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In a rolling sea of competitors and international brands, how do you make your haulage business stand out? How do you make customers remember you each time they’re thinking of a company or "man with a van" to deliver their products? If you’re just starting out, it is of utmost importance to take the first few steps in the right direction. The following are among the most vital issues you must consider. Focus more on solving people’s problems than on selling them your services Of course, you’re running a haulage business and your prime directive is to stay profitable. That’s why it is common to find business people thinking like mere storeowners: they have products or services, they simply sell them to people. However, if you want a customer or client to remember you—to make your brand stand out whenever they think of using your service—you must rethink the way you regard your relationship with customers. By having a problem-solving mindset, you will be able to ‘own’ your clients' concerns in such a way that you’ll actually care about their issues. This is more pertinent in a service-oriented business such as hauling goods than in other fields; problems arise all the time, and merely shrugging your shoulders each time your client encounters a dilemma can quickly make your brand forgettable. By going the extra mile to help out your client find a solution, you will etch an indelible mark on their minds and your brand may just go ‘viral’. Recognize what you can do best and bank on it If you’re just stating out in the haulage business, your initial know-how and actual experience in the field are limited; it’s best to recognize this and not over-stretch yourself. Recognition of your limitations should reflect in how you set up your operations, the actual specific services you offer (what routes, what type of cargo you are willing to accept, working hours etc.) and even the type or class of vehicles you operate. Once you have these up and running and gain more experience, only then can you introduce additional services or expand into other routes. Always exceed expectations—but only in a good way We always hear companies or corporate slogans hard-selling the phrase, "exceed your clients’ expectations". But seriously, how many have you personally encountered that actually take their declarations seriously? Exceeding clients’ expectations means identifying beforehand certain areas in your haulage system where you can offer something that more than fulfils what is stated in the contract—but doing so without causing trouble in your customer’s business. One great area would be customer service. A company worth mentioning is Amazon: when you order an item online, for example, and it got delayed or lost in transit, Amazon’s customer representatives offer a refund, replacement with better options, or a faster means of shipping without additional cost—all without having the customer ‘demand’ it. With their expectations exceeded and expertly managed, every client—despite the initial bad experience—emerges from the transaction happy and enthusiastic. Keep this in mind in your own business. Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for haulage work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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