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Bring Them Flowers

There are a few things you need to do and consider preparing for your first face to face meeting:

• Make a list of what you want to accomplish during the meeting.
• Anticipate potential concerns from the client.
• Check to make sure you are entirely prepared.
• Listen more than you talk.
• Bring support staff with you.
• Use and respect the clients’ format.
• Always follow through.
• Ask for what you need and seal the deal.
• Simplify your prospects life.
• Find ways to boost your credibility.
• Build and nurture relationships.
• Learn from “no.” Find out what didn’t work, so you know how to change it for the next time.

These are all important things to do both before and during your presentation. With confidence behind your company and product, you will catch that big fish. The next step of the process is negotiation. This can seem a little intimidating, but with a few tips and tricks can become natural to you.

Here are some tips to help you negotiated successfully:

1. Build a pricing strategy and stick with it.
2. Prioritize what you plan to offer. This should include what really matters to you and what you are willing to give in on.
3. Don’t give in too quickly.
4. Negotiate with a person, not a “company.” Don’t let their answer be that they would like to, but can’t.
5. Don’t sell yourself short.
6. Mitigate your pricing. If you go too low, you won’t be able to raise it back up, and you need to make a profit.
7. Don’t sacrifice quality for the deal.
8. Your services should always count as costs.
9. Boost margins with add-ons.
10. Handle requests for proposals with the utmost care.

These are how you make sure that both parties are getting the best possible situation from the partnership. Once you start meeting or working together, it’s essential to continue to build your relationship so that that representative becomes a significant ally for you. They are more likely to vouch for you and build on the partnership you have with their company.

We like to call this person a champion. They are champions for your company and can bring a healthier, brighter future for your company. Here are the characteristics of a grand champion:

• They are respected by supervisors.
• They are socially networked.
• They think in the best interest of their company’s long run.
• They can navigate through the company to get things done quickly.
• They are willing to give credit to another person.
• They share the same business philosophy, values, and vision as you.

Now that you know how to negotiate for what is best for both parties and build on relationships, we’re going to talk about how to use your fish’s power to the best of your benefit.

If you need help with any of the negotiation or courting process, try our GUIDED TOUR to get access to a wealth of great tools and resources to help you be successful.

Who’s Your MVP?

In the last post, we talked about making the first contact with your prospective big fish and how to make a positive first impression. Today we’re going to talk about feeling out your prospective big fish’s personality to match the right salesperson to the fish.

You need to do this in two steps:

1. Profile your salespeople’s personalities.
2. Match the right salesperson to your target fish.

There are essentially three different selling personalities:

• Sage
• Pal
• Pit Bull

The Sage

This salesperson offers knowledge, experience, comfort, and trust. They can make a concerned customer feel at ease. To be successful, they need plenty of information, a demo of the product/service, references, and case studies, if possible.

The Pal

Much like it sounds, this is a salesperson that shines at building relationships. They can instantly relate to the prospective client and make them seem like old friends in no time. They work best with clients looking for friendship, information, and a similar peer group as the salesperson. This can include anything from age and culture to hobbies and nightlife. While sharing experiences can be beneficial to creating a new relationship, your salesperson must always keep it professional and dignified. The resource’s this personality type needs is help pairing with the right client, entertainment (or schmoozing) budget, and the right information to meet the client’s needs.

The Pit Bull

Obviously, this personality type is a little more aggressive than the others. They are all about business and the bottom line. While this may seem harsh to many people, there is a set of business people out there who want the same thing and respect someone who can get down to business and the benefits of a partnership. This salesperson will need to be trusted with a little authority as they will likely be closing deals on the spot. They’ll need plenty of resources and access to products and services. They are best placed in environments where they can work independently, exercise their authoritative discretion, and seal deals quickly.

These can all be successful when each is used in the right selling environment. You can easily see how matching the right salesperson for the client can secure more big fish and for a longer period of time.

If you need help figuring out which of your salespeople fit into these three areas, try our GUIDED TOUR and work with one of our amazing coaches to get your big fish plan in action.

The Perfect Bait

In the last post, we talked about how to learn about your big fish and prepare for the first contact you’ll make with them. This first contact is essential to your success. You need to instill confidence in them. They need to know you can fulfill exactly what you are offering on time, at a fair price, and at the quality you promise.

Today we’ll go through the big approach and how to make that perfect first impression. Before you put together your approach plan, you need to choose with big fish you’re going after. Take a look at your notes and the research you’ve done about prospective fish. Then decide which one will be the most straightforward approach to start with.

There are a series of things to go through in choosing which fish to start with. They are:

• Position Your Business
• Compile Your Hit List
• Select the Best Target

Position Your Business

You need to position your business to make the first move by listing your revenue streams, id and list your operational procedures, where your fish is initially positioned, your big-customer research, and putting it all together.

Compile Your Hit List

Start with a list of all the companies you’ve been considering. Then narrow it down to the ones who know could use your products or services. Don’t overlook obvious choices, whether they are big or small. Even small companies could be big fish in the future.

Select the Best Target

Once you’ve got your list narrowed down, you need to decide which one is the best fish to start with. You need to consider a couple of things:

• Which have the most purchasing resources to spend?
• Does their company vision complement yours?
• What are their employee incentive programs as they relate to your products/services?
• What’s the company’s real need for you?
• Will the partnership lead you off-course?

