Does anyone have a question list they use for potential clients?

15 replies
Does anyone have a question list they send back to a potential client?

To make sure both sides understand the situation and the costs involved?

Thanks in advance.
#clients #list #potential #question
  • Profile picture of the author 365Daysof
    For what kind of client?
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    • Profile picture of the author yesucandoit
      Originally Posted by 365Daysof View Post

      For what kind of client?
      Someone that heard I was going to do websites soon.

      Health and Fitness products.
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  • Profile picture of the author hotlinkz
    Originally Posted by yesucandoit View Post

    Does anyone have a question list they send back to a potential client?

    To make sure both sides understand the situation and the costs involved?

    Thanks in advance.
    I ran a WSO about a year ago with a survey package and other client/consultant type materials. Included things like....

    * what is your company's USP (unique selling proposition)?
    * what do you want to accomplish with your web property?
    * estimated daily foot traffic through the business (if applicable)?
    * etc, etc

    You really don't want to send them a questionnaire, it's better if you sit down and go over the questions with them and get the answers right on the spot.
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    • Profile picture of the author yesucandoit
      Originally Posted by hotlinkz View Post

      I ran a WSO about a year ago with a survey package and other client/consultant type materials. Included things like....

      * what is your company's USP (unique selling proposition)?
      * what do you want to accomplish with your web property?
      * estimated daily foot traffic through the business (if applicable)?
      * etc, etc

      You really don't want to send them a questionnaire, it's better if you sit down and go over the questions with them and get the answers right on the spot.
      Thanks for the above.

      They do not have a store (brick and motor) but want to sell health products.

      I find sending them some basic questions is important to understand if we are both wasting our time and the expectations they have.

      Here is what I sent her

      Thanks for your email please define reasonable "price" for you so I can be honest with you.

      Please answer the following questions.

      Will you be wanting to sell woman's health and fitness products?

      How many products will you be selling?

      Do you want to be able to make changes to your site?

      Do you have a sample of a site that you like?

      Do you have a domain and hosting already?

      This is enough for now.

      ---------------------------------
      Signature

      He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
      Martin Luther King, Jr.
      Must watch video
      http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/vi...abuse.hln.html

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  • Profile picture of the author krikkod
    Definitely sit down with them and start with these 3 questions:

    1 - What is your product/service
    2 - Who is your market
    3 - What are your preferences

    That's it.

    There's obvious avenues you can take in pursuing further detail of each question, but i have found that in answering these 3 questions i get everything i need - plus its not too overwhelming for people to answer.

    BTW these are very open ended questions which is why i think they work so well - well at least for me they have.

    A good comparison would be an opt-in form and a bloated contact us form.

    Opt in form
    -------------
    - Name
    - Email

    Bloated Contact Us Form
    ---------------------------
    - Name
    - Email
    - Occupation
    - Phone
    - Age
    - Gender
    - Address
    - Preference of contact time and method
    - bla bla

    All these questions are nice, and depending on what it is, obviously important, but you should always boil it down to absolute fundamentals, because as many know, the more fields in a form, the less likely one is to fill it out (seen the opt in forms with only the email field?) - the more questions you ask, the less they want to answer.

    Just a few open ended questions is all you need.
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    • Profile picture of the author yesucandoit
      Originally Posted by krikkod View Post

      Definitely sit down with them and start with these 3 questions:

      1 - What is your product/service
      2 - Who is your market
      3 - What are your preferences

      That's it.

      There's obvious avenues you can take in pursuing further detail of each question, but i have found that in answering these 3 questions i get everything i need - plus its not too overwhelming for people to answer.

      BTW these are very open ended questions which is why i think they work so well - well at least for me they have.

      A good comparison would be an opt-in form and a bloated contact us form.

      Opt in form
      -------------
      - Name
      - Email

      Bloated Contact Us Form
      ---------------------------
      - Name
      - Email
      - Occupation
      - Phone
      - Age
      - Gender
      - Address
      - Preference of contact time and method
      - bla bla

      All these questions are nice, and depending on what it is, obviously important, but you should always boil it down to absolute fundamentals, because as many know, the more fields in a form, the less likely one is to fill it out (seen the opt in forms with only the email field?) - the more questions you ask, the less they want to answer.

      Just a few open ended questions is all you need.
      Thanks,

      what do you mean by preferences?

      They want to use a CMS site.
      Signature

      He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
      Martin Luther King, Jr.
      Must watch video
      http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/vi...abuse.hln.html

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      • Profile picture of the author 365Daysof
        For website development, I speak to them on the phone, getting the answers to most of the questions in the attached questionnaire.
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        • Profile picture of the author skotti
          Originally Posted by 365Daysof View Post

          For website development, I speak to them on the phone, getting the answers to most of the questions in the attached questionnaire.
          What a great tool to use . I wish, I had 5 posts so I could thank you .
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        • Profile picture of the author 1960Texan
          Originally Posted by 365Daysof View Post

          For website development, I speak to them on the phone, getting the answers to most of the questions in the attached questionnaire.
          Heather, that was an awesome share! I can see how your questionnaire can make like a whole lot easier for anyone using it. Thanks!

          Will
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        • Profile picture of the author yesucandoit
          Originally Posted by 365Daysof View Post

          For website development, I speak to them on the phone, getting the answers to most of the questions in the attached questionnaire.
          Wow thanks a ton.

          Karma will come to you in a good way for this.
          Signature

          He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
          Martin Luther King, Jr.
          Must watch video
          http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/vi...abuse.hln.html

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3547685].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author petebenner
    Is their any specific client criteria.
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  • Profile picture of the author herbaluss
    Wow that checklist is perfect for anybody.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dexx
    I use my Coffee Close questionnaire with prospective clients which usually lets me identify marketing opportunities that I can charge anywhere from $1,000 - $5,000+ for...and the majority of these are completely offline (no internet required)

    ~Dexx
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  • Profile picture of the author 365Daysof
    Gosh! Just glad I could help! It's been HUGELY helpful to me to have that information on hand.

    *smiles*
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  • Profile picture of the author roypreece
    Great questionnaire Heather!

    There's a bit more ...

    On any sales call you also need to find out the answers to questions in the following categories:

    1. Needs -- Does the client REALLY need this? (If they don't, you'll find that they will start to back out when they hear the price. But if they really DO have a PROBLEM which needs fixing -- they'll pay).

    2. Wants -- Does the client want the solution to their problem badly enough. Wants are different to needs. Most of us need more insurance, but most of us don't want to pay for it.

    3. Authority -- If you are dealing with a biggish company, who has the authority to sign the order and make the payment?

    4. Money -- Can they actually afford your solution? Or will they bounce a cheque on you?

    5. Personal Buying Motive -- What's in it for the person sitting in front of you? Promotion, keeping job, getting a raise ... what's in it for THIS individual.

    Whe you know the answers to these 5 questions, your sale is 70% over. You know EXACTLY what to offer.
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