Deliverables in Professional Service Businesses - Part 1

Written by Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan


Continued from page 1

Section 5) Expression of Value –This isrepparttar description ofrepparttar 104551 improvementrepparttar 104552 organisation will derive from your intervention. It is vital to emotionally involverepparttar 104553 buyer, sorepparttar 104554 fees presented later appear as minor investments in comparison torepparttar 104555 value derived. Enumerate each piece of value in bullet points.

Section 6) Methodologies and Options –Here you present a variety of ways of implementingrepparttar 104556 project. When you give options, you create a choice of yeses. It is no longer “whether or not to use you”, but which of your option to take. This is very important and is in your control. If you give options, you will have higher rate of acceptance than “take it or leave it” type proposals. The other part is psychological. When you give people choices, you empower them. You make them feel important and make them feel they are in control.

Section 7) Timing –This section tellsrepparttar 104557 client when to start and when to completerepparttar 104558 project. Both you and your client must know when to start, when to expect certain results and when to disengage.

Section 8) Joint Accountabilities –These are your andrepparttar 104559 client’s responsibilities to ensure successful outcomes. Very often clients are not fully committed torepparttar 104560 project and end up sabotaging it in several ways. This part prevents that potential disaster. Simply state your own, your client’s and joint accountabilities.

Section 9) Terms and Conditions –This section deal with financial arrangements. This isrepparttar 104561 first time your client sees your fees. This must be established in writing. Anything may change inrepparttar 104562 organisation, and you want to protect yourself. Also, this isrepparttar 104563 first timerepparttar 104564 client sees investment options, and you want to maintainrepparttar 104565 client’s head nodding in agreement.

Section 10) Acceptance –This isrepparttar 104566 sign off section indicating approval ofrepparttar 104567 project. You have to have a signed agreement to enforce your rights. This isrepparttar 104568 last section ofrepparttar 104569 proposal. Print out two copies and sign them. Thenrepparttar 104570 buyer signs them, you take your copy for your records and get started.

***** CLIENT IMPACT REPORT *****

The best way of obtaining testimonials or letters of reference is by calling it a “Client Impact Report”, and you would include it in your terms and conditions of doing business. This is basicallyrepparttar 104571 deliverable clients are expected to produce on a regular basis and summarise it atrepparttar 104572 end ofrepparttar 104573 project.

The problem withrepparttar 104574 traditional way of getting testimonials is that afterrepparttar 104575 project is completed and clients are happy, they move on to dealing withrepparttar 104576 next challenges in their lives, leaving you high and dry.

Therefore it is vitally important that producing this Client Impact Report becomes part ofrepparttar 104577 project, and you haverepparttar 104578 right to suspendrepparttar 104579 project until you receive it.

This is a document clients fill in every month, and atrepparttar 104580 end ofrepparttar 104581 project this document becomesrepparttar 104582 basis ofrepparttar 104583 testimonial andrepparttar 104584 letter of reference clients give you printed on their letterheads.

Here are some sections you can include:

Section 1) What I Learnt – What did clients learn from working onrepparttar 104585 project up to that specific date. This gives you a great indication ofrepparttar 104586 skills transmitted to clients and how they received those skills.

Section 2) What I Achieved – This is a summary of both quantitative and qualitative achievements.

Section 3) What I Appreciated – This is a summary of what clients appreciated inrepparttar 104587 service.

Section 4) Suggestions for Improvement - This is a summary of how clients think they could bet even better value for their investments.

It is important that you openrepparttar 104588 floodgates to seamless communication, so when there is an issue, both you andrepparttar 104589 client can communicate it without waiting forrepparttar 104590 next feedback form or survey.

***** PROJECT UPDATE LETTER *****

Very often you work with implementing teams but you do not meet buyers on a regular basis. Nevertheless, it is still vitally important to keep buyers up-to-date with their projects. If you can do this over breakfast or lunch with buyers, then your letter can be a summary of your discussion. However, if you cannot meet buyers regularly, this letter is even more important. There are two reasons for that:

1. You want to make certain that there are no surprises for buyers. Whatever happens, they should find out from you.

2. On every project there is bad news. Berepparttar 104591 bringer of bad new but sandwich them into good news, so you create a perspective for progress.

Your letters can be either electronic or hard copy. In either case, both you andrepparttar 104592 buyer must keep a copy. So, when something happens, you can say “I told you about it in my email on this and this date.”

Some guidelines to consider:

* Keep them relatively short, like one page max.

* Userepparttar 104593 very progress metrics buyers gave your forrepparttar 104594 proposal.

* Specify what actions clients must take next.

* Indicaterepparttar 104595 date ofrepparttar 104596 next project update letter.

***** POOR PROGRESS WARNING LETTER *****

Yes, and there are times when things do not go according torepparttar 104597 plan, and just like with good news, bad news had better come from you too. After all, you arerepparttar 104598 unbiased outsider, who is expected to say what needs to be said. You are paid to be a straightshooter.

Protecting clients – and their people of course - from their mistakes and shortcomings can be disastrous to you, and keeping it verbal can be easily distorted inrepparttar 104599 future. So, make sure you put everything in writing.

This specific piece MUST be sent out on hard copy either by courier or registered mail, sorepparttar 104600 buyer must sign for it, and it cannot go missing atrepparttar 104601 gatekeeper’s desk orrepparttar 104602 buyer’s email inbox. The buyer must receive this piece may come hell and high water or even if gipsy kids are falling fromrepparttar 104603 sky.

Some guidelines to consider:

* Be honest and say as it is

* Make it impersonal whenever possible (non-blaming tone)

* Make only deliberate actions personal (theft and sabotage for instance)

* Indicaterepparttar 104604 impact onrepparttar 104605 project

* Recommend actions to correctrepparttar 104606 situation

* Indicate a time when you updaterepparttar 104607 buyer onrepparttar 104608 correction

************ Action Plan ************

* Take a look at your engagements. Are your clients participating in their projects or just dictating you what to do?

* Are you regularly giving homework to your clients?

* Do you have a set of documents your clients are required to create duringrepparttar 104609 engagement.

Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan of Dynamic Innovations Squad helps service professionals to build high-trust client relationships, so his clients work less hard, receive higher fees with lower overhead costs and fewer staff than their competitors, while working only with “ideal” clients based mainly on repeat and referral business. www.di-squad.com.


12 Reasons to Follow-Up with Your Clients, Customers and Colleagues

Written by Susan Dunn, MA, Personal and Professional Development Coach


Continued from page 1

Because I deal with clients all overrepparttar US and world, there are often time zone problems.

6.I planned to call from outsiderepparttar 104550 office on my cell andrepparttar 104551 battery went dead.

7.I couldn't understandrepparttar 104552 name or phone number they gave me onrepparttar 104553 answering machine.

8.The information on their website was incorrect orrepparttar 104554 form didn't work.

9.We had a thunderstorm and whenever that happens in San Antonio,repparttar 104555 phones, servers and alarm clocks will go out.

10.I accidentally deleted their email and had no way to contact them.

11.I never received an email from them. I don’t know why.

I only learned they’d emailed me when I ran into them at a meeting.

12. The dog ate my homework.

We're busy. We have technical problems. We forget. We're human. There are any number of reasons why people don't get back to you, while they may very much want to. Contact them again. Don't give up. And don't take it personally.

©Susan Dunn, MA, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . I teach individuals to master change and transform their lives through the power of emotional intelligence. Individual coaching, Internet courses, and ebooks -- a total program for your personal and professional development. EQ matters more to your health, success and happiness than IQ, and it can be learned. I teach it. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine.


    <Back to Page 1
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use