Participation in the tender for the development of the site (part 2)
The second part of the material on how to properly participate in the tender for the development of the site. I publish them at the same time, because I wrote a single great material that did not fit in one post.
The first part of the material .
In the second part we will talk about the presentation of the proposal, summing up and all sorts of useful tips.
')
You have all prepared, put together and plan to present the result of the work to the client. Consider the aspects of such a presentation.
Presentation format
It is always better to choose the format of an in-person meeting with the customer. Even if the client says that everything can be sent electronically, try to arrange a meeting, because some of your competitors will do so.
As part of the presentation, combine the electronic format (presentations on the projector, laptop screen) and “paper format”. First, some people perceive better from paper, and some from the screen. Secondly, the presence of paper copies will allow you to distract, but in the right direction, to an employee of a client who got bored as part of your speech in front of the screen.
Find out in advance the number of participants from the customer. Materials should be enough for everyone, take with a stock! Do not regret the color printer and good paper. Sometimes it makes sense to go to the print shop and print large posters A3 and A2.
The composition of your "delegation"
What is the composition go to the main presentation? Go alone or bring the whole team? There are different opinions, I will indicate common points. If the client side expects N people, then the optimal composition of your delegation is from N-2 to N + 1 . If there are a lot of people on the client’s side, and you two can be overwhelmed. If there is one manager on the client’s side, and you brought 7 people, he will feel uncomfortable. Keep in mind a few points:
The story of the company should be brief. Keep in mind that customer representatives will hear / hear from your competitors the same stories. Speak the most important and interesting facts. Do not duplicate the content of the profile, portfolio and cases. Say that these documents are on the table, and there you can see more detailed information. Do not tire the customer with a demonstration of a ten-minute video about your achievements - he will be bored.
Now we come to the main part - the story about your proposal for the client's project.
First, briefly repeat the common tasks and goals, use the terminology of the customer. This will allow him to feel that you are in a “common sense field”.
The very process of the story about the composition of the proposal, ideas and estimates / plan may look very different, and there is not some universal recipe. I will try to give a few separate tips:
It is very good to have a spare idea, such an “ace in the sleeve”, which in the process of dialogue can be presented as just invented - it will make an impression on the client (that you could offer a thoughtful and good solution to the topic under discussion).
Leave some strong move or argument at the end of the discussion. It is usually remembered.
Working off the results of the presentation
The presentation is finished, you are back in the office. The stage of working out on “hot tracks” is very important.
Prepare and send a brief “meeting-report” to the client about what happened at the meeting. Indicate the timing for making the discussed adjustments to your proposal.
If the client’s team has a manager who favors you (or with whom you just managed to establish human contact), call him and find out his opinion about what happened at the meeting. If necessary, make adjustments to the line of your behavior and the composition of the proposal.
Business trips
If your name is on a presentation in another city / country - agree. If only because one of your competitors probably will not be able to go.
Sorry for the money? The client must pay for the trip, at least for the tickets and accommodation. This is an absolutely normal practice, and there is nothing wrong with offering a customer to pay your expenses. Ask the customer representative to advise the hotel, briefly to talk about what is interesting in his city, what to see. This will help find common themes and get to know a person.
If you have won the tender, be sure to include in the project estimate the costs of flights and accommodation, as well as the additional labor costs of specialists.
Waiting for results
Waiting for results may be delayed, especially if the tender is held on "formal indicators" with a bunch of official papers and other delights of big business.
We need to be ready for this, and this is a separate stage of work on the tender. Do not turn off the process. Periodically check with the client how things are going, what's new, and whether any additional information is needed. But at the same time try to “not get” him with your calls, because, often, nothing depends on him in the decision-making process, and he himself is not aware of the deadlines.
Hooray you won
So, the client said that you won the tender, and he plans to work with your company. The stupidest thing in this situation is to relax and find that the work is done.
Approximately 25% of all contracts are broken down after the winner is announced. Ahead of you is negotiating the cost, clarifying details, signing a contract. This is not counting, for a moment, the development process of the project itself. Carefully consider the situation, try to highlight the risks that may prevent the client to enter into a contract with you. Help the client to avoid these risks.
