On 22 Oct 98, Rainmaker wrote:
> My take on this is you need to show an interest in the client and
> what they are trying to accomplish. You need to listen and you
> need to show them that you can solve their issues and that you
> can do so in a professional manner. And yes, we wore suits and
> ties for every meeting, even though two of them (the largest two)
> were casually dressed.
Very useful post, George. And if I may immodestly say so, it does seem to
reflect my general approach to getting contracts. In particular, I strongly
agree with your comment that one must "show an interest in the client
and what they are trying to accomplish".
That may sound obvious, but as George notes, a lot of consultants don't
seem to bother. They are content to submit cookie-cutter proposals with
generic declarations of all the Wonderful Things they will do for the client,
backed up by various marketing gimmicks.
I, on the other hand, spend zip on marketing per se, other than the
hundred bucks I finally blew on business cards awhile back. Rather, my
energies all go into exhaustively researching and analyzing a potential
client's needs before I write the first line of the proposal. As a result, I
regularly hear in response, "Wow, we weren't expecting anything nearly
this thorough. You've obviously given this a lot of thought." And I get
the contract, every time. Or I have for the past three years, anyway.
And yes, (although I'm not inherently very sociable) I do go the extra mile
to personalize my contact with potential clients. I never fax a document
when I can deliver it in person instead. I make an extra effort to
remember comments clients may make about children, hobbies, etc, and
work those in where possible. I answer all queries fast and thoroughly.
That sort of thing.
It's akin to the people -- usually recent university grads -- whom I hear
whining about their lack of decent employment: "I've sent out 400
resumes, and not a single interview!" By which they mean 400
photocopies with fill-in-the-blank covering letters. They've made little or
no effort to research each of those potential employers, to tailor each
every application to the employer's needs and specialties -- what do they
expect?
It's also not enough, even if you're a very talented site designer, to simply
say, "Here's my portfolio. I'm sure you'll agree I'm really good once you've
looked at it. So hire me". Again, what's lacking is any tailoring to the
client's specific needs and corporate culture.
Actually, my approach pays dividends that go beyond merely clinching the
contract: because let's face it, to do a proper job on the site you're going
to want to be intimately familiar with the client's operations anyway,
right? RIGHT? (In fact, we all well know that far too many corporate
sites convey absolutely nothing of importance about the company's real
workings or focus... they're just so many glossy brochures, long on flash
and short on useful content.)
As an example, I think I know more about the bureaucratic structure of my
present client's department than most of the people working there do; I
simply have to, if the intranet I'm doing for them is to be organized in the
most logical and efficient manner possible.
So as a competent, successful site developer, you should be doing this
kind of intensive homework regardless. It's not just a "marketing gimmick".
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Brent Eades, Almonte, Ontario
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Town of Almonte site: http://www.almonte.com/
Business site: http://www.federalweb.com
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