How to get yourself started with some courier work
Posted by Tim Gilbert in Courier Operations Manual, Courier prices on Feb 15th, 2011 | 0 comments
If you’re hoping to make a living as an owner-driver courier, the best way to start is to find work for a while with courier companies in your area. This page will help you know what they expect. Many courier companies are nervous about taking on beginners, so you need to set yourself up properly, to give yourself the best chance of getting work and getting earning.
Courier companies need couriers like you to carry out the work, so it’s the obvious place to start. Once you have learned the ropes working for a single courier company as an owner driver, you can, if you want, go out and get courier...
Deciding to go it alone – start your own courier company
Posted by Tim Gilbert in Courier Operations Manual, Courier prices on Feb 15th, 2011 | 0 comments
In the old days, and I mean before-fax-machines-came-along sort of old days, you could set up a courier company with just a pen, a reporter’s notebook, an ashtray and a kettle for the couriers, an old van to do some of the deliveries in, and a typewriter for the invoicing. A few cards around local offices, and you’d soon be delivering urgent letters for local businesses.
How times have changed.
Since then, the same day courier industry has had to adapt to survive many changes.
Email has replaced the courier for pretty much any correspondence that the fax machine hadn’t already accounted for, and...
How to go selling for customers who use couriers
Posted by Tim Gilbert in Courier prices, Sales technique for couriers on Feb 15th, 2011 | 0 comments
When looking for business in your area, start with mailshots. You can use a combination of postcards, letters and emails.
Postcards are effective, because they can attract more attention, but can be more time consuming. They can be addressed by hand, unless you can get hold of good address labels. Don’t be distracted by the need to get all set up with a database and a pc and labels; better to get stuck in by writing out a few hundred addresses by hand. If you are already equipped with the right stuff on your pc, all well and good.
Your postcard can say something simple like this:
are a same day...
Courier sales letters
Posted by Tim Gilbert in Sales letters for couriers, Sales technique for couriers on Feb 15th, 2011 | 0 comments
Letters can be vary according to the sort of customer you are aiming at, but here’s an example. As you will see, it is a letter to send as a follow-up to a phone conversation. Perhaps after you have sent a mailshot, and followed it up with a phone call.
You have to push yourself do all of this, including the phone calls, as just sending out letters, or any kind of mailshot, is pointless. It makes you feel like you’re doing some sales, but without sales phone calls, sending mailshots never, ever, produces any results.
Technology Unlimited Limited
Technology House
Technology...
Proof of Delivery for Couriers
Posted by Tim Gilbert in Courier Operations Manual on Feb 15th, 2011 | 0 comments
Getting proof of delivery (POD)
The actual “Proof of Delivery” is made up of three pieces of information, provided by the recipient:
– The actual signature.
– The printed name.
– The time signed for.
The “actual signature” is very rarely needed except if something goes to court (which is when you know you’re really in trouble with your POD arrangements), when you’ll be pleased you got one, and that you kept the paper sheet filed safely.
The “printed name” and the “time signed for” are the two bits of information that you’ll be asked for time and time again,...
