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Most shippers aren't actively looking for a new freight broker. They have established relationships, familiar processes, and providers they trust. So what makes them consider someone new? Sometimes it's a missed delivery or poor communication. Other times, their transportation needs have simply changed.

According to the 2025 Shipper Pulse Report, 67% of surveyed shippers identified service level and reliability as their top consideration when choosing a freight partner, compared with just 10% who prioritized price. For agents prospecting new business, understanding these priorities can help uncover opportunities that a traditional sales pitch might miss.

This article kicks off The Business of Winning Business, a new series in The Dispatch exploring practical strategies to help agents find prospects, win new customers, and grow their book of business.

Recognizing the Opportunity

Winning a new customer doesn't always mean replacing an existing broker. A shipper can be completely satisfied with their current providers and still have a reason to consider someone new.

A manufacturer expanding production, a retailer opening a new distribution center, or a company entering new markets may develop transportation needs that extend beyond its existing relationships. Additional lanes, specialized freight, or unexpected capacity demands can create opportunities for another provider.

In these situations, the current broker may be doing everything right. Sometimes new business opportunities aren't created by someone else's failure. They're created by a customer's success.

When Service Falls Short

Even strong shipper-broker relationships can be tested when service becomes inconsistent. A missed pickup or late delivery is frustrating, but an isolated problem rarely tells the whole story. How the broker responds often matters just as much as the disruption itself.

Repeated failures and a lack of accountability can gradually erode a shipper's confidence. Eventually, the frustration of unreliable service may outweigh the convenience of staying with a familiar provider.

Communication Can Make or Break a Relationship

For shippers, uncertainty can be just as frustrating as a service failure. A delayed shipment may be manageable, but learning about it only after repeatedly requesting updates creates unnecessary stress and additional work.

The same applies to missing paperwork, billing discrepancies, and unanswered emails. Individually, these issues may seem minor, but together they can make an otherwise reliable provider difficult to work with. A broker who moves freight successfully but consistently leaves customers chasing information may still put the relationship at risk.

Price Still Has a Place

While service level and reliability ranked higher than price in the Shipper Pulse Report, cost remains an important consideration. Transportation expenses affect a shipper's bottom line, and even a dependable broker may come under scrutiny if their rates become uncompetitive.

But the lowest rate doesn't always represent the best value. Service failures, delays, and additional administrative work can quickly offset potential savings. For shippers, the decision often comes down to finding the right balance between cost, reliability, and the overall quality of service.

Understanding What Drives the Decision

For agents looking to grow their book of business, the key takeaway is that every shipper's situation is different. Some may be frustrated with their current providers, while others simply have needs that aren't being met. Understanding what motivates those decisions can help agents recognize where genuine opportunities exist.

In our next installment of The Business of Winning Business, we'll explore how to identify the right shippers to pursue, define your ideal customer, and evaluate the tools that can make prospecting more effective.