Common mistakes while sending a proposal to a client

Common mistakes while sending a proposal to a client

Deeksha Singh
February 01, 2007

I recently spread the word around in my network about the requirement for a technology consultant who can take care of all the backend IT work for my company. I even posted the requirement on a couple of business networking sites.

I received about a dozen responses and was taken aback by the poor quality of some of the business proposals and the sloppy effort in dealing with a prospective client. Being in the consulting business myself, it was truly a lesson in 'what not to do with clients'.

Have a question you want to ask?
Being sluggish in responding to clients

I called and e-mailed three consultants recommended by a close friend. I did not receive any response from them for two days. After sending two of them a reminder mail, I gave up, thinking that if they don't care when I am still a prospect, I am not sure what kind of service will they provide when I am their client.

Lesson -- Always respond to clients immediately. It's best to get back to a client within 24 hours of the request. If you are not available, set up an auto-responder for e-mails or leave a voice message. It's your responsibility to make it easy for your clients to get in touch with you.

Mind your language

I received an e-mail from a consultant with the subject line -- 'purposal as reqested by you'

While he was responsive, his e-mail did not create a great first impression. The e-mail had many spelling errors as well. I am sure he could have easily avoided it by spending a little more time. I lost confidence in him due to his lack of attention to details.

Lesson -- Do a basic spell check and grammar check before sending out a proposal. Ask a colleague to edit your proposal and provide feedback. Bad spelling and grammar send a message that you're sloppy. Keep in mind that you are communicating with a potential client.

How to make clients your allies

Sounding desperate

One consultant called about four times in one day just to check if I need any more inputs or information. While hiring a consultant was an important task for me, it wasn't the only thing that kept me occupied. Often consultants forget that their clients are busy with other key deliverables as well. The worst part was that he did not even do his basic research about our company.

Lesson --Make a follow up call after you have sent your proposal and wait for a response. Provide your contact details in your proposal and guide the prospect to your web site for more details. You don't need an elaborate web site -- just a basic one with the company's background, services offered and contact details.

Not doing your homework

One consultant, who called, asked me "What does your company do"? He was calling me after reading a post of mine on a networking site where I had mentioned about my company's background and our requirement.

Lesson --Learn more about the prospect and do a basic online search about them. You want to be sure whom you are dealing with. Make sure that your proposal is customised to the needs as stated in the advertisement.

6 reasons to thank your clients

Claiming that you're the cheapest

I certainly want great value for my money but at the same time I want quality as well. It's a myth that price is the only decisive factor. I have often paid more when I felt that the value derived would be greater. One consultant kept stressing about his rock bottom prices being his company's key differentiator.

Lesson --You don't want to be bracketed as a low cost, low quality service provider. Focus on other key strengths that will add value to the client. The consultant who kept stressing on low price actually made me think that there was a reason why he is so 'cheap'.

Deeksha Singh heads business development at W.C.H Training Solutions and can be reached at deeksha@wchsolutions.com

abt franchisee appointment

From: "SYED RAIHAN ...wanna fight??"Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 10:40 PM
Subject: abt franchisee appointment.


> hi bhinti!
> i hv found out some way-outs for the franchisee appointment issue.
> 1/register yourself in franchise.com . thorugh this site u cn contract to several franchise-aspirants.the aspirants have already registered themselves. u can select those people by selecting them exact region-wise. it will b a very cost effective solution.
> 2/contact some add-agency to show-case ur proposed website with some demanded site..
> i hope these steps will fulfil ur need...
> anwz, did u hv a chat with mr. alam. for designing the website...if feel the need i cn also help u in stretetiging inputs for the site(in the marketing plan cllaboration aspect of the site)
> bye.gud nite.

How to become a successful businessman

How to become a successful businessman

Sunder Ramachandran
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jan/18entre.htm

Believe in yourself

Being an entrepreneur is a lot more risky than the conventional job routine. There is no regular salary; you have to find customers on your own. Marketing your product/service and financing the project are also of concern. I noticed that most entrepreneurs use a combination of due diligence and gut instincts while evaluating their product/service. They are good at spotting a need in the market and then backing themselves up to believe that their idea can fill that void.

Lesson one -- Believe in your idea. Never underestimate what you can do. You may surprise yourself
Hire the right people

Most entrepreneurs highlighted this as the toughest aspect of building a business. Sanjay Bhargava, who co-founded Paypal, recommended entrepreneurs to bring in people who are really good at what they do and also to focus on ensuring the team members get along with each other.

Some entrepreneurs confessed they made the initial mistake of hiring friends and people they liked, but soon realised that friends were not always the best employees.

Lesson two -- Build your team with people possessing complementary skills, not 'yes men' who are always showering praise. You need employees, partners and mentors you trust, who will give you honest feedback and take your company to the next level.

Be money wise

While some entrepreneurs went in for conventional sources of funding from a venture capitalist or banks, etc, quite a few started out with their savings or by borrowing money from friends and family. Most entrepreneurs said they focused on increasing efficiency and optimising costs and overheads. One entrepreneur shared that he consciously stayed away from non-essentials like an extravagant office, equipments, etc. The focus was on superior execution and high quality service.

Lesson three -- It's tempting to dream of a corner office, a pool table and expensive chairs, but give it some time. Start small and start efficient. Being better is more important than being bigger.

Concentrate on the message

"As a small business, most of our marketing is word-of-mouth. Our clients appreciate the kind of work we do and our reputation for delivering results," said Vidhanshu Bansal, founder of an information-technology company called Pixel Webtech.

Most entrepreneurs said that in the early days, their tendency was to focus on sales activities and as they grew, they started looking at various marketing initiatives, as that is the cement that gels customers, vendors and employees together. Their strategy kept changing, depending on what worked -- direct mailers, e-mail marketing, presentations at seminars, etc.

Lesson four -- Marketing a start-up business is a 24/7 activity and you need to pay attention to the message you're sending out to existing and prospective clients. Your message has to be tailored to meet the customer's expectations.

Keep the team motivated

Do not indulge in fault-finding or blame games. That was a clear message from most entrepreneurs. Pigeonholing a particular member of the team may spread negative vibes within the team and cost you time and quality. Celebrating every small success and appreciating team members will build a sense of camaraderie.

Lesson five -- Be a coach, rather than the star player. Appreciate and acknowledge the positive behaviours of team members so that the behaviours turn into consistent practices.

Make mistakes

"If you ain't a little bit scared, you ain't driving fast enough," said Deepak Wadhwa, another entrepreneur. Most entrepreneurs agreed. Give your people the license to fail. It's ok to make a mistake as long as they are succeeding 9 out of 10 times, and making sure that they don't repeat those mistakes in the future.

Lesson six -- The worst mistake is the one that gets repeated. Create a culture of learning and experimentation right at the start of the business. This will become a powerful value with the growth of the business.

Be passionate

Most entrepreneurs accepted that the rewards of being an entrepreneur can be terrific but they were also of the opinion that there is no 'secret sauce.' There are a lot of magazines, self-help books and biographies of successful entrepreneurs that one can read, but at the end of the day, it's about execution. What you really need is to be passionate about your work.

Lesson seven -- If you are doing something and the day flies by, if you are surrounded with people you like to work with, then you have most of the ingredients for entrepreneurial success.

Monday: Interview with venture capitalist Alok Mittal

Sunder Ramachandran, managing partner, WCH Training Solutions, can be reached at sunder@wchsolutions.com