Heavy-duty trucks consume 1/5^th of the fuel consumed in the United States.  The world’s freight transportation requirements are expected to consume 70 percent more energy in 2040 than they did in 2010.  As demands for freight transportation rise in developing countries, this is also increasing the level of fuel consumption.

A recent HOS study suggests that the changes made in 2013 in the USA are having an impact on driver productivity.  New measures may further erode productivity.  An electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) mandate is also slated to be rolled out in the next year or two. It will likely eliminate log book falsification across the board and could easily clip another 2% to 5% of industry productivity. Mandatory speed limiters would be next and would eliminate some additional productivity.  New drug testing procedures are also being considered and would eliminate those drivers who are able to pass the current urine-based test despite habitual drug use. Taken together, this influx of regulations will reduce the number of drivers in the overall pool and will reduce the productivity of those remaining in the pool.

At a time when most truckers are striving to operate their fleets at 6 miles per gallon, talk of 10 MPG may seem like science fiction.  The good news is that fifteen industry manufacturers have joined together in the 21^st Century Truck Partnership.  Led by Daimler, Navistar and Peterbilt and a joint venture with Cummins and Peterbilt, they plan to have working prototypes within two years.  The four projects that fall within this initiative are experimenting with engines and heavy duty hybrids, vehicle power demands, idle reducing technology and new lightweight materials such as carbon fibre and high strength steel.  With driver recruitment being such a major challenge, improved vehicle productivity would be of major benefit to the trucking industry.

As the year 2013 winds down, it is time to reflect on the major transportation trends of the past year.  While I saw and read about a wide range of developments, these are the ones that resonated most with me.

1.Technology Comes to Freight Transportation

Last year I predicted that we would see a flurry of new technologies come to freight transportation.  They did and I wrote about some of these new companies on several occasions during the year.  Technology was successfully applied to the freight brokerage business, freight portals, LTL density calculations and to other segments of the industry.  Buytruckload.com, PostBidShip, Freightopolis, QuoteMyTruckload,  and Freightsnap were featured in various blogs during the year.  They are changing the way business is done in freight transportation.  Watch for more of these companies to surface in 2014.

2013 has been called the Year of the Network by numerous supply chain and transportation industry thought leaders.  Companies that built a successful supply chain trading partner network focused on three elements:

Connectivity— unite disparate systems and trading partners

If your trucking company hasn’t been purchased or doesn’t get purchased by TransForce, will it be in business in five years?  That is the question that came up in a recent discussion with a long time industry colleague.  The response I received was that he didn’t think his company would survive.  I was a bit surprised by the response and asked him for an explanation.  This led to an interesting discussion on what it is going to take to make it in the trucking industry in 2014 and beyond.

We both agreed that while the trucking industry has changed in some ways over the past decade (e.g. more use of technology, better cost controls after the Great Recession, LNG vehicles, greater use of 3PLs as customers), the industry is not that much different from ten years ago.  The slow economic turnaround since 2008 has created a challenging environment and there is little reason to expect a major improvement in the short term.  Rate increases are hard to come by, even with a tight driver situation.  Even more of a concern is the lack of innovation in the industry and the threat that such changes could wreak on so many complacent companies.

The warning signs are there.  As a Canadian, you don’t have to look much further than Nortel and Blackberry to see what can happen to industry leaders that were not able to keep up with changing consumer needs and quality competitors.  At the same time, one can observe what companies such as Amazon and Apple have been able to do to change the paradigm of some long established industries. 

Some of the large trucking industry players are making investments in technology and people.  They are integrating back offices and focusing on achieving economies of scale.  They are thoughtfully expanding their service portfolios and geographic footprints. 

Some of the small players are offering solutions that are very tailored to certain industry verticals and geographic areas.  Companies that are focused on same day delivery, refrigerated intermodal service, pooled LTL service, energy distribution and other emerging capabilities are creating a space for themselves in the industry.

