Proposal prep for new clients
This section outlines the details of the initial stages of the proposal process.
Onboarding
Aim
The aim of this stage is to present 3SD to the client, who we are and how we work, and also talk to them more about the work they want us to do, and essentially get a better sense for who they are as an organisation and if they would be nice to work with.
Process
We send them [INSERT LINK TO 3SD Presentation document]. If they've asked for it, we may also give them examples of past projects similar to theirs and a ball park figure of costs involved. We also want to give them a rough indication of our capacity and when we think we could carry out the work.
This should be followed up with a phone call or email to get feedback from them on whether they are interested in proceeding with the process and if they have any questions for us before we begin the next stage of gathering information from them.
Checklist
- Send them the 3SD presentation
- Check our capacity in the pipeline
- Are there any points we want clarification on before doing a more in-depth information gathering phase
- Are we both happy to proceed based on this initial meeting?
Information gathering
Aim
During this stage we want to get a better idea about the project and them as an organisation, and primarily ascertain whether in fact we do want to work with them, and if we do, we want to gather enough information to put together a draft proposal.
It is also an opportunity for them to ask us questions on how we work, based on the presentation we have already sent them about 3SD, and for us to discuss any past projects we've worked on that are similar and could be relevant to help give an estimate on costs, our approach and a rough timeline.
Process
How much time we spend at this stage really depends on the organisation and type of project we think it will turn into, and how much we want to work on the project. The smaller the organisation / budget, or if we aren't sure whether we actually want to the do work, the less time we want to spend at this stage. If it's a project we feel passionate about doing, we might feel it's worth investing a bit more time here to put together a strong proposal.
If this is looking like a big project that needs a lot of discovery, it might be more appropriate to keep this free discovery phase shorter and instead include a paid discovery epic in the project, where we can gather more information. For instance, if they have an existing CRM system that needs a lot of work to clean up and are looking for a new service provider because they are unhappy with their existing one, it might be approporiate to run an audit of their system as an initial pilot project with them (that they pay for), where we can do a detailed assessment of the state of their system and suggest a roadmap for improvement.
Whatever method we decide is the most appropriate way to gather information, we want to be able to answer the following questions:
- What would the project look like? (depending on the project, this might be fairly broad and general, or could be more techy e.g. how is their current CRM set up)
- Do they seem like nice people?
- Does the organisation's structure and departments lend itself to what they are trying to achieve? E.g. do they have a fundraising or campaigning department? Are they techy? Do they have a person/team dedicated to managing the project?
- Does their budget and timeline sound realistic?
- Who would be involved in the project at 3SD?
- Do we have the capacity to take on the project?
- Are there any red flags? Some examples are:
- they don't have a dedicated staff member for the project
- they are disorganised / incoherent / inconsistent
- their budget is too small
Background preparation
First we take a brief look at the new client’s current work with details of their business process, the challenges they are facing, and their goals for the future.
If an organisation is looking for a new service provider, they may have a requirements document outlining the project as they see it, and the details of this may vary depending on the organisation, their knowledge and experience etc.
A quick literature review from their website (other online publications) and/or information they provided in their initial communication can be used to prepare a questionnaire or 'jamboard' for the client to think through/fill out before the first meeting. One way of structuring the jamboard or questionnaire is with the help of themes: identifying themes from their initial communication and asking specific questions within each one to help define the scope of work. Send the questionnaire in advance and request the client to write answers, and add any other details if they like.
Useful tools:
- Client Questionnaire (a starting point, please customise as per the client)
- Jamboard version of the questionnaire (coming soon)
Interview
The jamboard can be used during the meeting and edited live. The aim of this initial meeting is to get an understanding of the client organisation and what they think they need from our service and association. In this session we identify the themes we will be working on, the specific problems and tasks within each theme, and ask questions about how they do things, their organisation’s processes and their goals. We also explain our approach, how we work and maintain relationships with clients. Once the client guide is ready you can share that with the client too.
Useful tools:
- Client Guide (coming soon)
Checklist
- TBC
If we decide we don't want to work with them because the project does not in fact align with our goals or the way we work, we send them a polite reply to explain why we don't want to work with them, and possibly suggest alternative providers.
If they decide they don't want to work with us, we ask them why and feed this back to the team. Any lessons learnt should be incorporated into the proposal writing tips.
If both parties want to go ahead with the project, we move onto the next stage of the process and put together a proposal.