How to Market Yourself at Landstar

[LDB]

When I was in LS orientation they gave us a list of agents on Wednesday. That evening I emailed about 4 dozen of them giving them full truck specs and a brief intro, advising I'd be finished in orientation at noon Friday. Friday morning while we were wrapping up I was given 3 load offers from 3 different agents while everyone else in the class was hanging around and waiting. I chose the one I wanted and then shared the other two with others in the class.

At that time while every other carrier was stealing $35 weekly for QC they were only taking $25 weekly. I don't know if they're still $25 or not but that's definitely less unfair than most of the rest.

 

[zorry]

Maybe we should delete 18-20 & 22 and get back on track.

 

[Murraycroexp]

And 19 & 23.

 

[TeamHutch]

Nice post!!

 

[TeamCaffee]

This is a nice thread with really good information. Nice Job!

 

[Tennesseahawk]

This is the single most informative thread I've ever read on EO. Nice job!

 

[zorry]

Curious if agents get bombarded with 53 Hey I'll be here e-mails daily if they won't ignore them all ?

 

[ChanceMaster]

Deliver the " I'm in your area " notice via printed format by Drone. Sure to stand out.

 

[davekc]

Think much of it would also be a good tool for the "multi" folks to maximize their opportunities.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Think much of it would also be a good tool for the "multi" folks to maximize their opportunities.

I wish I would've thought about this when I had my own numbers.

 

[davekc]

I wish I would've thought about this when I had my own numbers.

We do something similar for broker loads but don't do anything with a website. Might be good in the beginning but once they know you then probably not. In the Landstar case you are dealing with quite a few agents so I think it is a nice touch in that instance.

 

[rollincoal]

Yeah great post. This should put to rest all of the failures who think you have to be in some club at Landstar to get profitable freight, but it won't. Every successful BCO I've ever met will talk about networking. I network the same way off open loadboards and we've managed to establish quiet a good reputation in the expedited business among those who load our trucks along with lots and lots of good contacts with repeat business. There's a lot of slackers who don't take care of the small details in this business. When you take care of the details as a matter of routine you separate yourself from the competition. No detail is insignificant. Communication is everything.

Sent from my C811 4G using EO Forums mobile app

 

[geo]

at ceva i have done samething they know if it will fit i'll take
sometimes my sprinter is not right for the job but one of other drivers doesn't know how to load it
i'll go and show him how to load it they always make it worth the time
always be solution and not the problem
once you know the system things work out
at fedexcc if they had something white glove couldn't handle they would see where i was at
and call me in to help out

 

[ATeam]

UPDATE: While the original post in this thread is still valid, the web site mentioned in it has been taken down. After a great 10 year run, Diane and I came off the road to pursue other interests.

The web site was powerful in its simplicity. It consisted of only three pages:

Page 1: A one-paragraph introduction of ourselves and a photo of us with our truck.

Page 2: A plain-text page listing truck specs and equipment and team qualifications.

Page 3: A photo gallery of about a dozen photos that showed our truck and us at work. Each photo had a one or two sentence description attached that highlighted things like the lift gate in use, us cleaning the truck, a particularly difficult load secured with particular care, etc.

The home page was page 1. Tabs at the top enabled agents to select and view the other pages.

WordPress was used to develop the site. We did not use Facebook or other such service because it is not universally available to all agents. The web site did not require a login. The agent could click the link and, bingo!, he or she is in.

Web site simplicity is vital. Agents are busy people. They do not have the time or desire to explore a trucker's web site. Give them what they need to know to feel confident in you and your truck and stop there. The website mentioned above could be viewed in its entirety in 5 minutes and just thirty seconds on page 1 was enough to make the important first impression.

 

[ATeam]

Curious if agents get bombarded with 53 Hey I'll be here e-mails daily if they won't ignore them all ?

I think the opposite would be true, agents would read them all. The subject lines are designed for speed reading and efficiency. It is not necessary to read the message if the subject line tells the story. It is easier for an agent to read these subject lines in his or her in box than it is to check the board to find available trucks.

Also, this kind of marketing shows the agent that the drivers are good communicators and are not the types who sit around waiting for freight. That ambition and professionalism places, in the agent's mind, the driver as one who he or she would like to work with. If a truck on the board is simply a truck on the board, why pick it when a good communicating truck with all information at hand is right there in the inbox?