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) reported an increase of 4.7 percent in total intermodal traffic in the third quarter of 2013 compared to the same time period in 2012. Continuing to lead intermodal growth, domestic container volume increased for the 2013 third quarter by 9.4 percent when compared to third quarter 2012 volume. All domestic equipment experienced a 7.6-percent gain in the 2013 third quarter, including a 1.2-percent boost in intermodal trailer volume for the same period.

The increase in total intermodal traffic for the 2013 third quarter was also caused by a slight rise in international volume by 2 percent over 2012 third quarter volume. A slow but steady growth trend may be expected for the international market if jobs, consumer spending and/or the broader economy accelerate, according to IANA.

The third quarter of 2013 marked the first time that international shipments were outpaced by seasonally adjusted domestic shipments. Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA, said, “For the tenth quarter in a row, domestic container volume flexed its muscles and has outpaced international shipments driving the gains in total intermodal traffic. It is also worth noting that the trailer segment grew in all three months of the third quarter, reversing three years of decline and contributed to domestic growth.” 

What are the factors contributing to the sustained growth in intermodal business?

The U.S. is still a major manufacturing centre

At the end of each year, I like to take stock of the major freight transportation stories of the past twelve months and look ahead to the trends that will drive the industry in the coming year.  The two blogs that I write are prepared from my perspective as a consultant to shippers and carriers.

This year I would like to hear from you.  Those of you who follow this blog observe trends in your segment of the industry.  Please take a minute to share them with me.  Please post them on this blog or send a private e mail to dan@dantranscon.com. 

Please feel free to select any major trend or trends that are having or will have a major impact on our industry, whether regulatory, economic, technological, demographic, consumer behavior, environmental, modal shifts or business strategy.

To broaden the range of inputs and perspectives, I will also post this request on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  In the coming weeks I will be preparing my two lists.  The lists will include a blend of my observations and yours.  Look for these two blogs in mid-December.  Thank you to those of you who take the time to share your observations with me.

If you haven’t been watching, you may be missing one of the most interesting and important battles in retailing and freight transportation - - - the clash to deliver shipments to consumers on the day they are ordered.  Here is how the battle is shaping up. 

At this point, the names of some of the key players are pretty familiar to most residents of North America.  Amazon, Wal-Mart, Google, Target, FedEx, Walgreen, eBay and Best Buy are moving forward with same-day delivery services in the United States.  In Canada, four major retail brands and Canada Post are launching a same-day delivery service for online orders in the Toronto area.  The Delivered Tonight e-commerce service is a pilot project with Best Buy, Future Shop, Indigo and Wal-Mart. 

For now, the strategy seems to be more about creating a customer expectation of same-day service than answering consumer demand. As Amazon has done before, it is working to create that demand with same-day shipping in 10 cities, while it also builds warehouses near major metro areas, paving the way for same-day delivery service on a much broader scale.  Currently, Amazon is able to reach 15% of the market in America’s top 20 metropolitan areas.  It is making a major to push to add warehouses close to these markets that would allow it to reach 50 percent of Americans.

Another feature of same-day delivery is convenience. The major retailers are testing various same-day delivery models.  Wal-Mart is offering in-store, same-day pickup for online orders.  Amazon is exploring the “pick-up” model as well with its new Amazon Lockers in convenience stores, grocery stores and drug stores in selected cities.  eBay is testing an “eBay now” mobile app, available in San Francisco and New York City, that relies on couriers for same-day delivery of products ordered online from existing partner stores.

The major business news story in Canada this past week was the planned acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart by Loblaw Companies Limited for $12.4 billion.  Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada with more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast.

It supplies more than 5,000 private label products that provide customers with healthy, organic, environmentally friendly and high-value alternatives. Introduced in 2006, its Joe Fresh brand is now available in more than 300 Loblaw banner stores across the country. This line includes the Joe Fresh collection (apparel and accessories), Joe Fresh beauty products (cosmetics) and Joe Fresh bath products (a range of bath and body products). 

