Cost, technology, logistics expertise, and people are the primary factors that will win (or lose) a freight forwarding company new business. Accurately portraying that information to your prospective customers is a whole other game. A freight forwarder’s sales proposal should touch on those four points while giving a customized approach that will preview what working with you will look like if they choose to move forward.

Address Their Project Needs

Customize your proposal approach by not only outlining all services that your team offers, but also by directly answering how your team can handle their specific upcoming shipments/projects. Try to secure their project details before presenting your complete proposal to give them a customized answer to their needs. Instead of a generic approach to your pitch, your proposal should give them a sneak peek into what working with you would look like. 

Differentiate Your Services

Clearly outline in your proposal why working with your company would be different from another forwarder. Don’t be afraid to flat out state what makes your team different. The shipper/BCO will have heard a lot of different information from competition if they are comparing options, and you should be explicitly sharing why working with you would be better. Highlight technology, customer experience, timeliness statistics, and customer testimonials (especially those comparing services with competitors) to weave together the value that differentiates your services.

Have All the Facts

Come prepared to answer any questions the prospective customer may have. Being prepared with data on performance, specifics on all offerings of your services, lists of shipment modes, and pricing charts will ensure your prospect does not leave with any questions that need followup or concerns. Having as much information ready to discuss during a live review of the proposal (or to send over through email quickly to review) will ensure further questions are answered during your first discussion. Make sure your team agrees on what information will be shared during the proposal phase and what (if anything) will be withheld to be shared if they progress.

Be Personal

How you present your proposal to prospects will indicate to them what communication would be like if they move forward with your company. Show prospects clear communication, great listening, and friendly customer service. Customer service is a top factor for shippers when determining what forwarders to work with and an important aspect to highlight when forwarders are first proposing their services. Proposals should also take the time to highlight the company and the people who run it. If there is a team member who would be assigned to their project, they could be introduced on the proposal as well. 

As a business that’s goal is to offer a software product that can be a tool for freight forwarder’s to differentiate their services,  increase their sales, and retain their best customers, Logixboard has created a free, customizable sales proposal template as an additional forwarding tool.

Access our sales proposal template through the form above.