The Napoleon Complex: Small Company, Big Attitude
I
can clearly remember my first day in operation
running my payroll company. I was finally open
for business and there was only one problem; I had
no clients to actually prepare a payroll for. I had a
fancy new printer, a great little computer network
and I even had my first staff member- does my mom
count as a staff member? I guess so. Nevertheless,
I was in business and ready to take on the giant
payroll processors of the world. Armed with not
much more than my enthusiasm and vigor I began
guiding my fledgling operation on a path to conquer
the industry, well at least my little piece of it.
It is a daunting task to start your own business
regardless of your industry. I had chosen a business
sector that I had been a successful salesperson in for
only two short years. I think one of the reasons I
thought I could actually compete and do a good job
in the payroll industry was a result of my naiveté
combined with my complete and utter lack of
understanding of how difficult it would really be to
run my own organization. Some say that ignorance
is bliss, and I agree that sometimes when you are
starting a business it is better not to know what
challenging times may lie ahead or you might not
even start down the path.
Fast forward a fairly grueling 20 years and my firm
is now the most respected payroll services provider
in the region we serve and we compete with the big
guys on a level playing. In fact, my company is a
topic of discussion at every one of the industry
giant’s sales meetings. They are constantly
attempting to undercut our pricing, discredit us and
downright lie to try to persuade our loyal client base
to jump ship and cross over to the dark side.
Secretly, I know our competitors respect us. Why
do they need to resort to such base behavior? It’s
simple. We provide better services all around than
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Strictly Marketing Magazine July/August 2016
they do, not to mention many of our clients quickly
tired of being treated poorly by these larger firms
and were happy to find a home with a smaller
provider that could respond to their needs more
appropriately.
Does this sound familiar? Whether you are a
smaller company just starting out or have been
around for a while, I am certain you understand
exactly what I mean. How do you compete on the
same level as the larger firms when you don’t have
the money for extravagant marketing campaigns,
can’t hire the best sales staff available, pay rent at
the swankiest address or sometimes even afford
some of the basic necessities to make your operation
run smoothly? Here are a few tips that will leave
the industry giants in your rear view mirror.
Lead the community scene – Being a smaller player means you have to find novel and lower cost
way to get noticed and be taken seriously. Taking
a keen interest in your local, regional or trade community will raise your ability to come in contact
with the influencers you need to meet to help your
business soar.
Example: When I started my firm I made it a point
to be on the board of regional charities and civic
organizations.