For example, if you see that the process of approving a project by a top management can take a lot of time, ask the client manager to help with preparing the final presentation / report for his superiors.
Always play on the side of a customer representative, help him solve his problems within his company. This, by the way, is a very important point not only when selling, but also when interacting with the customer as a whole.
Be sure to ask the client to tell why he chose you, and, most importantly, what weaknesses were in your proposal. It is very important. Always work on bugs, even if you win!
Hooray you lost
So, the client announced that he plans to work with another company. The worst decision in this situation is to declare something like “ Well and fools, fail the project! "Or" Yes, it did not hurt and wanted! ". Do not give vent to emotions, even if a lot of effort was put into the tender, and the result turned out to be dishonest, in your opinion. Never scandal, especially in public. After reading how you muddy the customer whose tender you lost, a potential new customer will think ten times whether to call you to your project.
As I said above, about 25% of projects break down after the winner is announced. In this case, the client first turns to the one who seemed to him more adequate throughout the entire communication, including the reaction to the loss.
After losing, in any case, say a few good words to the client. Ideally, “send him” a few ideas, even if not the most important ones, about his project. This will show that you are professional in your work and also help the client, without expecting anything in return.
The market is rapidly transforming, customers often change contractors, and if you leave a good “aftertaste” after your loss, he will turn first to you.
Be sure to ask the client what weaknesses were in your offer, what they liked, what was the key factor in choosing a winner. Work on the bugs. Do not forget to talk with the team, and if the result is unfair - find a way to console them.
I will give a few more practical tips on various aspects of participation in the tender:
Use affiliate links
If you have good partnerships with companies from close areas, include in the proposal a mention of the possibility of their involvement in the project or as part of further cooperation.
For example, if you are a web studio, and you have a good relationship with a usability-company, then make in the offer one slide about the possibility of attracting this team to test the results of the project - or to attract them in the future in order to increase conversion on existing projects.
Such inclusions will show the client that you have a broad outlook, good partnerships with other companies in the industry, and the services themselves can be one of the important advantages of your offer against the background of competitors.
Consulting
Always try to maximally advise the client on various aspects of Internet activity. In addition to improving your own status in the eyes of the client, he will see that you are giving him useful information even before he has paid you something. Thus, even after the first meeting, he will have a feeling that he received something valuable from communication with you, learned something new. This will help him make a positive decision on cooperation.
Putting yourself to the “expert position” has another advantage. You can use the tactics of an “independent consultant”, telling the client objective information about the market situation, strengths and weaknesses of certain players, current trends and trends - without focusing on the services of your company. In my practice, I managed to sign a contract several times, in general, in no way telling about the advantages of the company I represented - only due to taking the position of a consultant. This allows the client to see you as an expert who tells him objective information, without trying to “push” the services of his own company.
Well, a little more advice. When a client comes to you, obviously not in your price range - do not rush to end the conversation. Spend 5 minutes and advise what to do, how best to look for a contractor, what to look for. It often happens that literally in half a year or a year, a client will have significantly larger budgets for the Internet, and then he will remember you and that you helped him with advice without expecting anything in return. Also recommend to friends.
Tactics "confrontation client"
In most cases, when a large client sets out his vision of the situation or talks about a general strategy, studio representatives agree with him, trying to find positive places and support them, as if “encouraging the client”. At the same time, one should understand that everyone does this.
Therefore, a possible way to profitably stand out from the competition will be direct criticism of frankly weak points in the client's strategy. "We believe that this should not be done, because ... We propose to do so, because ..". Just keep in mind - when criticizing something, be sure to offer your solution, otherwise your criticism will only have a negative feeling.
A small managed conflict, which is successfully resolved at the beginning of negotiations, can play into your hands, showing the client that you have your own point of view and character, on the one hand, and sane people who are ready to compromise, on the other.
"Member for a tick"
Do you have a potentially interesting customer who invites you time and time again for tenders that you always lose? Common situation.
Try to find out if they call you only “for show”, as a convenient competitor for a “home contractor” (at the expense of your uniquely higher prices, for example)?
The second variant of “exploitation”, when the customer calls you for a tender, without planning to work with you in advance - “vampirism of ideas”. There is a chance that they called you only in order to learn interesting ideas, which will then be transferred to the realization of a cheaper company.
