When Wooing Big Clients, It’s Crucial to Read Between the Lines.

By Tim Keane

Every one of us whose company has sold to large customers has faced this issue. It’s usually some form of waiting for an order. The customer (almost always a middle manager) has told you that you are the selected vendor. It’s just a matter of a “bureaucratic” step or two, and things will be great.

In the meantime, of course, you wait. And since the order is large, quite a bit depends on it.

The inequality in your relationship with the elephant often causes you to hesitate about doing what you know you should do. Each time you talk to your contact, you get reassurance—and, after a couple of times, a little testiness. So you wait. After all, you do not want to lose the order because of a perceived pushy attitude on your part. So you wait.

And, more often than not, you get a very rude surprise. . .at the very last minute. “I’m really sorry,” says Marvin Middle Manager. “Our CEO/CFO/COO/CTO has decided to cut back on XYZ and, well, we’re going to postpone this order until next month/quarter/ year.”

How can you protect yourself from this rude awakening happening again? The next time you’re trying to sell to the elephant...

1. Realize that when Marvin Middle Manager tells you, “Everything is great,” he believes it. At least, he believes it 90 percent. Be positive and sympathetic when he explains the situation to you.

2. Realize, however, that he’s seen orders like this cancelled by his superiors before. Ask him directly about the last time he saw a similar order cancelled and why. This can give you some insights to help you avoid the same fate.

3. Listen for the sound of office politics. If there are opposing camps surrounding this purchase, don’t assume your contact has won the battle just because he tells you he has.

4. If the specs change, worry. I recently saw an “order” coming that Marvin had specified in writing. “It just has to light up and blink,” he said. No problem. A month later, there was a whole lot more than that happening. New requirements. Competing camps. Non-cash alternatives.

5. Be positive with the client, of course. But plan— hard and severely—for the “Sorry, but...” phone call. Don’t bet the business on getting the order, or you will leave yourself no alternative but a very painful one.

6. Don’t tell Marvin how badly you need the order. He probably can’t do anything about it, and he may use this information to save face with his boss in a way that can hurt your reputation. (“Yes, Mr. Big, I now agree with you—I don’t think they are as financially sound as we had hoped.”) It’s not very nice, but it happens more frequently than you’d like to think.

7. If you have a client who gives you straight answers, doesn’t hedge and always delivers, do everything you can for them—above and beyond the call of duty. They are a pearl of great price.

Tim Keane is the Entrepreneur in Residence at Marquette University in Milwaukee.