3 Tips to Achieve Explosive Growth as a Courier Driver

What a new courier driver should immediately understand about the business is the fact that this industry has a unique social role and position that entails certain demands. This competitive industry requires clear-cut strategies in order for one to succeed in it. For starters, here are three powerful tips to achieve that sure-fire growth.

Get Rid of Marketing Myths

There are many marketing myths, and for a new courier driver it is easy to get lost in the smoke screen. There are many suggestions out there - such as creating a website or a Facebook page, or printing out thousands of calling cards, or even advertising in the local paper - that simply may not work for newbies to the business. Some may work for big name or established operations (such as advertising in newspapers), but the effort may not have the same impact for fledgling companies. The first thing you must do as someone who is new to the industry is understand you cannot afford to waste energy and money on marketing strategies that will not work for you. Once you’ve sidestepped these you should then proceed to step two.

Identify Your Ideal Client

Many a new courier driver tends to focus on their idea of the perfect customer as one who will keep the phones ringing with constant offers of more and more work. In the real world, however, the idea of customers coming to you (unless you’re a behemoth like FedEx, for example) is a fantasy borne of laziness or unimaginativeness. Most likely, you will have to actively seek out potential customers by doing the requisite legwork and knocking on a lot of doors. The ideal client, as far as a delivery business is concerned, is one that has a regular need for items to be delivered on a set route. We say ‘ideal’ because, for a small company or a one-man operation, regularity allows you to craft a tight schedule based on efficiency, speed, and fuel economy. Waiting for that random customer who rings up and asks for a delivery to a location that is out of your regular route can actually cost you in the long run. Once you’ve identified the kind of client that can serve you at this point of your business, you can start making plans to attract them.

Connect and Outsource

If you’re a courier driver with a fledgling business in danger of biting more than you can chew, you should know that you don’t have to do everything straight away! Learn the fine art of outsourcing, as long as you can trust the drivers and they have a track record for excellent performance. Subcontracting work with other drivers operating in your area can allow you to focus more on taking care of your on-going business relationship with existing clients and working on finding new referrals. It also helps immensely to join an online exchange, a platform that connects customers to workers in a dynamic way previously not possible. By forging connections and networking with both competitors and customers, you will widen your options; this in turn will enable you to make more powerful decisions, which can positively affect your company’s growth.

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier driver jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Over 3,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading courier jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.