Is Every Business a Potential Client?

June 30, 2008 · Filed Under Sales and Marketing · Comment 

Early in my career, I thought it would be a good idea to start getting clients by delivering either a gift basket or small gift to new companies listed in my local newspaper.

I wanted to get each companies’ attention so that as their businesses grew, I’d become their “go-to person” for employee retention and customer appreciation gifts.

Before moving forward, I decided to do some research. I drove to each company’s address to see the location. One place listed as an automotive firm was located in a house, and locations for other businesses that required at least a sign in the front (but had no sign) were just as strange. Were the newspaper listings accurate?

What the paper did was print a roster of anyone who registered a new business within the county, so while the information may have been correct, the potential for sales was not. I immediately abandoned that plan.

We all know the importance of initial impressions. What I saw at each location told me not to send anything to these businesses. Instead, I stayed with my original plan: contact corporate clients I already knew as well as referrals they passed on to me.

That marketing strategy worked like a charm to increase my sales and client list every year.

Sending welcome gifts to unknown prospects wastes time, energy, and money. In many cases, it’s simply not the way to build your business.

What’s your secret to increasing your corporate sales?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Tags: , , ,