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The RFP Red Flag Series: Clients Who Miss the Scheduled Client Consultation
Posted 4 Weeks Ago at 10:04 AM by Your Virtual Wizard
In my eBook, "The RFP Transformation - Take Your Virtual Assistant Proposal From Blah to Bling", I offer a list of RED FLAGS to be aware of when vetting potential RFP Clients. This the first RED FLAG in the series.
Potential clients who miss the scheduled client consultation call...this is how I handle it:
While I understand clients are busy business owners too, there have been times that they have missed the scheduled consultation with me due to unforeseen circumstances. And there have been other clients who have no excuse or apology for wasting my time by not keeping the scheduled appointment.
I will give a ‘forgetful’ client one more chance to reschedule the appointment with one reminder email that the call is coming up a day before. If she/he misses the second rescheduled appointment for an invalid reason, I move on.
I do send one final email simply stating:
"I am sorry you missed our second scheduled appointment. Please know that I take client consultations as seriously as I take operating a successful virtual assistant business.
My time is valuable to me as is your own. If, in the future you wish to reconnect and commit to speaking with me, please let me know as I am interested in the success of your own business. Otherwise, I thank you for taking the time to read my proposal and I wish you well with the selection of your new virtual assistant."
In some cases, this closes the RFP submission account and in other cases, I have received replies in response to this final note. This is one such reply from a potential client that missed the client consultation call:
"Dear Janine, I am sorry that I did not call you as I stated I would to discuss virtual assistant services. I received your beautifully written proposal in response to my RFP and I had every intention of speaking with you. However, I decided to give my former virtual assistant another chance to work with me and I forgot to get back to you. If my VA does not work out, please know I will contact you (and keep the scheduled call). Please add me to your email list so we can stay in contact. Again, I apologize and thank you for your follow-up note. Sarah H."
2 months later this client contacted me for a project and she also referred me to a colleague. So it pays to follow-up after submitting a proposal.
Download 10 FREE RFP Tips NOW! Click here.
Potential clients who miss the scheduled client consultation call...this is how I handle it:
While I understand clients are busy business owners too, there have been times that they have missed the scheduled consultation with me due to unforeseen circumstances. And there have been other clients who have no excuse or apology for wasting my time by not keeping the scheduled appointment.
I will give a ‘forgetful’ client one more chance to reschedule the appointment with one reminder email that the call is coming up a day before. If she/he misses the second rescheduled appointment for an invalid reason, I move on.
I do send one final email simply stating:
"I am sorry you missed our second scheduled appointment. Please know that I take client consultations as seriously as I take operating a successful virtual assistant business.
My time is valuable to me as is your own. If, in the future you wish to reconnect and commit to speaking with me, please let me know as I am interested in the success of your own business. Otherwise, I thank you for taking the time to read my proposal and I wish you well with the selection of your new virtual assistant."
In some cases, this closes the RFP submission account and in other cases, I have received replies in response to this final note. This is one such reply from a potential client that missed the client consultation call:
"Dear Janine, I am sorry that I did not call you as I stated I would to discuss virtual assistant services. I received your beautifully written proposal in response to my RFP and I had every intention of speaking with you. However, I decided to give my former virtual assistant another chance to work with me and I forgot to get back to you. If my VA does not work out, please know I will contact you (and keep the scheduled call). Please add me to your email list so we can stay in contact. Again, I apologize and thank you for your follow-up note. Sarah H."
2 months later this client contacted me for a project and she also referred me to a colleague. So it pays to follow-up after submitting a proposal.
Download 10 FREE RFP Tips NOW! Click here.
Total Comments 6
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Great post! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm keeping this in mind!
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Thank you, Jessica-a!
I appreciate your comments. I believe there is great value in continued follow-up when the proposal is submitted and even after the client consultation has been secured. To me, it is not a 'use and lose it' approach. Once you have the attention of the potential client, it is my suggestion to use that connection to its maximum potential. You would be surprised how a VA who follows up several times, even if the PC misses the consultation time, is remembered time and time again. Best, Janine |
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Wow! I loved this Janine. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will definitely keep this in mind.
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Hello Twenty47,
Thank you for your comments. Have you ever had a potential client not 'show up' for a previously scheduled appointment? Janine |
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Not really. I actually had a client who asked that I contact him but when I did he was not ready to say anything about the project. He actually asked me to get in touch me on another day. To be honest, I didn't get back because my gut instinct told me that if he won't appreciate returning my call, that I felt I had wasted time making afterwards, then I might have trouble chasing after his attention attention in the future. I want someone who is just as serious as I am.
But, after reading this blog I figured maybe I was kind of harsh. I should probably have done what you did in that example you know. I know better now. Tariro |
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Tariro,
I hear you! A few weeks ago an attorney contacted me for work via LinkedIn. I spent 2 hours putting together a proposal after spending time researching his company, etc. I was actually 2 days late in sending that to him and I apologized myself but kept in touch telling him when he would receive the information. After I did all the work, I never heard back from him. So I followed up and he replied immediately. I thanked him for his reply and stated, "I appreciate that you got back to me so promptly. Good communication is something that I look for when determining whether I work with a client or not." He replied (and this is a true copy/paste from his email), "I'm just getting caught up from the last two weeks. Yes please add me to your newsletter. I again apologize for being out of touch during this time. I will be reviewing all the material this coming weekend and will get back to you next week. Again please accept my apology for not being as prompt as I usually try to be. Thank You again for the information." So I kind of called him on his lack of a reply the first time. Sometimes your gut instinct is the one to follow. There are clients who are inconsiderate and never give a response or even bother showing up for the consultation. It will happen. But to lessen those chances, I do make every effort to follow-up. Thank you for sharing your comments. I appreciate this. Janine |
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Recent Blog Entries by Your Virtual Wizard
- The RFP Red Flag Series: Setting Parameters Before the Client Consultation (04-04-2015)
- The RFP Red Flag Series: Send a New Client Welcome Packet in Lieu of a Resume (03-28-2015)
- The RFP Red Flag Series: What to Do When You Don’t Have ALL of the Qualifications Requested in an RFP (03-21-2015)
- The RFP Red Flag Series: RFPs Listing Low Hours For Projects Requiring More Time (03-14-2015)
- The RFP Red Flag Series: Clients Who Miss the Scheduled Client Consultation (03-07-2015)
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