This business-focused blog post serves to set up a technology-focused one I’ll publish in a couple of weeks.
I’m always grateful when I make contact with prospective clients. (I’m especially grateful when they contact me!). The feeling of gratitude quickly gives way to a desire to learn whether I can create value for these people if they hire me. So I ask them questions, get them talking about how they might use my services.
To make sure I don’t skip any questions, and to have someplace to record answers, I use a standard form for each such conversation. (I’ll discuss technical details of creating forms in an upcoming post.) By the end of our conversation, we both ought to know (or at least have a better idea of) whether I’d be a good fit for the project at hand.
Here are some of the questions I ask prospective clients. The “meatier” ones come towards the end of the conversation.
Client name
My contact application also has a space for the pronunciation of people’s names.
Client job title
This can indicate the person’s specific interest in my services.
Company name
I’d like to know what the company does, so I check out the website at the very least.
Type of client
I serve two specific types of clients:
- Periodicals (e.g. magazines, newspapers who want articles written)
- Non-periodical (e.g. technology companies who need copywriting)
Type of project
Clients may already know what they need from me, but it’s a good idea to get them thinking on what they’ll need if they don’t. Here’s a list of typical requests:
- article
- website copy
- case study/success story
- white paper
- blog post(s)
Projected start date and deadline
I need to know if I have time for a project. Tighter timelines usually lead to rush fees.
Project objective – high level
This is the most important part of a conversation. Clients don’t contact me unless they’re pursuing a business objective, and I need to know what they expect. Common objectives include:
- revenue increase
- cost reduction
- product/service promotion
Project objective – details
I get the client talking in greater depth about business objectives. In particular: what is the value of a successful project engagement? Is there a monetary figure attached?
I also aim to elicit other benefits the client might not have thought of. For instance, the client may end up with materials that can be used beyond the project currently on the table. This line of conversation helps us both understand what’s at stake and the true value of my services, which usually has little to do with the time I spend on a project.
Market/audience
I need to know who the prospective client wants to influence and gather as much information about these people as I can.
Content sources
Every project I work on involves research. I must record the places where I’m likely to find the information I need in order to work on the project.
- Websites
- Blogs
- Internal documents
- SME interviews (these are my favourites)
- Other
Meeting requirements
I’m not averse to meetings, but they do take time so I need to budget that time. Meeting requirements in one of the following three categories:
- phone/email/Skype
- onsite (1-2 meetings)
- onsite (more than 2 meetings)
Budget
Sometimes a client will tell me what the budget is right away. If not, I would rather skip this part, since I want to ponder the information I gather before discussing fees.
I normally charge a project fee. Why?
- This gives the prospect cost certainty, which is easier to budget for.
- It also keeps clients from watching the clock. If they need to contact me about something, they don’t worry about it, whereas they might if I were to charge a per-hour rate.
What information do you need from me?
I want to make sure prospects feel that I heard and understood them and that they can ask me questions as well. Most prospects are forthcoming with their questions, but throwing this question in towards the end of our talk lets them bring up any other things they might have been contemplating.
Are other writers being considered?
- Yes
- No
How many other writers?
While I understand the need to shop around, too high a number here indicates tire-kickers who are most likely shopping on price above all. Tire-kicking indicates a person who might not value the type of relationship required for successful projects.
Who is the decision maker
Who will ultimately hire the writer for this project? This person isn’t always the one I’m speaking with.
Who is the project lead
Who would I correspond and work with?
Any other details?
In other words, what have I not asked that would help me prepare a proposal for this project?
Keywords
This is a field in my customer relationship management system. I can add keywords here if I want this form to appear in certain lists I maintain in my CRM.
Linked
I can link forms to other objects in my customer relationship management tool, like opportunities, people and emails.
As you may have guessed, this can be a lengthy conversation. The willingness of a prospective client to answer my questions and generally share what matters indicates how much this project matters to the client.
What do you think of these questions? Am I missing any you consider important? Would you improve upon this questionnaire in any way?
Let me know in the comments below.