Been referred to a $100mil+/year company any advice?

JoseArmando

JoseArmando

work = life
Jul 24, 2008
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They're a manufacturing company and need an agency that will manage their online presence as far as the main website goes and probably do some online advertising - I'll get the details after I talk to one of the directors this week.

I've worked with smaller clients but this is a whole different game and I'm curious if any of you have any insight how to structure pricing and what to be aware of when dealing with bigger clients.
 


I've managed fortune 1000 campaigns.

Charge what they can afford. Period.

I'd say no less than 10-20K a month.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that the communication is going to be far more consistent (obviously).

When I was managing a large, corporate account, communication was almost daily, and we had weekly calls every Friday.

Depending on how savvy they are, they're going to want a publishing schedule. They may also require everything you publish to be ran past their PR team, if they have one.

Then again, you'll be working with a manufacturer- I was working with a marketing company. They may be clueless, and your communication may be minimal. I have no clue. But that would be sweet.

In short, don't be afraid to quote them a substantial number. If you don't, they won't take you seriously.

GL bro.
 
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onlinemoniez said:
I've managed fortune 1000 campaigns.

Charge what they can afford. Period.

I'd say no less than 10-20K a month.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that the communication is going to be far more consistent (obviously).

When I was managing a large, corporate account, communication was almost daily, and we had weekly calls every Friday.

Depending on how savvy they are, they're going to want a publishing schedule. They may also require everything you publish to be ran past their PR team, if they have one.

Then again, you'll be working with a manufacturer- I was working with a marketing company. They may be clueless, and your communication may be minimal. I have no clue. But that would be sweet.

In short, don't be afraid to quote them a substantial number. If you don't, they won't take you seriously.

GL bro.
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This exactly the advice I was hoping for. Great stuff.

Yea, they're clueless about online stuff and that's why they want someone to figure it out for them finally. It's actually surprising just how much room for improvement there is.

Thanks

vipervin said:
You may even want to charge by the hour. $300-400/hr wouldn't be unreasonable.
Click to expand...

Haven't thought of that. If the kind of work they'll need is some minor fixes here and there I'll def bill by hour.

dreamache said:
I've represented some big brands at one point.
Click to expand...

Lol actually relevant
 
Just remember don't charge based off your checkbooks balance. Just because you can't afford your services doesn't mean they can't. Do you know if there are other bidders for this job? Don't get greedy but don't leave money on the table

. And last but least "Act as if"
Act as if you have clients way bigger then this littl Manufacturing co
Act as if you have a team of a hundred people at your disposable
Act as if you have a 12" cock

Show no fear and act confidant and close the deal. Research this co and find out as much as humanly possible b4 you go in that meeting. And last but not least make sure you get the real decision maker in the room when you make that pitch. If he isn't there you will get railroaded and lose the deal
 
dmnEPC said:
. And last but least "Act as if"
Act as if you have clients way bigger then this littl Manufacturing co
Act as if you have a team of a hundred people at your disposable
Act as if you have a 12" cock
Click to expand...

^
This times 100. If you're a one man team, you are no longer - you've got a team of developers, designers, content developers and world-class SEOs.

Also, as was mentioned, don't get greedy.

The account I had should have been paying twice what the were. Dozens of kws for 10k a month.

About a year later, some corporate slut suddenly came into the picture. She knew some guy who once worked at this company, and he later established a very large, well known SEO company . She was pushing to go with them.

He then quoted them twice what they were currently paying for half the keywords. Needless to say, they didn't go anywhere. They realized they were receiving a hell of a deal.
 
Yes, I would charge by the hour about $300-400 as suggested, but agree on a 'retainer' fee each month, say at least 10K a month if they can afford it. Then stuff like setting up Google Maps can be billed for 4-5 hours even if it takes you 2 hours. This is based on how we did it in a major digital agency.
 
