Welcome to dejos investment blog. Here we talk about how you can manage your business effectively, marketing your business, proposals, jobs etc.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Accept the need as defined in the RFP and study the various ways in which your company can satisfy that need.
In the short term, this is the safest approach to take. Bid on the job as it's been described, try to win it, and then hope you can convince the client to alter the statement of work after you have the contracts in your pocket. Unfortunately,what's safe in the short term is risky in the long. You're basing the business relationship from the outset on less than full honesty,and a tough Customer who is looking for performance guarantees or service-level commitments may not be willing to approve change documents or authorize additional funding to get a solution that works.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Redefining customer's need.
Sometimes the client tells you his or her need explicitly, either by explaining it in conversation during your sales process or by defining it in the statement of work of the RFP the client issues. The trouble is,Sometimes the client is wrong.
For example, suppose the manager of a telemarketing operation contacts you because she's unhappy with the sales volume her group is producing."We need a course on closing techniques,"she tells you. "can you do that for us?"
Well,you can do it, but after observing the company's salespeople in action, you realize that what they really need is a course on telephone courtesy. These people are so aggressive that they cross the line into rudeness. The best question is, what do you propose?
The best course is to communicate with the potential client, discuss your conerns or your observations, and try to educate and inform the decision makers before you write your proposal. But Sometimes you can't. Sometimes,when you're dealing with a formal RFP released in quantity to many potential vendors, or when you're dealing with a consultant who has written the RFP, or when ego or politics or governmentally mandated procurement rules get in the way, you have to respond to the client's need as it's stated, even if that's not appropriate. And Sometimes you must be sentitive to the client's or consultant's need to save face.
Sometimes the client tells you his or her need explicitly, either by explaining it in conversation during your sales process or by defining it in the statement of work of the RFP the client issues. The trouble is,Sometimes the client is wrong.
For example, suppose the manager of a telemarketing operation contacts you because she's unhappy with the sales volume her group is producing."We need a course on closing techniques,"she tells you. "can you do that for us?"
Well,you can do it, but after observing the company's salespeople in action, you realize that what they really need is a course on telephone courtesy. These people are so aggressive that they cross the line into rudeness. The best question is, what do you propose?
The best course is to communicate with the potential client, discuss your conerns or your observations, and try to educate and inform the decision makers before you write your proposal. But Sometimes you can't. Sometimes,when you're dealing with a formal RFP released in quantity to many potential vendors, or when you're dealing with a consultant who has written the RFP, or when ego or politics or governmentally mandated procurement rules get in the way, you have to respond to the client's need as it's stated, even if that's not appropriate. And Sometimes you must be sentitive to the client's or consultant's need to save face.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
What results are likely to follow from each of my potential recommendations? Make an educated guess, perhaps based on prior experience with other Customer,s, about the probable results of each possible course of action. Will they lead to the client's most important goal? Will they provide competitive advantage? What will they cost? How long will they take? Are cost and timing important issues will they require the client to commit employees to the task?
Choose the best option from the client's point of view, and use that as the basis of your proposal. Even though it can be tough sometimes, try to resist the temptation of recommending the solution that offers you the highest profit margin or the biggest commission check. Manage your proposals and your business for the long term.
Choose the best option from the client's point of view, and use that as the basis of your proposal. Even though it can be tough sometimes, try to resist the temptation of recommending the solution that offers you the highest profit margin or the biggest commission check. Manage your proposals and your business for the long term.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
PlanetUSA
