Freight Brokers deal with rejection on 2 different fronts, with carriers and with shippers. Here are some tips for overcoming any anxiety or fears that you have as a freight broker. Relax people!

1. Coping with Rejection as a Freight
Broker
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Let’s face it, most Freight Brokers and Freight Agents deal with
rejection on a daily basis. If you’re starting out as a Broker or Agent and you
are dealing with a lot of rejection on the phones I’m here to be a little bit in
your face and say SUCK IT UP. Sorry, but if you are here reading this there
are probably thousands of brokers and agents who are doing better than
you at the exact same job. Freight Brokers are usually dealing with rejection
on two different fronts: First, you’re probably surprised at how few shippers
have been welcoming your services with open arms, it’s normal to feel a
little overwhelmed when you don’t have a book of business built up.
Second, no carriers want to haul your freight at the prices that you are
offering. The truth about running a freight brokerage is that you need to
have freight that pays well in order to find carriers on a consistent basis.
Here we will highlight some strategies for getting your head back
into the game when it seems like you can’t find a yes to save your

2. life as well as some tips about how you can avoid the rejection all
together… most of the time.
Overcome Your Fear
First and foremost you can’t be scared of being rejected, especially not
in a sales position. I’ve seen it happen time and time again, a new agent
loses their confidence in their own abilities after some jerk decides to take
their bad day out on the agent. Then they don’t want to pick up the phone
again because it feels like a game of Russian roulette, waiting for the next
transportation manager or dispatcher to bite their head off. But it is such a
silly thing to be scared of something that hasn’t even happened yet,
especially when the other person can’t physically harm you over the phone
so you are not in any immediate danger whatsoever. Stop being scared of
people not liking you!
They say Acceptance is the first step 
Accept that some rejection is part of the process. Get to know your
sales ratio by picking up the phone and calling prospective customers until
one of them gets set up with you and adds you to their daily/weekly email
list containing their available loads. If you can’t get that far, seriously
consider a Freight Broker Training School. For the sake of learning, let’s say
that it took you 20 phone calls before you got to a yes. The next step is to
call 20 more people and get to another yes. Accept that it can take weeks to
start seeing consistent available freight.

3. Know Why You’re Calling
You should have a general idea of what you are going to say. With
shippers you are obviously checking to see if they have any uncovered loads
that they need help with. But keep a script on your desk if you need one.
Once you have a load to work on, you’ll start the process of contacting
carriers and telling them about your load. Just focus on the next step if you
are getting nervous on the phone.
Schedule a time each day to call potential
clients
Develop a Routine. Getting into a routine is a great way to stay
motivated. Start by making driver-check calls the first thing you do when
you step into the office. If your driver doesn’t answer it is wise to let them
sleep – or you risk an earful right out of the gate!
Set long-term goals
And write them down! Having a personal goal can help you reframe
your mindset when you are confronted with rejection. Perhaps you want to
purchase a bigger home, put your kids through college, or spend a week
with your significant other in the Bahamas. Keep moving forward, get over
it if someone else is having a bad day.

4. Don’t take it personally
Many new independent brokers and agents take the rejection that
they experience personally. Debra Condren, a business psychologist and
small business coach in New York, advises people to avoid self-blame.
"Every time you get rejected you learn something about yourself," she says.
"Look at it more as a learning opportunity." Thank you for the great advice
Debra. It might be a good idea for you to keep track of rejection, these may
be great learning points for you as you better your sales skills a Supply
Chain Management Professional.
The more the merrier
Know your sales ratio, it’s a numbers game. The more people you call
and reach out to, the more people you are going to find who are interested
in YOU and your services!
Build Relationships
Just because one of your prospects rejects you, that doesn’t mean that
they will never do business with you. Keep moving the conversation
forward. Keep the door open and establish yourself as a credible source so
that when they need a broker they’ll have the opportunity to come back.
Don’t always take no as a final answer.

5. Talk about it
The more we get rejected, the more we tend to isolate and go into our
hermit holes. That's when you need to pick up the phone to talk about
business with some of your peers. When you reach out and talk to other
entrepreneurs, it normalizes what you are going through.
Anyone who has experience brokering freight understands that
rejection is part of the process. It is important to be able to deal with this
rejection because otherwise people sometimes can’t even look at the phone
without freezing up and feeling anxious. Fear of rejection is common
among many new Freight Brokers and Freight Agents, especially those who
are still learning how to sell themselves and their services. Stop being
scared of people not liking you, it’s silly. I hope these strategies help you get
your head back into the game when it seems like you can’t find a yes to save
your life. If you have any questions or if you want to read more great
articles you can visit our website LogisticsAcademy.org or Connect with us
on LinkedIn