Lots of good advice already - but I would STRONGLY recommend finding someone who can act as sort of a project manager/secretary between you and them once things get going. If you're anything like me, you probably enjoy your freedom and you probably work odd hours. That doesn't usually work well with bigger clients, especially if you're doing more than one or two very narrow tasks for them. When you have someone who's willing to be around during all normal business hours, they can greatly simplify your life by doing stuff like...

-Acting as a first line of communication so you don't have to deal with every trivial phone call or question
-Keeping the client calm and happy by giving them someone they can get in touch with all the time
-Making small and simple changes to campaigns
-Reporting
-Handling the corporate nonsense (dealing with accounting, figuring out who has access to things you need, transferring over information when employees change, getting approval and/or feedback on new things, etc)


Granted, with some companies you can position yourself as a temperamental, in-demand expert who calls the shots and doesn't do business hours - but that doesn't work with everyone, especially not if you're dealing with ongoing work that needs a regular, stable presence (as opposed to one-time consulting jobs).
 
dmnEPC said:
Just remember don't charge based off your checkbooks balance. Just because you can't afford your services doesn't mean they can't. Do you know if there are other bidders for this job? Don't get greedy but don't leave money on the table

"Act as if"
Act as if you have clients way bigger then this little Manufacturing co
Act as if you have a team of a hundred people at your disposal
Act as if you have a 12" cock

Show no fear and act confidant and close the deal. Research this co and find out as much as humanly possible b4 you go in that meeting. And last but not least make sure you get the real decision maker in the room when you make that pitch. If he isn't there you will get railroaded and lose the deal
Click to expand...

Damn Ipad's auto correct butchered that post and completely changed the meaning of a few statements so fixed it up a bit.

And remember your friend the referrer may have gotten you a seat at the big boy table, but that does not mean he has any approval powers. His boss might not even have that power. This is the one area of your research that you need to be diligent about. Start by asking your referrer who that person is. It could be as high as the CEO or it could be a lowly department head. But its critical you know who this is and that they are present at this meeting. Some times they will try to be dodgy about this and not waste that person's time but you need to insist he be there to save everyone's time. This is absolutely critical
 
dmnEPC said:
Just remember don't charge based off your checkbooks balance. Just because you can't afford your services doesn't mean they can't. Do you know if there are other bidders for this job? Don't get greedy but don't leave money on the table

. And last but least "Act as if"
Act as if you have clients way bigger then this littl Manufacturing co
Act as if you have a team of a hundred people at your disposable
Act as if you have a 12" cock

Show no fear and act confidant and close the deal. Research this co and find out as much as humanly possible b4 you go in that meeting. And last but not least make sure you get the real decision maker in the room when you make that pitch. If he isn't there you will get railroaded and lose the deal
Click to expand...

They're dropping the current agency and since this won't be a $100k+ deal there's no need for public bidding AFAIK.

We've already done some research but the way you phrased it got me to rethink it, so I'll do it again and give it 100% this time so that there won't be any surprises when I get face to face with them. Solid stuff man, I gotta catch up with you on Skype.

onlinemoniez said:
^
This times 100. If you're a one man team, you are no longer - you've got a team of developers, designers, content developers and world-class SEOs.

Also, as was mentioned, don't get greedy.

The account I had should have been paying twice what the were. Dozens of kws for 10k a month.

About a year later, some corporate slut suddenly came into the picture. She knew some guy who once worked at this company, and he later established a very large, well known SEO company . She was pushing to go with them.

He then quoted them twice what they were currently paying for half the keywords. Needless to say, they didn't go anywhere. They realized they were receiving a hell of a deal.
Click to expand...

Yea we outsource stuff all the time but I wouldn't think of mentioning it in there, now I definitely will so that they'll understand it's not a small operation.

