| Think BIG, Act BIG!
Want a Business Strategy That Won’t Miss? Begin to cultivate a “big-client” culture at your company before you’ve even nailed down your first big prospect. Getting your people, your methods, and your machines ready to handle the challenges of a big new client – an Elephant – can actually have the effect of helping you Bag one. How? Getting big client contracts takes a company that’s focused on getting them. The company that Bags the Elephant is the one that positions itself to solve specific problems relating to that Elephant. And that comes from a full-company effort. As an example of some of the good stuff, here are several of The Difference Maker’s Tenets of the Big Customer Philosophy: Partners: Approach your prospects as potential partners, not as if they were doing you a favor. Remember – it’s a two-way street. Many entrepreneurs are willing to give away the store in hopes of wooing a prospective big client. That’s a mistake. You have a lot to offer these companies; in many cases your product, service or effectiveness at delivering may be pivotal for them. So it’s a balance between being flexible and not being taken advantage of. One and Done: The One and Done principle is simple. You hope to get one shot at a potential client – and if you blow it, you’re done. This principle applies to everything from the initial contact forward, including quotes, presentations, sales pitches, client requests, even after you’ve signed a deal, to delivery and further sales. Don’t give your prospect any reason to doubt you or look elsewhere, not even for a moment. Whatever It Takes: Think flexible: consider bending over backward and touching your head to the floor, if necessary. Even if your current product line keeps you hopping, be grateful for the chance to grow. If you can, adjust your business plan on the fly to adapt to your prospective client’s needs and values. Pigs Get Fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered: Sure, you expect to make a lot of money doing business with your Elephant – but don’t get greedy. You must be careful to view the big customer as a long-term relationship. Once you are in this relationship of mutual trust, there will be plenty of revenue available to you. This is part of knowing what success looks like when it arrives, and that is a part of measuring what success is for you. Is that something you’ve considered? |
