Shownotes
In this episode, we shed light on the importance of client retention and differentiation in a crowded market. Trust, reliability, and gratitude play a crucial role in building lasting client relationships. Justin & Brian, together share thought-provoking insights and personal anecdotes, including the impactful practice of "Appreciation Friday," where expressing gratitude becomes a routine.
The Logistics & Leadership Podcast, powered by Veritas Logistics, redefines logistics and personal growth. Hosted by industry veterans and supply chain leaders Brian Hastings and Justin Maines, it shares their journey from humble beginnings to a $50 million company. Discover invaluable lessons in logistics, mental toughness, and embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. The show delves into personal and professional development, routine, and the power of betting on oneself. From inspiring stories to practical insights, this podcast is a must for aspiring entrepreneurs, logistics professionals, and anyone seeking to push limits and achieve success.
Timestamps
(0:00) - Preview
(0:49) - Trust and reliability as the foundation of business
(1:43) - Importance of Appreciation in Business
(6:00) - Building true client relationships ensures business loyalty
(7:55) - Ensuring consistent and reliable service
(8:40) - Winning ‘Carrier of the Year’
(9:46) - Coming up…
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Transcripts
And I think we even live in a world today where people don't get appreciated.
Speaker A:And I think people are looking for, not looking for, but I think wanting that little pat on the back now more than ever.
Speaker B:BRIAN Last episode we talked about how to differentiate yourself in a crowded market when you're trying to get in the door.
Speaker B:We talked about the soft market conditions.
Speaker B:It's difficult.
Speaker B:There's a lot of challenges there.
Speaker B:Today we want to talk about once you're in the door, you banged it down, you're in.
Speaker B:But once you're in the door, how do you differentiate yourself in a crowded market from a client perspective?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think especially in this market, clients are like gold.
Speaker A:And making sure that we're servicing them and giving them the best experience possible, I think is paramount.
Speaker A:You know, it's.
Speaker A:It's something, you know, we want to, we want to hold on to these customers, these good customers is as much as humanly possible.
Speaker A:The first thing has to boil down to trust.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:They have to trust us to continue to run these shipments, do what we said we were going to do for specific prices, for, you know, contract rates, or however, you know, the client sees it.
Speaker A:The second thing is being reliable, making sure that we're picking up on time, delivering on time, communicating any issues, making sure that we're addressing any challenges that we might have at, like a shipper or a receiver.
Speaker A:You know, those are some of the basics that I feel like a lot of people overlook.
Speaker A:You know, another thing is simply having some gratitude for the client.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:This is a person that we're doing business with today.
Speaker A:We are actively billing them, and they're bringing, you know, revenue into our company.
Speaker A:I think sometimes, like, you know, brokers, salespeople, I think sometimes they don't have a lot of gratitude for the clients that they have today.
Speaker A:So I think those are, those are a couple of them, you know, kind of a top three.
Speaker B:I love that you bring up the gratitude piece.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Cause we talk about how difficult it is to close business in such a soft market, and so they're getting hounded by all these other competitors.
Speaker B:So in an industry that is, it's very transactional.
Speaker B:What we do is transactional.
Speaker B:In an industry that's so transactional, having gratitude and doing the things you just mentioned, it starts with trust.
Speaker B:You do that, you build that by being consistently reliable and executing on what the client needs.
Speaker B:But gratitude's one I didn't really expect.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I love that.
Speaker B:What are some things from, you know, maybe a story that we have, you Know, gone above and beyond to express our gratitude for a client.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I think, I mean, it's, it's something that, you know, even if you, if the people listening today, you know, were to ask themselves this question in the mirror, like, when was the last time you said thank you to your client?
Speaker A:When was the last time you wrote them a handwritten letter?
Speaker A:Hell, even shot them an email saying, hey, man, I really appreciate the business.
Speaker A:I mean, to me that's like business 101, right?
Speaker A:Hey, thanking the client for their business.
Speaker A:It needs to be some sort of automation in our system that, you know, after the clients first load or something.
Speaker A:But I think, you know, handwritten cards are huge.
Speaker A:Hell, call, text, email, letting them know that you really value that partnership.
Speaker A:And, you know, sometimes I think we do.
Speaker A:And our business is so transactional by nature because you can come in and get stuff done and take care of challenges or issues or pickups and deliveries.
Speaker B:So you get caught up in it.
Speaker A:Oh my God, all the time.
Speaker A:And I think even taking those moments out to even send them a $5 gift card or, hell, a $10 gift card to Starbucks, hey, enjoy this midday coffee on me, or whatever it looks like.
Speaker A:Those are some of the things from a gratitude perspective that I think that brokers can do and companies can do to show their clients a little love.
Speaker B:You know, one thing I wanted to share just from a culture perspective that you, you started, oh, two, three years ago, is Appreciation Friday.
Speaker B:It sends back to the gratitude.
Speaker B:Yeah, but you know, every Friday, and I'll tell this story, if you don't mind, but every Friday, Brian walks around to every desk and passes out, you know, letters, you know, with our heading on it, personalized envelope.
