Think Bigger

I talk to a lot of people who used to be with big companies but have now hung out their own shingle as an entrepreneur or consultant. Many of them used to sell huge deals to huge companies when they sold as employees for other companies. Now they sell small deals to small companies, because they think those are the only companies they are able to target. I have two words for those folks: Think bigger!

Something interesting happens when people go into business for themselves. They often psychologically neuter themselves. They act as if all of their experience was left at their last job. Or they think they can no longer deliver the same value they provided previously. What’s interesting is that in many cases the opposite is actually true!

The Trick is to Learn to Collaborate
When they worked for other companies, many of these folks were limited by the products and skills the company had to offer. Now that they are on their own, those limitations have been lifted. They can partner with anyone they like, and they can create whatever offering will match their clients’ needs best. It’s completely up to them.

If they identify a shortfall in their offering, they can form a partnership to offset it. For example, they may lack the resources to service clients in other parts of the country. They can easily augment their delivery capabilities by forming relationships with other vendors in distant parts of the country – without the need to hire employees in those geographies until business volumes justify the expense.

Know what you need
If you know what you need, you can assemble resources to provide it. Maybe you need to generate more business. Perhaps you have all of the business you need, but need help delivering on your promises to clients. Maybe you generate lots of leads, but can’t close them because clients are looking for features you don’t provide.

If any of those scenarios sound familiar, you may need to start looking for partners to seal the holes in your business. A great place to start is with a self-assessment. Learn your strengths. Learn your weaknesses. Figure out which types of relationships make sense for your particular situation.

If you build the right partnerships, you can begin to confidently find, close and deliver much larger deals. Although you might not be able to accomplish everything on your own, the good news is you don’t have to. So, there is only one thing limiting your ability to close deals that seem impossible right now: You just need to learn to think bigger!