PMing you.

rusvik said:
Yes, I would charge by the hour about $300-400 as suggested, but agree on a 'retainer' fee each month, say at least 10K a month if they can afford it. Then stuff like setting up Google Maps can be billed for 4-5 hours even if it takes you 2 hours. This is based on how we did it in a major digital agency.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight man.

stefanie said:
Lots of good advice already - but I would STRONGLY recommend finding someone who can act as sort of a project manager/secretary between you and them once things get going. If you're anything like me, you probably enjoy your freedom and you probably work odd hours. That doesn't usually work well with bigger clients, especially if you're doing more than one or two very narrow tasks for them. When you have someone who's willing to be around during all normal business hours, they can greatly simplify your life by doing stuff like...

-Acting as a first line of communication so you don't have to deal with every trivial phone call or question
-Keeping the client calm and happy by giving them someone they can get in touch with all the time
-Making small and simple changes to campaigns
-Reporting
-Handling the corporate nonsense (dealing with accounting, figuring out who has access to things you need, transferring over information when employees change, getting approval and/or feedback on new things, etc)


Granted, with some companies you can position yourself as a temperamental, in-demand expert who calls the shots and doesn't do business hours - but that doesn't work with everyone, especially not if you're dealing with ongoing work that needs a regular, stable presence (as opposed to one-time consulting jobs).
Click to expand...

This is the reason I was kind of hesitant when I got the referral and it's also the reason why we don't do a lot of client work even though we get referrals all the time. Though turning down a client like this would be idiotic especially since I know what we can do is a lot better than what they're currently getting in this department.

There's no one I could use as an intermediary right now but I'll def start thinking of it if they'll need constant contact/reports. My goal is to show results fast to make them then rationalize our maybe a bit atypical approach (just two young guys, no suits etc).


dmnEPC said:
Damn Ipad's auto correct butchered that post and completely changed the meaning of a few statements so fixed it up a bit.

And remember your friend the referrer may have gotten you a seat at the big boy table, but that does not mean he has any approval powers. His boss might not even have that power. This is the one area of your research that you need to be diligent about. Start by asking your referrer who that person is. It could be as high as the CEO or it could be a lowly department head. But its critical you know who this is and that they are present at this meeting. Some times they will try to be dodgy about this and not waste that person's time but you need to insist he be there to save everyone's time. This is absolutely critical
Click to expand...

Well the person we'll be talking to is a director directly under the CEO and I don't think the ceo will even want to sit in on a deal that's this small. So I guess in this regard it's a good position to be in.

Bros, just wanna say you all rock - wf never disappoints.
 
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Confidence and all are great, but really, you need to have your homework done on this deal and this space.

Stephanie made a great point about communication. Definitely factor in the need for persistent communication. It's crucial when dealing with large organizations which have their own internal politics.

I've had experience dealing with 3 large companies outside IM, and regardless of how good you think you are at what you do, what matters most to these firms at the end of the day, is you know how to play the game the way they want it to be played.

Keep that in mind.
 
guerilla said:
what matters most to these firms at the end of the day, is you know how to play the game the way they want it to be played.
Click to expand...

This is also true. There's always a lot of internal politics going on. Like you may be dealing with someone who has their own agenda and ideas, while other people in the firm may have others. People constantly jostling for position and trying to claim credit for things done right and avoid being part of losing bets. You will also be up against other companies cold calling, greasing the wheels, network dinners etc. Always try to get as high up the food chain as possible when closing the deal. Much more likely to get a good thing going when it becomes the boss' project instead of a 'lowly' employee. Once the CEO is on board, everyone below him will work hard to make things happen.

I would seriously also consider hiring one or more very attractive women as eye candy to bring for meetings.

Last but not least, most corporate people like to be 'wowed' particularly if they expect online marketing people to be high flying, fast talking alpha types, so don't show up looking and behaving as a nerd. Make them feel smart and 'in the know' for bringing in an 'inbound marketing guru'.
 
guerilla said:
Confidence and all are great, but really, you need to have your homework done on this deal and this space.

Stephanie made a great point about communication. Definitely factor in the need for persistent communication. It's crucial when dealing with large organizations which have their own internal politics.

