Selling to Large companies?

[lex]

Hey,

Im about to start a business so as you can guess when i start out the business is only going to be small, however my target market is large companies specifically transport companies such as eddie stobart.

Im wondering, what is the best possible way i can market my product to these types of companies?

I was thinking about either writing a short letter detailing our product, or calling them up and seeing how i fair.

What would you do?

I know these companies are going to be especially hard to sell to, especially since my product isnt cheap. So any and all help is greatly appreciated, especially past experiences in dealing with such companies.

 

[apeebles]

When selling to large companies you usually find that there is more than one buyer and not just the purchasing department. I guess the key thing is to try to find out the names of these people which is not always easy although you can ask for referrals once you are in. Depending on who you are trying to sell to you may find details on the net or through networking groups.

Before you do any marketing apart from cold calling and the website I would try to build up a database of contacts. That said if you have some amazing cool solution which is unique then getting an article/advert in the relevant trade press could work wonders for lead generation. If you do decide to go this route then you need to pay out to get it done properly especially if your product is not cheap. Ie. Imagery can be very important, depending on the market & target audience.

It's also worth noting that some large companies bin mail which is not personalised and sealed in an envelope so your target audience may never even see a mailshot!

Lastly don't forget that large companies can sometimes be a little bit flexible when paying you and not always according to your terms.

Good luck!

 

[RapidBI]

Some areas run events called "meet the buyer" (the one I am familure with is based nr Heathrow) at these events it is a semi structured exhibition where smaller companies have the opportunity of meeting and talking to purchasers of big companies. If you web search "meet the buyer" you will find details of as lot of these types of events.

Many companies like BAA, will only open their books to new small 'prefered suppliers' at events like this.

Othrewise its about building a relationship long before you should expect a sale. Depending on the nature of the product or service it is always worth offering a free trial at no risk to the purchaser. Remember one of the goals of a purchasing team in a larger business is not only to get good value but to ensure sustainablity. One of the down sides of new businesses is the lack of certainty and durability.

 

[coultog]

Just one small comment on the haulage industry as a whole... In my experience of dealing with them, they expect credit of 90 days or more... I know some of the large hauliers won't deal with businesses who are unable to offer that service...

You could try going to large suppliers to the haulage industry and letting them know of your products and get their views.

 

[lex]

When selling to large companies you usually find that there is more than one buyer and not just the purchasing department. I guess the key thing is to try to find out the names of these people which is not always easy although you can ask for referrals once you are in. Depending on who you are trying to sell to you may find details on the net or through networking groups.

Before you do any marketing apart from cold calling and the website I would try to build up a database of contacts. That said if you have some amazing cool solution which is unique then getting an article/advert in the relevant trade press could work wonders for lead generation. If you do decide to go this route then you need to pay out to get it done properly especially if your product is not cheap. Ie. Imagery can be very important, depending on the market & target audience.

It's also worth noting that some large companies bin mail which is not personalised and sealed in an envelope so your target audience may never even see a mailshot!

Lastly don't forget that large companies can sometimes be a little bit flexible when paying you and not always according to your terms.

Good luck!

I would say my product is that, its definitely worth it to the companies.

Any ideas what the relevant trade press would be?

@coultog: I will be able to offer credit but it would have to be in stages, which im sure they would want anyway.

@ RapidBI: I plan on running alot of tests which the companies will be able to look at to try and prove sustainability.

I think i will end up first trying to get sales from smallish large companies then work my way up. I plan on offering short meetings to people lower down the chain of command so they can maybe recommend a longer more detailed meeting to those higher up.

I think i have a product that will sell, its just finding out who to sell it to

 

[telemax]

Hey,

Im about to start a business so as you can guess when i start out the business is only going to be small, however my target market is large companies specifically transport companies such as eddie stobart.

Im wondering, what is the best possible way i can market my product to these types of companies?

I was thinking about either writing a short letter detailing our product, or calling them up and seeing how i fair.

What would you do?

I know these companies are going to be especially hard to sell to, especially since my product isnt cheap. So any and all help is greatly appreciated, especially past experiences in dealing with such companies.

