Ever play the video game called Tetris? It's the one where geometric shapes (squares, rectangles, etc.) drop out of the sky and the point is to place them in an unbroken line at the bottom by turning and manipulating the angle of descent. The more "lines" that are achieved, the faster the shapes fall. Level 1 is real pokey; level 10 is a blur.

    I always start at level 10! The only way I can "keep up," is to focus on the line! If I look up to see the score, I get buried. If I try to focus on the shapes, I get clobbered. The only way to stay in the game is to constantly build a line. I guess you could say I'm focused on "line building."

    Transportation brokerage is like that. There are only so many hours in a day to "build lines" (do transactions, sell business). If the day begins at level 1, by 4 p.m. you might be at line 40, level 5! If starting at level 10 doesn't scare you, by 4 p.m. you might have 100 lines and be at level 12!

    Which speed causes the day to go by faster? Which one has the "Big Reward?" Which one flexes the professional muscles? For training, which speed will turn a novice into a professional?

    After many years, five transactions a day per dispatcher, was as good as it got! Now it's four times that! Why the difference? It's got to be our focus!

    Instead of spending hours to move a load, we spend hours moving all 20 loads that we get every day. The carrier base is in place, the rates are secure, and the job is to move all the freight - local, regional and national.

    Rarely do we "look for a truck." That exercise was performed before the business was sold. We approached these customers through the traffic door, selling the ability to move every shipment and guaranteeing it (with penalties) in writing.

    As we speed through our day, it's fun slam-dunking transactions so fast that we lose count! When the smoke clears, we have done some work!

    There's a lot of preparation that goes into running that fast. Listening to the customer is first and foremost. If he or she is looking to outsource, it's vital to get access to all the business.

    You can't just do the tough stuff. You are going to need volume leverage to get the trucks. The client carrier base is also important. The customer should understand that all these carrier relationships are valuable to the new arrangement. But they may or may not be used.

    Introducing other carriers, visiting the plant site and meeting with other carrier partners is vital. It sets the stage to build lines. It takes the guesswork out of everything. Pricing is important: the generic pricing for the "same ole - same ole" stuff and the "off the scale" numbers for contingencies outside the box. Having everything "inked" with a longevity clause - usually a year, but sometimes two years - and an escape clause for both parties, is vital.

    Then, with all the distractions out of the way, turn it up to level 10 and build lines.

    A nice by-product of playing level 10 with a customer is that the carrier base becomes personal to you. They can be utilized on other projects if the current one works. Also, a smooth running level 10 model is a great reference for future opportunities. Since most factories have other related companies ("links" on their website) word gets around if something works (or doesn't work).

    Removing all the distractions will allow a concentration on customer service. My highest score in a game that began at level 10 was 144,000 and 100 lines. I have gotten close to that score a number of times, but conditions had to be perfect - no phone, no TV, no one else around - all I had to do was sit in my comfortable chair and build lines. In the professional world, all objections need to be overcome, all distractions eliminated and let the transactions "fall out of the sky." If there is a bottleneck in dispatch, perhaps technology might speed things up.

    Perhaps a carrier isn't responsive enough, perhaps the billing department doesn't move as fast as operations, then you "tweak" it a little. Loosen this, tighten that, grease something else and build those lines.

    Often having the right personality involved will move things along. An independent thinker, who can juggle 20 balls in the air at once, is needed. When they get this business "broke to lead," have all the nuances of customer service and shipper requirements figured out, they can be used to manage a similar account using the same carrier base.

    Now we are at level 11 or 12. Things are moving fast. Who's going to be the backup? Unfortunately, there is no "pause" button in business. Even when someone's sick or needs a break, the "shapes" just keep falling. There needs to be a plan for line building, no matter what's happening.

    It's a matter of focus starting at level 10.

Rick Jones, CTB is President of Meadow Lark Companies, a freight brokerage in Billings, Montana. www.meadowlarkco.com