| Selling your services to corporations is an attractive | | | | someone else in the organization. |
| proposition. The contracts are larger than with small | | | | A supervisor must justify choices to a manager, the |
| businesses and individuals, and often longer-term. | | | | manager to an executive, the executive to the CEO, |
| There's the possibility of repeat business worth many | | | | the CEO to the board, the board to the shareholders. |
| billable hours at respectable rates. | | | | Each one of these people wants to look good to the |
| But the best clients are not always the easiest to | | | | next link up the chain, and dreads making a public |
| get. If you don't grasp the realities of the corporate | | | | mistake. If you want your sale to go through, you |
| environment, you may sabotage even a hot lead. | | | | need to provide your contact with EVIDENCE why |
| Here are five important keys to working with the | | | | you and your solution are the best choice. |
| corporate buyer. | | | | 4. The bottom line rules. When you provide your |
| 1. Managers are busy. This is just as true in economic | | | | evidence, it had better include dollars and cents. If |
| downturns as during a boom. When business is slow, | | | | you are more expensive than your competition, what |
| unnecessary employees get laid off. The people left | | | | added value will you provide? If hiring you will cost |
| behind have to pick up the slack. | | | | more than solving the company's problem in some |
| Busy people ignore unsolicited email and letters, and | | | | other way, what tangible benefits will they receive |
| will not return your phone calls. Even when you are in | | | | that make the added expense worthwhile? |
| the final stages of closing a deal, your contact may | | | | Individuals and small businesses buy services in the |
| not return your calls for weeks. If you accept this as | | | | category of nice-to-have, often to improve their |
| normal behavior instead of obsessing about how you | | | | quality of life or that of their employees. |
| may have caused it, you will sleep better at night and | | | | Corporations, especially in lean times, don't. You must |
| use your daylight hours more productively. | | | | sell them something they actually NEED and prove |
| 2. Hot buttons open doors. If you want to capture | | | | how it will enhance their bottom line. Real-life |
| the interest of a busy person, you need to tell them | | | | examples of results at other companies can speak |
| exactly how you can help them. Calling just to | | | | volumes. Illustrations with charts and graphs are more |
| introduce yourself will not get their attention. | | | | convincing than any brochure. |
| What do the people in your target market perceive | | | | 5. No budget; no project. Even when the company |
| to be the greatest problems they face, or the | | | | needs what you have and thinks you're the best one |
| biggest goals they wish to achieve? Ask these | | | | for the job, the deal won't go through if there's no |
| questions of the people you serve and the other | | | | money in the budget. You can ask your contact to |
| businesspeople who serve them. Read trade literature | | | | try for a budget variance, but no budget usually |
| or special interest publications and educate yourself | | | | means your project will be deferred until the next |
| on the key issues in your marketplace. Then tell your | | | | fiscal year. |
| prospects in every communication how you can help | | | | Always ask if the client has a budget at the first |
| address these needs. | | | | meeting. Don't necessarily expect them to tell you |
| 3. Every choice must be justified. When you sell to | | | | how much it is -- price negotiations will come later. |
| the owner of a small business or to an individual for | | | | But if your contact can't answer budget questions, |
| his or her own use, your buyer is free to make | | | | it's also a strong clue you are not talking to the |
| purchasing decisions based on instinct, whim, or gut | | | | decision-maker. |
| feeling. But every corporate sale must be justified to | | | | C.J. |