From the course: Consulting Professional Weekly Tips

Selling to big companies when you're new

From the course: Consulting Professional Weekly Tips

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Selling to big companies when you're new

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- Every consultant wants to land that big whale of a client, but selling to big clients is hard. Many big companies have supplier diversity programs where they look for small businesses to work with. Ask your clients and their prospects if they have these programs. If they do, make sure you enroll in them. There are other ways to get into big companies. You can also focus on selling a small project to a small group or department, and then grow from there. Once you can tell somebody at the organization, "Hey, we've done work with this other department "at your company," it makes getting the next engagement that much easier. Consider doing your first project at a reduced rate just to get in the door and be able to have their logo on your website. Sure, you might lose money on that first project, but it gets you in their system as a supplier. It gets their logo on your website. When their colleagues go to your site and they see their company has already used you, they're much more likely to use you again. When you start working with a large client, try to get a master services agreement in place as soon as you start working with them. Look, it's a painful process, and if you never get additional work at that client, it's a big waste of time. But if you have a master services agreement in place, it makes it easier for other groups in that organization to bring you in. They don't have to go through the pain of them walking you through the MSA process. That follow-on work will be much easier to land. What's really important with big clients is finding some way to get an initial toe hold and get in the door. From there, it's much easier to expand your relationship quickly.

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