Build deeper relationships with customers

List down your five biggest customers.

Write down everything you know about to whom they sell.

Follow the same process with the individual you work with at each customer
Who are their customers? To whom do they report and work?

Create a 90-day plan of who you need to meet and the questions you need to ask.
This will cover any information gaps from steps 1-3. The person you are selling to will hold you in higher regard due to your proactive learning, leading to uncover new opportunities.

Focus on deepening relationships with customers and learning about their customers.
Sending a senior-level person an email with a link to a newsworthy story about their customers is a great strategy. Consider:
a) Sending the email at the weekend as senior executives are very busy during the week, and at the weekend, they are often working on the business itself.
b) Including a summary and commentary on the email:
-Summary - two or three quick statements to summarise the article
-Commentary - two or three quick statements about why you feel it is important. This could include a question or two for them to think about

If you are working with purchasing departments, ask the following questions to gain insights.
You may get answers or a firm ‘no,’ but you have nothing to lose!
 - What are the key issues you face in managing your supply chain?
 - What are your objectives for inventory turn and cash management?
 - Do you have order fulfillment or invoice accuracy objectives?
 - What is the mission of your department, and what are the annual goals?
- What are the key metrics you must achieve?