Income Generation and Sales

Every September, the same thing happens across the supply chain. Volume picks up, the phone gets busier, and it gets easy to say yes to everything. Then October arrives, usually the strongest month of the year for freight, and bid season opens right behind it. From October through March, large shippers send out their requests for proposals and set next year's contract rates.

The work you win this fall sets your revenue for the year ahead. September is the month to decide what that work should be.

What healthy companies do this month

1. Know your cost before you quote. Every price starts with what the work costs you: labor, fuel, equipment, overhead, and the time the job really takes. A quote without a cost behind it is a guess.
2. Build a yes list and a no list. Write down the work you want: the lanes, products, customers and schedules that fit how you operate. Then write down the work you'll pass on. A clear no list protects the capacity your best customers count on.
3. Start with the customers you already have. Your best new revenue usually comes from accounts that already trust you. Ask what they're planning for the fourth quarter and the new year, and where they need more from you.
4. Get ready for bid season. Requests for proposals move fast and ask for the same things every year: your service record, your capacity, your rates, and proof you'll deliver. Have them ready before the first one arrives.
5. Price for next year's costs. Contracts signed this fall run well into next year. Build in what fuel, labor, insurance and borrowing will cost then, not what they cost last spring.

Best practices

The companies that sell well in any market tend to follow the same four rules:

1. Sell to customers who value what you do best. Not every customer shops on price. Look for the ones who can't afford a late delivery, a damaged load or a missed call, and build your pipeline around them. They pay for reliability because it saves them money.
2. Prove it with numbers. Track your on-time percentage, your claims and how fast you answer every month, and put those numbers in every proposal. Numbers win bids that promises can't.
3. Hold your price. A fair price, held with confidence, attracts customers who stay. Let the discount business go to someone else.
4. Grow at the pace of your service. Take on new work when your team can deliver it at the standard your current customers expect. Growth built that way keeps the customers who pay the best.

The practice: sell the work that makes the company stronger, and price it so you can keep delivering it for years.

Your call to action

This week, ask your best customer what they'll need from you next year, and write their answer at the top of your yes list.