Segmenting Success: Customizing Freight Solutions for Every Client

Success in logistics isn't just about moving goods; it's about protecting your bottom line while providing exceptional service. A strategic approach based on customer segmentation can help drive efficient operations. Still, the importance of maintaining strong relationships with key customers cannot be overstated. In a recent episode of the Stay In Your Lane Podcast from Triple T Transport, GTMX Advisors’ Glenn Koepke and transport industry veteran Joe Lombardo explained why mastering the synergy between strategy and service is the secret to peak performance.

Know Your Customers

• Segmentation is key – from major players to niche market gems, each requires tailored strategies.
• Koepke’s approach places customers in one of five segments: strategic, emerging, niche, transactional, and commodity based.

“When you’ve got big players like Walmart, Target, or Amazon that you’ve got to service, that one-off small business might not be key to your overall enterprise strategy,” Koepke explains. “But just because a customer is small doesn’t mean they’re not important.”

Balancing Act with Routing Guides

• Routing guides offer efficiency but shouldn't replace relationships.
• Koepke emphasizes weighing customer ease, performance, and the competitiveness of rates in prioritizing top relationships. Lower-tier customers must be serviced on a case-by-case basis.

“Your strategic, emerging, and niche—those are like one-two-three of your priorities,” says Triple T Transport Senior Sales Executive and Podcast Host John Mahle. “When you get down to the transactional and the commodities, you’ll absolutely help them when you can, but you probably can’t go out on a limb for them.”

How often should you perform a spring cleaning of your routing guide? Gain valuable insights into this topic with the latest episode of the Stay In Your Lane Podcast

Targeted Bidding

• Avoid overwhelming carriers with exhaustive bids; focus on specific segments for better results.
• Package bids streamline the process and enhance success rates.

Total Delivery Cost Matters

• Beyond rates, consider intangible factors like communication and reliability that can affect your bottom line.
• Lombardo underscores the importance of assessing intangibles that can impact the cost of doing business with a customer.

“You have to look at total delivery costs,” Lombardo says. “It’s not just the rate, it’s ease of doing business, communication—all those soft skills.”

The Power of Relationships

• Strong partnerships are the heart of successful freight management.
• Consistency and commitment are crucial for navigating industry volatility.

Triple T Transport's Approach

• Prioritizing reliability and transparency provides stability in volatile markets. This philosophy has helped Triple T excel for decades in the field of refrigerated transport.
• Understanding customer needs, leveraging technology, and fostering relationships are keys to success.

Successful freight management blends art and science, making use of the tools at your disposal while maintaining the personal touch. Effective segmentation will prioritize the needs of your top customers while leaving room to develop the relationships that are crucial in today’s industry.