FreightCaviar Podcast: Marco Vargas-Avila and Anthony Fecarotta

With their diverse knowledge and experience, we sat down with  Marco Vargas-Avala, Senior Domestic Transportation Manager at Dole Sunshine, and Anthony Fecarotta, Founder and President of linehaul.ai, to share a few key lessons they’ve learned throughout the years on what it takes to land shippers. Here are a few takeaways from the interview:

The Importance of Persistence and Professionalism

We started our conversation by emphasizing the significance of persistence. It's crucial to be determined, but not to the extent of excessively hounding the shipper, as this can become annoying. Striving for a balance between being persistent and consistent in your calls is key.

When asked if brokerages do a good job equipping people with the knowledge and tools, Anthony says it all depends on the mentor you get. He says the first tool a salesperson should have is relationship-based selling, and the second is persistence – you have to be able to take no for an answer and to keep going and not take it personally. 

The Importance of Being Well-Trained

Marco emphasized the importance of being well-trained: “You can have all the people, all the tech, but if your processes aren't aligned and they aren't trained well, it comes across in both the service and the sales pitches.” With being trained comes the image of being professional and polished. 

Another rookie mistake is bidding on every RFP. Marco and Anthony agree that it's better to focus on lanes where you have a strong network and can provide reliable service. Quality over quantity is key.

Transparency and Visibility

He also talked about how transparency is key to building a lasting relationship in the industry. When you’re constantly lying, and skirting around the truth, that is a one-way ticket to losing your customers because it’s quite evident what your plan is.

Finally, Anthony touches on the importance of keeping customers well-informed about what is happening with their shipments. When something goes wrong, be the first to let them know what is going on. This is also where technology comes in again. Utilize tech and data to your advantage by leveraging AI and analytics to improve efficiency and accuracy. It keeps you ahead of the curve. 

For more expert tips from Anthony and Marco on winning shippers, be sure to check out the full episode below.