It’s About Your Client, Not You
When you are talking to someone about what you want, what do you want to hear? You most likely want to hear that they know what you’re saying and they know how to get it accomplished. Doesn’t it make you feel better when someone can communicate those things to you?
When you have asked for a very technical process or you think it’s a very technical process, what do you want to hear?
“I no the job you ask and I can do. Luk at my resume. Give me a call.”
Note: Spelling errors were added for effect.
Or:
“I have worked as a business consultant for several companies and I understand that you need an expert in online promotion. There are several techniques I have mastered that will enhance your online promotion efforts. The first thing I would like to do is…”
Exactly! The second project proposal makes me feel like I’m in good hands. But, like I’ve said before that the hardest part of writing a project proposal is changing your mind around. When you wrap your brain around what the client wants and you learn to address those needs, now you are writing an effective proposal.
Acknowledge what you think the goals of the project are. What are the objectives? How does the client want them accomplished? Take a look at the timeframe too and make sure you understand exactly what the client wants as a finished project.
Most freelancers think that writing a project proposal is as simple as saying they can do the job and to get in touch with them. That’s not true at all. In fact, project proposals don’t fly when the writer doesn’t even acknowledge the final product.
For instance, a client who wants an e-book submitted in pdf format is being very specific about the finished product. Pdf is different from word doc and it used to be hard to put documents in pdf format. But, not anymore. Cutepdf.com will let you download software for free that allows you to convert your word documents to pdf format. Problem solved!
But, that’s just the final product. What if the client says that they need 30 pages with a TOC, appendixes and title page not included in the page count? In your project proposal, it’s a good thing to mention that you understand the page count exactly and that the TOC, appendixes and title page are not included.
What else does the project manager want? If the client mentions that they want cover graphics too, do you know anything about that? If you don’t address that you know anything about graphic design and can design a cover, you might as well not even submit the proposal.
It’s not hard to wrap your brain around what the client wants. Simply think about what you would like to hear if you had posted that project. Read it and put yourself in the potential client’s shoes. Once you have managed to see it from their side, you can write the perfect proposal. The only thing left is to make sure that it’s proofread. It doesn’t hurt to get a project proposal proofread if it means more business for you.
Related posts:
- Writing the Dynamite Project Proposal When you walk into a job interview, I certainly hope that you don’t wear jeans with holes in them and your favorite tee shirt. I hope you don’t slouch and talk to the interviewer like you would talk to your friends at a party. If you get my drift, you have to carry yourself into [...]...
- Being Professional: Comes Through in First Impressions I once sat in agony as I read through a pile of project proposals. I was looking for my competition because I wanted the project that bad. I was willing to look for the one or two people I was going to have to beat to get it. When I found them, I was going [...]...
- Blogging for Pay Blogs are a steady source of income for a new writer A blog is an online diary crossed with a dynamic web page and the word “blog” is actually a contraction of “web log”. The practical result is a web site that allows a user to post their content and at the same time use [...]...
- Writing the Professional Project Proposal If you are competing in the freelance market, you will need to know the basics of a professional project proposal. No matter where you find yourself, you have to carry your business presentation in a very high manner. You cannot afford to drop your professionalism just because everyone else around you is wasting their efforts. [...]...
- Cooking for Writers: A Recipe for a Great Paper Writing for a writer becomes a habitual process where the flow comes and just gets rolling. Pages and pages full of words course from our brains and through our hands in no time at all. It’s like giving a knife to a cook. The meal doesn’t take long at all to be ready. Staying with [...]...