What does a freight forwarding sales specialist do?
The main task of shipping sales specialist is the sale of shipping services and constant contact with customers. This involves both acquiring new contacts and maintaining relationships with regular buyers.
How does a shipping sales specialist acquire customers?
Contacting an unknown company is a particularly difficult moment. Convincing a stranger requires both charisma and confidence, as well as creativity and a baggage of knowledge. A professional working in the shipping services industry must embrace the evolving and rapidly changing nature of this competitive industry.
Acquiring a new customer can be done over the phone as well as in the initial phase – by email. However, regardless of the chosen strategy, before making the first contact, the salesperson must get to know the company in detail, identify its needs and consider how the forwarding services presented by him/her can meet those needs. The preparation and correctness of the analysis performed can determine the success or failure.
Customer retention in the forwarding industry
Maintaining constant contact with an already acquired customer is a cyclic activity. The most important skill a salesperson should develop to successfully perform this task is the ability to build rapport with a contractor. Customers often bet on those companies with which they feel connected in some way. A positive experience associated with service and a good rapport with the salesperson are key in this aspect.
However, regardless of at what stage of cooperation with a contractor a sales specialist is, he or she will have to be skilled in conducting effective negotiations. Flexibility and emotional control, as well as listening skills and diplomacy will be useful.
Strengths of a Freight Forwarding Sales Professional
One of the most important qualities that should distinguish a person selling forwarding services is communicativeness and the ability to establish permanent relations. These are the main tasks of a salesperson and can determine not only customer acquisition but also customer retention.
However, a sales professional must not only be communicative. Persistent goal setting and excellent organization are standard traits of a salesperson. Why?
In their work, salespeople should take into account the fact that customers may initially show no interest in the service. However, if convinced, they may become regular buyers of the proposed service. Determination to strive for a goal despite adversity helps a specialist to turn an indifferent customer into a committed one in the first stage.
A sales person is not only responsible for sales, but also represents his company at the front line. Time management and productive use of time, as well as the ability to prioritize tasks, determine the specialist’s daily work. The effects of this work are most apparent to customers – and thus, to them, are a kind of indicator of the character of the company itself.
A shipping sales specialist must not forget that he or she is part of a larger team. Teamwork skills are the key to success in this industry!
Skills for the position of Freight Forwarding Sales Specialist
The most important thing for a freight forwarding sales specialist is knowledge of the freight forwarding industry itself. Extremely often, a specialist offering freight forwarding services needs to reach customers who are knowledgeable about freight forwarding and expect to deal with competent salespeople. Knowledge of the freight forwarding process, not just the offer being sold, is therefore essential.
In the forwarding industry, due to the international character of the work, it is also necessary to know the English language.
A person with experience in the industry, who knows sales and negotiation techniques, will have an undoubted advantage in the recruitment process.
How to become a specialist in sales of freight forwarding services? Apply to ALLcom!
Do you have the most important qualities of a salesperson and the skills needed for this position? Apply to ALLcom – an agency which has been dealing with freight forwarding and transport logistics organization for over 25 years.
Work among ambitious and development-oriented people – work at ALLcom!
