Relationship Maker or Breaker?

You never know when a relationship is going to make or break you.

I remember one year when General Motors called in 180 loads over Christmas. To find that many trucks on the spot would have been impossible. But, since we had developed a relationship with the best-equipped carrier in the business, had paid them quickly at a good rate, they gladly helped us out. We made a few calls and they took every one of the loads. When we had reached our credit limit with that carrier ($100,000), we wired money to them immediately. They increased our credit line and picked up every load. This particular deal simply took a few calls, but only because we had spent years nurturing that relationship.

Who do you think we called first for every load after that?

They never back-solicited us, and we sold the same type of expedited service that they provided. What could have been a Christmas nightmare actually brightened our Christmas.

Moving on,

Jeff Roach