Big ticket sales or clients with a high lifetime value will often have a long lead time before purchase.  More so if you are a new player in the market place, as you won’t have built a trusted reputation.  Ford Harding in his book Cross Selling for Success introduces the portal project, a small low-cost and stand alone service that gets you in the door to sort out a specific issue.  Once  you are inside you look out for opportunities to continue to build your network.

Feel free to request the templates laura@thehiddenedge.co.uk. I am happy to share.

1. Recognise what makes a Portal Project attractive.

2. Plot where you have products or services that could act as a portal project

3. Brainstorm other opportunities to create a Portal Project

4. Work out what your customer life time value is

5. Assess whether the cost of the Portal Project is a good return on marketing investment

Please do share your experiences with these models in the comments below.  I am building a portfolio of small business case studies and would love to include examples of what has worked well for you.

PS – If you need further help then give me a call on 07962 626604 to arrange a Skype session with me.

Published by thehiddenedge

I love words - they can say so much and say so little depending on how you use them. Come and explore them with me in this learning journal. View all posts by thehiddenedge