We bid our lanes out once a year: logistics sales
The short answer
Do not ask them to reopen awarded lanes. Ask how the routing guide works: who holds primary on each lane, what happens when a primary rejects a tender, and whether they run mini bids during the year. Offer to be a backup on the lanes that fall through most. That is the door into the next bid.
Take this call against an AI buyerWhy buyers say it
An annual bid gives the shipper steady rates and a routing guide the team can tender against without a phone call. Reopening it for one broker would mean renegotiating with everyone. The person on the phone usually cannot change the awards, and they have heard every broker promise to beat them.
How reps lose the deal on it
- They ask for a shot at the awarded lanes. The person on the phone cannot open them, and the call ends with nothing to do.
- They treat the bid as closed and hang up. Tender rejections, spot freight and mini bids run all year, and nobody asked about them.
- They never learn when the next bid opens or who sends the invitation. The window passes and the rep calls after the awards.
Stronger lines to say
- “That makes sense. When a primary rejects a tender on a lane, where does that freight go? Is there a backup in the guide, or does it hit the spot market?”
- “I’m not asking you to reopen anything. Put me as a backup on the two lanes that fall through most. You tender when you need me, and I’ll show you what I do.”
- “When does the next bid open, and who sends the invitation? I’d like a year of clean loads with you before I ask for a lane.”
Questions reps ask about it
What is a routing guide?
The shipper's ranked list of carriers and brokers for each lane after a bid. The primary gets the tender first. If it rejects, the next in line gets it. Ask where tenders fall through most. A backup spot there is freight all year and a record for the next bid.
What is a mini bid and how do I get into one?
A short bid on a few lanes between annual events, often when primaries keep rejecting or volume moves. Ask whether they run them and who decides which brokers are invited. Being a reliable backup is how you get the invitation. Ask for it directly.
How do I get invited to the next annual bid?
Ask who runs it, when invitations go out and what they need from a new broker: insurance, references, a carrier vetting process, lanes you can cover. Send that before the window opens, not after. Then show up in the year between with loads covered and no surprises.
Related objections
Practice this objection out loud
Get a link to a free practice call. An AI buyer raises this objection and you answer in your own words.
The buyer is AI and the company is fictional. Read the AI disclosure and the privacy policy. Want the whole team practicing? See pricing.