Enterprise Client Acquisition: Alice Chang of Perfect Corp On 5 Steps to Winning and Keeping Major Clients
…Nurture long-term success. Post-contract, maintain close engagement through a dedicated customer success team. Track outcomes, suggest new opportunities, and collaborate on initiatives like co-hosted events to strengthen the partnership…
Securing and retaining enterprise clients is a major milestone for many companies, yet it requires a distinct approach, strategy, and mindset. From the first pitch to long-term account management, what does it really take to win over, and keep, major clients? What are the common pitfalls to avoid, and what strategies have proven effective time and again? In this interview series, we are talking to B2B sales leaders, enterprise account executives, founders, consultants, and anyone with experience in enterprise client acquisition about “Enterprise Client Acquisition: 5 Steps to Winning and Keeping Major Clients.” As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Alice H. Chang.
Alice is the CEO and co-founder of Perfect Corp., a leading artificial intelligence and augmented reality beauty and fashion tech solutions provider and the developer of the award-winning YouCam apps, where she leads the team in building the world’s top virtual beauty platform powered by AR, AI, and machine learning technologies.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My name is Alice Chang, and I’m the founder and CEO of Perfect Corp. We provide AI and AR powered experiences, such as virtual product try-ons and personal shopping assistants, to brands, retailers, and consumers.
I actually began my career in a totally different industry — investment banking. I took a job at Citibank after I finished business school. I’ll always be grateful for the problem-solving and strategic decision-making skills I developed at Citibank; they’ve proved foundational to my entrepreneurial success.
I’d always dreamed of starting my own company, and saw the perfect opportunity in the late ’90s. At the time, everyone was excited about PCs and wanted to start using them to watch movies and edit photos and videos, but there were very few tools on the market. We founded CyberLink to fill the gap. I’ll never forget the rush of winning contracts with Dell, HP, and Lenovo and realizing millions of people would actually be using our technology. It’s when I knew technology ventures were my calling.
Perfect Corp. was also born from an observation. In the mid-2010s, I noticed that everyone loved taking selfies, but quality editing technology built for those photos didn’t exist. It felt like the right moment to build something new. I took another entrepreneurial leap and launched YouCam Perfect, a free beauty-editing app powered by AI and AR. The response was immediate and overwhelming. We hit 17 million downloads in the first year without spending a dime on marketing.
As I grew Perfect Corp., I began to notice many other beauty-related challenges that technology could help solve, like choosing the right foundation shade while online shopping or building a skincare routine if you didn’t have easy access to a dermatologist. We introduced enterprise tools early in the company’s journey, starting with virtual product try-ons and expanding from there. Today, we’re honored to partner with over 800 leading beauty, skincare, and fashion brands around the world, helping them improve their customers’ experiences.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
One thing that sets Perfect Corp. apart is how closely we work with our partners to tailor our technology to their circumstances, needs, and goals. Beauty and fashion companies serve customers in so many different settings — from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to specialty environments — so plug-and-play options typically don’t deliver satisfying results. Instead, our team works closely with every client to build a custom-fit tool.
For example, we work with Starboard Group, a vacation retailer specializing in cruise ship experiences. The cruise ship environment is unique, so the AI Skin Analysis tool we built with Starboard Group had to be unique, too. We optimized it to preserve battery life and work offline so the store attendants weren’t always worried about finding WiFi at sea, and we made the user experience simple and fast to accommodate the many distractions on board. Starboard Group has seen great results from the final product, including a 35% increase in sales.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.
A few years ago, when emerging technologies like the metaverse and NFTs were dominating headlines, many in the industry felt pressure to quickly pivot and invest in these new spaces. As a leader, I had to make the difficult decision of whether to follow the trend or stay true to our core mission.
At Perfect Corp., our mission has always been to enhance the consumer experience through AI and AR innovation — providing platforms that allow people to celebrate their beauty and tap into their creativity through advanced editing tools and immersive digital experiences. After careful evaluation, we realized that while the metaverse and NFTs were exciting concepts, they didn’t align with this vision or directly serve our customers’ needs.
