If this sounds familiar, then help is at hand. Here are my top five tips for developing relationships with the key buyers of promotional clothing that can win you the bigger orders you are looking for.

Do Some Sums
Before you spend a lot of your personal time, money and effort winning larger orders from the bigger customers, be clear that this type of account that is right for your business right now. Big growth spurts can put a lot of pressure on companies, particularly small print and embroidery businesses. So make sure you can handle the increase in business that could happen almost overnight.

• Look at the possible drain on resources from supplying these larger accounts.
• Consider the margins you will earn and the impact on time, people resource, raw material supplies and your cash flow.
• Be careful not to over commit your resources to a small number of large turnover customers, as this could leave you exposed should there be problems at any stage in being paid.
• Make sure your business is robust enough and able to work on what may turn out to be lower margins and longer payment terms. Ensure you can do this while still providing excellent service to your current highter margin, loyal customers

With all the resources in place, you have a great opportunity to move up a league. If you have decided that this customer is worth winning then be prepared – it will take time, preparation, perseverance and hard work, but the rewards will be worthwhile.

Objectives and groundwork
There are four key elements to relationship building. They are:

• Get to know the customer. Talk to your prospective account as often as you can ask as many questions as possible. Find out what the values most in a supplier and what things make the buyer’s performance look good internally.
• Consider your business strengths and match them to your prospective customer’s business needs
• Try to get a meeting with the buyer to demonstrate and provide evidence as to how much better their business with you instead of their supplier. Use case studies – actual examples are more powerful than words.Once you have achieved one, two and three ask for an opportunity to quote.

Understanding why your customers choose your competition instead of you is the key to successfully marketing of your business. With competing businesses of a similar size, there generally is very little difference between what they offer especially if the product they are offering is the same. This is especially true for the decorated garment industry where competing companies are in some cases competing on price only.

One-step at a time
Make sure you start any new relationship based on sound foundations. If given the opportunity to quote, you may be tempted to slash your prices to do it. My advice would be: don’t.

Win any business on terms that you are comfortable with, that your business can sustain, and at the highest possible profit margin. You can negotiate. If you win the business on the back of margin slashing selling prices, the customer would probably expect the same level of competitive pricing every time you quote. You would be under pressure to respond and the relationship would be based on small margins.

There are many different ways of competing in the same industry. Remember, your ‘added value’ service elements can win business even though your price quoted may be higher than your competition’s.

Before you ask for a meeting, do some research on your prospective customer, their business, the markets they operate in and who their competition is. Try to find out what makes them competitive and successful. Look for opportunities you can sell to them through your product and service that will help their performance or competitive edge.

Next, do everything you can to get your face in front of the buyer at a meeting. Do not attempt to sell or discuss your products in any detail over the telephone. The purpose of the telephone call is to get the meeting – that is all.

If the prospect says no to a meeting, it is only ever ‘no’ now. Things rapidly change in this world and what could be the situation today might not be the situation tomorrow. If you do not get an appointment the first time, arrange to call back at another time. If you believe, what you are doing is right for your prospect’s business then prove it to them with your enthusiasm and remain persistent in pursuit of your goal.

Make sure you keep in touch with what they are doing. Monitor their trade press, their website news releases, and the successes of their competition. Send them your newsletter, your press releases, your success stories or email them occasionally with a general business success update and written case studies.

Keep focused on getting that first meeting. Be polite, persistent and patient. When you get your meeting use this opportunity to get a full understanding of how your prospect’s business works and who are the decision makers are.

Buyers like to be treated as individuals, so instead of selling what you do, try an offer something unique, that fits their particular needs. Never go into a relationship thinking what you can get out of it. Try to focus on what you can do that will be most helpful to your customer.

Remember: what really matters to buyers is that a supplier understands them. Do not get hung up on the size of your business in comparison to theirs or your competition. Make sure you wrap up your meeting with a 'next steps' agenda to keep the contact momentum going.

Make sure you follow up on your next steps and do what you say you will do when you promise to do it.

Create a power proposal
When quoting for your first large amount of business with this new prospect customer do not just send a bog standard quotation listing a product description and a price. Anyone can do that and many do. You, however, are not any other business; your business is the business that is prepared to go that extra mile. So use this opportunity to show it and put some effort into it by creating a proposal.

Much better than a quotation, a proposal is a powerful statement of intent to supply that details out all the customer benefits wrapped up the product that you will be supplying. It is also another opportunity to remind your prospect how their business will benefit in addition to product and price details. Try to include:

• Testimonials from other satisfied customers, or case studies of how your businesses products and delivery performance have befitted customers.
• Highlight all the 'added value' elements of your service.
• Where appropriate include a personal statement from the business owner that talks about commitment, partnership, a culture and a passion for helping customers become successful.
• Be proactive, include samples, product mock ups or preliminary design ideas Finally, do not spoil all the hard work by sending your proposal in the post. In cases where there is a lot at stake present your proposal face to face at a meeting.

Asking for a meeting to discuss your proposal has a number of benefits: it gives you another opportunity to meet with your prospect and continue developing your relationship; you will be better able to judge reactions, deal with questions, and handle objections; and it will give you the opportunity to ask for the business.

To leave the meeting with the go ahead to proceed you need to set it up with your prospect on the understanding that you would like a decision one way or another at that meeting. Ideally, you want all the decision makers in the room at the same time, though this won’t always be possible.

If, at the end your prospect needs a little time, make an appointment there and then for a follow up or 'next steps' meeting.

Work on building your relationship
Once you have your first order, keep yourself in the forefront of your customer’s mind. Be attentive and proactive should they call you. Keep in touch on a regular basis. Invite them to see your premises, meet your people and get aflavour of your business culture and ethos.

Look for opportunities to show off the best you have to offer at every possible occasion and keep looking to develop the relationship and learn more about your customer.

Do all of this and soon you will change from being a supplier of a product your customers can easily get elsewhere, to a business partner who, by your actions and the added benefits you provide, makes a significant contribution to the success of your customer’s business.

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Ray Seagrave is the director of MBA Business Coaching and is a business growth and development expert. Seagrave provides personal and business performance coaching to professionals within the industry

Seagrave is also the author of Print & Packaging Success – a free businesscoaching newsletter that helps owners and managers grow turnover and profits by ‘Competition-Proofing' everything they do.

To find out more and get a free fivepart coaching session on Business Winning Customer Service, visit www.print-packaging-success.co.uk or email.