2017 in Review: What’s Hot (and Not) in Transportation and Logistics Marketing & Sales

Seeing what others are successfully doing in sales, marketing and communications. Better understanding emerging trends in transportation and logistics, and translating that to solid market intelligence. These are just a few of the benefits to being a TMSA member – and you have access to all this and more. To help you sort through some things you may have missed in the past 12 months, TMSA has gathered some of the top articles in its blog. Take 30 minutes to read through this list and become better equipped to bring value to your organization in 2018: 

7 Reasons Budget Meetings Aren’t Strategic. Just by the nature of the subject and process, budget meetings aren’t typically strategic. TMSA shared how all contribute to making the process non-strategic and sometimes even counter-intuitive to being directly tied to the business strategy – and what you can do to change it. > More

YRC Freight Shares A Success Story in Its Fast-Paced Product Launch, Accelerated. Matt Ferguson, YRC’s Service Marketing Manager, shares a recent story at the TMSA Connections Seminar in Kansas City in November. > More

4 Tips to Avoid the “Commodity” Trap. All too often the value of a company's service or product is minimized - and what they offer their customers is "commoditized." This can result in failed sales wins. Learn how to avoid it from happening. > More

Game-Changing Sales Tips in a Male-Dominated Industry. TMSA helped to manage the Marketing & Sales Education Track at the recent 2017 Accelerate! Conference and Expo, hosted by the Women In Trucking Association. Learn more about how sales professionals who are women can succeed in this industry. > More

What’s Needed Before Considering Marketing Automation Software? Not having a strong sales process can be the biggest challenge in sales success. Zen Newman of PipelineDeals shares some ideas on what you should put in place quickly to improve the efficacy of your team. > More

Are You Getting the Most from your Marketing Automation Investment? There are many things you can do to improve your existing strategy and investment. Jill Schmieg of Sol de Naples discussed the biggest challenges in automation success. > More

Driver Recruiting Continues to Become Responsibility of Marketers. During a recent TMSA Connections Seminar in Chicago, Lionel Johnston shared how Bison Transport, one of the largest carriers in Canada, does it right. > More

Prioritizing Your Precious Marketing Dollars: Website vs. Automation. Digital marketing will make up 45% of marketing spend by 2020. Based upon this prediction, TMSA explores where you should place your dollars and energy depending upon your goals.  > More

Developing Your Firmographic Targets and Buyer Personas. Who’s your ideal customer? If you’re not 100% sure, you’re likely missing out on sales and marketing opportunities. Gain an understanding of how to better target your ideal prospects. > More 

7 Steps of a Successful Digital Culture. Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion explained practical steps you can take to create an incredible digital culture in your department – and in your organization. > More

State of the Transportation Industry. To succeed in sales and marketing, you need to understand the challenges and opportunities in the industry. At the recent Connections Seminar in Chicago, TMSA’s CEO Brian Everett discussed what shippers are saying about the current market. > More

Developing a Company Culture of Innovation. Learn the key performance competencies that point to leadership in innovation. Ric Roman of Caliper, an employee assessment and development firm, explains.
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Crisis Communications Planning: Lessons Learned from Tropical Storm Harvey. Many learned they’re not ready for a crisis through the threat of Harvey. Follow these 7 tips to ensure you have a strong Crisis Communications Plan in place. > More

Content Success: How FedEx Delivers a Better Customer Experience. Drew Bailey, a TMSA board member and finalist for 2017 Content Marketer of the Year, describes how an effective Content Operation can lead to an optimum customer experience. > More

5 Essential Skills to Effectively Sell in Today’s Market. Collin Longren of The Millau Group Global and Bob Rippel of RJ Learning Group explain the skills needed to be successful. Learn what they are and apply them into your daily practice. > More

Practical Tips to Leverage LinkedIn for Success. Marketing and sales pros in transportation and logistics continue to take competitive advantage of targeting their prospects and customers through the LinkedIn technology platform. John Boyens provides helpful tips to avoid. > More

Buzzwords Underscore Changing Marketing Landscape in 2017. Growth Hacking, The Buyer’s Journey, Value Exchange, Crowd Culture, Gamification. Just a few terms that have emerged to be common in the past 12 months. Know what they are to stay on top of your game. > More

Hub Group Uses Town Hall Strategy to Engage Employees. Learn how one TMSA member ensures their workforce is engaged and informed. > More

How C.H. Robinson Built a Successful Content Engine. Mark Derks shares what this leading 3PL has done to successfully implement content marketing to deliver business results.
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Silver Sales Bullet: Match Your Selling Style to Customer’s Buying Style. If you understand the buying styles of your prospects and customers, you can better related to them and maximize your chance of a win. Joel McGinley describes the four main styles through the DISC model. > More

How Your Organization Can Use SalesForce Chatter. Learn three primary ways you can use this powerful technology feature to strengthen market intelligence on customers and prospects among your workforce.
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Ignorance of Digital Marketing: The Silent Killer. If you don’t keep up with the realities of growing trends such as inbound marketing, social media and the share economy, your competitors will kill you. Art Moryedi of the Marlik Group explains the importance of staying on top of it all. > More

Network Analysis Takes on More Importance. David Roush of KSM Transport Advisors talks about the positive indicators of the transportation marketplace and how they’re tempered by anecdotal reality. > More

Four Tips from Industry Editors for Better Media Relations. TMSA conducted the “Pulse of the Media” survey of industry editors to explore what marketers can do to be more effective in their efforts. Bill Fahrenwald of James Street Associates shares the results – and ideas on how to do it. > More

Top 10 SEO Tips. If you’re just spending thousands of dollars on Pay-Per-Click sponsored ads, you’re likely missing out on many other opportunities to maximize your online presence. Steve Wiideman shares several practical ideas. > More