How to Get Corporate Clients… Tomorrow

Whenever I speak to a group of micro business owners or solopreneurs about selling to high-paying corporate clients, there’s one “objection” I hear more than any other: “Angelique, doesn’t it take a loooooooong time to land corporate clients?” My answer to that is always the same: “That depends on YOU.” That’s right. The power to slash the sales cycle to virtually nothing depends entirely on the decisions you make and the actions you take. In this article I share with you four strategies you can use to get to the sale immediately. (And by the way, these strategies work no matter what size company you’re targeting — from the self-employed professional all the way up to the global conglomerate.) Sell the fire extinguisher to put out their fire. There are two expressions that are used on a daily basis in the corporate world: “fire drill” and “running around with your hair on fire.” Both statements refer to the same thing — a chronic sense of being in a state of emergency.rnThis creates an atmosphere where corporate people are so insanely busy that the only thing they have time to deal with in a given day is the ONE thing that’s so urgent it’s practically on fire. Your goal in your sales conversations and marketing materials is to show how what you do will be the perfect fire extinguisher to put out that fire. Chase ambulances.There’s a very good reason why personal injury attorneys earned the reputation of being “ambulance chasers.” In reality, they’re simply being smart sales people by targeting their services to the right people at the RIGHT time. (Why on earth would anyone need a personal injury attorney if they weren’t hurt?)rnYou can put this same strategy to work for you in the corporate marketplace. By approaching potential clients at precisely the moment they most need you, you can eliminate the competition and dramatically cut the time it takes to close the sale. Speak music to their ears. No, I’m not talking about corporate gobbledygook or jargon. I’m talking about saying the right things — the things that will grab their attention, RESONATE with what’s happening in their workday right now, and make them feel like you’re practically reading their minds. The more closely you match your words to what’s relevant and timely to them, the more easily they’ll see how your services (and the benefit of those services) are just what they need — and they’ll make it a priority to talk with you.rnThink “who” not “what.” You know the expression: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” So when you’re trying to bring in clients (and revenue) fast, your best bet is to focus on the relationships you already have in your network – friends, family, neighbors, former coworkers, parents of your kids’ friends, other small business owners… Even if the people you know aren’t in a corporate decision-maker role, they can still point you to the right person in their company, saving you a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to track down the information yourself.