Freight sales desk
The calls that never get made, made on a schedule that does not depend on having a good week.
Almost every brokerage and carrier we work with has the same growth plan: more direct shippers, more carrier capacity, more consistent lanes. Almost none of them are making the calls, because the person who would make them is dispatching, billing and putting out fires.
Outbound is the one task with no deadline attached, so it is the task that gets dropped in any week where something goes wrong. Something goes wrong most weeks.
A sales desk exists to make the calling immune to your week.
What is included
- Shipper prospecting and lane-specific outbound calling
- Carrier sales and capacity sourcing for brokerages
- Lead qualification and appointment setting for your closers
- Dormant account reactivation from your own CRM
- List building and research before the call, not during it
- Call records, dispositions and follow-up cadence maintained
- Weekly pipeline reporting on activity and outcomes
Research before dialling
A call that opens with a generic pitch about capacity gets nowhere, because every carrier says the same thing. A call that opens with a specific lane and a specific reason gets a conversation.
That means the research happens before the call. What they ship, where it goes, what equipment it needs, and where your operation genuinely fits. It is slower per call and it is the only thing that works.
The follow-up is the programme
Freight buying has long cycles. The call that produces nothing in March gets returned in September when the incumbent carrier fails, but only if you are still in their notes.
Every call is recorded against a contact with a disposition and a next action. What you get weekly is not a count of dials. It is a list of who was reached, what they said about their current arrangement, and when they asked to be called back.
Calling rules, taken seriously
Business-to-business calling is regulated in both countries and the rules changed recently in the United States.
In Canada, calls to business numbers are exempt from the National Do Not Call List but remain subject to the CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, which require an internal do-not-call list honoured within fourteen days, caller identification display, and observance of permitted calling hours.
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission amended the Telemarketing Sales Rule in March 2024, removing the broad business-to-business exemption and adding recordkeeping obligations that require detailed call records to be retained for five years.
We maintain the internal do-not-call list, display your caller identification with your authorisation on file, observe calling hours in the jurisdiction being called, and keep the call records. It is not a selling point most outbound vendors can make, and it is the part that becomes expensive if it is ignored.
None of the above is legal advice. We recommend a short conversation with your own counsel before starting a sustained outbound programme.
Common questions
Questions we get asked
Do you close deals or just set appointments?
Qualification and appointment setting, with the commercial conversation handled by you. Rate negotiation and contracting with a new shipper is a decision that belongs on your side of the line.
Whose number shows on the caller ID?
Yours, with your written authorisation on file, which is what the recordkeeping rules require. Calls come from a North American number rather than an international one.
Can you work our existing CRM and lists?
Yes, and dormant account reactivation from a list you already own is usually the fastest thing to start with. It is warmer than cold prospecting and the data is already there.
How many calls a day should we expect?
It depends on how much research each call needs. A properly researched lane-specific call list produces far fewer dials and far more conversations than a volume approach, and we would rather be measured on conversations.
Other services
After-hours dispatch
Overnight and weekend coverage. Breakdowns handled, check calls made, boards worked, and a written handover waiting when your office opens.
Read moreCarrier onboarding and vetting
Carrier packets processed, authority and insurance verified, safety records checked and monitored, with a written file on every carrier you use.
Read moreDedicated and shared teams
A named person who works your hours, on your systems, under your company name. Full-time and yours alone, or shared across a small number of accounts at a lower monthly cost.
Read moreTell us what is falling through the cracks
A short call is enough to work out whether a dedicated seat, a shared seat or a single service is the right shape. No commitment, no pressure, and we will say so if we are not the right fit.