You can compete with the big name players in your market

 

You can attract corporate clients to buy your services, whether they involve negotiation skills, presentation skills, sales skills, or dealing with difficult clients and colleagues.

Sometimes, the idea that you're at a disadvantage to the big companies is more in your own head than it is in your potential buyer's eyes.

Here's a simple formula to follow when competing for big business:

Be confident in your ability to deliver your product or service + Distinguish yourself from the competition = Clients will jump on your offering rather than you having to compete for their business.

Don't be intimidated by the larger businesses who offer services similar to yours. Don't let the heavy hitters in your area give you an inferiority complex.

Your business actually has a massive advantage over these bigger players...

* Many of these larger structures tend to offer fixed programs and fixed courses. There's usually not a lot a room for customized, pick-and-choose type training. You're not restricted in a way that a larger company would be. That actually means you can have a lot more flexibility for your client. You're much more able to be responsive to their needs.

Big companies tend to send in a very charming and persuasive sales person to close the sale.

They go in with all the glitz, pretty brochures, maybe they even take the client out to lunch. Then they outsource to the most inexpensive person they can find to deliver the service, still charging the client a premium rate. Clients soon discover that the person who is actually put in front of them to deliver the training, do the consulting, or whatever the service is, doesn't have that experience, that credibility or that authority.

Make it obvious, in your marketing material and also in your sales meetings, that the person the client meets going in, is going to be the same person that their end users meet. Without actually saying anything negative about the bigger company vying for their business, you're planting a seed of doubt. You're not badmouthing the competition, but you are giving the client something to think about that they may not have before. Where possible, you always want to sell yourself on your strengths as opposed to just going in and knocking the competition.

When your business card is basically your name, you can sometimes feel, "I haven't got the weight. I haven't got this huge impressive organization behind me." But, you have to start seeing that as a real advantage. Don't underestimate a client's ability to appreciate the fact that your business success hinges on your delivering the very best. You're not just following some automated process. You're really engaging with them and really getting to understand their business, so you can make recommendations based on your expertise and what you've uncovered as their real need. You're literally staking your reputation on your service.

So, just because you're not as big or as famous as some of the others, doesn't mean you're at a disadvantage. You've got to start to think about, "What do I have that these guys don't have?"

 

About the Author

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. She publishes a free, weekly newsletter for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you'd like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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