Getting a Foot in the Door - Advice?

new2business

Hi All,

I am hoping to find assistance from people with far more experience than me with respect to getting my foot in the door of large organsiations for a service I wish to offer to their employees.

Has anyone any experience in dealing with large organisations and getting a contact within same? I am looking at setting up a small business and I would be a one person outfit.

The service I am offering would be available to employees at no cost to the organisation and I feel it would benefit the emplyees in terms of reducing stress allowing them greater time to focus on their work / tasks. It is a service people struggle to make time for currently however from research that I have done locally there is a demand for the service and the less inconvenient it is (in terms of travel etc) the more attractive the service is.

What would you think is the best way of approaching an organisation regarding ofering a service to their staff? I am struggling to find a 'contact' as a lot of these organisations have a variety of managers and it's hard to know who would deal with such a request. I've rang a few switchboards and they haven't really been in a pssiiton to help me either. Would it best just to call to the rpemises and wait to speak to somone? I am conscious that 'door stepping' somone might immediately make them hesitant so I want to do things in a professional manner.

The idea would be to visit these organisations at a predetermined time (2 - 3 hour window)once a week to try and supplement the client base of any customers who may require my service locally. By visitng these large organisations I would be hoping to access a market of customers who I may otherwise never get the opportunity to deal with as they may live far from where I would be providing the service.

Apologies if it all appears vague regarding the business itself but I just don't want to divulge too much!

Looking forward to hearing your views and comments. Thanks.

JMR

A lot of large corporations have a sports & social club that employees, through membership can usually avail of discounts with local businesses etc.

I know a large pharma company where employees can get discounted cinema tickets, Dublin Zoo admissions etc..

If your target company - and it sounds like you have 1 particular target has a sports & social club then the person in charge will most likely be a regular employee rather than a hard to get hold of senior manager.
Find out who is in charge of the sports & social club and approach them by email if you can get an address or phone reception and ask for them.

If your service has a clear benefit for their members you may find they will work with you to get you on site.

new2business

JMR wrote: »

A lot of large corporations have a sports & social club that employees, through membership can usually avail of discounts with local businesses etc.

I know a large pharma company where employees can get discounted cinema tickets, Dublin Zoo admissions etc..

If your target company - and it sounds like you have 1 particular target has a sports & social club then the person in charge will most likely be a regular employee rather than a hard to get hold of senior manager.
Find out who is in charge of the sports & social club and approach them by email if you can get an address or phone reception and ask for them.

If your service has a clear benefit for their members you may find they will work with you to get you on site.

Hi JMR,

That's a great suggestion and something I had completely overlooked in terms of a means of making contact with a company.

Eventhough the service wouldn't necessarily fall into the 'sports and social' field, the individual who runs the club I'm sure would know 1) whether there may be interest in the service 2) and if they can't give the green light themselves I'm sure they can put it to the powers that be and perhaps allow me to discuss matters further.

Would an organisation look for payment (or % of sales) to allow me onsite or would their benefit accrue in terms of a happier (in theory) more productive workforce.

Thanks again JMR......your response really got me thinking in a different way.

The vagueness of the business makes it difficult to recommend the role of the person you want to speak with.

new2business

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The vagueness of the business makes it difficult to recommend the role of the person you want to speak with.

Hi El Rifle,

Apologies about that but as I'm sure you can appreciate but I'd like to avoid to divulge too much at this early stage.

If it is a service to an organisation's employees would it not be the same contact irrespective of what is being offered? Like if it's a department head etc I need to speak to id doubt id contact one if I was offering one service and a different department head if I was offering something different.

As I'm new to this whole thing maybe I'm missing something very obvious here so apologies if this is a stupid question.

new2business

new2business wrote: »

Hi El Rifle,

Apologies about that but as I'm sure you can appreciate but I'd like to avoid to divulge too much at this early stage.

If it is a service to an organisation's employees would it not be the same contact irrespective of what is being offered? Like if it's a department head etc I need to speak to id doubt id contact one if I was offering one service and a different department head if I was offering something different.

As I'm new to this whole thing maybe I'm missing something very obvious here so apologies if this is a stupid question.

Well the thing is it may not be the head of the department you need to speak to to get your foot in the door. The head of the department might be tough to get hold of, or not return your calls, whereas you could get in another route further down the ladder.

For example Im involved in distribution to retailers, and if you can't get hold of a category manager, you might look for the lead buyer, or a step further down to the junior buyer.

dumbyearbook

Don't say things like "within same" it's annoying and off putting.

new2business

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Well the thing is it may not be the head of the department you need to speak to to get your foot in the door. The head of the department might be tough to get hold of, or not return your calls, whereas you could get in another route further down the ladder.

For example Im involved in distribution to retailers, and if you can't get hold of a category manager, you might look for the lead buyer, or a step further down to the junior buyer.

