🎣 Skills for Changing Market Conditions

Today's FreightCaviar newsletter is a guest post by Nick Dangles, Co-Founder of Sync Logistics Training, covering key broker skills for a shifting freight market in 2025.

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Skills for Changing Market Conditions

Everyone’s hoping 2025 will finally breathe some life into the freight market. How much life? That’s still up for debate, but any improvement is good news after a rough few years of waiting for the cycle to turn.

But since this is freight, I’ve got some bad news:

A ton of new brokers who entered the industry in the last couple of years have only experienced an easy market where freight almost moves itself. They’re used to posting a load, waiting for the phone to ring, and finding a carrier without breaking a sweat.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things work when the market tightens.

Freight brokerage is tough, especially when capacity shrinks. If the market does tighten, it’ll be a harsh reality check for those who haven’t been through it before.

So, how can you prepare your team for what’s ahead? Let’s break down key skills your team needs to handle a changing market:

1. Tightening Capacity

When capacity tightens, waiting for carriers to call won’t cut it. If your team relies on posted loads and inbound calls, they’ll struggle when the phone stops ringing.

Tips to prepare:

• Carrier Prospecting Strategy: Teach your team how to actively find carriers instead of waiting for them to call.
• Build Carrier Relationships: Strengthen these relationships now so you’re not scrambling later.
• Selling Long-Term Opportunities: Focus on long-term partnerships with carriers instead of one-off deals.

2. Rate Volatility

As capacity tightens, rates will go up. Carriers will have more leverage, and brokers will need to manage rising costs while keeping customers happy.

Tips to prepare:

• Negotiation Tactics: Train your team to negotiate effectively so they can manage rate increases better.
• Soft Skills Matter: Handling tough conversations with both carriers and customers is critical.
• Pricing Knowledge: Make sure your team understands how pricing works and isn’t just guessing rates.

3. Customer Acquisition

The silver lining? Customer acquisition gets easier in a tight market. As service failures increase, shippers look for reliable brokers who can step in and deliver.

Tips to prepare:

• Generating Options: Just because your competition can’t find a solution doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Teach your team to think creatively and generate options.
• Internally Communicates Your Capacity: Keep your team in the loop about available capacity. Reps can’t sell what they don’t know you have.
• Sales Training: If your team lacks sales training, now’s the time to invest in it.

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4. Declining Service Levels

As capacity tightens, some brokers will struggle to maintain service. Don’t be one of those brokers who lose business because they couldn’t keep up.

Tips to prepare:

• Carrier Reutilization: Build a core network of trusted carriers and use them consistently.
• Set Expectations with Carriers: Make sure carriers know what’s expected upfront to avoid service issues.
• Network Depth: Don’t rely on a single carrier for critical lanes—develop backup options.

5. Customer Retention

How you handle shifting market conditions will make or break your customer relationships. Do it well, and you’ll earn long-term loyalty. Fail, and you’ll lose accounts.

Tips to prepare:

• Short-Sighted Pitfalls: Don’t gouge customers just because you can. It might boost short-term profits, but it’ll damage long-term trust.
• Providing Solutions: Stand out by offering creative solutions when others fail.
• Long Term Thinking: Consider the lifetime value of your customers when making tough decisions, even if it means taking a short-term hit to maintain service.

Final Thoughts

These are critical skills brokers need for a tighter market, but what if things stay flat in 2025? Even in a flat market, these skills matter. Whether capacity is tight or loose, the best brokerages invest in training to stay ahead.

Shameless plug: Everything in italics is covered in Sync Logistics Training.

FREIGHT MEME OF THE DAY