How to Get Courier Contracts in 2024: 15 Winning Strategies

No courier contracts? Expect your delivery operations to grind to a halt.

You may have the greatest business plan in the world, well-researched delivery routes, a fleet of vehicles, and vetted delivery drivers at the ready—but if you don’t have a steady stream of clients, your couriers end up sitting around twiddling their thumbs (which costs you money).

In an ideal world, brands would directly seek out your delivery services. This is doable for an established courier business, but if you’re just starting out, it can be tricky trying to convince retailers, food brands, medical businesses, and other companies that rely on deliveries to choose you.

This is why most courier companies (both new and those with a fair few miles under their belt) lean on several different ways to get courier contracts. 

15 practical ways to find and secure courier contracts 

There are many different types of courier contracts, from last mile delivery contracts and independent courier contracts to box truck delivery contracts and government courier contracts. These practical methods will help you find courier service contracts of all shapes and sizes. 

1. Attend industry events

Many companies that use couriers attend industry events. Think retailers who visit trade shows to source suppliers, or small food and beverage shops who attend local networking events to find ingredients or new flavors. If you don’t want to box yourself in, you can attend more generic trade shows, conferences, and events related to logistics and transportation.

Here are some of the most relevant in the US: 

• ASCM Connect
• Retail Supply Chain Conference
• TPM

2. Join industry associations    

Industry associations bring together industry folk looking to learn and build their businesses—great news for you. As well as meeting brands you can work with, many associations host meetups, seminars, and other valuable events where you can learn about the latest trends and technologies and network with potential clients. 

Some associations are free to join, but many ask for a small joining fee. Look at industry-specific options like the Express Carriers Association and the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association. These organizations have carrier directories you can join, annual conferences, and private networking events.

3. Collaborate with other businesses

Partnering with relevant businesses or an independent contractor—such as ecommerce brands, retail stores, and logistics firms–can be a strategic move if you want to expand your client base. 

Leaning on existing companies with pre-built customer bases is a particularly effective tactic if your company is new or in the early stages of growth because you can tap into new market segments and take advantage of your partners’ existing customer relationships. The key is to consider ways you can both benefit from the partnership. For example, you might cross-promote each other’s offers or integrate your courier services into their products and services. 

4. Bid on courier sites

Often, if a business needs delivery services, they’ll post on job boards or dedicated courier bidding sites. These platforms make it fast and easy to connect with potential clients—all you have to do is set up a profile and bid when the right courier jobs appear. 

While these websites are a relatively low-effort way to secure contracts, bear in mind they can be very competitive. You might find yourself up against tens (or even hundreds) of other delivery companies all bidding on the same listing and if you’re not the cheapest, fastest, or most experienced, you’ll lose out. Another thing to note is these sites can restrict rates and take extra service fees, cutting into your profit. 

However, they’re worth a try to get some low-hanging fruit. Try FindRFP (US) for pharmacy services, mail services, larger shipments, and government contracts, Shiply (US) if you have extra room in your trailer and want to maximize profits, or Courier Exchange (UK), which lets you flat-out buy jobs instead of bidding against others.  

5. Identify potential clients and reach out 

If you’re feeling bold, you can reach out directly to potential clients. Start by researching businesses that regularly use courier services, such as law firms, medical facilities, ecommerce companies, and retail chains. Then, introduce your services and discuss their needs. This method is often called cold outreach and your results will vary depending on the type of companies you contact and how you contact them.

Begin by researching businesses in your area that might need your type of courier work. You can go online (or just go out on the road) and look at local businesses within the zip code you want to deliver.

For example, a medical courier service might contact local medical supplies labs, healthcare offices, and pharmacies. A local farmer might contact area supermarkets to gauge interest — or even switch to a direct-to-consumer model, selling produce to customers directly. That’s what Three Chimney Farm did.

Make sure you go after businesses that are a good fit for your services as they’re more likely to lead to signed contracts. For example, will you need special vehicles, like cargo vans, pick-up trucks, or larger moving trucks? If you’re delivering for restaurants, how quickly can your courier driver pick up food orders and take them to customers’ houses?

Finally, prepare a pitch that gives all the essential information these businesses need to know about the delivery jobs you offer. This could include details about: 

• Size of your team
• Volume capacity
• Vehicles
• Rates
• Driving licenses and dispatcher insurance
• Ordering and payment processes

Send prospects a nudge a week or so after your initial contact if they don’t respond. People are busy and sometimes need a reminder to get back to you. 

6. Send a direct mail or brochure

Technology is great, but sometimes good old-fashioned snail mail is best for grabbing the attention of potential courier clients.

