Corporate clients provide steady work, higher rates and large-scale projects. But for small businesses, attracting this calibre of client can be challengingFuse
Corporate clients provide steady work, higher rates and large-scale projects. But for small businesses, attracting this calibre of client can be a real challenge. The following tips can help you refine how your small business is perceived, how you interact with corporate decision-makers and finally, how you can develop products and services to attract more corporate clients.
1. Build rapport over voice-mail. Some say voice-mail is dead – but the vast majority of corporate decision-makers still have it and it's your direct line in when other internal channels are locked down. When most of their days are taken up by meetings or work on the road, voice-mail is one of the key links back to the office and their team. Practice leaving voice-mails with a pleasant tone and speaking at a slower pace. Don't be surprised if they pick up the phone after your third voice-mail and talk to you like they've known you for months. If you are ignored, try sending an e-mail and find out their preferred communication channel. When they have heard your voice first, they are more open to sending you an e-mail reply and a chance for you to keep the conversation going.
2. Invest in a professional phone system. When you get calls back, make sure the experience is as professional as possible to make your company of one, 12 or 50 look bigger. Invest in your phone system just as you would invest in your website. Be sure when they don't have a name, they can leave a message and someone will call them back. Don't leave them in phone menu runarounds or make them frustrated. If you make it easy to reach out to you by phone, you appeal to a vast majority of decision-makers who still like this option. Many startups don't list their number on their website to safeguard their team from recruiters and reduce customer service calls. Figure out a way around this to keep your number online for your corporate customers.
3. Design products and services around the technology they use. What would these clients appreciate? If they use Macs in a specific department, perhaps they are focused on design work? Build products and services that will complement what they have already put into place. Something as simple as a template that helps reduce repetitive tasks can make them reach out to you for more billable work. Corporate executives can be overwhelmed by project work and don't have a lot of flexibility in the technology available. Work with what they have in place to open corporate doors faster.
4. Find out what they don't want to do. People hire outside of their organization because they don't have the expertise, the time or desire. All three work in your favour but the last item – something they don't want to do (but have to) – has the most potential for small business owners. Find out what they don't want to do. It could be copywriting for their new Intranet, manufacturing a specific item, expanding into a new market without hiring or event planning. Tap into this and you'll embed your small business.
5. Learn about their sales process. A job that is constantly in demand nationwide is sales. Corporations have to cater to their customers and grow their business just like small business owners. What kind of growth do they want? What is their typical customer? Work on their behalf to grow their sales and the executive team will pay attention. Stop pitching yourself and start pitching on behalf of the corporation to become an integrated part of the sales process. Our own business has grown because we help impact a key component in our corporate customers' sales cycle.
6. Get private testimonials from other corporate executives. We've all seen logos on websites and dropped names. But how often do busy corporate teams look up your website? Request testimonials you can send privately. Add these testimonials on closed-bid proposals and send them to contacts in your e-mail communications. They will be forwarded and noticed even if they don't have time to check out your website. Use closed channels so you can use full names and titles and describe in detail how you helped other corporate clients.
7. Match their working style. Patience is needed here and a lot of informal observations into their working style day-to-day. Take the time to pop by, bring coffee and really understand how they work, the working environment and overall culture at the corporation. Build relationships with the whole team to ensure your work continues when your advocate moves to another job opportunity. When you know the "lay of the land"– match it as much as possible. If they have meetings in the afternoons, call them in the morning. If month-end is crunch time, request a meeting or pitch your ideas mid-month.
8. Corporate executives are people too. You have more in common with corporations than you think. These clients have specific business needs, wants and budgets. Many leaders run their own department and have the authority to fund their own projects. You want to work towards solving a problem for a piece of that budget and this can be done on an individual level. There are layers to navigate but if your service or product taps into what they need, you will build internal champions who see your value and want you to deliver.
9. Talk the "we" talk. Big corporations generally gravitate to other big corporations, but they also reach out to niche companies if they really want what you have. A simple way to seem bigger fast is to use pronouns like "we" and "us" throughout all of your correspondence and conversations. Emphasize that you have a team behind you – even as an individual, so as you grow, you can hire a team and keep working on growing your business.
10. Do great work. If you don't follow through with great work or products, all these tips are not worth much. Get the first advantage by ensuring quality. Communicate often and honestly to keep your corporate clients happy at every stage.
Susan Varty is managing partner of HeadStart Social Inc., a digital marketing agency that specializes in executive online branding and online appointment campaigns for sales teams. Susan is also co-founder of Women Get On Board.
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