Who Lands The Big Companies
Keywords: copywriting, coaching, freelancer, consulting
When we first start out as a freelancer, there’s a tendency to “aim low” on the theory that since we’re just starting out, we should start at the bottom, servicing small businesses, and eventually work our way up to bigger businesses. Right?
Wrong. Small businesses very often don’t have the kind of money a smart and talented consultant deserves to be paid. And very often, a small business doesn’t have the knowledge and resources to implement the consultant’s solution properly, often leading to disappointing results.
And it’s the results you need…it’s the stories about how you solved a problem, what kind of returns you brought, how you cut costs, or increased productivity…these are the things the mid-size and big companies want to hear before hiring you.
So the first rule in consulting…whether you’re an IT pro, human resources expert, or copywriter like me…is to start prospecting somewhat higher than the very small business. And yes, you should also have the really big guys on your list, the global enterprises.
Even though your chances of landing the IBMs might be small now, you should have a certain number of enterprise-level names on your list (within your niche), because if they’re not on your list now, they won’t know you later when you’re ready for them, and they’re ready for you.
So the first rule in freelancing to the corporate decision-maker is to target high enough.
Now before we move on, let me point out that there is one very important exception to this rule…
…and that is that you CAN work successfully for small business IF you offer a “full solution.”
For instance, you’ll have a hard time surviving on small business accounts if you ONLY sell copywriting services.
However, if you handle ALL aspects of their marketing…the strategy, ad buys, project management, creative, production…in other words, if you handle the whole ball of wax as their “one-person marketing agency,” you can make working for small business a VERY profitable niche.
We’ll go into the realities of working for small business an upcoming article, but for now, let’s finish our focus on what it takes to land the big accounts.
So if the first rule of landing big accounts is to aim high enough with regards to size, then the second rule is to have a solid “value proposition.” This is a statement that does more than differentiate you…it also shows, in specific terms, what your value is to the client.
Here’s an example of a value proposition taken from Jill Konrath’s outstanding book, “Selling to Big Companies,” slightly modified…
“After working with [me], one well-known retailer saw a 54 percent increase in sales conversions and a 25 percent increase in order size from their online sales. My clients typically see 40 percent to 150 percent improvements in key operating metrics such as profit margins, rates, and cost savings.”
A strong value proposition like this one, with numbers and benefit statements, has a lot to do with getting you in with the high-quality, high-paying clients.
It’s the metrics that make the difference, and it’s been my experience as a copywriter that gaining strong metrics is easier when you work with companies with sophisticated marketing departments.
And what if you don’t have any metrics you can use in your value proposition?
Simply use your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for now, being sure to state not only what sets you apart from your competition, but what it means to the client. (Your benefit statement, what you mean to the client, is the most important
part of your USP.)
So whatever work you do, and whoever you do it for, one of your primary concerns is getting your hands on the results of your work. I put it right into my fee agreement so the client can’t blow me off later when I come asking for results data and work samples.
Here’s what’s worked well for me for years, and I encourage you to add it to your own contract/fee agreement:
“In order to promote my business it is essential that I receive samples of my work as well as any information on the performance of the work. Your sharing of samples, response rates, and any other measurement data is very important, and you understand that I may use these samples in the promotion of my business. Thank you for your cooperation!”
Ok…so back to the question: “Who lands the big accounts?”
The consultants who work for the high-quality, high-value clients have a niche market and specialized experience and/or talent in that market.
They may be individuals like my coaching students and me; they may be groups of individuals, such as small consultancies. And they may be mid-size companies or big corporations themselves (think Madison Avenue ad agency).
And they all have their various value propositions. You can get into the big time too IF you know a common problem that your niche market struggles with (low marketing response rates for instance), AND you have the answer to the problem right there in your value proposition:
“I can double your response AND cut your costs.”
Chris Marlow publishes a newsletter on how to land the high-quality, high-value clients. Sign up for the newsletter at:
www.GetGreatClients.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Pay As You Go Videoconferencing - A New Trend? (1)
On most days, you will probably get something like three frames per second from this type of connection. When you get right down to it, thirty dollars for an hour long video conference beats the three thousand dollars you might have spent contacting the person for a face-to-face meeting any day of the week.