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is the licensor of full-service retail drug stores operating under the name Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Québec).  With 1,242 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores operating in prime locations in each province and two territories, the Company is one of the most prominent retailers in Canada.  The Company also licenses or owns 57 medical clinic pharmacies operating under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé in Québec) and six luxury beauty destinations operating as Murale.  As well, the Company owns and operates 62 Shoppers Home Health Care stores, making it the largest Canadian retailer of home health care products and services.  In addition to its retail store network, the Company owns Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Network Inc., a provider of specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient support services; and MediSystem Technologies Inc., a provider of pharmaceutical products and services to long-term care facilities.

The tragic accident in the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic was the major transportation story of the past week.  As of tonight, the death count is at 33 but it will likely reach 50 people when all the bodies are found.  In addition, much of the downtown of that town area was destroyed as 72 tanker cars of the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway Ltd., carrying crude oil, caught fire as they came off the tracks.

Rail transportation in Quebec, Canada dates back over a century.  The rails have been a key element in the history of commerce in this Canadian province.  The railway has been hauling iron ore, pulp and paper and other commodities for many years.   But the sharp decline in the United States housing market, as a result of the Great Recession, reduced the demand for Quebec’s lumber.  This motivated the MM&A Railroad and others to shift their focus to the movement of crude oil via rail.

The transportation of crude oil via tanker car goes back to the days of John D. Rockefeller.  The rail industry is now hauling more crude oil than it did in those days.  Trains transported a record 97,135 carloads of crude in the first quarter of 2013.  That’s 166 percent more than during the first quarter of 2012 and 922 percent more than the rails handled during all of 2008.

Union Pacific, the largest US railroad, tripled the amount of crude it moved the previous year.  BNSF, America’s second largest railroad, is now transporting 650,000 barrels a day versus almost none five years ago.  Canadian Pacific Railway expects to haul 70,000 carloads of crude in 2013, up from 500 in 2009.

While moving crude oil by pipeline still costs about half to one-third of what it costs to move it by rail, trains don’t require long term contracts or need to wait for pipelines to be built.  While pipes stretch only from point A to point B, refiners can access nearly any market in the United States or Canada by rail.  Flexibility and the ability to easily shift delivery markets to maximize revenue, has been encouraging oil companies to increase the leasing of rail cars.

Dr. Richard Mikes, Managing Partner of Transport Capital Partners (TCP) recently spoke on the subject of the Truckload Market on a conference call hosted by Stifel Nicolaus & Company.  Here are some excerpts from the survey results presented by Mr. Mikes. 

“The freight rate market as a whole started switching directions about a year ago. In other words, the share of the carriers reporting that their freight rates are increasing has just dropped from a high of about 80% to a low of about 10% this past month. Accordingly, we would classify rates as being stuck in neutral. Three quarters of the firms are now reporting that rates have remained the same, certainly a massive change from a year ago.”

The survey segmented carriers into two groups, those under $25 million and those over $25 million in revenue.  “Interestingly, the … (data) . . .  presents “a real divergence in rate changes. Though both large and small carriers are largely keeping rates the same, there is a spattering of smaller carriers reporting rate decreases of 5%, 10%, or even 15%. Those numbers total only 18%, but they still tell the story. The pressure is on the smaller carriers.”

The FTR survey asked carriers to indicate their expectations with respect to volume.  “After a nice bounce this quarter, about 52% of carriers expect volumes to increase over the next 12 months and a similar number expect them to remain the same. Very few say volumes will actually decrease.

The survey then looked at what carriers plan to do with respect to adding capacity in this predicted environment. “The number of carriers saying they will not add capacity remained largely constant with a temporary spike around the . . . (U.S.) . . . election. It jumped up to almost 50% around election time. Those were the feelings in the moment.

Last week the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals released its 24th annual State of Logistics Report. Last year, business logistics costs were once again 8.5 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the same level they hit in 2011, the new report says. That means freight logistics was growing at about the same rate as the GDP. Inventory carrying costs and transportation costs rose "quite modestly" in 2012, said the report's author Rosalyn Wilson. Year-over-year, inventory carrying costs (interest, taxes/obsolescence/depreciation/insurance, and warehousing) increased 4% y/y as inventory levels climbed to a new peak. Meanwhile, transportation costs were up 3% y/y predominantly from an increase of 2.9% in overall truck transportation costs.