If such concerns are confirmed at least indirectly - boldly refuse to participate in these tenders - only lose your time, and even make a “donor brain” for your competitors.
Will reading this material and following all the advice make you a cool seller of online projects or guarantee victory in all tenders? Yes, that's nifiga;) I, for example, wrote this material, and I myself often make children's mistakes in negotiations and lose a lot of tenders. Well, do not forget that this is only a review, which shows the general things + a small part of the nuances. And the devil, as you know, is in the details and individual approach.
I am glad that you have read to the end, and really looking forward to your comments. Terekhov Andrey.
The first part of the material .
In the second part we will talk about the presentation of the proposal, summing up and all sorts of useful tips.
')
4. Presentation of the proposal
You have all prepared, put together and plan to present the result of the work to the client. Consider the aspects of such a presentation.
Presentation format
It is always better to choose the format of an in-person meeting with the customer. Even if the client says that everything can be sent electronically, try to arrange a meeting, because some of your competitors will do so.
As part of the presentation, combine the electronic format (presentations on the projector, laptop screen) and “paper format”. First, some people perceive better from paper, and some from the screen. Secondly, the presence of paper copies will allow you to distract, but in the right direction, to an employee of a client who got bored as part of your speech in front of the screen.
Find out in advance the number of participants from the customer. Materials should be enough for everyone, take with a stock! Do not regret the color printer and good paper. Sometimes it makes sense to go to the print shop and print large posters A3 and A2.
The composition of your "delegation"
What is the composition go to the main presentation? Go alone or bring the whole team? There are different opinions, I will indicate common points. If the client side expects N people, then the optimal composition of your delegation is from N-2 to N + 1 . If there are a lot of people on the client’s side, and you two can be overwhelmed. If there is one manager on the client’s side, and you brought 7 people, he will feel uncomfortable. Keep in mind a few points:
- "Director factor". A very useful moment, of course, is the presence at the main presentation of your director - the client sees that he is interested in your company, and can also communicate with the decision maker. Well, the director, as a rule, is the most competent specialist in the entire company in general.
- If you are traveling as a large team, schedule a small performance in advance for each participant. The way it will be even 3-4 sentences.
- When a team comes out, one “lead” is definitely needed - a person who leads a general outline of the conversation and can, in which case, quickly “intercept” the team member who led them to the wrong steppe. Such a person should be alone (by the way, this is not necessarily the senior officer), and within the framework of the presentation, everyone should obey him without question. Obviously, this person should be a good speaker and ideally understand the composition of your proposal.
- Going to a meeting alone is dangerous. There is always the possibility that you will “hang on” at some point in the dialogue, and it will be good if someone can pick up the conversation for you. This, of course, does not apply to situations where the sale is decided in "personal confidential communication." Then the partner will only interfere and irritate the client.
- The role of the project manager. The higher the competence of the manager on the side of the customer, the greater the role in the presentation should be given to the project manager. A professional in the field of Internet technologies is well aware that the success of his project will mainly depend on the skills of the project manager on the studio side, but he can communicate with the sales manager or the studio director for the first and last time.
The story of the company should be brief. Keep in mind that customer representatives will hear / hear from your competitors the same stories. Speak the most important and interesting facts. Do not duplicate the content of the profile, portfolio and cases. Say that these documents are on the table, and there you can see more detailed information. Do not tire the customer with a demonstration of a ten-minute video about your achievements - he will be bored.
- If you manage to come up with some unusual format of a story about the company or even a small “presentation” - it will be cool. It is a delusion to think that boring managers sit in large companies. They are people, and they also want fun.
- If there are any important advantages compared to other bidders (for example, a dedicated project support unit or unique industry solutions), focus on this.
- Speaking about the experience and customers, mention only a few of the most famous brands, and also tell about the experience of working with customers in the profile area for the client. If there are any unique developments in the industry - briefly mention them. Detailed case studies - on request.
- Always feel the reaction of the audience, its inclusion. If you see a keen interest - you can tell more, if people are bored - cut this part of the story.
Now we come to the main part - the story about your proposal for the client's project.
