If you sell 3PL services, it will be a bit tougher to reach your 2016 sales goals.
Below are 5 reasons you might not reach your sales goals in 2016:
1. Rise of the Tech Titans
There is some interesting new competition in the transportation business. The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos and the founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar, along with some other tech royalty have invested in an online marketplace called convoy.com. The company is hoping to take a big chunk of the truckload market. Given their investor’s winning track record with online marketplaces and their enormous wealth, I suspect they will be successful. Convoy is just one of many new online transportation marketplaces launched in recent years. Who will lose, when convoy.com wins?
2. Market Consolidation
The logistics and transportation business is maturing and some of the big players are growing their revenues and capabilities through acquisitions. C. H. Robinson buying freightquote.com, and XPO buying Con-way are just two notable deals. As the big players get bigger, they will use their might to win more sales. The big companies already enjoy preferred rates, volume discounts, more backhauls, more consolidated loads and greater access to assets. How will your company compete against the big boys?
3. No Sales Niche
The increasingly competitive 3PL market demands that companies develop a niche or specialization. When a company attempts to be everything to everyone, they end up being no one to everyone. Once you choose a niche, learn everything you can about that niche. Understand their industry, what they read, what events they attend and how you can better serve them. Customize your business to meet the needs of your niche and you will have a much better chance of growing your sales.
4. Demanding Customers
Shippers are like any other customer – they expect more every year from their service providers. They are also in competitive industries so they understand the continuous improvement mandate. With so many 3PLs vying for their business, why shouldn’t they demand more? Your competition will be cutting costs and introducing new service offerings. Additionally, there will be hot, new websites, softwares and apps of all kinds. What will your company do to improve the customer experience this year? Bringing last year’s solutions might not be enough.
5. Weak Lead Generation
As the market gets more competitive, the best companies are turning up the volume on lead generation. Buying lists, networking and cold calling are not the only way to get leads. To get higher quality leads, engage as an expert and develop a following. Use content marketing (articles, webinars, white papers, case studies, videos, etc.) to capture leads and nurture them into sales. Social media and email marketing are also effective tools if you have good content to share.
If you need help reaching your 2016 sales goal, please consider taking my webinar,
WEBINAR: LEAD GENERATION AND SALES STRATEGIES FOR TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS PROFESSIONALS
If you would like additional information, please contact me at [email protected]
Thanks,
Joe Lynch