This "new normal" is characterized by slow growth (GDP growth of 2.5% to 4.0%), higher unemployment, slower job creation (which will primarily be filled by part-time workers due to higher healthcare costs), increased productivity of the current workforce from investment in machinery/technology (and not human capital), and a less reliable or predictable freight service (as volumes rise but capacity does not increase fast enough to meet demand). Wilson noted that slow growth and lackluster job creation has caused the global economy to wallow in mixed levels of recovery. "This month will mark the fourth year of recovery after the Great Recession, and you're probably thinking that here has not been much to celebrate," said Wilson. "Is it time to ask, 'Is this the new normal?'"

For logisticians, the "new normal" means less predictable and less reliable freight services as volumes rise but capacity does not. In areas such as ocean transport, Wilson said, this can mean slower transit times. "I do believe the economy and logistics sector will slowly regain sustainable momentum, but that we'll still experience unevenness in growth rates," Wilson predicted.

For cutting-edge logistics managers, however, the current environment also means great opportunities to secure increasingly tight capacity in an era of shrewd rate bargaining. This is partly because the trucking industry, in particular, is facing a lid on capacity because of higher qualifications for drivers while top carriers are becoming increasingly selective in their choice of customers and in the allocation of their assets.

"Truck capacity is still walking a fine line—few shortages, but industry-high utilization rates," Wilson explained. Truckload capacity continues to remain stagnant (with the majority of new equipment orders for replacement or dedicated fleets and the copious amount of truckload capacity sapping regulations coming down the pipeline) and the assumption that freight demand will continue to modestly increase (as the economy continues to muddle along at low single digit GDP growth in combination with population growth), a less predictable and less reliable freight market is developing (as described in the "new normal").

As we approach the mid-point of 2013, here is a peek at some of the major trends that are having an impact on freight transportation.

Economic Growth to remain Modest and Uneven

The economy continues to deliver mixed signals. In the past week, the US and Canada reported strong growth in employment. In fact, the 95,000 growth in jobs in May of 2013 is the best monthly number in Canada in decades. The question is whether this was a one month aberration or an indicator of better days ahead? A look past the job numbers tells a different story. Only a few hot spots (such as the shales) are displaying significant growth. Housing and automotive are strong sectors. Additionally, NAFTA-related trans-border activity has presented opportunities for carriers.

At this point, it is hard to build a case that the 2H13 would be much better, especially in light of the mediocre Spring in so much of North America. However, strong automotive production (some plant shutdowns have been eliminated or cut short), the release of pent-up consumer demand accumulated during this year's elongated winter, continued recovery in housing markets, and hurricane/tornado repair/reconstruction efforts on the US could make the 2H13 stronger than some anticipate. But The Institute of Supply Management's monthly index or "PMI™ registered 49 percent in May, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points from April's reading of 50.7 percent, indicating contraction in manufacturing for the first time since November 2012 and only the second time since July 2009. This index will need to be closely watched in the months ahead to see if there will be a sustained improvement in economic activity.

Supply Chain Optimization is Lowering Freight Costs

In last week’s blog, I shared some ideas from the recent SCL – CITA annual conference on how to improve shipper- carrier collaboration.  Various suggestions were proposed by a panel consisting of two leading shippers and two major Canadian carriers.  Some other thoughts were expressed during other tracks that day.

The panelists presented some suggestions that came out of a joint meeting between the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association.  Here is more of what they had to say.

Removing Waste from the Shipper and Carrier’s Operation

During the panel discussion it was suggested that it is through trust, communication and dialogue, rather than through an RFP, that opportunities to remove waste from a shipper’s operation can be identified, discussed and solved.  The RFP process is typically too rigid to allow for a meaningful exchange of ideas and for the development of action plans. 

