Redefining the Road magazine, the official magazine of the Women In Trucking Association (WIT), announces there were 10 recipients of the 2018 “Top 50 Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation” that are members of TMSA.

A truly great supply chain partner is one who knows precisely which ingredients we need to make our operations successful — and those we can skip. Some partners can tell us, for instance, what technologies we need to deploy, when to implement and how to upgrade.

Others can advise who to contract for manufacturing and transportation, where to source parts and raw materials — or how to dispose of tainted or defective goods. They can help us finance supply chain operations, mitigate risk and ultimately bring together these disparate components to streamline our businesses.

This “Internet Marketing Lead Generation Ecosystem” infographic shows how various online marketing channels can work together to develop an integrated online lead generation campaign. This infographic can help you to:

• Understand how multiple outlets of the Internet can be combined to create an impactful online lead generation campaign
• Recognize problems in your campaign that can be costing you leads
• Find new alternatives to revise and scale your current campaign

The top hexagons shows the various channels that can be used to bring traffic to your website. The middle section represents the reporting, contacting and lead validation process, which should be managed by more experienced Internet marketers. Lastly, shown at the bottom the leads gathered become a new customer. (Click image to view larger)

By Jason Ickert, a seasoned commercial leader in the 3PL space with more than 23 years’ experience in various sales and marketing roles. Jason is currently a team member at ENERGY Transportation Group where he is engaged in their initiative to integrate logistics processes with technology. Ickert also sits on the TMSA Board of Directors and is co-chair of the Membership Committee. 

What happened to peak season? The demand we were expecting, considering the booming consumer economy, was a bit disappointing. Was it because of the increase and threat of additional tariffs that caused importers to forward stock their inventory earlier? Or perhaps because of the increase in e-commerce, and less brick-and-mortar foot traffic, retailers have held off allocating large quantities forward to store DC's and are filling customer orders direct from import warehouses?

By Mike Temple, TranStrategy Partners

By Mark Greenberg

By Jennifer Karpus-Romain, Director of Marketing for Intelestream, a Chicago-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) product development and consulting firm that offers solutions related to business processes and CRM technology. 

“..at least 40% of millennials see themselves staying at their current organization for a minimum of nine years.” - Jennifer Deal and Alec Levenson (2016)

By Asher Fredricks, MBA, Marketing Manager for FLS Transportation Services. Article 1 of a 3-part series.

By Conrad Winter, Copywriter for Transportation and Logistics

Written by Asher Fredricks, Marketing Manager for FLS Transportation Services. Article 2 of a 3-part series.

The current labor force in America is polarizing – there are lots of older workers, lots of younger ones, and fewer people in the middle. That’s a legitimate managerial challenge. There are fast-paced changes in work that lead to skill shortages and managers complain that they have no one ready to fill vacancies. And the numbers of women and minorities at senior levels are still insufficient.

When a key position is left unfilled for any length of time, important decisions cannot be reached and critical activities are delayed.  Often it is difficult to meet or exceed customer expectations, to confront competition successfully, or to follow through on efforts of crucial long-term significance.There are also other general challenges – reduced loyalty among employees, increased turnover of identified successors and high performers, increased attrition in executive level positions, and a shortfall in the number of future leaders.

Retaining leadership talent is both a strategic and economic necessity. You cannot implement your strategy without the right leadership. Because of these issues, there is a heightened sense of urgency about succession planning. No matter how certain your future appears, now is the time to begin taking measures to close the gaps we face over the coming years. A succession plan can help organizations drive competitive strategy, reinforce values, and successfully secure their future.  

To focus your succession effort:

Believing in bogus platitudes. Clustering into cliques. Trying too hard to be interesting. These and four other things could stop your marketing career in its tracks, as author Becki Saltzman wrote about in her recent book, Living Curiously: How to Use Curiosity to Be Remarkable and Do Good Stuff. Each mistake is very common in the world of marketing today, and likely noticeable by anyone who has worked in an office setting. And there’s no question that each can stop a high-potential career in its tracks.

With today’s fragmented communication and marketing channels, and complete control resting in the hands of the consumer, companies are forced to rethink their go-to-market strategies. Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute, says to focus on the relationship of the customer. Many companies treat content like advertising, not taking into consideration what the consumer actually wants and values. He says, “You must create value for your audience BEFORE you extract value.” Pulizzi argues to reverse the common strategy. Instead of pursing and bombarding leads, first build a relationship with your audience, and leads will follow.

Pulizzi outlines how to build a relationship with your audience through valued content in his book, Content Inc. Here are a few of the key take-aways:

The demand for talent has been picking up for the past few years, perhaps to the degree that the balance of power has shifted from employer to employee. Employees are also becoming more mobile and willing to work as contracted specialists and independent consultants, a development that has compounded the challenges associated with hiring, engaging, and retaining staff.

As Hurricane Florence fast approaches the Carolinas, transportation companies are scrambling to reroute cargo and set up alternate supply lines. The storm's impact on supply chains will depend on a few factors: where it strikes, how far inland it travels, and where flooding events occur, according to Supply Chain Dive. 

"If there is extensive flooding in the area, as there was during Hurricane Harvey, the disruption could cause rates to remain elevated for weeks. If the damage is confined to the coastal areas, the supply chain impact of Florence will likely be less severe than Harvey, because while Houston is an important regional hub, the major Southeast regional hubs — Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis — are not in Florence's path," said Peggy Dorf, an analyst at DAT.

By Brian Everett, CEO of the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association

When you think about the four phases of the Buyer’s Journey (Attract Suspects and Prospects, Convert Leads, Close and Retain Customers), many companies don’t place nearly enough energy and resources into expanding business with current customers and turning them into your biggest advocates.

By many indicators, the economy is strong – but where will it be in the months to come? And with consumer demand at high levels, how long will this last? And with capacity challenges, the ongoing driver shortage, and burdensome regulations, what is the overall outlook for providers of commercial freight services?

These are common questions currently being asked in the commercial transportation industry. A closer analysis at economic trends analysis provides some educated perspective.

Inbound Logistics, a TMSA Affiliate member and Media Friend, recently announced its Top 100 3PL Providers list, a qualitative assessment of service providers that Inbound Logistics editors feel are best equipped to meet and surpass readers’ unique supply chain and logistics needs. It includes well-known companies, niche providers, and newer companies offering specialized logistics services. Congratulations to these TMSA member companies who made the list in 2018:

Approved Freight Forwarders

This is a true story: In a meeting at a popular technology company, the CEO and his team had just completed their annual talent review of up-and-coming leaders within the company. Retention of top talent was a high priority, and the CEO gave an example of “Joe,” a direct report of the Chief Operating Officer. The strategy included giving Joe a huge raise and assigning him to a high-visibility special project in addition to his demanding day job. The CEO stated that these actions would ensure Joe doesn’t become a flight risk.