Whether you are just starting out or you have been in the game for a while, I think we can all agree that the ultimate dream for any entrepreneur or small businessman is to land the big paying clients!

As a small business, you work hard to cultivate the expertise, the skill, the value, etc. 

There’s no doubt that many entrepreneurs and small business owners have what it takes to make it big.

But then why do 42% of small businesses fail? 

Of course, there really isn’t the time or the space in this post to go into all the different reasons, but perhaps, one of the most important is that they never know how to close the deal with big paying clients.

This is why my conversation with Angelique Rewers, the CEO and founder of the Corporate Agent, was so fascinating!

Her goal is to help small businesses of America learn how to land corporate clients. In the interview, she gave a few valuable pointers for small businesses, and I wanted to share them here with you.

Why Small Businesses Need Big Paying Clients

Before we dive into our conversation, I wanted to set the groundwork so we all understood why it is so vital that small businesses succeed.

At the time of this article being written, there are 30.7 million small businesses in America. This accounts for over 90% of all US businesses! 

That’s crazy. 

Whether it’s a side hustle to bring in extra cash or because people want to be their own boss, small business is booming. 

In fact, 1.5 million jobs are created by small businesses every year. 

So we can see that our US economy needs small businesses to survive. The American Dream ,as it were, is the very heartbeat of small business.

Running a small business though is tough. 

Because the market can be easily oversaturated, becoming financially stable as a small business is no easy feat. 

And that is why it is imperative that small businesses land big paying clients. 

If not just for finances, there’s also stability and connection that comes with it. You land one big paying client, and more can follow.

So, now the question is how?

The Power of Perseverance

Angelique shared how in her early childhood years she faced bullies at school. And although there is never a valid reason for this to happen, she talked about how it helped shape her into who she is today.

It taught her the power of perseverance which ultimately would come in very handy for her work with small businesses. 

Perseverance is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.” 

And believe me, and a solopreneur now leading a small team, perseverance is the name of the game. 

When starting out on this venture you have to believe in yourself. You have to know that you know you can do this.

Self-confidence will make a world of difference. Not only for you, but for those high-level clients you come across.

Want to know why some small businesses can’t close out the deal with the big clients? Because they don’t believe that they can. And it shows.

One of the best ways to build up your ability to land the big paying clients is by building up your own self-confidence. 

Confidence in who you are and what you are capable of will empower you with the ability to push through the obstacles and the difficulty that may come your way. 

Don’t Worry About Others

Now before you think that this is me being heartless, let me start by saying – yes, we should definitely care about others and the wellbeing.

What Angelique and I discussed here was that so many times a small business is led by one or a small few, but they worry about what everyone else around them thinks.

This fear of what others think about us and our business endeavors will paralyze you. 

Angelique said, “You know, they don’t want to speak at an event because they’re going to be judged by the audience. They don’t want to do a podcast interview. They’ll be judged by the audience. They don’t want to write an article or a book. They’ll be judged by the readers. They don’t want to reach out to a decision maker because maybe the decision maker will say no or not respond. And so we’re really controlled almost all of our life by what other people are going to think.”

Here is the reality- we are our own worst critic. What we feel many will think about us is usually far from the truth. 

Do not allow the fear of what others may think of you and your business keep you from going for your goals! 

Ultimately, you will be the one who deals with the failure or success of your business, so determine you will do what you need to do to make it happen.

Listen to the Market

One of the reasons many small businesses never see the big, high-ticket clients that they long for is they do not build an offer that actually provides a solution to their problems.

The cool thing about the market is it tells us exactly what people want. 

Listen to the world around you. Find the problem that big companies or big businesses are desperately trying to solve.

Formulate your skills and products around the need you find. 

In the book, Selling the Invisible, by Harry Beckwith, you will read how if you listen carefully, your customers will explain your business to you. 

Take this vital knowledge and use it. Find what makes you unique and emphasize it.

Angelique explains that while there is so much in our world that is shaped by large corporations, the small businesses can go into these organizations, leverage their programs, use their force multiplier, and transform the companies from the inside out.

She calls the small business community the “Trojan horses of Change”. 

Fix Your Messaging

A few practical tips that Angelique gave in her interview about helping small businesses in landing big paying clients revolved around marketing and the message you put out there!

What will they see or read about you before they even meet you? 

Put your best foot forward when it comes to your website, graphic design, and copywriting. 

You want your message to come across accurately and professionally. 

You may not be a professional website or graphic designer. I know I’m not!

But if it’s important to potential clients, then it is worth the extra investment of hiring someone to help take your brand to the next level with your marketing!

You want people who stop by your website to know who you are. 

Leave no doubt in their mind about what you do and how you are the perfect fit for them!

This helps lay the groundwork for the conversation to close the deal.

Talk to the Decision Makers

Another way to see an increase in landing big paying clients is through changing your approach on who you talk to!

So many small business owners will send the email or go to an event, and the actual decision makers that they want to reach are nowhere to be seen.

Create visibility by forming relationships with those who can actually “make the call”.

If you want to land the big clients, you do not want to pitch to the assistant of the assistant.

And you want to know a great way to create visibility? A podcast!

I do not think that I could talk about creating visibility without mentioning the power of having a podcast. This gives you a voice, credibility, and a reason to reach out to those decision makers!

If you want to know more about how a podcast can create visibility for you and your business, check out my free masterclass on the Top Podcasting Profit Secrets!

And if you are serious about taking your small business to the next level and landing those big clients, I’d also highly recommend checking out Angelique’s site here to see how she could help you further!

Conclusion

So…you are a small business owner. You want to see your numbers grow, and the best way to do that is to land the big paying clients,

Which tip are you going to follow through on this week?

Are you going to move forward with that article, interview, or speaking event and not worry about what others may think?

How about your marketing and messaging? Will you focus on your website and copy to make sure you are communicating how awesome and unique you are?

What about your approach? How can you adjust your approach so you make sure you are forming relationships and connections with the decision makers?

Let me know in the comments below! I want to hear what you think!

Thank you for joining me each week. Here’s to leaving every relationship better than you found it! Cheers!