What is the best way to get big customers?

[taweb]

How do you sell racks? How do you capture to those kind of customers? Like TV channels... , nationwide radio channels..??

 

[handsonhosting]

You don't necessarily have to sell an entire rack to a company (or provide co-location services). We host two major hospitals at our hosting company. One company is using 6 load balanced servers and two other servers as backup machines (total of 8 servers). Our business with them started hosting a simple 5 page site for one of their internal labs and providing an external email. When their webmaster messed up their files, we had a backup for them. Shortly there after we were contracted to host two servers for them and it grew from there.

Capturing the larger customers has more to do with reputation and ability to deliver. If you tell a customer you can do something, you better be able to do it and do it perfect 100% of the time. We see many people promise things and then can't deliver. A true business model is to promise 90% and deliver 110%. We've followed that mantra for many years and it serves us well.

You WILL NOT get larger customers by sending out an email or sending a flyer to their office. You likely will not get them from a cold call either. Some of the best places for larger clients is job fairs, industry seminars and business events. Spend the money to get a booth (don't just pitch THEM at THEIR booth. Get a booth yourself, invite them out for drinks or a coffee. Have a game plan, and execute it.

TV and Radio are harder to get as the parent corporations usually provide some sort of service themselves. Information is king, so often the information posted on your local channel 4 news is shared with (or taken from) the parent NBC, ABC or other affiliate. So instead of going after the MAIN Radio station, go to the individual DJ's or voices. Offer to "live cam" an event and get some promotion that way. Be ready for them to TAKE your ideas and run it themselves - that's part of the game.

 

[AH-Nick]

Conor,
Thanks for the great post. I also recommend local face to face clients and less internet/virtual contacts. As mentioned above go to job fairs or industry/trade shows for technology/internet business. Good Luck!

 

[SenseiSteve]

One great avenue for reaching large clients is through advertising on relevant forums. Show value on your posts in threads - back that up with a great website (that includes a blog). Post relevant content on the blog.

 

[~fine-networks~]

One great avenue for reaching large clients is through advertising on relevant forums. Show value on your posts in threads - back that up with a great website (that includes a blog). Post relevant content on the blog.

fine-networks target b2b as client base. do you know b2b forum online location?

 

[romes]

Advertising in your local area could turn out some big clients, or small clients that turn into big clients. Also, meeting the owner of a business and talking to them about having them start a website and you being the host would turn out some results as well.

 

[HostThemUp]

A true business model is to promise 90% and deliver 110%. We've followed that mantra for many years and it serves us well.

That is true handson, but these days little people are delivered now sadly

 

[csn-uk]

a large number of the customers that companies gain as a whole is word of mouth and this is great for a company that also provides webdesign or has members that provide this service personaly outside of the business.

many of my support staff and probally many of other companies, design sites in their spare time for clients unrelated to the company but do reccommend them with no personal incentive. Which is good as you can imagine, and i find this to be a very effective way of attracting larger audiences/clients however being able to provide the services they require and as you offer is a must as it will have a very bad effect on your companies image if you fail to do so.