Hi

You need to get on the phone, and contact as many buyers as possible with a view to going to getting in front of them to show them your product.

This is really important as you can begin to establish a business relationship with them. The sales process can take a lot of time but you need to be persistant. One company I sold into took around 7 visits and way more than 20 phone calls over nearly a year, to actually sell the product.

I think the average is around 5 phone calls/ visits before a sale, most people give up way before then. Also bear in mind not everyone will be interested, it's definitely a numbers game, you will need to contact as many people as possible.

It's definitely a good idea to invest in good CRM software such as ACT, so that you can be meticulous in calling potential customers back and what was said on the last phone call/ visit.

I hope this helps

Kind regards

Jonathan

 

Hi,

If you are selling a product and not a service, you could offer a leasing alternative for your clients to purchase your product.

Providing you cleint is making a profit then Leasing is a tax efficient way that your client can purchase your equipment.

I am employed within a Leasing Company and I am constantly trying to empower as many new start and established equipment suppliers with a leasing option to offer to your clients as it will only help you gain that sale.

To offer Leasing to a Sole Trader or Partnership that has an invoice value of Under £25K then you must have a Credit Consumer Licence. I have details on where to apply if needed. If you are selling to Limited businesses or your orders are over £25K then you do not need one.

Feel free to e-mail me or reply to this post up for any extra information.

Ed, Hinckley.

 

[GreatSEO]

Second everything here

If you need any guidance please do not hesitate to contact me directly on 0208 207 1217

Just remember perserverance and perspiration is key with telemarketing and imagine it to be like a flight of stairs. There are always many steps before you get to the top

Hope this helps

Regards

Dave

 

[dmoore0021]

It can take a little while to achieve however investing time in optimising your website so that it appears in the main search engines such as Google can help with lead generation.

Depending on how competitive your industry is it may be worth getting the help of a professional company as a constant stream of enquiries would be well worth the investment.

As it may take 6 - 9 months before you start appearing in the search engines you might also consider using pay per click with either Google adwords or Yahoo! as although you pay everytime someone clicks on your ads you will be generating immediate traffic to your website which will hopefully produce some enquiries...

Hope this helps!

David

 

[Tej]

LOLOL.. the guy has not even started the company yet... and wants to sell to the big boys.. and wow!!
there are already suppliers of flyers, advertising material, telemarketeers,leasing equipment specialists. SEOers.. etc etc

No breathing space IMO
and the post is years old.. ( my fault for not noticing it earlier)

 

[Techy]

Trying to ridicule again Taj

Lex - I have worked on/off for a divsion of Stobart's for the last 3years and the way I started with them is by sending them an introductory letter, then they call me up whenever they need to

These, like may big companies basically want the service whenever they demand, at the cheapest price

They don't use just one supplier for anything, so don't expect continuity

In my experience, working for the middle tier companies actually proves more profitable and is easier to build relations as the owners are more involved

 

[Tej]

Techy.. the thread is 3 years old!!! ( at least I get the name right

I noticed it after I answered. and noted it in my post!!.... so there was nothing about "ridicule"
Read the whiole thread if you like.
Your pearls of wisdom are probably 3 years too late

 

[lex]

I don't even remember what this business was....

I had a habit of jumping the gun, telling people im starting a business and then doing research, the research then proved that the business idea wasn't feasible so i would go back to the drawing board

I've just read the post again and noticed that funnily enough i now work in marketing for a transport company who targets large companies like eddie stobart In fact they are one of our customers

 

[Tej]

I don't even remember what this business was....

I had a habit of jumping the gun, telling people im starting a business and then doing research, the research then proved that the business idea wasn't feasible so i would go back to the drawing board

I've just read the post again and noticed that funnily enough i now work in marketing for a transport company who targets large companies like eddie stobart In fact they are one of our customers

Thanks.

Perhaps if you have continuity of business with them.. you could pass on a few tips to our learned friend Techy.

 

[Techy]

I have worked on/off for a divsion of Stobart's for the last 3years

Why would I need any tips???

Had a look through your posts and got bored looking for anything more useful than pointless one-line wise cracks

As the adage goes If you aint got anything useful to say....