A career in the transportation and logistics industry is fast-paced, yet full of opportunities. A Forbes article states that the logistics sector is thriving and it is becoming an area of interest for new college graduates.
Whether you’re looking for a new career challenge or investigating opportunities at a college career fair, consider a career in logistics. Let’s take a deeper look into the day in the life of a logistics sales representative to understand what it really means to be an associate in the transportation industry.
Blake is a driven, goal-oriented sales representative. His transportation career began as a truck driver for the U.S Army before transitioning to a transportation coordinator. After gaining some experience and pursuing a business degree from Florida State College in Jacksonville, he joined Werner Logistics in February of 2018.
To be a customer sales representative, one must be a problem-solver, have strong communication skills and the ability to multitask. The position is all about building new and developing existing customer relationships and identifying potential business opportunities. This individual must be able to evaluate the customer’s needs and find the right logistics solution for them.
A Typical Day
Blake brings eagerness and enthusiasm to the office. Each morning, he comes in ready to take on whatever challenge or prospect the day may bring. He starts his day off by responding to emails, voicemails and text messages that came from customers overnight. The transportation and logistics industry never stops, and Blake always puts the customer first.
He then reaches out to his customers directly between 8-11 a.m. These conversations are typically to build rapport and to have an ongoing conversation about their daily freight needs. He spends the remainder of the morning working on specific projects that customers have given him to price or optimize. He then logs these into a customer relationship management software (CRM).
His afternoons consist of building tours, scheduling pickup and deliveries, prospecting for new business and getting his checklist ready for the next day.
“At Werner Logistics we have a service of labor between carrier sales representatives and shipper sales representatives. I am thankful for that because it allows me to focus solely on my customer’s needs.”
Reflection
Over the past several months, Blake reflects upon how he has been given the tools needed to succeed in his career. This past year, Blake was able to build his book of business and reached many sales milestones. Since he started, Blake has been able to cross-train on all modes of transportation. He spends his days engaging with customers of various sizes to forecast their truckload, LTL, Intermodal and power only needs. He says one of the most challenging, yet rewarding aspects of working in logistics is being able to analyze a customer’s transportation pipeline to help optimize their truckload freight network.
“Overall, my days are very fulfilling and there is no shortage of excitement in logistics. Every day presents a new challenge, which is what has kept me driven in my career.”
If you want to learn more about what a career in Logistics could entail, please visit Werner.com.
