The proposal – a selling document and a contract – is the start of the project and if you promise too much you’re doomed.
And inevitably there will be things you forgot to cover off – who’s job is it? Is it included in the price?
What can be done?
I suggest as many as possible of the following:
- train people in proposal writing
- all proposals to be checked by someone else before they go out
- don’t let Sales write proposals without involving a project manager!
- have rules and guidelines about proposals – what terms of business must be included, things you must not promise, etc
- avoid fixed price wherever possible, so if the job takes longer the client pays for that time
- consider quoting only for phase 1 – fact finding and early research – after which you can quote much more accurately for phase 2
- don’t be tempted to give rough estimates “off the record” because suddenly you’ll find yourself being held to these
- since it’s often a case of negotiation and good will, keep a good relationship with the client – both your contact and their boss, in case anything happens to your contact
- communicate regularly with the client and tell them as soon as possible if there are problems – no last minute surprises!
- learn from previous problems by a) having a review of every project, b) writing down lessons learned c) storing these notes in a central place where everyone can access them d) looking at these notes when you next write a proposal
I hope this helps
CC
