The Journey Podcast

Tom Curee, Ask Better Questions. Win More Business.


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SUMMARY: 

What separates a trusted freight sales professional from someone simply chasing the next deal? Tom Curee, President of Qued, joins Will Jenkins to share lessons from 20 years in freight brokerage, transportation, and freight technology sales. Tom began his freight experience at TQL when he was 19, scheduling appointments and working directly with carriers. 

Today, he is helping Qued solve that same appointment scheduling problem at scale. Tom explains why sales starts with knowing whether you can genuinely help the buyer. He shares why freight sales teams should stop forcing square pegs into round holes, focus on the problems they understand best, and become specialists rather than trying to sell every possible service. The conversation also covers the role of end-user buy-in when selling freight technology. 

Tom explains why executive approval may get a contract signed, but trust from schedulers and operations teams is what keeps customers engaged. Will and Tom also discuss asking stronger discovery questions, solving problems for the customer’s customer, reading the room during a sales call, and staying true to your own personality rather than copying someone else’s sales style. For freight brokers, logistics sales teams, freight technology companies, and transportation leaders, this episode offers a practical look at building trust, earning referrals, and creating lasting customer value. 

 

TAKEAWAYS: 

  • Tom Curee’s 20 years in freight and his start at TQL 
  • Selling to shippers, carriers, drivers, brokers, and executives 
  • Knowing when a prospect is not the right fit 
  • Why Qued focuses only on freight appointment scheduling 
  • Becoming a specialist instead of trying to solve every problem 
  • Understanding the buyer’s goals and performance measures 
  • Getting schedulers and operations teams involved early 
  • Why executive approval does not guarantee adoption 
  • Building trust with the people using the technology every day 
  • How appointments affect margins, driver satisfaction, and shipper revenue 
  • Solving problems for your customer’s customer 
  • Asking better sales discovery questions 
  • Why honesty can lead to referrals even when no sale occurs 
  • Finding a sales style that fits who you are 
  • Reading the room and adjusting the sales conversation 
  • Pull Quotes 
  • CHAPTERS: 

    00:00 Meet Tom Curee, President of Qued 

    02:59 Starting in freight at TQL at 19 

    05:02 Selling by serving a real customer need 

    07:10 Understanding buyer goals and performance measures 

    08:59 Knowing when not to make the sale 

    09:53 Why Qued stays focused on appointment scheduling 

    12:04 Specialists vs. companies that promise everything 

    14:19 Understanding the problem before pitching the solution 

    15:59 Winning trust from schedulers and end users 

    17:32 Executive approval vs. team adoption 

    18:14 Sales makes promises. Operations keeps them. 

    20:43 How appointments affect freight margins 

    23:04 Solving problems for your customer’s customer 

    24:05 Asking stronger discovery questions 

    26:56 Selling something you truly care about 

    27:24 Finding your own sales style 

    29:45 Why honesty earns referrals 

    32:26 Knowing who you are as a salesperson 

    34:27 Reading the room and adapting the call 

    36:02 Closing thoughts 

     

    START YOUR JOURNEY: www.journeydelivers.com 

     

    KEYWORDS: recruiting, consulting, training, freight sales, freight technology sales, freight brokerage sales, logistics sales, Qued, Tom Curee, freight appointment scheduling, transportation sales strategy, freight broker training, logistics customer service, freight technology implementation, customer discovery questions, sales trust, freight operations, shipper needs, carrier sales, end-user adoption, logistics software sales

    EPISODE CREDITS:

    Host, Will Jenkins

    Creative Director, Erin Sweeney

    Edited and mixed by Keenan McCarthy

    Music licensed through Envato

     

    LINKS:

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    ABOUT THE JOURNEY PODCAST: 

    Welcome to The Journey Podcast, where we talk freight, sales, tech, the market and everything in between. Hosted by Will Jenkins, CEO and Founder of Journey, this show pulls from years of building & scaling freight brokerages along with the work our team does with hundreds of clients. We break down how brokers grow, how teams sell, how leaders hire, and what it takes to perform at a high-level in this industry.

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    The Journey PodcastBy Will Jenkins