Instead, we chose to stay focused on the technology roadmap that was right for our company — investing in innovations that would deliver immediate, meaningful impact. This meant building solutions that empower consumers, enable beauty brands to personalize experiences, and drive measurable business results.
That decision reinforced for me the importance of clarity in vision and discipline as a leader. Not every trend aligns with your purpose, and part of strong leadership is knowing when to say no — even when the market is saying yes.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion about Enterprise Client Acquisition. In order to make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s begin with a simple definition. What does Enterprise Client Acquisition mean to you?
To me, enterprise client acquisition is a first step in building strategic, collaborative partnerships that benefit everyone involved over the long term. In the ideal vendor-client relationship, vendors can source helpful market intelligence and trend data from their customers, while clients have access to tools that measurably benefit their business outcomes. The key is approaching the partnership as a long-term value add — not a sales opportunity — and taking the time to build trust and mutual understanding so it feels effortless to support one another.
What are the first actions to take when approaching a potential enterprise client?
When approaching a potential enterprise client, the first and most important step is to understand their pain points — what challenges are they trying to solve for their customers and what outcomes are they trying to achieve. Every meaningful partnership begins with listening.
Once you’ve identified how your solution can genuinely help the client address their challenges and create value for both their business and the customers, then you can begin exploring whether a formal collaboration makes sense.
Which level of the organization do you reach out to when approaching a potential enterprise client?
When approaching a potential enterprise client, it’s important to connect with the teams most directly responsible for the areas your solutions support. For us, that typically means starting with the Head of Digital or Head of eCommerce — the leaders who are deeply involved in shaping the brand’s digital strategy and optimizing the consumer journey.
These stakeholders understand both the challenges and opportunities within their eCommerce ecosystem, and they’re best positioned to evaluate how our AI and AR solutions can enhance engagement, boost conversion, and drive measurable results. Once alignment is established, they often help bring in additional decision-makers from marketing, technology, or innovation teams to move the partnership forward.
What is the best medium to use to ask for a meeting? Cold call? LinkedIn, Email? In person? Can you explain?
When it comes to connecting with potential enterprise clients, there’s no single “best” medium — what matters most is credibility and trust. In our experience, networking and word-of-mouth play a major role. Perfect Corp. has partnered with more than 800 leading brands, including some of the most iconic names in beauty, and much of our outreach success comes from that strong industry reputation.
Because our AI and AR technology is highly precise and proven to drive real business results, many introductions come through referrals and existing client networks. That trust — built through consistent innovation and measurable outcomes — often opens doors more effectively than any cold outreach could.
When we do initiate contact, the key is to approach the conversation as an expert and collaborator, focused on how we can help the brand achieve its goals through technology that’s already transforming the industry.
What are the most common mistakes companies make in pitching to or onboarding with an enterprise client?
One common mistake is overly focusing on the breakthroughs that made the product possible or the ways in which it breaks from tradition, rather than dialing in on its business impacts. Of course you should always be proud of your innovations, but enterprise buyers’ fundamental concerns are solving problems for their customers and seeing returns on their investments. Focusing too much on technical novelty leaves them uncertain about whether your tool is worth their investment.
Can you please walk us through one enterprise win, from first outreach to renewal? What were the turning points, and why did they work?
In the early days, our biggest focus was education and proof of concept. We knew our AI and AR virtual try-on technology could transform the beauty shopping experience, but we needed to show brands the tangible value — how it could solve real customer challenges and drive measurable impact.
For many consumers, finding the right makeup shade had always been a major pain point. By demonstrating how our virtual try-on could remove this uncertainty, boost confidence in purchase decisions, and enhance the overall shopping journey, we began to earn trust and attention from leading brands.
Over time, these relationships evolved from pilot programs to long-term partnerships — with continued renewals driven by the proven results in engagement, conversion, and customer satisfaction.
Enterprise buys as a committee. How do you map stakeholders, create an internal champion, and equip them to sell your solution inside their organization?
When engaging enterprise clients, the key isn’t just mapping stakeholders — it’s clearly demonstrating proven use cases and success stories that show measurable impact. Enterprises often make decisions as a committee, so credibility and evidence are far more persuasive than internal advocacy alone.
