Customs Brokers Leverage Shipping Data to Find New Clients

Customs brokers provide an invaluable interface between American importers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the government agency that regulates their imports.  For each shipment entering the country, there are a wide array of documents that may be required by the government to ensure the goods are lawful and that any duties are paid appropriately. Rather than wade into this complicated sea of regulations, classifications, and documentation, most importers prefer to leverage the expertise of a licensed customs broker.  In fact, there are a more than 5,000 customs brokerages listed on the web site of Customs and Border Protection. In such a competitive and fragmented industry, it can be hard for a brokerage to stand out from the crowd.  Many of these customs brokers are turning to the Import Genius web application to identify importers based on their true shipping histories and offer them their customs clearance services.  By collecting the shipping manifest for all U.S. ocean freight imports and making them easily searchable through our web application, Import Genius lets customs brokers access detailed information about an importer.  Rather than going into a sales call blind, the sales team for a customs broker with an Import Genius account will know exactly what their target has imported, who their suppliers are, what trade lanes and ports they use most frequently, the name of their current ocean carrier, their historical shipping volumes, and more.  Armed with knowledge of their prospect’s true needs, customs brokers can tailor their offering to ensure they provide the level of customized service required to compete in today’s economic environment.  If you're a customs brokerage or freight forwarder, you should sign up today to start targeting prospective clients for your company.