You have your sites locked on a business-defining client.

You see a very legitimate opportunity to land them. Maybe you have an “inside connection” at the company, or maybe you simply see your offering as uniquely positioned to meet their needs. In either case, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you need to seize it.

As you can imagine, this will not be an overnight process—although it will happen a lot faster than you think.

To help you prove to your next big client that you’re ready, here are a few things you can do.

4 Tips to Prepare Your Business to Land Your Next Big Client

1- Prepare Your Team

Does anyone on your sales or customer service team have enterprise-level experience? They may not and that’s OK.

There is no need to rush out and try to find an enterprise-proven sales leader or account executive. Bringing in an outside company can help you get the most from the resources you already have.

For example, a company that specializes in new market expansion can help give your team all of the skills and resources they will need, while also helping you deliver qualified lead generation opportunities to help your company grow and sustain that growth.

2- Build Your Portfolio

Start building your portfolio, case studies and testimonials from related industries.

The time will soon come for you to prove to the big client that you can succeed in their space. Start building that proof right now.

Things like case studies and testimonials can really drag on, as you’re trying to get things organized and approved from the client-side. Give yourself adequate time to prepare these.

3- Focus on THEM

When preparing your pitch deck or proposal, of course, you will want to talk about your company and your capabilities. But keep the focus on them.

For example, when you’re talking about your strengths, focus on how those strengths can help their specific needs and be as specific as possible.

This shows that you’ve done your homework and that you can legitimately help solve their current pain points. You’re not wasting their time and just trying to land a big fish.

4- Build Your Off-site Web Presence

Of course, your would-be client will look you up online. That means you need to make sure your website is updated and your blog is active.

However, they will be looking at everything that comes up when they Google you. This means that you want them to see:

• An active social media presence
• Glowing customer reviews
• Quotes from your leaders in news stories and guest blogs
• Press releases and other announcements about events you’ve attended

Start cultivating your off-site presence right now, because it will not show up overnight. When the time comes for your would-be client to Google you, you want the first page to be full of nothing but great things.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, the more time you have to prepare, the better. You know that you can serve this client right now. But it can take time for you to accumulate the assets that will prove it.

It’s not about how ready you are. It’s about how ready they think you are.