We're regularly asked what our take is on the average salary for sales people of all levels within the forwarding industry and it seems to be how people work out as to whether or not they feel their employer values them as an employee. It obviously doesn't all come down to basic salary as you have to take progression, commission, benefits etc. into account, too, but we've put together a summary of what we see to be the 'average' salaries based on the many Air & Ocean sales people we talk to.

We're primarily basing these figures on the majority of the 'freight hubs' away from New York and LA, such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago etc. - for NY & LA the general rule of thumb is to add $5-10K onto the basic. Please note that these are not to be taken as gospel! There are some forwarders who have a low base but offer high reward and are known to be some of the top employers..

• 1-2 years' experience - $60-65k
• 2-4 years' experience - $65-80k
• 4-6 years' experience - $80-100k
• 6-8 years' experience - $100-120k
• 8+ years' experience - $120k+

As for commission, we'd expect a strong sales person to be able to add around $40-60k onto their earnings if bringing in around $300-500k GP.

Salaries will be decided on factors such as:

• Your success within the industry to date - sales figures, new business achievements
• Longevity/loyalty - it's hard to build interest with someone who is jumpy
• Commission structure - most forwarders are paying between 5-15% of GP, some with thresholds, some without. Some will pay higher base with lower commission and vice versa
• Business that you can potentially bring - no promises are expected, but naturally it's interesting if someone has long standing relationships who they will want to continue to work with
• Location - as above, the main freight hubs will typically pay more than the outlying areas

If you'd like to discuss your current package and what we truly believe our clients could offer you in terms of package, progression, increased commissions etc., give us a call. It's all kept strictly confidential.

We work with a number of the globes most well renowned forwarders and we're confident that we'll place a few very interesting opportunities in front of you if you are a strong candidate.