Thursday 17 August 2017

You're playing with the big boys, enjoy it - Are you ready for that 'Premier League' contract?



You’ve built a good, sound and solid business. Then you get that call: the one offering that multiple turnover contract .   You’ve dreamed of this for years - but are you ready for the Premier League? What do you need to merely cope with that scale of contract? Think of everything you’ll need to do!  
In the wee small hours, the RollingPinPhone rang. It was just such an agitated business owner whimpering – “Where do I start?”
The BattleAxe, in her normal assertive way, told him stop worrying and put a plan together! 
“Your customer facing staff have done you proud for years, but do they have the polish that the new customer expects? Everyone will need some extra training to make sure that your speed of reaction is up to the job. You’ll probably also need new team members with experience in dealing with larger customers.  Remember, it’s not just the number of staff on the shop floor it’s about their skill sets, match fitness and terrier-like persistence!  And don’t forget, that type of staff don’t come cheap so think about upping your selling price – you can’t just rely on volumes going up.” She said.
“And as for those uniforms – time for a revamp and maybe you need to think about the font and logo you use? Something modern and crisp but reflecting your heritage – too much change can put off your existing customers and you’ll still need them to keep buying from you.
Make sure you’ve got the right facilities to handle the increased volume of business.  It’s not just about having the factory running 24 hours a day – you’ll need more storage space; the canteen open day and night and the cleaners in twice a day and the ability to clean whilst the lines are still working.  Then make sure that your IT and accounting functions can cope with the extra volume of traffic.”  She could hear a pencil scribbling frantically.
“The new contract will raise your profile so capitalise on this – but don’t forget it needs to be planned with Germanic precision!  There’s nothing worse than not performing when you’re in the public eye.  If you fail to deliver the goods, you can be sure that it will soon get around that you’re easy competition and you’ll have to fight back up the suppliers’ league table again.
And last but not least, make sure you have a plan if the dream contract ends!  Build in clauses so that the customer covers the costs of scaling back or factor it into your pricing strategy – not forgetting that price rises may not go down too well with loyal customers.  Maybe you could give them a discount for multi-buys or signing up for a year’s supply contract?”
By this time, the BattleAxe could hear the client’s knees knocking and wanted to reassure him. “Most importantly, you’re playing with the big boys now, don’t forget to enjoy that success – business can be the most beautiful game if played right you know!”