I have a passion for small and minority-owned businesses. We'll call them minority business enterprises (MBEs) for the purposes of this blog. One of the frequently asked questions I receive from MBEs is, "how can I get the attention of major corporations that I want to do business with?" or some other variation on that theme. There are many answers to that question, but I would like to focus on a few strategies that I've used and watched others use with great results over the years.
The first of these strategies is the principle of service. MBEs must learn to give in order to receive - to serve before they are served. MBEs that are certified through the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and its affiliate councils have the tremendous (and fruitful) opportunity of serving in their local minority business council. Typically, the local councils are under-staffed or thinly-staffed and in need of help from the certified MBEs in their jurisdictions.
There are numerous opportunities to serve. MBEs may serve in their area of expertise or may choose to volunteer time and resources to the council in another realm. There are excellent opportunities to serve, chair or co-chair several committees with interests as diverse as event planning to technology. By serving on one or more of the local committees, MBEs will obtain the ability to work closely with other MBES and corporate members.
In so doing, relationships will develop naturally and the MBE will eventually be able to present its qualifications/attributes in a non-threatening, non-salesman like fashion. As the MBE proves itself faithful in service over time, it will experience this breakthrough: Corporations will seek out its services without ever being approached or solicited! This is because people do business with people who they know and trust. Volunteering time, working hard and getting a job done right is a great way of developing trust.
From time to time I speak with MBEs who claim dissatisfaction with NMSDC Supplier Diversity programs. They claim that the funds invested to become certified have not yielded any dividends. They usually register complaints about the local minority business council and its seeming ineffectiveness. When I hear from these companies, I ask them if they are involved or serving in the council in any shape or fashion. The answer is usually no.
I then share with them the benefits of serving (on many levels) and the opportunities available to begin serving right away. Few follow the advice. The others simply make excuses why they can't serve and continue complaining about their lack of business.
2 comments:
As a minority business since 1991 there are many things that I have come across trying to maintain and grow a profitable business to a level at which one day, I wouldn't have to be a hands on boss. As for as being part of and partaking in community events and forming relations within my community. We were aware of that from the beginning word of mouth is all ways good for business I operate within a industry that nearly every one has a need for but most regard as a some what of lower class service to the public, But after years in the business I have learned that fleet vehicle maintenance is a profitable business, and all but non exsistence among our minority service providers I am a provider of vehicle maintenance, to most readers it's just car repair. It's been 23 plus years that I've been in this game. but in the last four or five years I've tried to become a provider of my services to nearly every corporation, government agency or private company that has a fleet of vehicles. located in my state of N. Carolina I've joined a minority business certification group that promoted a gate way to doing business with these major corporations. I would like to add this was a requirement by most of corporations that I attempted to build a working relationship with which I've tried to use this membership, along with my state's minority certification to open a door to try and start a business relationship with these corporation's and government agencies heads, my success has been poor and I being from a southern state, most of the corporations haven't heard or know of such agencies, policies or programs, and don't appear that they will use them in the future. These corporations sell their services to the minority population and government agencies use minority tax money I would hope that as a minority people we would at least know and require of your local agencies to spend monies, within the African American business community. It's not just personal vehicles that require service it's your county or town transportation vehicles, it's tires that could be bought from your minority vendor, it's your lawn services, it's your town court house that needs a caterer, your local telephone/cable company the list goes on and on of services that people of color could supply. Most of the time I feel as if I'm wasting my resources and time trying to gain a relationship with these corporations and department heads. I am not a quitter and I plan on continuing to work to earn their business. I'm posting this message so that my experience will help the next person of color. There are many stories to tell about my on going journey. But the message I want to leave is as a minority vendor you will face countless rejections and a system that will use practices and the good old boy system to not allow you to get to the table of major corporations to grow your business and not be a business that sees a total revenue of less then that of what a experienced factory worker makes in a years time. How can I hire people to work when business and local government goes to non- black business
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