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How to tap into the big-business market.

Article Excerpt
Small businesses can definitely tap into the big-customer market, experts say, but they need to do some homework before leaping.

The first step is to sit down and analyze your business for future growth, say the experts.

"You have to make sure your company is ready, because when you deal with big corporations, you'll never have a second chance," said Steve Kaplan, author of "Bag the Elephant: How to Win and Keep BIG Customers."

Minority-owned and women-owned small-business owners should tap into this lucrative market, but need to take the next step and become certified, said Anne M. Janiak, executive director of the White Plains-based Women's Enterprise Development Center Inc.

"While it is a lengthy application process, it is definitely worth it," Janiak said. "Many large corporations want to do business with minority-owned or women-owned businesses and have made that an initiative, often encouraging other companies by including a phrase in their contracts with other corporations."

Stamford, Conn.-based Pitney Bowes Inc. is one company in the region which has made supplier diversity development a priority, said Kevin Beirne, manager of that division since its creation in 1997.

In fiscal 2004, the company did more than $57 million in contracts with businesses that are minority-owned, women-owned or HUB Zoned--underutilized business zones in inner cities as designated by the...