Offline consulting: Success writing proposals?

3 replies
Has anybody else had this experience?

A. Prospect (seemingly well-qualified) asks for a proposal. You spend a considerable amount of time putting one together. You deliver as promised. Prospect never replies, you repeatedly follow up, to no avail.

B. Prospect asks for a proposal. You say you don't do proposals. Next thing you know, you have an agreement and you're working for the client.

Is it just me? Maybe my proposals suck. What is it?

Is anybody who's had success with proposals willing to impart some wisdom here?
#consulting #offline #proposals #success #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    I've had that too.

    Sometimes if you're seen to be working too hard to win the business they figure you must be desperate and it turns them off. When you say simply "this is how I do business - take it or leave it" it's like the old dating adage of "treat them mean and keep them keen".

    I see this quite a lot because there are a lot of SEM companies desperately mailing and emailing my clients trying to win their business and when they say something like "I got this email saying they could guarantee Google number 1 in 2 weeks" and I reply "you know what I think about that and why, but if you really want to end our relationship to go with them that's fine but I may not have the scope to take you back on later" - they just forget them and carry on with me.

    Andy
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  • Profile picture of the author ebusinesstutor
    There is always that tradeoff. Sometimes my consulting clients want to know what exactly (every detail) that I will be doing for them before they decide.

    When they ask this, I tell them I also charge for writing marketing plans.

    So I keep the proposal very generic, but make sure each point is one I can deliver. I don't want to spend 4 hours on a proposal that goes no where.
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    • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
      Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor View Post

      There is always that tradeoff. Sometimes my consulting clients want to know what exactly (every detail) that I will be doing for them before they decide.

      When they ask this, I tell them I also charge for writing marketing plans.

      So I keep the proposal very generic, but make sure each point is one I can deliver. I don't want to spend 4 hours on a proposal that goes no where.
      I NEVER tell them exactly what I do. That's MY business. You wouldn't create a new recipe and then tell everyone who eats your food what your secret ingredients are for your special dish.
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