Home Business Advice
Having a Small Home Business with Big Clients
Written by Anna Lempereur for Gaebler Ventures
While operating a small home business, it may be intimidating to appeal to big clients. Here are some tips to help your small business build relations with large corporations.
Operating a small home business with big clients is not as tough as it seems.
As a matter of fact, a small company can serve a large corporate client just as well (and possibly better) than a big company can.
The key is not to be intimidated, and just by following a few simple steps, you can be ready to take on the big guys.
Emulate Big Company Infrastructure
Invest in a good phone system that gives you parity with bigger companies. Buy high quality stationery and business cards. Put together extremely professional presentations. Finally, pay for a premium website. With a good web designer, your site can be more impressive than those of even the largest competitors.
All of these factors, combined together, can give you the appearance of being a company that is worthy of Fortune 1000 company's business. Remember, in business perception is nine-tenths of reality!
Confidence Counts
Displaying confidence is a large factor in keeping a small business successful. Without it, you will be setting yourself up for disappointment.
Exude confidence at every opportunity but do avoid being overconfident or annoyingly confident.
Have the confidence not to apologize for the small size of the company, but to be sure that any potential client or business partner has a full understanding of what you can deliver.
Big companies want results. All you need to do is make the case that you can deliver and you will get the account.
Don't Neglect the Little Guys
Just like you, there are plenty of small business owners trying to make their way to the top. Even after all that hard work to serve those big clients, you should not forget to make time for the smaller clients as well.
A common mistake when courting big customers is to put all your eggs in one basket and just serve one large customer. That may sound good, but what if you suddenly lose the account? Our recommendation is that you have a diversified customer base that includes small and large accounts.
Always Meet Expectations
Just because your business is small, don't think that clients won't have high expectations. It is important to do whatever you can to meet those high expectations, and to never let clients down. If you feel overwhelmed, ramp up on personnel and outsource if necessary.
No excuses! You've got to deliver the goods, and keep your big clients happy.
Anna Lempereur is a freelance writer interested in writing about small business. She is currently a Journalism major at the University of Albany in New York.
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