Since the focus in an RFP is typically on rates and service, it doesn’t create a forum for dedicated problem resolution.  Moreover, by not creating project teams, action plans and time lines to remove waste, the inefficiencies typically doesn’t get extracted.  The shipper continues to perform the same functions, in the same way, with its existing and/or new carriers.  Drivers continue to be pick up half full loads since opportunities to consolidate freight or change pick-up dates are missed. As one trucking executive mentioned, the savings generated from these types of initiatives can be much larger than the two percent saved as a result of the freight bid.

On April 17, Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) held their annual Supply Chain Symposium.  It was an excellent event that attracted many of the top food and consumer products manufacturers in Canada.  I have attended a number of very good supply chain educational events over the years.  This one ranks up there with some of the best CSCMP annual conferences.

This was direct result of how Errol Cerit, Senior Director, Supply Chain & Industry Affairs and his team at FCPC delivered on their theme of “Thinking in New Boxes.”  The meeting began with a stimulating interactive session led by Alan Iny, Senior Global Specialist, The Boston Consulting Group.  Drawing from his upcoming book on this topic, Mr. Iny opened the day by identifying how we all call upon our paradigms, concepts and stereotypes to shape the boxes we use to classify the data that we receive.  This set the stage for the remainder of the day and for Mr. Iny’s closing session.

This was followed by a presentation from Peter McMahon, Chief Operating Officer of Loblaw Companies Limited.  Mr. McMahon highlighted how 14 million Canadians go through the company’s 1200 stores across Canada each week.  He shared with the audience some of the key market segments driving his business, some of the key forces affecting the retail food industry and then outlined the company’s supply chain transformation strategy to serve customers in the past, present and future.  It was very interesting story.

Mr. McMahon was followed by Professor Benoit Montreuil, Canada Research Chair in Enterprise Engineering at Laval University.  Mr. Montreuil spoke about creating a “Physical Internet,” a “paradigm breaking” way of creating a physical superhighway or infrastructure for freight transportation that would parallel the IT infrastructure developed for the Information Superhighway. 

Professor Montreuil presented a very effective case for the need to create a “Physical Internet.”  Logistics costs represent 5 to 15 percent of GDP.  Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.  The professor argued that sixty percent of the weight-volume for freight is comprised of air and packaging.  Twenty-five percent of freight travel is the movement of empty road equipment. 

It is hard to believe that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect on January 1, 1994, almost twenty years ago.  Like so many of us in the industry at the time, my colleagues and I rushed down to Laredo/Nuevo Laredo and other key Mexican points to learn the intricacies of the Mexican market and border clearance processes.  But a “calamitous” peso crash, the rise of Asia and its huge, cheap labour force, the prevalence of ocean shipping, low energy costs and a host of other events conspired to delay the anticipated growth in the Mexican freight market.

Ten years ago, wages in Mexico were six times higher than those paid in China.  A gallon of gasoline in America was $1.11 in 1994.  By March 2003, it hit a record $1.79 a gallon. 

Flash forward to 2013 and the picture is very different. The wage gap between Mexico and China had shrunk to 40 percent by 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund. Gasoline prices are averaging $3.63 a gallon for regular fuel, double the figure in 2003 and almost four times the cost in 1994. 

Of course, geography is a key factor.  Mexico not only sits across the U.S. border but it is a gateway to the Latin American markets that are buying Mexico’s autos, appliances and advanced electronics.  The shorter transit times on shipping between Mexico and the United States and Canada are a big advantage over ocean shipping from Asia.

Manufacturing activity in Mexico is booming.  While much of the world experienced slow growth or recession in 2012, Mexico had 6% GDP growth.  Manufacturers in Mexico have well established supply chains that ship finished product north to U.S. markets, while raw materials move south to service their production lines.

The fourth quarter 2012 financial results for America’s leading truckload carriers tell a story of an industry going through transformation and change.  The most dramatic poster boy of this change can be seen at the largest carrier in the group, JB Hunt.  Basic point to point truckload carriage has fallen so far that it is almost irrelevant in its overall business results.

