Moving on from my last post, in which I talked about how to learn about your big fish, this post considers how to prepare for the first contact you’ll make with them.
This first contact is vital to your success. You’ll want to instill confidence in them. They need to know you can fulfill exactly what you’re offering:
- On time
- At a good price and
- At the quality you promise
Today we’ll actually go through the big approach and how to make that perfect first impression.
Before you put together your approach plan, you need to decide on which big fish you’re after. Take a look at your notes and the research you’ve done on potential fish. Then decide which one will be the easiest approach to start out with.
There are a series of things to go through in choosing which fish to start with. They are:
- Position Yourself And Your Business
- Compile Your Hit List
- Select the Best Target
Position Yourself And Your Business
You need to position your business to make the first move by listing your income streams, identifying and listing your operational procedures, assessing where your fish is initially positioned, review your big-customer research, and pulling 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’re 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 number of things:
- Which have the most purchasing resources to spend
- Does their company vision compliment 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 a good first impression:
- Build and analyze your database. Divide your leads into three different categories: hot leads, great fits and secondary leads.
- Send out introductory mailings to your target to introduce yourself, your company, services, products, and vision. They need to be short, clean and concise. Use a great headline in the letter – preferably one that gives them the benefit of working with you. A good postcard can work well.
- Follow up with your first phone call 2-3 days after they should have received the letter or card. During the phone call find out the name of the person you need to be speaking with in the future and try to set up a meet with the correct person.
- Follow up your phone call with another mailing and thank them for taking the time to speak with you and offer more details about your products/services. Use this letter and opportunity to set up a meeting to do a presentation.
- Follow up the letter with another phone call a couple of days after they would have received 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.
- 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 fish simply take a little longer to land. This can all be a little intimidating at first, but when you know you are offering a quality product/service, you can’t go wrong.
Remember The Rule of Seven. The Rule of Seven is an old marketing adage that says that a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you.
The Rule of Seven isn’t cast in stone by any means but far too many business owners give up far too easily in their small business marketing efforts. The real winners are those that don’t.
Once you’ve gone through this process and make first contact (and hopefully a good first impression) it’s time to put your best face forward, which means either seeing the prospect yourself or sending the right salesperson to seal the deal.