Reasons Why Qualified Freight Forwarding Sales Professionals Reject Offers of Employment

Finding a qualified sales professional in freight forwarding is a difficult task as many freight forwarding hiring companies will have experienced 

Finding a qualified sales professional in freight forwarding is a difficult task as many freight forwarding hiring companies will have experienced 

But just finding and inviting a qualified candidate to an interview is only half the battle.  Hiring companies should consider how are they stacking up to the freight forwarding sales talent pool and what reputation in the market are they commanding? 

Qualified candidates know they are qualified and therefore will have their own agenda for their career and as a result have a criteria when assessing potential places of work and career destinations. Below is the key reasons why qualified freight forwarding sales talent reject offers of employment or decide not to move to the next stage of interview even through they have been shortlisted: 

Risk Aversion 

Candidates having spent years developing new customer relationships who follow them to new employers. Qualified sales candidates will need to make an assessment as to whether the freight forwarder they are interviewing with is clear about their supply chain competency and if it is compatible with their customer portfolio. Candidates will not want to firstly, not be able to serve their customer portfolio they have spent much time developing and, secondly, if they are able to make a transfer must be sure trust is not broken and there customer are resign satisfaction under the service of the new employer.  Therefore risk aversion is often a deal breaker for many candidates. 

Unclear Value Proposition 

Many freight  forwarding companies are not always prepared to answer questions of desired candidates with certainty and confidence. The way the landscape is today, it isn’t purely about is the candidate the right fit. More likely, it is the candidate asking themselves, is this company the right place for me where I can continue serving my customers and continue to make revenue streams , get customers what they want and expand business? Therefore value propositions on topics including, revenue ,tools, technology , leadership, account management, organisational culture and other areas should be clear and communicated with clarity and confidence by the hiring company in an attempt to attract the desired candidate. This is why it is so important on who conducts the first round interview and that they can hold a conversation on value proposition across multiple topics.

Money 

Qualified candidates in the freight forward arena with the right approach are generally more interested in long term security and the opportunity to earn commission. They are not necessarily attracted by a short term bump in base salary only. Rewards on performance and expanding sales via a transparent commission scheme ideally paid out quarterly with a competitive basic is what attracts many candidates. If there is not a clear description and documentation of a commission scheme candidates normally will discontinue the interview process. 

Culture 

What are people in the freight forwarding world saying about a company’s culture? Is there support, collaboration and a low structure hierarchy and , therefore easy access to management? If the culture feels off , the freight forwarding world being the small place that it is , will result in all knowing about it. While candidates aren’t expecting perfection, a generally positive culture where people know where they stand, can expect good support and a stable environment to perform counts for everything.  If on the other hand, the company has a bad reputation for unfair pressure, off the radar micro management or other negative aspects connected to its culture, candidates will rarely even interview. 

Performance Expectations 

Has the hiring company worked on presenting their performance expectation? Before presenting it, have they agreed in-house?  For example -after 6-12 months the candidate ideally will achieve some form of gross profit, or at least covering their costs?  Are their customer targets in alignment with the company or not compatible? If they are not compatible this will result in delays or bad partnerships.  Is there a bare minimum of activity the new hire would be engaging in per week or per month? Or is the situation completely micro management less? Either way , it should be communicated and discussed before two parties commit to each other. 

Free to discuss where you could be going wrong with recruitment of freight forwarding sales professionals. Or maybe you are a candidate and want to discuss your next career move and the market in general

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