Are there lucrative contracts hiding in your Rolodex?
Meet Bob, your next big customer
Imagine you meet someone, let's call them Bob, at an event and you get talking about business.
Bob tells you about the company he works for, and as it happens, they're exactly the kind of company your firm is looking to do more work for. Bob asks about your business so you tell him about it and explain how you're better than your competitors.
Bob's lucrative contract
Bob surprises you by telling you that his firm is looking to replace its current supplier but they've not found anyone suitable yet. Bob is responsible for finding the replacement and he will be awarding a lucrative 3-year contract in the next 12 months. Bob explains that choosing the right firm will have a big impact on his career and says that he'd like to try you out first, perhaps with a small project worth just £1000. He tells you that if that goes smoothly he'll try progressively larger projects with you and if the relationship works then that big contract is yours for the taking.
You already know exactly what to do to win that contract. You deliver on all his projects and then do everything you can to nurture the relationship with Bob and his company - you speak to him regularly, you keep him informed about business developments that are relevant to him, you show appreciation for his business and even get out to play golf with him when you can.
How to find the Bobs in your Rolodex
People award lucrative contracts every day. But in reality they seldom start out like Bob did. Customers do everything else that Bob did, like starting out with smaller projects, but they keep quiet about the big contract. You're probably in contact with 2 or 3 Bobs right now, but you just don't know who they are.
Bob could be that person who requested a brochure from your website last week, or the person who gave you a project for £500 last month. Bob could be any one of your hundreds or thousands of customers and contacts. Bob will have approached the competition too, so how do you make your company stand out from the rest when he's getting ready to award that big contract?
You need Relationship Marketing.
For help and advice with using Relationship Marketing for your business, please contact Jeremy Mai at unity*dc on 01628 200200.