Do you have a plan if you capture the whale? Here is why you need to have a plan in place if you do land the big client.

Often when I am networking I hear small business owners say things like “I really want to have Eli Lilly, AT&T or GE as one of my business clients. Whenever I hear this I cringe, because I know that it is not enough to want one of these giant companies as a client, you have to have a business plan. Not just a plan to land the deal, but a plan to find the client and then how you are going to maintain that client.

In her book, Whale Hunting, Barbara Weaver Smith and Tom Searcy, uses the analogy of how the Inuit of Alaska hunted whales to feed their villages to how small companies can land the Whale of their own. This is an easy analogy to follow and carries with it a powerful story of perseverance, commitment, strategy and success.

Barbara and Tom lay out the proper strategy for researching which whale you want to hunt, how to research your whale, capturing your whale, and celebrating your whale. This is a book that you must read if you are really interested in landing your own whale.

Networking is great, but you cannot ask for a referral to a large client if you do not have a plan for landing and managing that whale.  There have been several occasions when I knew I could get a person in the door but I also knew once caught I would not be able to keep the whale.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it is an easy read, and not only will you learn how to land your own whale there is a lot of very interesting history in this book that holds your attention as you read in amazement what the Alaskan Inuit could do with a row boat and harpoon. The planning, the implementing and the celebration are inspiring.

As a bonus, Barbara will be doing a whale hunting women workshop here in Indianapolis. It is a program that you want to take advantage of, not only for the educational aspect but for the ability to network with other women whale hunters. See you there!