Put together a one-page brochure to send to local companies who might need your services. Increase your chances of a callback by adding a personalized note or a customized list of services most appropriate for their business. For example, you might mention you have a fleet of refrigerated vans if you pitch to food and beverage companies.

Econo-Courier has a two-page downloadable brochure to send to potential contracts. It includes the different kinds of services they offer, including same-day services, man-in-a-van services, and warehousing services.

7. Create a professional website 

You may already have a website or you might have relied on in-person networking and referrals up until now. Either way, it’s good practice to have a home on the internet where potential clients can learn more about your services.

Create a user-friendly, professional website showcasing your services, pricing, and customer testimonials. For example, if you help restaurants and pharmacies deliver orders to their customers or offer same-day delivery, add those services to your site. This helps tell Google — and your prospects — about which services you offer.

For example, Go LTL includes a list of benefits clients get when they sign up for same-day deliveries. 

8. Optimize your website to rank higher in search engine results

If you open a new browser and Google your city’s name plus “delivery service,” does your business pop up? If the answer is no, you might be missing out on valuable work.

There’s a significant difference between having a business website and having an optimized website that attracts customers who’ll benefit the most from your delivery service. An optimized website shows up in the search results for keywords your target clients are using.

For example, if someone searches “Mesa Arizona courier service” the first result is Arizona Couriers which has clearly optimized its website for the terms “Mesa” and “courier services” as you can see in the page title (the link) and the meta description (the sentence below the link).

Website optimization can be a pretty complex topic, but as long as you have the foundations in place you should see some results.

• Research relevant keywords. Think about words and phrases potential customers might use to search for courier services like yours.
• Include keywords throughout your website. Sprinkle these keywords throughout your website, including page headings, URLs, and meta descriptions. 
• Add internal links. Link between relevant pages to strengthen the structure of your website.

There are other ways to show up in Google’s search results that don’t involve learning SEO.  For example, you can get customer reviews on both Google and third-party sites, such as Yelp. 

If you create a Yelp account (which can be free, or at least very inexpensive if you go for their most basic plan), you can set up your business and then ask your existing customers to leave you a review on your Yelp account. As your Yelp presence grows, you’re more likely to be recommended by the review site to prospective customers.

9. Use social media to promote your services

Social media is a great way to explore new markets and find potential businesses you won’t come across on Google or out on the road. Use platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X to connect with relevant companies and promote your services.

For example, if you specialize in delivering products for ecommerce companies, you might search for ecommerce brands in your local area or ecommerce brands that sell a specific type of product, like furniture, electronics, or clothing.

Use the search bar to find relevant brands: 

Alternatively, you can use social media to attract the right type of contracts. Do this by posting relevant, useful content that the companies you want to deliver for might find interesting. 

Here are some ways you can do that: 

• Look at what content your competitors are posting. 
• Source questions from existing clients and answer them on your social media accounts. 
• Share customer testimonials or case studies. 
• Create a hashtag and encourage people to share photos of your courier vehicles on the road. 

10. Invest in online ads 

Ads generally show up in Google’s search results before organic listings and can be identified by the 'sponsored' text just above.

Ads can give your delivery business really useful exposure. Plus, you can also include additional features in ads, such as listing your business’s phone number.

While ads cost money to run, you’re only charged when someone clicks — and you can set a maximum daily budget so you don’t get any nasty surprises. The exact pricing of an ad is based on several factors, such as how many others are bidding for that same keyword, and whether you want to run the ad during a holiday or peak hours.

We did some research for you to give you an idea of how much it’d cost to run ads for delivery services in major US cities. These numbers will change, but this gives you an idea of how much you might expect to spend every time someone clicks on one of your ads.

If you’re running ads for a Chicago Delivery Service and get 1,000 clicks, you’ll spend (roughly) $3,390 on advertising. To make sure that spending money on ads is worth it, you’ll want to figure out how much revenue you get (on average) from the ads.

11. Register as a vendor with agencies to get government courier contracts

Many government entities, like city municipalities and federal departments, need reliable courier services to deliver important documents and packages. You can only bid on these contracts by going through a vendor registration process, which typically involves creating a profile on centralized government vendor websites (like SAM.gov) or local procurement portals.

To do this, you’ll need to provide detailed information about your company, the services you offer, pricing, certifications, and how you comply with local regulations. Once approved, you can bid on opportunities by submitting proposals to Requests for Proposals (RFPs).

12. Monitor corporate tender opportunities 

Going out for tender sounds scary, but it can be a great way to pick up lucrative corporate contracts. Plenty of large companies regularly send out RFPs or Invitations to Tender (ITTs) for courier services—usually through their procurement departments or third-party tender websites like BidStats or FedBizOpps.

