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Re: how long to give a client to decide on a project
Subject:Re: how long to give a client to decide on a project From:David Orr <dorr -at- ORRNET -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 22 Mar 2001 16:16:21 -0600
Johanna, you did a design document as part of your proposal to a client and
are waiting for the client to make up his mind while possibly passing up
other opportunities. I've been a free-lance writer myself and managed and
used them for 17 years. Here are my observations:
* Most free-lance writers get paid for doing design documents--content
outlines and sample pages. You are cheating yourself by doing it for free.
You also make it too easy for the prospective client to just take the
outline and samples and give it to a secretary to do.
* Proposals need not include more than a specification of
deliverables, perhaps some verbiage on the general approach, working
methodology, prices, working conditions, termination conditions, and terms.
Until you have the signed contract, don't do any more work than necessary,
especially not design work, and especially if you have not discussed price
yet.
* The rule that every experienced free-lancer follows is "it doesn't
exist until there's a signed contract and start date," no matter how much
you want the contract to happen.
* It is perfectly ethical to inform a dilly-dallying prospect that you
are taking another contract.
* It is also ethical and prudent to "pressure" a prospect by saying,
you have to have a decision by a certain date (today, tomorrow) or you will
have to take the bird in the hand represented by another concrete offer.
* Maybe the reason you aren't "up to" confronting the current
procrastinator is that you have already put so much work into the proposal.
But you are living in a dream world if you don't. You have NOTHING as of
right now.
* Always test the reality of pricing early in the process before you
write up anything, even a proposal. Take a hypothetical document about the
size you guess the one in question will be and put a hypothetical price tag
on it. If the propect chokes, no use going any further.
Unless you adopt some fairly hard-nosed policies like those suggested above,
you might as well brand VICTIM on your forehead, because you will be.
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