May 0920
Whale Hunting as a Metaphor for Landing Large Accounts
At a recent Vistage meeting, I had the pleasure of hearing Tom Searcy, author and CEO of Hunt Big Sales, a sales consulting and training company, talk about how small businesses can land big sales that will transform their companies. Tom likens the process to whale hunting, which: requires planning and skills, can’t be done by one person (it takes a village, actually), and can keep a large number of people fed (or employed) for a long time.
Tom says that whales are like large companies and we all know that large companies usually buy from other large firms because they:
- Are perceived as having more resources
- Have a more well-known brand and reputation
- Speak the language of whales
- Represent less risk and more security
We’ve heard it before: “nobody gets fired for picking (fill in large company name).” So how is a small business supposed to compete against the big guys? Tom says that large companies pick small companies when they are looking for an advantage in their business, specifically:
- Innovative solutions that are usually not associated with larger, bureaucratic companies
- Access to the brightest talent
- Speed and nimbleness
- Knowledge of a niche market
- A relationship with a company where they’re not just another customer
Ultimately, small businesses can only the land the big sales when:
- Executive management is involved in the sales process because whales will only talk to senior staff
- Someone on the customer side believes the small business can help them move the needle in their business in a big way
The holidays are all about traditions and last Saturday, my son and I engaged in one of my favorites: we created a gingerbread train. I’ve been making gingerbread houses for years, first by myself, then with my niece and nephew. and now with my son. This year, we updated the tradition to decorate a gingerbread train because CJ is obsessed with trains.
