Title slide for Episode 23 - pre proposal process

Breaking Down the Pre-Proposal Process

Does practice make perfect? No, not always. But having a solid pre-propoaal process leads to practical, consistent quality in your early client interactions, which spells out good news for your clients, and for you.

When you’re meeting with your clients for the first time, it’s important to have a structure that gets both of you the information that you need, inspires confidence, and determines if you are a good match for each other. After all, first impressions are the ones that count!

In this episode (23) of “Can We Talk About Your WordPress Projects?”, we look at some of the major points to consider when constructing your pre-proposal process. (originally live-streamed in November 2020)

Tips For Creating Your Repeatable Pre-Proposal Process

  • Create a structure that’s adaptable.

No two projects or clients are exactly alike, and that’s why you’ve got to create something that can be easily adjusted to fit each meeting.

“But why shouldn’t I create a completely-personalized profile for each?” you might ask. Well, I’ll give you three reasons.

    1. Your time is precious.
    2. Your projects aren’t as different as you think.
    3. Creating consistency is key.

With a solid structure in place, you can both develop a routine that gives you confidence and save time in the process.

  • Have a pre-prepared questionnaire.

How you manage this depends on the type of client you’re meeting with and how sure they seem of their ideas. You might choose to walk through the questionnaire together, especially if you’ve never worked with the client before. In other cases, you might send the questionnaire to the client and then meet with them.

Obviously, perfecting the wording of your questions takes time, and it will vary depending on the client, along with the more personalized questions that you think are important to add. Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel natural at first—we’ve all been in your shoes!

  • Plan for functionality down the line.

Now that you’ve established a basic set of questions, it’s time to begin narrowing down the information you’re getting to be able to create your proposal.

Here are two important pieces of information that you must have in order to get a clear sense of the project at hand:

    1. Website functions: What are the most important things that your client wants for their site to do? Can they be prioritized?
    2. Content: Who is going to produce the content after the website is created? If the client is going to produce the content, do they have a realistic idea of how much and when they need to produce?
  • Define the parameters of the project.

These are often the hardest areas to get—or give—a straight answer on, but they’re the most important for finding out if a) you’re a good match for your client and b) if they’re giving you a project that you can feasibly do.

Deadline: After all of the functions and areas have been defined, how much time will you have to complete the project? In the case of a short deadline, where is your client willing to compromise?

Budget: Are you asking for enough money for what’s being asked of you? Can your client afford your services at a rate that you’re comfortable accepting?

Remember, it’s better to create a little discomfort now than to deal with negative repercussions later.

Tips for the Pre-Proposal Meeting or Walkthrough

During the actual meeting or walkthrough of the client’s questionnaire answers, keep these additional tips in mind.

1)Take copious notes.

Believe me—it’s always better to write something down than to have to go back and ask your potential client for the same information twice. It’s a lesson that many of us have learned the hard way! When in doubt, write it out.

2)Don’t overcomplicate things, but be intentional.

There’s no such things as a stupid question (or so they say), but there is such a thing as an unproductive question. Avoid them!

If a question in your pre-proposal plan is going to take your client away from the focus of their site, either edit the question to be more focused, or take it out entirely. You’ll have time to get into the nitpicky details if you end up working together.

3)Consider recording or transcribing your client meetings (but ask permission, of course!)

Recording or transcribing a client meeting is a great way to pick out the nuances of a conversation, rather than relying on just your notes or memory. Another reason that this is great is for use as a teaching tool—for yourself! You’ll be able to see what went well, and what needs to be fine-tuned.

Don’t forget to ask permission before you record, though, especially if your client is sharing proprietary information.

You’ve got to cover all of your bases and build a foundation of trust and transparent communication from the first meeting onwards.

Want some help with YOUR pre-proposal process? We got you!

Join the WP Project Manager’s Academy – a FREE membership program where you can learn everything you need to know to consistently get your projects completed on time, within budget, with features that meet the client’s business requirements WITHOUT sacrificing profit.

You might also want to Join our Facebook Group  where we have weekly live trainings on all things project and productivity management as well as a Friday chat session.