Secret Agent Plan
Spy new business by taking tips from the secret service.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The U.S. Secret Service was first organized in July 1865. Whatthe Secret Service does best: intelligence analysis. It leaves nostone unturned.
The parallel here for entrepreneurs? To generate top-notchbusiness contracts, you need to prospect C-level decision-makers.No need for dark suits and glasses–according to the Society ofCompetitive Intelligence Professionals, 95 percent of competitiveintelligence information is publicly available. Some techniques totry:
1. Tactics planning and prospecting: Build company listsand characterize key C-level decision-makers with Hoover’s Lite.Also, stake out the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Watch basicpatent and trademark applications for the inside scoop on acompany’s next potential move.
2. Profiling:They Rule provides a roster of corporate executivesand their corporate board leadership connections. Or try PatriciaGardner’s new book, The Million Dollar Sale, which explains howto find “company code-breakers”–external, internal andcustomer resources.
3. Penetration:Selling toBig Companies can help you penetrate big accounts with incisivebusiness development techniques. Entrepreneur readers get a20 percent discount on e-books, sales tools and audio programs inJune (use code 047015643).
Kirsten Osolind is CEO and founder of re:inventioninc., a Chicago-based marketing consulting company.
The U.S. Secret Service was first organized in July 1865. Whatthe Secret Service does best: intelligence analysis. It leaves nostone unturned.
The parallel here for entrepreneurs? To generate top-notchbusiness contracts, you need to prospect C-level decision-makers.No need for dark suits and glasses–according to the Society ofCompetitive Intelligence Professionals, 95 percent of competitiveintelligence information is publicly available. Some techniques totry:
1. Tactics planning and prospecting: Build company listsand characterize key C-level decision-makers with Hoover’s Lite.Also, stake out the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Watch basicpatent and trademark applications for the inside scoop on acompany’s next potential move.
2. Profiling:They Rule provides a roster of corporate executivesand their corporate board leadership connections. Or try PatriciaGardner’s new book, The Million Dollar Sale, which explains howto find “company code-breakers”–external, internal andcustomer resources.
3. Penetration:Selling toBig Companies can help you penetrate big accounts with incisivebusiness development techniques. Entrepreneur readers get a20 percent discount on e-books, sales tools and audio programs inJune (use code 047015643).
Kirsten Osolind is CEO and founder of re:inventioninc., a Chicago-based marketing consulting company.