Create an account on these platforms and set up alerts to notify you when new, relevant tenders are published.

It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on industry-specific publications, trade journals, and business directories that advertise upcoming tender opportunities. When you see a good opportunity, review the tender requirements, prepare your proposal (remembering to address all selection criteria), and highlight your services, pricing, and what makes you unique.

13. Encourage existing clients to refer new clients 

Word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most valuable ways to get clients. Not only is it a great feeling when an existing client rates your delivery services highly enough to send someone else your way, but clients who find you this way are almost a dead-cert. They don’t have to waste time researching other courier companies—instead, they can sign up with you and get started immediately.

Encourage your existing clients to refer others your way by offering incentives or discounts. Here are some ideas to get you started: 

• Offer a monthly discount when a client refers another company
• Give existing clients 10% of a referred client’s revenue (kind of like a commission) 
• Reward clients with a free delivery each time they refer a new customer

14. Engage in PR activities 

A well-executed PR campaign can shine a spotlight on your courier services and put you on the radar of potential clients. There are several ways you can do this: 

• Issue press releases to announce company milestones, new service offerings, or any community initiatives you’re running. 
• Engage with local and trade media outlets through interviews or contributed articles to position yourself as a thought leader in the logistics space
• Form relationships with industry influencers and use social media platforms to share your company message
• Sponsor or participate in community events, trade shows, or charitable causes

15. Get involved in local community events

Local community events are a great way to start small and expand your network. Consider sponsoring local events at retail stores, supermarkets, or venues where your target clients might be hanging out. You can also attend small business expos and fairs to find local retailers or brands that might need your services. The more events you attend or sponsor, the more likely people are to recognize your brand, which will keep you front of mind when they do eventually need the services of a courier company. 

Seal the deal: How to turn prospects into paid contracts

Finding potential clients is only part of the challenge. Next, you need to actually convert leads into paying courier contracts.

Here are some tips:

1. Offer competitive pricing: Ensure your pricing is competitive while maintaining profitability. With Circuit for Teams, you pay a monthly fee based on the number of delivery stops, allowing you to manage costs effectively as you grow
2. Promote industry-specific services: Customize your services for specific industries and address their unique requirements. For example, you might promote temperature-controlled deliveries to secure medical courier contracts. 
3. Provide flexible contracts: Provide flexible contract terms to accommodate different client requirements.
4. Develop your proposal writing skills: Develop strong proposals highlighting your capabilities, experience, and value proposition.

How to retain existing contracts

1. Reward your best clients

Show your existing courier clients you value their custom through loyalty programs and rewards. For example, you can offer one month free to business owners who sign a 12-month contract or offer a points program that lets clients cash in after enjoying a certain amount of deliveries. 

2. Use apps and technology to improve delivery efficiency 

Use delivery management software so clients can track deliveries in real-time, automate order processing, optimize deliveries with multiple drop-offs, send invoices, and implement customer support. Do all this in one place with Circuit For Teams, like CarryAll, a delivery company specializing in oversized items. The brand saved three hours a day by using Circuit For Team’s route optimization software. 

3. Build trust and a solid reputation 

Your reputation hinges on the quality of your courier services. Deliver on time as often as possible and tackle any issues ASAP to avoid disappointment. Circuit For Team’s route optimization feature and live tracking help you deliver a high-quality service that keeps clients coming back. 

4. Maintain clear and constant communication 

Keeping clients updated on their deliveries builds trust and reassures them that you’re doing a good job. Maintain clear and near-constant communication or, even better, let clients track their deliveries with Circuit For Team’s live tracking feature. 

5. Solicit feedback from clients to improve your services 

Asking existing clients for feedback is great for two reasons. Firstly, you can use it to improve your services and customer experience. Secondly, you can use this information to make yourself more appealing when looking for new contracts. For example, if your delivery success rates are particularly high, you can add a one-liner to your proposals that reflects this. 

No courier contracts = no revenue 

In the last mile delivery game, no customers means no revenue. It doesn’t matter how robust your business strategy is, how meticulously you’ve researched your local area, or how much you’ve invested in a state-of-the-art delivery fleet.

If you don’t have a regular flow of new delivery contracts, you’re losing money. Circuit For Teams can help you secure more courier contracts by giving you powerful delivery features at you (and your client’s) fingertips. From live tracking and optimized route planning to analytics that monitor individual driver stats and flexible proof of delivery, it has everything you need to land more contracts and, more importantly, keep existing clients coming back.

Learn how Circuit For Teams can help you secure more courier contracts—start a free 7-day trial.