I interviewed Jim McClure, CEO of Arizona Color, a vehicle wrap and graphics firm, about how his company landed their first national brand account,  It’s a great story about the ways in which Whale Hunting is transforming Arizona Color and the way they do business. Jim’s high points include:  everyone in his company now thinks […]

The trickiest part of whale hunting for small and midsize companies is to capture your sale: deliver your products and services as promised once you’ve made the sale. Big contracts with big customers are not business as usual for many companies. Smaller companies are often long on energy and enthusiasm but short on operational processes, policies, and […]

You’ve made the big sale to the big customer. You’ve inked the letter of agreement. You’ve shaken the hands and toasted the toast. Now what? Most likely your deal now moves out of the hands of the buyers’ table and into the depths of legal and accounting. The formal contract remains to be completed, and […]

One of my long-time business friends called recently with a whale hunting problem. He is in the software development and training business and has had several whale-sized clients over the years. This time, however, the prospect refused to sign his company’s standard contract in favor of their own. And this contract was onerous. In particular, it stated that […]

In the whale hunting process, “capture the whale” is the middle phase of the hunt.  It’s the phase in which you hope to move from your formal presentation to the whale’s commitment to purchase. What process steps do you have to close your deal?  Are you satisfied with your follow-up?  This is a vulnerable time […]

In whale hunting, we talk about a whale as a deal that is 10 to 20 times the size of your average deal.  Several people have asked me recently, “Is a deal always a sale?  Is a whale always a customer?” Actually it’s fruitful to think of a whale as any big opportunity that allows […]