Now you should have a target in mind to start with. It’s time to plan your approach and execute that plan.

Here’s the step-by-step plan to help you make an excellent first impression:

1. Build and analyze your database. Divide your leads into three different categories: hot leads, great fits, and secondary leads.
2. Send out introductory mailings to your target to introduce yourself, your company, services, products, and vision. They need to be short, clean, and concise.
3. Follow up with your first phone call 2-3 days after they would have received the mailings. During the phone call, find out who you need to be speaking with in the future and set up a meeting with the right person.
4. Follow up your phone call with another mailing that thanks them for taking the time to speak with you and offer more details about your products/services. Use this letter and the opportunity to set up a meeting to do a presentation.
5. Follow up the letter with another phone call a couple of days after receiving the letter. This phone call is to help you further develop your relationship with the prospective client. You should also be able to set up a presentation meeting with them.
6. Call again a week later if they haven’t agreed to a meeting or presentation. Ask if they received your creative letter (the second one) and if they have a minute when you can stop by and introduce yourself in person.

Now, don’t be upset if you don’t seal the deal right away. Some people simply take a little longer to woo. This can all be a little intimidating at first, but you can’t go wrong when you know you are offering a quality product/service.

Once you’ve gone through this process and make the first contact (and hopefully a good first impression), it’s time to put your best face forward, which means sending the right salesperson to seal the deal.

If you need help putting together your approach and making an excellent first impression, try our GUIDED TOUR to work with a coach and access a wealth of great resources and tools.

Untangle the Red Tape

In the last post, we talked about bringing the big-company mindset into your business and your team. Getting this mindset will help you overcome the mental obstacles that will keep you from being successful. Now that you’ve learned how to overcome that, we’re going to talk about who your fish is. It’s essential to know about the fish you are looking for before you put a plan together. We’re also going to take a moment to talk about the potential “red tape” you may encounter along the way.

The most important thing to know about your fish is their purchasing habits and procedures. There are four main things you need to work on to be successful:

1. Responsibilities: You need to know who influences purchasing, who does the actual buying, and who can kill a deal if they want.
2. Get on Their List: You need to know how to get on their list of people to buy from. Your name needs to not only be on the list, but at the top of it and in as many categories as possible for more interaction. Ask about a procurement program and what you need to do to go through the application process.
3. Lingo: You need to learn the company’s unique language and communications methods. These could include report names, buzzwords, and even the nicknames they have for their employees.
4. Fiscal Budgets: It’s essential you know the fishes’ fiscal budget, so you know exactly when they plan their expenses for the year.

Now that we’ve talked a little about what you need to know about your fish, let’s a quick look at the “red tape.”

Bureaucracy might as well be a four-letter word with the emotions it stirs in all of us. “Red tape” is a necessary evil, but one you can use to learn from. There are two ways to learn from their system:

1. Analyze their activity.
2. Review their correspondence.

Being an outsider looking in can have its advantages too. If you hate dealing with the “red tape,” imagine how their employees feel dealing with it. If they need to crunch some numbers, offer to do it. If they need more info, make sure you are giving it to them in a user-friendly way.

The things we talked about in this lesson will help you prepare for the big approach. If you need help with any of this, try our GUIDED TOUR to find the right tools to get the job done.

Be One with the Fish

In the last post, we started our series on catching big clients, or “fish,” that will sustain your business over the long run. Today we’re going to take that a step further by talking about understanding and thinking like a big fish company and how that can help you plan your approach and find success.

Before you can start the process of landing big clients, you have to make sure your entire team is on board with your approach and vision. There are six keys to finding big client success. They are:

1. First Impression: You must remember you have one shot to land a big client. If you make a mistake, they aren’t going to consider you again. Never give them a reason to doubt your abilities.
2. First Priority: Your fish must always feel like they are your first priority. Returns calls and emails immediately and find solutions to their problems or questions as quickly as possible.
3. Flexible: You need to be flexible in your negotiations. If they need a unique service or for you to customize a product, say yes for the benefit of the long term. A little hassle now will be a big pay off later.
4. Long-term: This goes along with the last one a bit. As you are approaching and negotiating with big fish, you need to think about the long term benefits for your business. If you go for a one-time big score, you will lose their interest.
5. Have Fun: Work should be fun, even when trying to land big clients. In fact, this should be the most fun. You are sharing your vision with new people and including them in your future success and likewise. People simply work better in a fun, happy environment. Your passion will also be contagious and pull the fish into your vision even more.
6. Help Them: If you take just a little bit of time and offer your clients ways to save money or time by introducing them to potential business partners, this will show you really are invested and interested in their business. Strive to find a balance between your business needs and your client’s needs.

You can also use a few tactics to bring in a big-company vision to the people on your team. You can:

• Post these six keys for all to see.
• Put together a performance-based incentive program.
• Conduct frequent team meetings.
• Use a “right now” policy that dictates big fish calls be answered immediately.
• Offer awards/recognition for big-company ideas and executions.
• Put together a training and certification program based on the six keys above.

These six keys and tips will help you instill a big-company mindset through your company, which will help you be more prepared and more likely to land your big fish. Once your team is thinking this way, you’ll be unstoppable.

If you need help putting together an incentive program or other way to push your team toward the big-company mindset, try our GUIDED TOUR to work with one of our coaches or check out our resources and tools.