First, briefly repeat the common tasks and goals, use the terminology of the customer. This will allow him to feel that you are in a “common sense field”.
The very process of the story about the composition of the proposal, ideas and estimates / plan may look very different, and there is not some universal recipe. I will try to give a few separate tips:
- Control time. It happens very disappointing when you begin to talk in detail about the very first and most boring part of the sentence, and then you realize that there is no time left for the most “goodies”. Look at the clock in the process of the story, correct colleagues who have deeply immersed in the topic. The best option is to rehearse the performance in advance.
- Intrigue the customer. Mention in the first part of the speech some interesting teaser for the customer, promising to give details later. This will keep the attention of the audience in the process of the more boring part of the story.
- Give examples. In the process, briefly mention vivid examples, both yours and the industry in general. Remember that the example makes a much bigger impression when you talk not only about the idea and implementation of the project, but also give the final quantitative results (visitors, conversions, conversion, sales growth, etc.). Examples from the experience of foreign companies are perceived favorably - this shows your horizons, and the fact that you are “on the edge”.
- Fan Everyone likes it when the presentation takes place in an unusual and interesting format. Sometimes even in the game. But do not forget that when the fan impression passes, first of all, the actual composition of the proposal will still be assessed. So do not overdo it with the fan component to the detriment of the actual part.
It is very good to have a spare idea, such an “ace in the sleeve”, which in the process of dialogue can be presented as just invented - it will make an impression on the client (that you could offer a thoughtful and good solution to the topic under discussion).
Leave some strong move or argument at the end of the discussion. It is usually remembered.
Working off the results of the presentation
The presentation is finished, you are back in the office. The stage of working out on “hot tracks” is very important.
Prepare and send a brief “meeting-report” to the client about what happened at the meeting. Indicate the timing for making the discussed adjustments to your proposal.
If the client’s team has a manager who favors you (or with whom you just managed to establish human contact), call him and find out his opinion about what happened at the meeting. If necessary, make adjustments to the line of your behavior and the composition of the proposal.
Business trips
If your name is on a presentation in another city / country - agree. If only because one of your competitors probably will not be able to go.
Sorry for the money? The client must pay for the trip, at least for the tickets and accommodation. This is an absolutely normal practice, and there is nothing wrong with offering a customer to pay your expenses. Ask the customer representative to advise the hotel, briefly to talk about what is interesting in his city, what to see. This will help find common themes and get to know a person.
If you have won the tender, be sure to include in the project estimate the costs of flights and accommodation, as well as the additional labor costs of specialists.
Waiting for results
Waiting for results may be delayed, especially if the tender is held on "formal indicators" with a bunch of official papers and other delights of big business.
We need to be ready for this, and this is a separate stage of work on the tender. Do not turn off the process. Periodically check with the client how things are going, what's new, and whether any additional information is needed. But at the same time try to “not get” him with your calls, because, often, nothing depends on him in the decision-making process, and he himself is not aware of the deadlines.
5. Summing up and "after party"
Hooray you won
So, the client said that you won the tender, and he plans to work with your company. The stupidest thing in this situation is to relax and find that the work is done.
Approximately 25% of all contracts are broken down after the winner is announced. Ahead of you is negotiating the cost, clarifying details, signing a contract. This is not counting, for a moment, the development process of the project itself. Carefully consider the situation, try to highlight the risks that may prevent the client to enter into a contract with you. Help the client to avoid these risks.
For example, if you see that the process of approving a project by a top management can take a lot of time, ask the client manager to help with preparing the final presentation / report for his superiors.
Always play on the side of a customer representative, help him solve his problems within his company. This, by the way, is a very important point not only when selling, but also when interacting with the customer as a whole.
Be sure to ask the client to tell why he chose you, and, most importantly, what weaknesses were in your proposal. It is very important. Always work on bugs, even if you win!
Hooray you lost
So, the client announced that he plans to work with another company. The worst decision in this situation is to declare something like “ Well and fools, fail the project! "Or" Yes, it did not hurt and wanted! ". Do not give vent to emotions, even if a lot of effort was put into the tender, and the result turned out to be dishonest, in your opinion. Never scandal, especially in public. After reading how you muddy the customer whose tender you lost, a potential new customer will think ten times whether to call you to your project.