Completely take on board what your saying. In a financial services type organisation any suggestions on types of individuals I should be seeking out? The person who runs the sports and social club is definitely an avenue worth pursuing that I hadn't considered.

pedroeibar1

new2business wrote: »

Hi All,

I am hoping to find assistance ............getting my foot in the door of large organsiations for a service I wish to offer to their employees.

The idea would be to visit these organisations at a predetermined time (2 - 3 hour window)once a week

Why have you not done your homework? If your product is so great and the target company is so big, how come you have not found ANY link to an employee? Have you looked at your LinkedIn connections? Sports club? School links? Friends?

Instead of commenting on this topic I’d be sitting on a megayacht in Monaco if I had a fiver from every phonecall that offered me/my staff/business ‘a great product/service/whatever’ that would reduce my costs/make me a better employer or increase my profits. Forget that line of approach, it’s clichéd and dumb.

You get just one chance to create a first impression, so get it right. Very few do, because the people they talk to have heard it all before and just because you are hyped up with your business idea it does not follow that they, your audience will be. You are starting out, they not only have been around the block, they probably own it.

No employer / company will endorse you, it puts them on the hook if something goes wrong. Unless of course there is a legal kick-back to them, in which case it should be in the open.
Nobody is going to agree to your suggested (2 - 3 hour window) once a week........... That borders on arrogance, knock that timeframe on the head if you want to succeed at anything.

Go back to the drawing board, work, think and be more open with what you are selling, otherwise you cannot get precise advice.

new2business

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Why have you not done your homework? If your product is so great and the target company is so big, how come you have not found ANY link to an employee? Have you looked at your LinkedIn connections? Sports club? School links? Friends?

Instead of commenting on this topic I’d be sitting on a megayacht in Monaco if I had a fiver from every phonecall that offered me/my staff/business ‘a great product/service/whatever’ that would reduce my costs/make me a better employer or increase my profits. Forget that line of approach, it’s clichéd and dumb.

You get just one chance to create a first impression, so get it right. Very few do, because the people they talk to have heard it all before and just because you are hyped up with your business idea it does not follow that they, your audience will be. You are starting out, they not only have been around the block, they probably own it.

No employer / company will endorse you, it puts them on the hook if something goes wrong. Unless of course there is a legal kick-back to them, in which case it should be in the open.
Nobody is going to agree to your suggested (2 - 3 hour window) once a week........... That borders on arrogance, knock that timeframe on the head if you want to succeed at anything.

Go back to the drawing board, work, think and be more open with what you are selling, otherwise you cannot get precise advice.

I have never at any stage claimed my product is 'so great'. I believe it is a product that may benefit people but due to the nature of long working hours there is little opportunity for them to avail of this without eating into their evenings.

If selling the service as a positive element for staff to an employer is 'dumb and clichéd' how would you suggest I approach the topic considering as you have quite rightly pointed out I will only get one opportunity.

I'm not fully sure what you mean when you say 'endorse me'. I wouldn't be asking for their endorsement but I believe there organisations that currently offer a services to their employees to improve employee well being like onsite masseuse etc. Admittedly they're free to staff (I think) but I would have thought the premise is the same.....a service to employees offered by a third party.

I dot see the 2-3 hours window as arrogance-more a consistency to the service offering to be available to employees but not distracting or damaging to productivity in terms of lost output.

This idea may well require me to go back to drawing board or indeed scrap it in its entirety but that's why I'm here, to tap into the experience and lessons learned of much better business people than I could even claim to be.

JMR

I have seen the following services offered in large pharma multi-nationals

1. Dry cleaning - collected from staff at a given time / day and returned at a given time / day

2. Masseur on site for a couple of hours 1 day per week

3. Personal trainer on site and taking a group for a lunch time session.

Can't say how profitable any of these are for the supplier or how much business they generated.
The company will not seek a cut to allow you on site, they will require that you offer their staff a very good service at a very good price and if the service is of the masseur type that you are fully qualified and insured.
Best of luck with it and remember that while you should heed negative advice when it is informed and constructive, when it is negative for the sake of being negative you should not let it deter you from exploring your ideas

new2business

new2business wrote: »

Completely take on board what your saying. In a financial services type organisation any suggestions on types of individuals I should be seeking out? The person who runs the sports and social club is definitely an avenue worth pursuing that I hadn't considered.

