Landing big companies is always good. One decent size company can make a start-up come to life. It’s amazing how much better life is once the pressures have been lifted and monthly income is guaranteed, every month.

So how do you get that whale of a company under control? If it’s easy, all start-ups would have a big client. Unfortunately it’s not. Each big company has internal politics, strategic plans and mixed levels of knowledge for you to work with. Looking in, you know that what you offer is perfect. The task is convincing them.

No one company is the same.
So how do you make the approach? We been in at the top, middle and bottom, each time the result is different. Working at the top makes sense: one decision can result in hundreds of venues joining up. But this becomes one very big decision, taken by someone who is pretty much putting their job on the line.

Working from the bottom-up is easier. A manager is easier to approach and can decide pretty much on the spot. The price is a minor issue, but they’ll most likely run with it (if your pitch is good). The challenge is scaling this to hundreds of outlets. It’s unlikely you can go round making the same pitch to all!

So what works?
We’ve found going in at manager level to be the easiest. They’re approachable and easier to find. Once in, work with them and impress their regional manager. This person is likely to oversee 10 or more venues. Propose a trial to them in 5 or more units and really work with those to make it a success.

After this, work a way into another region and regional manager. Once established, you are ready to approach the head office. Go armed with real stats and info from their sites, which they will use to sell your pitch internally. Somewhere they will need to explain to the finance people that X spent here gives them an extra Y income. After that signoff, it’s nearly always plain sailing!

Lastly, be patient
A big deal has always taken us around 18 months to complete, and you just can’t rush it. You’ll get messed about, interrogated, sidelined, de-motivated and thrown out to tender. But these are all good, it’s a sign of progress. Just stick to your beliefs, remain firm on price and keep pitching away to venue and regional managers.

When you do land the company changing account, it will be worth it. You’ll become financially secure, make more money than you did before and your business will be taken to the next level!