General Consultant Discussion

Hello Wayne. We're looking at that proposal you sent us over a month ago. Yes the one we said that we had to have right away so you put everything aside and generated a quote mid-April. Well yeah we still aren't sure but how soon could you start if we gave you the go ahead. Remember we want to be done by June 1. Dear Customer, No problem - I'm ready on a moment's notice. If you can let me know about 5pm today that would be ok - I'll cancel my weekend plans and get right on it. And, of course there is no extra charge for weekend and night work. And since I'm sure you are going to have similar delays checking the work and giving the ok to go live I will also plan to work through the night with one days notice when you finally get around to checking the data prior to our final upgrade. Geesh..... Wish I could make this stuff up

This happens here too. On a Friday afternoon given until the following Wednesday to propose on major upgrade. No communication back to us until an ROR over a month later. Good luck, new reseller.

One of the other things I like about 90 minds is simply that we get to hear everyone's horror stories - and to share them when they happen to us!

The biggest issue is that many of the proposals are not simple rate checks. You have to review their existing system (especially if you didn't set it up). Then after spending that time some customers have no problem never responding and asking for another quote in 6 months. It's a big part of why I don't do free demos. Unfortunately almost nobody pays me for a new system review but I do hear back from quite a few who thought they found a cheaper alternative. In a large number of cases they customer is out of money (spent it all with their ""cheaper"" solution provider and/or looking for a free tips or two). I find using a price list (aka menu) is a big help in replying to these types of inquiries. Right now there are tons and tons of orphans floating around looking for an hourly provider to answer quick questions. Must have heard from half a dozen this week.

All so true. This business and customer loyalty are really going down hill.

I met with an orphan on Monday. They basically have been using MAS 200 for 10+ years but feel they should be utilizing more features. He said he wants a new IM numbering scheme and when I mentioned the renumber utility, he got all excited. I told him I could do an ""assessment"" of their current system and he said, ""Would there be a fee for that?"" ""Yes Ed, there would be."" It was really a test meeting to see if he would like working with us. He was anxious for a quote for the assessment by the end of the meeting.

Don't confuse anxious for a quote and receipt of payment for that quote. I can assure you they are two very different concepts to prospects. I don't even work with the customers any longer if they won't go on my support. I send them the agreement before I agree to meet. About 60% (depending on source) are never heard from again except by some $50/hr consultant who does a one off ""quick question"" type engagement.

Perhaps you should send those prospects to the Sage 100 Professional Services Group.

The more they talk about rates vs what they want to accomplish on the initial call the higher the assessment quote.

Speaking of agreements, etc. I can't WAIT for the Minds of the Future conference pre-Summit!!! I look forward to seeing Phil and John there but there is still room for more!!!

@ThereseLogeais You have a bright future in sales!

LOL!

And if you act now, @ThereseLogeais will throw in a free - that's right, FREE - business card for every attendee that signs up before midnight. Don't delay. **Disclaimer: Shipping and handling and order processing charges will apply.

More than that, I will even throw in a FREE notepad!! (I really want to have lunch at this wonderful conference! Peter, why aren't you attending and sharing your successes??? I'll give you TWO notepads and FIVE free business cards!!)

I'm still trying to coordinate it. I have a family trip the week prior so it's difficult to get there for Saturday morning.

It's okay to arrive late!!

This same customer called me at 7pm (no I didn't answer) to inquire when I could start their upgrade... it's one of those situations where I just know once I start the user will sit on their side of the project (checking data) until the night before. I got ""smart"" (I think) and gave the customer a timeline in terms of ""business days"" We will develop a project plan which may include at least these these four phases (dependent upon options selected by you). Install ( Duration: 5 business Days) Test ( Duration: 15 business Days) Go Live ( No sooner than 5 business days from approval of step #2) Post Go Live ( 10 business days) And I stated that once they leave one phase we will not re-enter without a change request. This stops (or at least gives you reason to charge) those customers who fail to test and the day after go-live bring up all the things that are wrong (mis-aligned forms,etc).

The majority of customers who I'm running into take forever to make a decision and then once they do they want you to immediately start, finish and 100% guarantee everything. It's like waiting for the last minute and expecting to book airfare, car rental and hotel at a discounted rate and that all three will be 100% available in the exact selection you choose (room type, flight times, car style) despite waiting until the last second.

@WayneSchulz This is an excellent phased approach. We define similar tasks and have an agreed upon schedule, but the difference is we're too nice and don't enforce the plan. I already identified this as an issue, but your formalization of the process gives me confidence. Thanks!

I save a templated copy of my proposals and each time I see a customer try a new ""trick"" I make sure to look closer at the template to see whether I need to make changes. The biggest issue I have is with the customer who fails to check and/or does so at the last moment and expect you to work all weekend/night to get them converted. While that level of service may be available --- at a much higher price --- the level that most customers select is not priced to include night/weekend work.

Just had a client who we gave contracts to on 3/22 and they did nothing with them, call us and are surprised we can't start for 3-5 weeks...

My new epiphany today is that one pricing option should be the length of time from which you can start based upon receipt of payment (always always always go based on cash money received). If we let customers sit on this stuff and then attempt to commit with a days notice and want to be live in 10 days - then we are moving them from the back of the plane (aka flying standby) to the front with no prior commitment whatsoever on their part. Pricing going forward needs to be keyed on: a. Period of time when services will be rendered - between month x and month y b. Timing from when you start to when you go live - say for example a normal upgrade is 20 business days start to finish. If the customer wants to push and do it in 10 shouldn't the price be more? Potentially a lot more? ""Pricing is for an upgrade where the time measured from receipt of payment to go live is no less than xx business days"" I'm seeing this as the new prospect ""trick"" -- don't commit to a thing but at the last minute expect that your verbal ok will set the wheels turning.

We find that making our performance gated to customer's performance works pretty well. (We make our flexibility broader with our Option 3 (premium) in proposals.) For customization jobs, we also have a clause, ""If we haven't received your revisions within x days, the changes are deemed accepted."" it gives us decent leverage. Our time commitments are pretty much all ""up to Y days after <customer action>."" Still, I think its most productive to understand that many of the people we contract with work in organizations with some degree of dysfunction. Most of our customers don't really read our agreement, or at least don't really process its implications well. Some of our contacts can use our options and rules to get the cooperation that THEY need from THEIR bosses. I've come to look at this set of challenges as a sort of ""tough love."" Like it or not, they can view us in the same category as dentists: spend as little energy thinking about it as possible. Note that good dentists go out of their way to remind patients of what is involved with the current/planned visit-procedure, and when in the chair (after signing the release form ... that of course, you read in detail), they go through it again, as they do also when done. It's also important to get the Controller or higher (not the IT manager) to sign off on the t&c of the project. There is then no legal excuse for ""we didn't know"" and is further leverage to keep everybody working with the same rules. OK, this is windier than I'd meant. Sorry. My main point is that the whole thing is smoother for us when we layout the etiquette of the project, but then help them learn and follow the etiquette as if they are 4th-graders.

And when it invariably melts down, 'he who has the cash wins' so always get and keep meaty deposits or prepaid blocks or whatever your method is, but never let a client owe you anything in this day and age.

Yep.