Why 95% Of Internet Marketers Fail And How You Can Avoid It (2)
Persistence, hard work and a burning desire for "the dream" is all that the gurus had, and all that YOU need. How badly do you want that dream? The other stumbling block to succeeding online is your concept of failure.
Tips And Ideas On How To Plan Your Article (3)
Keywords: article, articles, article marketing, write article, Content is King - or as Joel Comm says, content is Ka-Ching! One of the most important parts to build the content is through writing and publishing your own articles.
Chinese Voices Could Possibly Dominate Business (4)
Zhenyu added that along with the development of China, Chinese has become more and more popular around the world. He speculated that Chinese could even be the second most popular language other than English.
Marketing Your Small Business: It's Easier Than You Think (5)
Most sites change their content on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Now, imagine what it takes to generate that content. At any given moment, there are millions of experts typing away at computers, creating the articles that we read throughout our days.
Build A Highly Targeted Opt-In List And Manage It With Integrity (6)
The information is then processed and included in a database file. After that, the website can send a personalized reply to the subscriber to thank them for their subscription to the site.
Finding Internet Typing Jobs (7)
If you have ever been stopped by someone in the mall or if you have been asked to take a telephone survey then you are familiar with one important internet typing job.
Understanding The Basics Of Affiliate Programs (8)
Affiliate History Although affiliate programs are everywhere these days, they weren't always so prevalent. It wasn't until 1996 that affiliate marketing came up with a grand strategy or a "grand plan." If you take a look around a number of large internet companies, you will discover that many of them are essentially big merchants with a bunch of small marketing partners that advertise on their websites.
Pop-Up Currency Converters Bite The Dust (9)
How much of their spare time do you think they will waste calculating prices on a web site before thinking... "forget it, it's all too hard, this web site doesn't value my business, I'll go to that next site that's listed in Google instead" Oops, there goes another lost sale...
The Complete Schedule Of How To Article Market (10)
Here is an example for one site: Monday - write 2 articles Tuesday - write 2 articles Wednesday - write 2 articles Thursday - distribute the articles Friday - formulate topics to write about Most online professionals know that article marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote a product/service.
Free Website Traffic Is Your Best Option (11)
A blog will attract more free website traffic by acting as a net to catch visitors and interest them in the rest of your site. A daily posting on your blog can keep people coming back for more repeatedly.
Running A Serious Home Based Business Can Be For Everyone (12)
Keywords: serious home business, serious home based business, start a home business, home business Owning a serious business used to be a man's world, and many of them still think they have a monopoly on business ownership.
How To Make A Connection With Other Internet Entrepreneurs (13)
And lastly, contact them more than once and do it properly so that you don't become a pester or an annoying soul. I hope these tips that I'm sharing with you will help you build a better connection with the internet marketers you're dying to meet.
How To Get B2B Clients: A Primer For Copywriters (14)
Post samples. Samples are the equivalent of showing a portfolio. For new copywriters, this is a tough one. But there are lots of ways to work this to your advantage.
Make Money At Home, Sell Digital Products On EBay (15)
Keywords: selling ebooks on ebay, digital products, sell ebooks, ebook sellers Selling digital products is the perfect business to be involved in, as, is not that time consuming and the profit can be huge.
How To Get Your Site Indexed Immediately (16)
Just as with article submission, you can do the press release submissions manually or you can take a lesson from me and automate the process. By automating the process you will be able to submit press releases to all the major press releases sources and set it up where they will be repeated as often as you like.
How Do You Know What The Best Home Based Business Is? (17)
You will be able to come up with more of your own when you think about it. You just want to make sure that you don't join a business opportunity unless you are really sure that this is what you want to do.
10 Easy Steps For Writing 750 Word Articles In Under An Hour (18)
4) Getting in the Flow - the Power of Setting Unreasonable Deadlines The fastest way to get things done is to set ridiculously unreasonable deadlines for yourself. If you only have one hour to write your 750 word article from start to finish then it's far easier to see results than it would be if you gave yourself a day to get your first article done.
Are There Really Ways To Make Money Online? (19)
There could well be a gold mine waiting for you online. From starting your own store -- to creating affiliate sites and information sites designed to sell advertising , the web is a market place and there are very few , given the size of the web , who are taking advantage of it.
