1. Present a Strong Brand Presence
You have to present yourself in the correct manner. You can’t have a cheap paper business card and claim you sell the cheapest products in the world. You’ve got to have a presence that impresses big buyers.

2. Show Clients Who You Are
A lot of distributors are in business, and people don’t even know who they are, what they do and what they stand for. Collect comments from customers. I make testimonial sheets and email them to people or print them out and hand them to buyers. Show them you are a reliable businessperson and you know what you’re doing.

3. Help Clients Sleep
You have to make the people you’re dealing with comfortable with you. Do what you say and don’t make excuses. Always deliver on time. Ask the right questions; be informed. Be personal. And obviously, you always need great ideas. No one will do business with you if they’re worried about you not asking or knowing the right things.

4. Tap Into Referrals
Referrals aren’t the only place to get large orders, but that’s been my experience. To get referrals you should offer service and praise, contact people, be personal and have great ideas. Increase your referral rate if you want to get those big orders.

5. Be Aware of Regulations
You need to know what’s happening in your top industries, what compliance requirements they have and how they control their quality standards. For example, safety programs are built on cost-cutting, which means lowering workmen’s compensation, so they offer products like T-shirts and caps that will appeal to workers if they work a certain amount of time without an accident.