Resource Guide
Getting Your Foot in the Door
Finding the point of entry is fundamental for creating access, but where do you start? According to the women’s business enterprises surveyed, relationships are the place to begin. A very small percentage (5%) of them rated other methods, from one-on-one meetings, the quality of one’s product or service and going on cold calls as helpful.
What the numbers say A quarter (25%) of the women’s business enterprises reported that referrals were key to their introduction to a client. One in five (19%) attributed their personal relationships within the corporation to getting in the door. Another 13% credited their relationship with a key decision maker or buyer as their original point of entry.
The successful strategies most often cited by women’s business enterprises and corporate purchasing professionals are as follows:
1. Cultivate Relationships 2. Increase Your Visibility 3. Expand Opportunities through Subcontracting 4. Get Certified 5. Be Responsive, Be Cost-Effective, Be Creative – and Persevere
As with so many things in business, relationships are key for creating access to corporate markets. They can be critical for initiating the first meeting, and can make or break a contract. Relationships with top executives are important. Those within purchasing departments and supply chain management teams are also pivotal.
And, it is not just those you know inside a corporation. Associates who are willing to refer your name can open the door to corporate success. From the standpoint of a purchasing professional, contacting another buyer or a current supplier for referrals for new vendors is a quick, efficient way to do business. Maintaining strong, positive connections to a broad group of your colleagues increases your chances to be mentioned when a potential corporate client calls on them for a recommendation. Do your best to make sure the name they mention is yours.
Citation
Center for Women’s Business Research. “Getting Your Foot in the Door.” Washington, DC.