The New Customer Journey with Chris Jolly

Joe Lynch and Chris Jolly discuss the new customer journey. Chris is the founder of The Freight Coach, a company that stages transportation companies ranging from traditional freight brokerages, asset-based trucking companies looking to expand into brokerage, as well as technology companies looking to implement their product into the industry.

About Chris Jolly

Chris Jolly is the founder of The Freight Coach and the host of Coffee w/#TheFreightCoach podcast. Chris has over 14 years of experience in transportation with the bulk of his experience in freight brokerage. His experience within freight brokerage includes operations, sales, and leadership ranging from start-ups to one of the largest brokerages in the transportation industry. His passion is the training and development of sales and operations professionals in the brokerage business. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Wisconsin- Stout located in Menomonie, WI and holds an associate in Management from Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, WI.

About The Freight Coach

The Freight Coach partners with growth stage transportation companies ranging from traditional freight brokerages, asset-based trucking companies looking to expand into brokerage, as well as technology companies looking to implement their product into the industry. Our main objective is to utilize niche-specific transportation training methods to improve efficiencies within the sales process and use our experience to enhance your operations team to execute your freight mix at a higher level. The Freight Coach provides one on one training with leadership as well as carrier and customer sales representatives to ensure that they overcome the barriers they are facing now to pave the way for greater success.

Key Takeaways: The New Customer Journey

Chris Jolly is the founder of CJolly Freight Consulting and the host of Coffee w/#TheFreightCoach podcast.
In this podcast interview, Chris and Joe discuss the new customer journey which refers to the way that shippers and supply chain professionals research and buy 3^rd party logistics services.
Prospective customers are rejecting the sales process and instead defining their own buying process. Prospects are educating themselves by consuming content (articles, social media, podcasts, etc..) rather than engaging directly with sales and marketing people.
In this new environment, the rules of (customer) engagement have shifted.
Social media is still an important element of the new customer journey, however, Chris believes that 3PLs and brokers need to up their social media game. Ideally, brands can better communicate their values and what they stand for online.
Many companies and individuals are blurring the lines between formal and informal communication – people are showing more of their authentic selves, and sharing their personal lives. This shift is kind of scary for larger brands who are reluctant to takes big risks with brands that have been built over many years.
Chris believes that buyers are attracted to companies and brands that lead with authenticity and openness.
The dark funnel is a customer’s purchasing journey that occurs off-site through social, paid, competitive, influencer and other channels not controlled or visible to the brand.
In recent years, marketers have come to rely on sales funnels that culminate in a marketing generated lead, but increasingly savvy customers are avoiding the tactics and methods (webinars, white papers, cold calls, etc..) that put them in the sales funnel.
Recent research by Sirius Decisions and Forrester suggests that 67% to 90% of the customer’s purchasing journey is in the dark funnel – consuming off-site content.
If your marketing feels like marketing you are doing it wrong. People love to buy, but they don’t want to be sold to. As buyers became increasingly savvy and sophisticated they resist anything that feels salesy. Sales and marketing teams need to find ways to engage with prospects in ways that fits their buying process.