Logistics Cold Call Script

Opener

[First name], it's [your name] at [company]. You're going to think this is another broker call, and it is, so I'll make it worth it: I'm calling about your [origin] to [destination] lane specifically, not 'all your freight'. Give me 30 seconds and tell me if I've got it wrong?

Shippers screen broker calls by whether the caller knows anything. Naming one lane in the first sentence passes that screen and signals that you will not waste their time.

Reason for the call

We've been moving [commodity or equipment type] out of [origin region] for [number] shippers, and that lane has gotten [tight / unreliable] since [event: a plant closure, a seasonal surge, a carrier exit]. I'd guess you've seen tender rejections or rate creep on it in the last couple of months. If you haven't, you've got a good carrier and I'll leave you alone.

A specific lane condition shows you watch the market rather than a load board. Offering to leave if they are not seeing the problem makes the call feel low-pressure.

Value hook

I'm not going to promise I'll beat your rate. What I'll promise is that on that one lane, I'll give you a dedicated contact, a rate that holds for [period], and I'll tell you before pickup if we can't cover it, not after. That's the difference between a broker you keep and one you drop after the first fall-off.

Shippers care more about reliability than price on a difficult lane. Naming the specific behaviour that gets brokers dropped shows you understand why they are sceptical.

Qualifying question

How many loads a week is that lane, roughly, and how are you tendering it today: contracted with a carrier, through a broker, or spot as needed?

Volume and tendering method tell you whether there is room for you. A lane fully covered by a contract carrier is not an opportunity this quarter; a spot lane is.

Handling the first pushback

I'd expect you to be set. Most shippers are, until the week they're not. I'm not asking to replace anyone. I'm asking to be the backup on that lane so when your primary rejects a tender, you've got someone who already knows the freight instead of someone you're calling for the first time at 4pm on a Friday.

'We're all set' is the standard pushback. Positioning as the backup is a realistic ask and matches how shippers actually add brokers to their roster.

Close

Here's the simplest next step: send me the next load on that lane that your primary can't take, and I'll quote it inside an hour. If the rate and the service are good, we talk about more. If not, you've lost nothing. Can I get your email so I'm in your system, and can I give you my direct line for when that load comes up?

In freight, the real close is one load. Asking for a single tender instead of a 'partnership' is how brokers actually get onto a shipper's roster.

"We already have carriers for all our lanes."

Most shippers do, and the roster still has gaps when a truck doesn't show. I'm asking to be the name on the list for [lane] when that happens, not to take the lane from anyone. Can I quote the next load your primary rejects? If I'm not competitive or the truck is late, you'll never hear from me again.

"Brokers always disappear when the market gets tight."

A lot do, and I'd be cautious too. What I'd suggest is you judge me on the hard loads first. Give me the lane that's giving you trouble, not the easy one. If I can cover that reliably for a quarter, you'll know I'm not going anywhere when capacity tightens.

"Your rate is higher than what we are paying."

It might be, on a quiet week. The rate I give you holds, and it includes a truck that actually shows up, which is worth something when your current rate is cheaper only because it's spot and gets rejected when the market moves. Can I show you what the lane has actually cost you including the loads that fell through?

"Send me your carrier packet and we will add you to the list."

I'll send it today. The list is long, though, and I'd rather earn a place on it than sit on it. Is there a load this week or next on [lane] you'd let me quote so you have a real number to compare, rather than a packet in a folder?