I can't really answer that unless I know what your selling to be honest.

pedronomix

From what you have said, the focus is on possible benefit to a small number of employees, as it only for 1-3 hours per week and provided by one person. I can see the attraction for you in terms of access to a market, hard to see the benefit to the company.
There are loads of thing we all need to or would like to do without impinging on our personal time. Unless you have some compelling issue not shared on here that makes a great case, I would thing you are dreaming. No company is going to open the floodgates to a host of such small services being provided in their facilities.
If you know of companies who allow your type of operation in their other facilities, you may well have a chance with them. Cold sell, a very long road beckons!

new2business

JMR wrote: »

I have seen the following services offered in large pharma multi-nationals

1. Dry cleaning - collected from staff at a given time / day and returned at a given time / day

2. Masseur on site for a couple of hours 1 day per week

3. Personal trainer on site and taking a group for a lunch time session.

Can't say how profitable any of these are for the supplier or how much business they generated.
The company will not seek a cut to allow you on site, they will require that you offer their staff a very good service at a very good price and if the service is of the masseur type that you are fully qualified and insured.
Best of luck with it and remember that while you should heed negative advice when it is informed and constructive, when it is negative for the sake of being negative you should not let it deter you from exploring your ideas

JMR again thank you for these insights and taking the time to respond. When some of the feedback you are getting is not to incldude 'within same' as it is 'annoying' you do begin to wonder!

The types of services you have outlined would be along the lines of what I am proposing and I hear what you're saying regarding insurance and qualifications. A quality service at a good price point is what I feel I could offer. More work most definitely needed but this will help shape how I approach the next stage.

new2business

Deleted User wrote: »

I can't really answer that unless I know what your selling to be honest.

Thanks El Rifle. I 100% can see where you're coming from and sorry that I can't shed more light on the service at this stage.

pedroeibar1

Your response to me above is better than the Opening Post, but you still have not said even approximately what product/service you want to provide. Nor have you properly defined your customer – is it the firm i.e. at their behest will you provide a service to employees or is it the personnel within the firm? The absence of that information is the crux, because every product/service will have a different answer. It’s coming across that you have not decided who the customer is – no point in regarding ‘sheep’ as the customers if you cannot get past the ‘shepherd’. That is why you do not know who to call on.

new2business wrote: »

……………. but due to the nature of long working hours there is little opportunity for them to avail of this without eating into their evenings…………..I dot see the 2-3 hours window as arrogance-more a consistency to the service offering to be available to employees but not distracting or damaging to productivity in terms of lost output

Why should any employer allow an outsider onto the premises and access to their staff for 3 hours every week?What would that do to work schedules? Lunchtime is from 12 to 2 in most big companies, even with Flexitime.

new2business wrote: »

If selling the service as a positive element for staff to an employer is 'dumb and clichéd' how would you suggest I approach the topic considering as you have quite rightly pointed out I will only get one opportunity

That’s misinterpreting what I said – everyone salesperson believes their offer is ‘the best there is’ and if you approach any large company with what your said in the OP

it would benefit the emplyees in terms of reducing stress allowing them greater time to focus on their work / tasks. It is a service people struggle to make time for currently

you will be among the also-rans. You need a more refined sales approach.

new2business wrote: »

I'm not fully sure what you mean when you say 'endorse me'. I wouldn't be asking for their endorsement ……….

Allowing you onto their premises and access to their staff to transact business goes beyond ‘consent’ and would be viewed as tacit endorsement.

If for example you are a ‘life coach’ offering a service there is one answer; if you are a ‘time management’ guru there is another ; if you are suggesting that you provide financial advice (pensions, investments) there is another. If you really do your homework the answer will come to you.

Bandara

Can I suggest OP that whatever it is you are offering is not a radical reinvention of the wheel

I understand that you have a wish to keep it to yourself, but in reality you disclosing your idea here is not going to see a raft of rip off companies starting up. And even by some miracle they do, competition is part of business and shouldn't be something your afraid of.

The benefit to you of getting direct appropriate answers is possibly far better than any downsides of you unveiling your big idea.

Whatever your proposing I'd suggest it's been thought of before and hence it serves no purpose for you to keep it a secret. It's not the idea that will make the business, it's the person, the application and the approach.

Just my 2c worth. Good luck with it either way.

Mrs OBumble

If it's a health-related service, then you could try their Health and Safety and/or Occupational Health person. That could be health in the broadest sense (physical, mental, emotional even financial).

One thing to keep in mind with many large sites is that lots of the people who work there may not actually be employed by the company - they may be employed by 3rd party services contractors, and possibly you should try the manager of these 3rd parties instead. (To work out who they are - just go into the regional forum on boards.ie and ask where you should apply for jobs at XXX).

Also, there's an issue with your pitch: you say you're offering something that many people may neglect "without it eating into their evenings". Well from an employer perspective, evenings (or whatever the out-of-work hours) are precisely the time when employees should be doing personal stuff like getting massages, doing yoga, updating their will, painting their nails, revising their retirement plans, cutting their hair, etc.

And something I'm not clear about: are you looking to make money out of your on-site visits? Or are they more of a taster to get you clients, and your business model is to products / services to these people outside of work? If the latter, then you may be as well off getting the Sports and Social to offer a discount or to raffle a product sample. (Just 'cos your specific product does sound "Sports and social" doesn't mean to say they wouldn't like it.)