As I said above, about 25% of projects break down after the winner is announced. In this case, the client first turns to the one who seemed to him more adequate throughout the entire communication, including the reaction to the loss.
After losing, in any case, say a few good words to the client. Ideally, “send him” a few ideas, even if not the most important ones, about his project. This will show that you are professional in your work and also help the client, without expecting anything in return.
The market is rapidly transforming, customers often change contractors, and if you leave a good “aftertaste” after your loss, he will turn first to you.
Be sure to ask the client what weaknesses were in your offer, what they liked, what was the key factor in choosing a winner. Work on the bugs. Do not forget to talk with the team, and if the result is unfair - find a way to console them.
6. Any advice
I will give a few more practical tips on various aspects of participation in the tender:
Use affiliate links
If you have good partnerships with companies from close areas, include in the proposal a mention of the possibility of their involvement in the project or as part of further cooperation.
For example, if you are a web studio, and you have a good relationship with a usability-company, then make in the offer one slide about the possibility of attracting this team to test the results of the project - or to attract them in the future in order to increase conversion on existing projects.
Such inclusions will show the client that you have a broad outlook, good partnerships with other companies in the industry, and the services themselves can be one of the important advantages of your offer against the background of competitors.
Consulting
Always try to maximally advise the client on various aspects of Internet activity. In addition to improving your own status in the eyes of the client, he will see that you are giving him useful information even before he has paid you something. Thus, even after the first meeting, he will have a feeling that he received something valuable from communication with you, learned something new. This will help him make a positive decision on cooperation.
Putting yourself to the “expert position” has another advantage. You can use the tactics of an “independent consultant”, telling the client objective information about the market situation, strengths and weaknesses of certain players, current trends and trends - without focusing on the services of your company. In my practice, I managed to sign a contract several times, in general, in no way telling about the advantages of the company I represented - only due to taking the position of a consultant. This allows the client to see you as an expert who tells him objective information, without trying to “push” the services of his own company.
Well, a little more advice. When a client comes to you, obviously not in your price range - do not rush to end the conversation. Spend 5 minutes and advise what to do, how best to look for a contractor, what to look for. It often happens that literally in half a year or a year, a client will have significantly larger budgets for the Internet, and then he will remember you and that you helped him with advice without expecting anything in return. Also recommend to friends.
Tactics "confrontation client"
In most cases, when a large client sets out his vision of the situation or talks about a general strategy, studio representatives agree with him, trying to find positive places and support them, as if “encouraging the client”. At the same time, one should understand that everyone does this.
Therefore, a possible way to profitably stand out from the competition will be direct criticism of frankly weak points in the client's strategy. "We believe that this should not be done, because ... We propose to do so, because ..". Just keep in mind - when criticizing something, be sure to offer your solution, otherwise your criticism will only have a negative feeling.
A small managed conflict, which is successfully resolved at the beginning of negotiations, can play into your hands, showing the client that you have your own point of view and character, on the one hand, and sane people who are ready to compromise, on the other.
"Member for a tick"
Do you have a potentially interesting customer who invites you time and time again for tenders that you always lose? Common situation.
Try to find out if they call you only “for show”, as a convenient competitor for a “home contractor” (at the expense of your uniquely higher prices, for example)?
The second variant of “exploitation”, when the customer calls you for a tender, without planning to work with you in advance - “vampirism of ideas”. There is a chance that they called you only in order to learn interesting ideas, which will then be transferred to the realization of a cheaper company.
If such concerns are confirmed at least indirectly - boldly refuse to participate in these tenders - only lose your time, and even make a “donor brain” for your competitors.
7. Afterword
Will reading this material and following all the advice make you a cool seller of online projects or guarantee victory in all tenders? Yes, that's nifiga;) I, for example, wrote this material, and I myself often make children's mistakes in negotiations and lose a lot of tenders. Well, do not forget that this is only a review, which shows the general things + a small part of the nuances. And the devil, as you know, is in the details and individual approach.
I am glad that you have read to the end, and really looking forward to your comments. Terekhov Andrey.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/112550/
All Articles