Speaker B:And it's called Appreciation Friday, where they have to write to either a loved one.
Speaker B:It can be personal or professional every Friday.
Speaker B:And we mail that out just showing that gratitude.
Speaker B:So it doesn't surprise me that you practice the same gratitude in the professional world.
Speaker A:Well, I can't take full credit for it.
Speaker A:My college baseball coach, John Cohen, he came.
Speaker A:I mean, he had the idea and hell, we were college kids writing them to mom, dad, sister, brother, cousin, whoever.
Speaker B:Love that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And he, so he's now.
Speaker A:He moved on to Mississippi State and he's now the athletic director at Auburn.
Speaker A:But, you know, that's.
Speaker A:To me, that's something that I hung onto and I think that's something that is really cool just from, you know, when you send and you know this, I think you've sent it to a handful of other people but when you send that letter to somebody who's not expecting it and getting that message or that text, like, hey, I got your message, or I got your letter in the mail, it's the best.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Like, thank you so much for thinking about me.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for, you know, saying thank you.
Speaker A:And I think we even live in a world today where people don't get appreciated.
Speaker A:And I think people are looking for.
Speaker A:Not looking for, but I think wanting that little pat on the back now more than ever.
Speaker B:No, I love it.
Speaker B:And you're spot on.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's equally satisfying getting that response when you send that.
Speaker B:But, yeah, you know, so you mentioned a few.
Speaker B:What are some other things, you know, other characteristics, things you can do to differentiate yourself?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And this is probably, to me, the coolest part about the business, and this is what I love the most, is the relationship side of it, actually building a true relationship with your clients, being able to take them out to a game or see them in their hometown or taking a tour of their facility.
Speaker A:To me, maybe.
Speaker A:Maybe I'm a nerd, but.
Speaker A:But I love that shit.
Speaker A:I mean, to me, that's where you're building a real relationship.
Speaker A:And to me, it's like, not only relationship, but it's a friendship.
Speaker A:Now, those clients, like, when we look at it from a business perspective, they're not going anywhere.
Speaker A:Even if you screw up or you have three or four late deliveries in a row, they might put you on the shelf for a little bit, but you're not getting kicked out of their network.
Speaker A:So I love relationships.
Speaker B:Here's the thing.
Speaker B:You and I are the same on this, and we talk about it constantly to our team, but relationships are what make this industry.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, I think a lot of people in, you know, different industries will say it's all about relationships as well.
Speaker B:But like, in logistics, it's all relationships.
Speaker B:Carrier size, shipper side doesn't really matter.
Speaker B:It's relationships.
Speaker B:But if you all didn't know this and you're listening, if you have contacts that you have or don't have relationships with at a shipper, they may not always stay at that shipper.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So if they leave and go to another shipper and you don't have a relationship in place.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You're not closing that business.
Speaker B:If you have a relationship place in place and they'll text you and say, hey, Brian, I'm at ABC Company.
Speaker B:I'm heading over to XYZ Company.
Speaker B:I would love to get you on board.
Speaker B:And work with you again once I get there.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You have a new client, so keep that in mind.
Speaker B:Relationships are important.
Speaker B:That's one example on how that can benefit you by building them.
Speaker A:Yeah, Relationships are everything, man.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I think a couple other pieces to the client retention side, how to differentiate yourself and what to do.
Speaker A:I think the execution piece and the ability to deliver day after day.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It can be monotonous at times.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That is our industry and we are like, technically we are service providers.
Speaker A:We are providing a service for the shipper.
Speaker A:And the more that we can be a reliable partner and execute on what the client needs, the more that we're going to be in that carrier network, the more we're going to build a healthier relationship with those clients.
Speaker A:So differentiate yourself.
Speaker A:It's not, you know, it's not anything that's like sexy or fancy or anything like that, but doing those things on a daily basis at the highest level, which will ensure long term success.
Speaker B:If I recall, you won for a large produce company.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You won carrier of the year.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Is that accurate?
Speaker A:Yeah, kind of.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Did you fly solo out there?
Speaker A:Yeah, I was.
Speaker B:Sorry, Please.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So I went.
Speaker A:I did.
Speaker A:We won a carry of the year for, you know, exceptional service.
Speaker A:It was us and one other, you know, local California carrier.
Speaker A:But yeah, that was the cool part is going out there and seeing the customer and they put on an event once every couple years or so.
Speaker A:But yeah, seeing that client, being able to.
Speaker A:I think the cool part about it is not the recognition and that's not what we're after, but even the gratitude from the client perspective, showing their carrier some love and saying, hey, we really appreciate you.
Speaker A:It's like, oh, the night and weekend phone calls and the diligent manner that you've been servicing this client for the past 24 months.
Speaker A:Oh, you recognize that?
Speaker A:That's pretty cool, right?
Speaker A:That feels good.
Speaker A:I think it feels good to anybody.
Speaker B:Love that.
Speaker B:So if you're listening, I hope you found some value in that.
Speaker B:Came from nearly two decades of experience in Brian.
Speaker B:But on next episode, we're going to talk about the cost of cutting corners in logistics.