At Perfect Corp., we’ve found that sharing real-world examples of how our AI and AR solutions have helped leading beauty brands and retailers improve customer engagement, boost conversion rates, and deliver personalized product recommendations to customers resonates across all stakeholder groups. These stories make the value tangible for everyone — from digital and eCommerce leaders to marketing and innovation teams.
By showcasing clear results and ROI, you create alignment and excitement throughout the organization. That shared understanding of success ultimately drives consensus and builds lasting partnerships.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, please give us your five-step playbook for winning and keeping an enterprise client. Be specific about actions, tools, and owners for each step.
1. Do your homework. Conduct deep strategic research to understand each prospect’s challenges, goals, and priorities. Review public sources — company reports, blogs, and executive insights — to tailor your approach and lay the foundation for a strong relationship.
2. Build genuine rapport. Before pitching, engage thoughtfully through LinkedIn or email. Share relevant insights, comment on their initiatives, and schedule a short call to learn about their goals directly.
3. Start with a focused proof of concept project. Once interest is confirmed, have your solutions team design a proof of concept project addressing one key challenge. Define success metrics early and schedule regular check-ins to ensure alignment.
4. Align all stakeholders. After a successful proof of concept, present results with both data and real-world impact stories. Customize presentations for each department — IT, marketing, finance — and involve experts to address technical or strategic questions.
5. Nurture long-term success. Post-contract, maintain close engagement through a dedicated customer success team. Track outcomes, suggest new opportunities, and collaborate on initiatives like co-hosted events to strengthen the partnership.
What systems or processes are essential for keeping enterprise clients happy?
Keeping enterprise clients happy starts with having a strong Customer Success Management (CSM) team dedicated to truly listening and responding to client needs. A client-oriented organization ensures that feedback is heard, acted on, and reflected in continuous improvement — both in service and in technology.
Regular business reviews and open communication channels help maintain transparency, align on goals, and strengthen collaboration.
Equally important is staying ahead through constant innovation. At Perfect Corp., we’re always enhancing our AI and AR solutions to deliver greater precision, value, and impact. We focus on pushing the boundaries of what has been done to unlock new levels of innovation and solve more consumer pain points. By listening closely to clients and pairing that insight with cutting-edge technology, we build trust and long-term partnerships rooted in progress.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorite life lesson quotes is, “Change is the only constant.”
Throughout my life, I’ve believed that the key to growth — both personally and professionally — is embracing change. From a young age, I was always curious, asking questions and looking for new ways to solve problems. That mindset has shaped my journey as an entrepreneur and leader, driving me to explore how technology could transform the beauty industry and ultimately inspiring me to found Perfect Corp.
In business, change is inevitable. The companies that succeed are the ones that continually evolve — adapting to new trends, technologies, and consumer expectations. At Perfect Corp., we’ve learned that staying competitive means never becoming complacent. You have to keep transforming, keep pushing boundaries, and keep anticipating the next paradigm shift before it happens.
This lesson has guided me through every stage of growth: to remain curious, to welcome change, and to see transformation not as a disruption, but as an opportunity to lead.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could start a movement, it would focus on empowering more women to step into technology and leadership roles. I believe one of the most powerful ways to inspire change is to lead by example — to show that women can thrive in tech, drive innovation, and shape the future of entire industries.
For too long, many women have felt limited by stereotypes or a lack of representation in STEM fields. I want to help change that narrative by encouraging women to embrace technology, explore their curiosity, and never feel confined by traditional expectations.
Through visibility, mentorship, and opportunities to learn, we can create a new generation of women who lead with confidence, creativity, and courage — proving that innovation knows no gender and that the next big breakthrough could come from anyone bold enough to imagine it.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow me and Perfect Corp. on our social media channels, including LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. We also have a blog and resources on our website that provide insights into the latest innovations in beauty technology and how we’re shaping the future of the beauty industry.
Thank you for these great insights!
Enterprise Client Acquisition: Alice Chang of Perfect Corp On 5 Steps to Winning and Keeping Major… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.