The Basics Of Web Conversions (20)
Coupled with the fact that few visitors ever return to a website, you could as well have only one shot to convert your visitors into customers. The fact that sales online have significantly different dynamics to off-line sales, introduces a learning curve even to expert salesmen and copy-writers.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
How To Increase The Number Of Transactions, Average $ Sale And Your Margins (1)
It goes without saying that your home business should offer EXCELLENT value products and services that your customers need. If they aren't excellent ... don't sell them. Your customers are only going to be disappointed and then they will go somewhere else to spend their money.
Guides To A Successful Affiliate Marketing Program (2)
While you may control the color and content of provided links, many websites will want some control over the sizes you make available. Whether it is a small 88x30 button, a text link or a half page banner, the affiliate should be able to place your link on their page so that it fits into their marketing efforts.
The Top 4 Reasons You MUST Consider When Choosing An Affiliate Program (3)
Some are simply better than others. I personally spent at least two years flitting from one program to another and even got involved with the occasional scam. I lacked guidance and lost $1000s trying everything possible to become successful.
The Seven Deadly Mistakes Of Online Businesses (4)
Don't make your visitors struggle to read your site. I see many sites with a black background and deep blue text. It is a nightmare to read. The other extreme is very faded text on a similar pastel background.
Newspaper Advertising Can Be Used To Get Online Traffic (5)
And, you can do it for much less money than trying to tell your entire story in an expensive newspaper ad. John Braun is a copywriter with Hitman Advertising for the home service industry.
How To Earn While You Learn (6)
That is such a big key. You have to really know what your why is! It is never going to be exactly the same for any two of us.
Drive Potential Customers To Your Website Using These Methods (7)
Try joint venture marketing. Partner up with someone and exchange ads on your website. This can double the potential amount of customers for both of you. Join affiliate programs.
Mapping Your Way To A Good HTML Site Map (8)
There are available pages online that can give you a step-by-step guide in coming up with a good website. 2. You can also ensure that your site map looks good, to make it more pleasing to the eye of your visitor and to make navigation easier.
7 Basic Steps To E-Publishing (9)
You will basically use the same process for audio of video products, as these products will still need a list of topics to discuss. The only difference is that you will be talking, and if you wrote it all down, then at least you have a script to follow.
Building A Buisness Website (10)
A good working relationship is going to be very important when it comes to your web site. Obinna Heche: Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
Benefiting From Your Network Marketing Leads (11)
The network marketing representatives that you sign up are commonly called your downline. Remember, these people are going to be a major source of income for you, even more so than most of your customers.
One Way Links Are Valued Higher Than Reciprocal Links (12)
The best ways to get good targeted visitors are search engines. Reciprocal link exchange is not dead, if you provide links for the benefit of your visitors. Linking for the sake of visitors is a win-win scenario.
Have A New Website? 6 Must-Do Traffic Strategies To Jump Start Your Online Business (13)
Getting to know the product or service you are planning to network with is also a good precautionary measure to employ when networking. Another traffic strategy involves considering some offline advertising for your site.
Integrity Is The Root Of All Success (14)
If you do not, spend time reflecting on your decisions and actions. If you love your results and there is no room to improve, Keep doing what you are doing.
Network Marketing Internet Business (15)
They are stuck in the old days and as such, their marketing ideas are only working for businesses stuck in the old ways as well. Being able to make that leap is a genuine need to be successful in todays internet marketing world.
Getting Those Needed One Way Links To Your Website (16)
Inbound links can generate significant traffic into your site. Inbound links are those originating from similar external websites pointing over to your site. The way in with other sites links to your site is very important, linking with a keyword that is relevant to your site is very important.
Optimize Your Article - The Forgotten Strategy (17)
Once you know what people like, write more articles on that topic. 2. Track the content web sites that give you the most traffic, you can do this by logging into your web site control panel and check which URLs are sending the most traffic through your articles.
How The Web Works (18)
If you know the address of a site you want to go to, you can type it in, and then click more links from there to keep going. 2.
What Article Marketing Can Do For Your Business (19)
Try to do some article marketing for your site and see the positive results it will bring to your site. Joseph Rose's Internet Marketing Website, www.AjamiWealth.com is designed to assist anyone who sincerely wants to change their financial future.
A Look At Adwords And Premium Advertising On Google (20)
$5,000 is the minimum bid. Something to think about-if you think you can make the money back. Gregg Hall is a consultant for online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida.