Proposals - Your Identity of Business
With growing competitions among all industry to procure more business, many are in the race to build proposals which are lucrative to their client and stand out in crowded market of service industry.
A proposal is just not a business magnetic tool but image of your company and your way of working style. It reflects your state of mind. Well then, there is nothing wrong and nothing right as it comes down to penning down a proposals. There are just these factors which are accountable for building long term client bank.
Discount/No Discount
Everyone loves discount. Don't you? But Do you even go back to same shop where you have bought discounted stuff when you know they sold you quantity? Well No. More than that the bigger question is consolidation or short term appeasement? Both cases are alright. As choices makes businesses not destiny.
Giving Bonus Services / Defined Set of Services
Good philosophy is to give 10% of extra services than donating 40 - 50% of services for free as all the readers here knows there is nothing called "Long Term Relationship" beside a bonded agreement. Don't we go for next guy who is selling it cheaper with better quality. Everyone needs their one stage sorted. They might not remember you next time. Charging per change/alteration is not a bad idea at all.
Taking the full brief/Requirement
Are we looking to put our team into state of half brief ( similar to half baked food )? No one likes it honestly, neither your team or your clients. Lost in translation, everyone raise fingers on each other when project goes to deeper stages although it was all in the beginning. Seed must be healthy with healthy soil with fertilizers as to have good crop.
Clear Timelines
You know your team strength very well as a client representative. It clearly means if you take client side into timelines then you know inside team can't deliver. Sometimes it is client need to take it early. Client representative have to understand that If client is creating fake urgency or is it really important to finish early? In these cases, urgency could be charged extra as other work would suffer inside the team or hire freelancer for the same as to not load shed the team.
Clear Payments Rules
Sustainability of the venture is solely dependent on this fact how we deal with this very hard but important issue. Are people ready to give you advance or are they checking your strength first? Have they checked your strength already? Resources and teams are not just people sitting as per sq. ft. of your office multiplied by time is money. The moment word comes free into play. You already donated some money for which client may not feel obliged for.
Dragon of Deadlines
Hits & trial method with your team including their behavior, energy level and productive time of each individual according to their mental state are the key points which has to be considered. Remember no one like to be pushed. On the same side, pressure is needed too to not make them lazy also. This factor is learned over the time by project manager as how well he knows his team? A clear transparent communication with flexible failure time beforehand always will be beneficial. Flexible timelines are always productive in the long run.
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