In Q4, Hunt generated about $1.33 billion in revenue (including fuel surcharges), but only about $112 million of that came from regular truckload carriage (not including fuel surcharge). That's just about 9% of revenue, down from 12% the previous year. Basic truckload's percentage of total profit at Hunt is even smaller, at just 4%.

But Hunt's strategy of focusing on intermodal and dedicated transportation seems to be working. Its intermodal business, which now accounts for 73% of total profits, saw revenue grow another 12.7% in Q4 and over 14% for the year.

Other carriers in the sector have taken notice.  Werner's trucking revenue declined .1% for the full year while its Value Added Services business, which includes dedicated and intermodal, rose 10%, as it has followed in the footsteps of JB Hunt.   Werner's Specialized Services unit, primarily Dedicated, ended the quarter with 3,295 trucks equal to 46% of its total fleet.

While the major truckload carriers reported growth in these two business sectors, growth in their core business was restrained by several key factors.  Werner reported that “there are several truckload capacity constraints including an older industry truck fleet, the higher cost of new trucks and trailers, significant safety regulatory changes and a challenging driver market.”

For the past week I have been reading with great interest the postings on the LinkedIn Sales Management Group.  As of the date of this blog posting, there have been over 40 responses to the question, “What advice would you give a new salesperson”?  The tips offered were so good that I thought I would share a “reader’s digest” version with the followers of this blog. 

As I read these suggestions on a daily basis, I see two sets of users for these tips.  First, new sales reps should study this list and make sure they take action on every item.  Second, sales managers should take this checklist and cross reference it with their current (and future reps) to ensure they maintain a winning team.  Here are my 21 favourite tips for the new rep.

1. Achieve mastery of the services that you sell.
2. Achieve mastery in sales skills.
3. Seek out the top performers on your sales team and learn from them as to how they dress, their work ethic and their communication skills.
4. Understand how your services compare with those of your competitors.  
5. Be a great listener so you understand the needs of your prospects.  There is a good reason why we have two ears and one mouth.  Focus on understanding the needs of your customers so you can solve their problems. 
6. Get to know your prospects before you turn them into customers.
7. People buy from people, specifically people they like and trust.
8. Prospect, prospect, prospect.
9. Learn as much as possible about your customers.  The more due diligence you do up front, the easier it will be to close the sale at the end.
10. Be persistent and consistent.  Success comes from a strong work ethic.
11. Be passionate about your company and its services.
12. Try to sell solutions rather than products or services.  Learn your company’s value proposition and where it fits best.  Sell the value of your solution, not price.
13. Learn early on to distinguish buyers from non-buyers (i.e. lack of mutual fit/interest/resources, etc.).  This will go a long way towards increasing your income and your employer’s income while reducing customer acquisition costs.
14. View yourself as a profit centre.  To be successful, time management is critical.  Spend your time, energy and resources on the most viable opportunities in your sales pipeline.
15. Be ethical in all of your business.  Remember, you are selling your (and your company’s) credibility and integrity.  If you lose your integrity, you have nothing to sell.
16. Invest in yourself.  Continually upgrade your product and business knowledge and your sales skills.
17. At the end of the day, when all of the other sales reps have left the office, make one more call to a new prospect.
18. Acquire a CRM tool and use it faithfully every day.
19. If you are having difficulty in one or more areas of your sales pipeline, this is telling you that you have a weakness in specific areas (e.g. prospecting, obtaining appointments, asking for the sale). Take action to turn these weaknesses into strengths.
20. While the sales job can seem very lonely at times, don’t forget sales is a team sport.  Work closely with your manager and the rest of your team (e.g. drivers, dispatchers) to achieve your goals.
21. Always ask for the sale.  If you don’t ask, you may not get. 

I am sure there are many more tips that can be added to the list.  What advice would you give to new freight transportation sales rep?  I would love to hear from you.

This year’s Surface Transportation Summit will take place on October 16, 2013 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.   Please block out this date in your calendar.  We have some great speakers lined up for this year’s event.