We are back with our Forwarder Heros series, chatting with talented forwarders from the cargo.one community. This month, Jonathan Stocco joins us, an air outbound operator at Barbarini & Foglia in Italy.
What aspect of your job do you love most or find most rewarding?
(*Laughs*) The most rewarding part of my job is winning shipments. My main role at the moment is focused on pricing and winning business, so when we receive that confirmation email, it’s a relief. We are a small forwarding company, and competing with the bigger companies can be a real challenge, especially on pricing, so we put a lot of effort in and often have to fight to win. And when you win, it feels great.
I also love the parts where I get to be involved in really cool and important shipments. We handled all the cars, motorbikes, and film footage for a Fast & Furious movie. We shipped the vehicles from LA to Italy, to London, and back to LA, plus securely handled all of the film footage – so millions of dollars at stake. It’s super exciting and different to experience that; you get to see things you normally wouldn’t, plus it is hugely rewarding when you can deliver exactly what the customer needs, on time and safely. Often, you have very little time and high expectations, so to make it happen is a great achievement.
What are the most important skills needed to succeed in freight forwarding?
The most important skills are the ability to stay calm and be organized. Our jobs are stressful, there are so many complexities involved in a shipment, plus time zones, deadlines, etc. to navigate. If you don’t stay calm, you can easily make mistakes that will affect your shipments and your customers. Being organized is not a ‘nice to have’ in this business, it’s a requirement: there is so much going on all of the time, and the risk of missing emails, deliveries, and deadlines is super high.
If you could advise your younger self, what would it be?
(*Laughs*). Win the lottery! No, no, be organized, stay calm, and give yourself time. You know, this job is not for everyone – there are so many challenges and problems! But if you can learn to love it, you can make a real difference. When I started out, I didn't love the job immediately – I made lots of mistakes because I wasn’t organized enough, and I missed emails and deliveries. It was hard, and I didn’t enjoy it. But my WORK got to the next level when I found the right way to be organized. It took me about a year to realize that this job was 100% for me, and then I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I’ve now got color-coding, systems, and digital ways of working that have made the job enjoyable. If only I had this in those earlier days!
What's your favorite object on your desk?
I have postcards. One is from Brazil. I visited Sao Paulo about 6 or 7 years ago. I find it to be a great reminder of an incredible place and experience, and that’s important to me. I also have joke postcards between my colleagues and me. One reminds me of an old colleague with whom I had a close relationship, and in general, they are just about joy and friendship, really.
How has digital air cargo booking improved your life?
Definitely for the better! Digital booking has been a great step, and the cargo.one platform has helped us a lot. It’s fast, smart, and really easy to use. You can book a shipment in 30 seconds or less and give a quotation to your customer in 5 minutes. And cargo.one pro has made a real difference. With pro, we are now able to build relationships with new agents all over the world, and as a result, we have generated an extra 100,000 EUR more in less than a year! It’s been so great for us.
