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FGDO Podcast 101 - 6 ways to Win More Work for Your Design Business
by Michael Huggins, RGDEpisode 101
This episode: 6 Ways to Win More Work for Your Design Business
Have you ever been in a competitive situation with other designers or design firms where you needed to pre-sell your services (and your approach) in order to be awarded the project?
Quite often in these types of situations designers need to sell their services based on written proposals. This can be as simple as a 1 page quote or as complex as a 20 page proposal outlining your capabilities, cost breakdown and your design approach.
On average, 90% of the design work you’ll go after will require a detailed quotation or proposal.
Even from current clients.
That’s why it’s so important to create a proposal that is as persuasive as possible.
So, how successful are you at winning proposals? Does the thought of presenting a proposal get you excited ? Or does it fill you with panic?
There was a time in my business when I dreaded being asked to submit a proposal. Because I was often unsure what elements would help me beat out my competitors or would cause me to lose out on doing the project all together. It was one of the reasons I found the proposal process so stressful. Not to mention a waste of time if I wasn’t successful in winning it.
But through the years I learned how to turn a stressful process into a positive one. Mostly through trial and error and through studying what makes some proposals soar and others sink like a stone. And as a result, over time, I started to win more and more proposals than I lost.
Just the other week I interviewed a very special guest on a teleclass I conducted on forGraphicDesignersOnly.com. The class was focused on this subject of creating winning proposals. And I invited a very knowledgeable guest to help me explain what exactly is needed when creating proposals – Emily Cohen. Emily has been a consultant to design firms and design professionals for over 20 years. You’ve probably heard of Emily before she is a frequent speaker at many of the HOW design conferences, AIGA events as well as many other top-billed speaking engagements.
In our class together Emily and I talked about what makes a winning proposal – one that gets you the work you’re bidding for – and what makes a proposal a complete flop.
If you’re interested in downloading the teleclass you can go to ForGraphicDesignersOnly.com and click on Resource section. There you’ll find the class on proposals as well as other audio programs designed to help you grow your business.
So without question, proposals are one of those activities in your business that you need to do well. The impact of this truth hit me early in my business when I lost multiple projects to competitor when I competed against them. It didn’t take me long to figure out something was wrong . So I devoted a lot of time to learning about how to create good proposals. Many proposal techniques I learned by trial and error. Some worked – many didn’t.
But I was learning each time I did another proposal.
And as time went on I started to notice some distinct elements and patterns that were crucial to helping me win more than I lost.
I discovered 6 principals that helped me attain the best possible position for getting the work.
I want to share them with you today so you can apply them to your own design business.
Here are the 6 principals I learned for creating effective proposals
6 principals to creating effective proposals
1. Clarify what the prospect wants to accomplish
When making a proposal it is important not only to understand the project, but also their desired outcome after the work is complete. Ask simple and direct questions that will help you identify how you will win. A question I like to ask is “Mr. Smith. What has to happen at the end of this project, for you to consider it a success?”
You’ll often be surprised by the response of your clients, and the clarity it will give you when they respond. Sometimes clients don’t have a clear picture in mind when they make a request for a proposal. This question can really help your client clearly define their expectations.
And as they clearly define what they want you can more accurately create a solution and a budget to fit it.
2. Identify your competitors
Many proposal situations will involve competing against other firms and designers. It is perfectly okay to ask how many other firms they have invite to make presentations and who they are.
Take careful note. Then research the firms to find out more about them, their approach, philosophies etc… This will give you a tool to help you craft a proposal that differentiates you from your competitors.
This competitive type of situation happened to me in my own business just recently.
A prospect called me out of the blue. Someone I had never heard from before and asked me to p a proposal together for a complete re-brand of their business. They were in growth mode
And wanted to position their business against their main competitors within the industry they marketed to.
Now whenever a prospect calls you without ay effort of your own doing the very first thing you ask is “how did you here about me?”
Which is exactly what I asked this prospect. And I found out
3. Don’t over emphasize your services
Many designers and design firms make the mistake of first focusing on what they do and how great they are. They spend a lot of time trying to convince the prospect that they are the right ones for the project before they learn more about their prospect.
A good rule of thumb I use in introductory meetings is to ask good questions, listen, and take good notes – 5 times more than I try to “sell” my services.
My Mom says I was born with One mouth but two ears! So that means I should listen twice as much as I talk. I figure if I can increase that number I only end up on the winning side more often.
But this doesn’t mean you don’t do you part when it comes to saying your piece.
And it doesn’t mean you don’t highlight the biggest benefits of your services or give them a little background on your company. Do it, but be sure to be brief. Then make sure you move immediately to principle 4… which is…
4. Focus on your client’s problem and their desired outcome
Transition your proposal process quickly from what you do (and how great you are) –to focusing on your prospects needs.
Ask them questions that will help them define the full scope of the problem. Often prospects have a problem and an idea of what MIGHT help them solve it. But they need a professional to help guide them. Do this by asking questions that help you and them to fully define their problem. Learn about their business, project objectives and their desired outcome.
Your questions should not only give you background information on your prospect but help you qualify them to determine if you can really help them. And if your services are a good fit for them.
This not only means that you’ll be successful in creating a solution for them if you are awarded the project, but it also means your prospect will win in the end too because of the results you’ve created.
This keeps the focus on your prospect and their future success.
5. Use your question process to stay engaged
Intelligent questions are a powerful tool in the proposal development process. They position you to your prospect as an expert and someone who is knowledgeable in their field.
But there is another subtle bonus that comes from your question process – it becomes a tool you use to keep future contact with your prospect. Follow-up questions are a great tool to help build and strengthen your future relationship.
I often use additional questioning as a form of follow-up tool. Rarely can you have an initial meeting with a new prospect and get all the facts. Which often means a follow-up with more questions. This can happen in the form of phone call, email contact or in another scheduled meeting. You can even suggest an interview with other key individuals in the organization.
All of this additional questioning continues to build your relationship and strengthen your knowledge of your prospect.
6.Engage your prospect so they become involved in the process
Being knowledgeable in what you do, does not mean being a know-it-all when it comes to presenting your proposal. Be flexible in your final solution. Make your presentation interactive. Invite your prospect’s participation. Get them to edit, revise and update what you’ve created.
Although you know how to create effective visual communications, you DON’T know everything about your prospect or their marketplace. You need their help to fully understand. And you’ll need their help if you are going to get the project.
Allow them to comment and interact with your proposal. Invite comments and critique. Get them engaged in helping you create the best proposal that is tailored exactly to their needs. You’ll get less resistance and a greater response when it comes to getting them to sign on the bottom line.
If you’re interested in learning more about creating persuasive proposals go to the resource section of the ForGraphicDesignersOnly.com website, where you can get the download of the audio class I conducted with Emily Cohen.
Well that’s it for another week.
Thanks for joining me on the ForGraphicDesignersOnly.com live podcast
Where you as a creative business owner learn how to attract more clients,
Earn higher fees and get more of the work you want
Have a great week.
Dedicated to Graphic Designer SuccessMichael Huggins
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