Marketing Your Consulting Services.pdf - epiheirimatikotita.gr

tion, a proposed approach, a timeline, your qualifications, and the investment
(cost) required to complete the plan.
3. Write each section from your clients’ perspective in their language. Follow
their rules. If it says only two pages for resumes, do not submit more. You
will most likely be penalized if you do not follow the directions.
4. Have someone read the proposal before you send it. Check for clarity, typos,
accuracy, and understanding.
5. Print the proposal on the best paper you can buy. Attach supplemental material
as allowed. Add a cover and have it professionally bound. Send the appropriate
number of copies in an overnight package. This is your insurance
against losing it.
One concern that consultants have is how much information to include in
their proposals. I believe that the more you can show prospective clients, the
more likely they will hire you. You probably do not have all the answers at
the proposal-writing stage. If you do, it seems the problem is so simple that it
doesn’t require a consultant to solve it. My advice is to tell them what you know.
In today’s market, even if you give them the complete answer, they probably do
not have the right people to implement it.
Prioritize Your Prospects
What if you do such a great job of prospecting that you have too many potential
clients? Like many other things, you may want to prioritize your list. Ask these
questions:
• Has the client defined a specific project?
• Has a budget been approved?
• Is the budget at least as large as the contracts you have targeted for your
business?
• Will the job be assigned without a competitive process?
Prospecting in All the Right Places: How Do You Find Clients? 157