How do I get corporate clients?

Lori Richardson is the go-to person for this. She's an amazing sales trainer/strategist. Her experience and expertise is with corporate and small business clients.

Knock 'em dead, Paul! (well, in a matter of speaking)

Personally, I'd say forget cold calling, at least as it's traditionally defined.

Building relationships and establishing your expertise is where it's at, so get yourself in front of people by speaking, giving workshops, and networking on- and offline.

Some of the most giving people I know are right here in the Biznik community. If you are able to emulate this spirit by offering value to others in this community by giving (articles or podcasts, referring business to other professionals, offering tips, etc.) you're golden.

Great question Paul, I agree with the great advice from Tshombe, build relationships by getting in front of your desired client. Ask your colleagues and clients who they know at the companies you are seeking to build relationships with and ask for the introduction. Go in with information on your services from the perspective of 'how may I be of best service in your industry,' that isn't an overt asking for the sale but in my experience it helps to gain credibility and trust.

Agreed also on the teleseminar or even asking to take them to coffee to discuss an idea. Engage at the personal level and you will gain a client and referral for the longterm.

Good luck! Tammy Redmon

Paul,

Pleasure meeting you at the publishing foray today. Just wanted to share some nuggets with you on your quest to crack the corporate ceiling. First, your primary target is the HR VP or Director. They will be the ones chartered with seeking out individuals to provide workshops along the line you propose.

Next, it probably would be possible to take perssonal training and do a phase shift and beam down the package into a corporate environment. I think I mentioned to you that communications becomes vital in the corporate world between performing organizations (often vertical silos). There are a lot of aspects involved and I would be glad to share my experiences with you over the phone - my typing skills lag. A key phrase in any collateral information you send out would involve "Productivity Increases" via your approach to coaching.

Arne

Thanks all that replied, I've been working on the exact same thing. Terrific ideas and pertinent information...

Forrest

Hey Paul,

Congrats on making the leap. When I ran my conflict resolution training/consulting practice, I did network, but found a completely different approach yielded the best results.

I created a list of target companies I wanted to work with based on my ideal client profile. Then I scoured the biz paper and other resources on what challenges they faced.

Once, identified, I used that information to suggest potential solutions to the appropriate person (that's where networking sites help). Since I was doing training I would also offer to 'audition' by doing a small presentation for key stakeholders. Seeing me live was persuasive.

I focused on training gigs first because corp partners are accustomed to training, maybe too much so. And, that generally lead to a coaching gig with participants.

Clients loved that they could 'get to know me' slowly, and eventually it let to being offered a full time gig with a Fortune ranked financial institution.

You might also want to look at the work of Casey Truffo, http://www.beawealthytherapist.com who teaches introverted therapists to 'make a living while making a difference'. I haven't taken her courses but she was recommended.

Best of luck

Love=Fun Dina Lynch Eisenberg

Dina, what a great answer to Paul's question. I love the clarity and the clear steps you share from personal experience. Thank you for laying it out so wonderfully.

Have you thought of writing a couple of articles on Biznik sharing what you've learned?

Off the top of my head, I see quite a few things, such as:

• How you defined your 'ideal client profile' and how that informed the choices of companies you wanted to work with

• What types of papers/resources you used to find the challenges your ideal client was facing, and what specifically you looked for to uncover those challenges

• How you defined and articulated specific solutions

• How networking sites assisted you in approaching the "appropriate person" and how you approached them

Thanks again for a great answer, Dina.