How To Attract Larger Clients To Your Startup Without Shelling Out Massive Amounts of Cash
A startup that has a few consistent clients is going to want to land a huge client once they have stabilized profitability. Attracting huge clients is incredibly competitive with some companies flying out decisions makers and entertaining them for weekends. While this is effective for some companies, other companies do not have the luxury of massive budgets for client signings. Attracting larger clients all starts with signing that first huge contract as this will legitimize the startup in the eyes of others in the industry. The following are ways that you can attract business trajectory changing clients.
User Friendly Website/Easy Checkout
The company website is going to be the first impression that many large companies have of a startup. If it is an ecommerce site then an easy checkout is imperative to close the maximum amount of sales. The site should have a goal in mind whether it is driving leads or providing resources to clients. Hosting providers for small business websites need to be high quality as the last thing a startup wants is for a huge prospect to visit the site when it is down. A user friendly website allows the visitor to navigate seamlessly so testing the website thoroughly is necessary.
Client Questionnaires
One issue that sales teams can encounter when targeting large clients is pitching products/services they have no interest in. Identifying “pain points” or reasons the company is looking for extra help is important. This can easily be done through an online questionnaire so the pitch can be customized to the needs of the client. Both small and large prospects do not like to feel like they are being sold something in most cases, they would rather think they are buying something. The questionnaire helps the sales team empower the prospect and clarify the reasoning for them contacting the startup.
Conferences/Tradeshows
The largest concentration of people in an industry usually congregate at conferences or tradeshows. Attending these conferences can allow a startup to be in contact with a large amount of people that make big decisions for companies. If someone on the staff is offered the opportunity to speak at the conference they need to take it. This can help drive leads as showcasing knowledge in an educational way is attractive to people. The one thing that the presenter should not do is simply pitch the audience as they are there to learn, not sign a contract via a pitch to a massive amount of people.
Use Your Professional Network Wisely
Far too many people do not cash in their professional favors that they have garnered throughout the years. LinkedIn can allow those on the sales team to see if they know anyone at a company they want to pitch. This introduction can be invaluable as getting on the phone or a response via email is all a skilled salesperson needs. For this reason it is important to end things on good terms if an employee is exploring an opportunity elsewhere. Burning bridges will just eliminate potential sales as the business world in some niches is far smaller than many think making it a sure thing to run into former employees.
Large clients need to signed but it cannot impact the work being done for other clients. Consistent clients help build a business while huge clients help sustain this success. Take the time to put extra effort into landing that huge sale that puts your startup on the map!