I've had experience dealing with 3 large companies outside IM, and regardless of how good you think you are at what you do, what matters most to these firms at the end of the day, is you know how to play the game the way they want it to be played.

Keep that in mind.
Click to expand...

This is a really good point. Before this thread I thought, we'll get in, do our thing and if they don't like it -so be it. But having in mind the dynamics you're in and acting accordingly doesn't mean you're selling yourself out.

rusvik said:
This is also true. There's always a lot of internal politics going on. Like you may be dealing with someone who has their own agenda and ideas, while other people in the firm may have others. People constantly jostling for position and trying to claim credit for things done right and avoid being part of losing bets. You will also be up against other companies cold calling, greasing the wheels, network dinners etc. Always try to get as high up the food chain as possible when closing the deal. Much more likely to get a good thing going when it becomes the boss' project instead of a 'lowly' employee. Once the CEO is on board, everyone below him will work hard to make things happen.

I would seriously also consider hiring one or more very attractive women as eye candy to bring for meetings.

Last but not least, most corporate people like to be 'wowed' particularly if they expect online marketing people to be high flying, fast talking alpha types, so don't show up looking and behaving as a nerd. Make them feel smart and 'in the know' for bringing in an 'inbound marketing guru'.
Click to expand...

Man the last sentence is gold.

tygoldberg said:
Learn as much as possible about the company and prepare a great fucking pitch.
Click to expand...

Will do!
 
..........infiltrate...... take over (OR) form your own shit off their model........

...........because at the end of the day, despite how many millions they may make annually, you'll probably get paid shit. for example; walmart, etc.
 
Sound and look like you know what you are talking about. Go the extra mile, when I started my marketing company we would spend 8 hours on research and presentations, fancy folders, graphics, power points, and lots of pie charts and shit to get a client. You will need to leave them impressed, So kinkos and a graphic designer is the way to go. Don't walk in there with your dick in your hand, but walk in there like you got a 12 inch dick, and give them professional presentation materials. Communication is going to be the key, everyday at first, with hand holding after 2 to 3 months less hand holding more results in pretty presentation formats.

P.S. I ended up representing some big brands at one point with this technique. Good luck bro. PM is you want some personal pointers.
 
I am not going to pretend I have experience for something like this on the web side, but I am a Sr. Manager so I understand business for the sake of business.

1. In your initial presentation make sure you have Sales and Marketing there. Why? Because what you can push is how your site will help Sales and Marketing to perform better
2. Figure out what you can offer and how it will benefit them. Try to make it a mix of monetary and brand recognition. You see having a site is nice, but if it does not do anything for you its a waste of money. However if you show up and say hey, what if I told you there is a way you can have your customers tell you what they want before you spend money manufacturing something that no one likes...would you like that? What if I told you there are people searching for "X money term" (related to their niche). Even if you capture 10% of that think how much revenue this can generate...you get the point....
3. 5 steps of sales process. Gain interest, establish credibility, establish a need, offer solutions, have a system for easy transaction. Pretty much if you do this right everything else will work


Another thing you want to look for and maybe ask someone before you even show up for your presentation is, why don't they have a website already? Most likely someone is resisting it. You need to disarm their reasons (tactfully). They might think that brick and mortar is how business gets done. Maybe their manufacturing niche is not for normal users. If they sell cranes to sell skyscrapers its not like you or I will check their site out. No matter what the reasons are try to figure them out.

Finally...and I hate this part, take them out to dinner. I hate it but all sales guys do it. If you don't you will appear not as serious. During the dinner just hang out and make jokes. It might cost you $100/person but it might be well worth it.

Oh, have different levels of service. Maybe something like website = $$$ / mo, social = $$$ / mo...uhm ecommerce store = $$$$ / mo. Then a bundle.

If you can get them to buy even something small you can slowly give them more services. Companies get in the I have bought X so now that I want Y I have to get it from the same company otherwise my money on X where wasted.
 
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