In my eBook, "The RFP Transformation - Take Your Virtual Assistant Proposal From Blah to Bling", I offer a list of RED FLAGS and Tips to be aware of when vetting and securing potential RFP Clients. This the 9th RED FLAG in the 10-Part weekly series.

Note that today’s topic, After the Proposal Submission: The Follow-Up will continue into the final 10th blog post next week. Here is one of three follow-up suggestions and examples.

You have submitted your customized RFP proposal to the perspective client typically via email and connected with the PC on social media. You have updated your spreadsheet to include the date of the submission.

What do you do now?

You may receive a response from the client right away with a note to set up a phone consultation. Obviously, this is the ideal situation and what you want to occur. (Discussed further in Chapter Eight, Preparing for the Client Consultation in the RFP Transformation) However, when a quick client response does not happen, I suggest you wait one week before you begin your next steps. If you wait for two weeks to follow up, the client may forget who you are.

Do not be discouraged at this stage. You may still be in the running for the RFP opportunity.

My research has shown that 8 out of 10 proposals sent to a potential client will not receive a response from the recipient if left without follow-up. Of the 2 replies, both were received only because I followed-up. On one rare occasion, a client did follow up, thanking me for a submission via a stock email letter but it was certainly better than not receiving a reply at all.

I created a better follow-up system, which increased a response from the potential client from 20% to 90% (out of 10 proposals sent).

Lack of response is a pet-peeve of mine. I feel that if the VA takes the time to research and write a golden proposal at the very least the client should reply with a note of thanks.

My investigation into RFP responses has found that many perspective clients do not reply to a VA’s proposal for one or more of these five reasons:

• The client does not feel they have to reply
• The client does not have the time to reply
• There are too many proposals requiring a reply; perhaps too much work involved
• The client believes no reply implies the PC is not interested in the VA
• The client is not professional and does not practice basic business etiquette

The bottom line is that a reply from the client would put closure to a process that needs closure. After all, the VA has put time into a proposal and that individual’s time has value. When such effort is made, at the very least, it is courteous to acknowledge that effort.

Further, I feel that there is much that a VA can learn from each and every proposal submitted, thus permitting the VA to continue to perfect the follow-up process. Lessons can be learned from the results of the proposal submissions, whether or not those results are negative or positive.

The Follow-Up

Be sure you are updating your RFP spreadsheet with the appropriate follow-up dates so you know when to plan your next steps.

1) Be Overly Polite and Kind in your follow-up email. Never be rude, aggravated or show negativity in your correspondence. It is very easy to write, “You haven’t replied to me!” or, “Why haven’t you taken the time to write me back?” Hold back on the frustration having not received a response. Just be friendly.

A sample follow-up email could look like this:

Dear Perspective Client,

On DATE I forwarded a letter of proposal and attachments to your attention in response to a Request for Proposal for a Social Media Virtual Assistant as seen on Virtual Assistant Forums.

I am following up with you today to inquire as to whether you received my documents and to ask if there is any additional information I can provide to support my proposal.

Since I wrote to you, I completed a blog post about using Twitter to increase newsletter subscribership (Note: or some other example of your work) which I thought you might find interesting as you asked for VA who could improve your readership. (Note: provide link to blog post here)

Additionally, I would like to know if I may add your name and email address to my own newsletter list. I provide social media marketing tips for small business owners. (Note: For this reason, I ask the reader to sign-up for a free Mad Mimi email account https://mad mimi.com/s/thw or similar, to capture RFP potential client email addresses in Chapter Six, Your Business Must Be in Order.)

It would be my pleasure to stay in touch with you.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Virtual Assistant’s name
Company Name
Contact Information/Phone/Email
To sign-up for ‘VA Marketing Tips and Tricks’ newsletter
www.VANewsletterSignUpLink.com
[Note: I suggest if you have created a free email sign up at Mad Mimi https://madmimi.com/s/thw that you include a blurb in your signature under Contact Information. Example (as shown above): To sign-up for ‘VA Marketing Tips and Tricks’ newsletter www.VANewsletterSignUpLink.com]

But don’t stop there.

Two circumstances may occur at this point.

1) Chances are the client will reply with a generic response that proposals are being reviewed and the candidates will be contacted for a consultation.

Or,

2) The follow-up email will be ignored.

Give that first follow-up email a week. If you email again too soon, you can appear to be too pushy. But nothing says that you cannot follow up again. The perspective client may have found a VA by now, but here is an important tip….

There have been times where I have submitted a proposal, followed up with a client who selected another VA for the position, only to find a need to replace that VA a month later. So keeping your name ‘in the mix’ could turn out to be an opportunity to secure the opportunity at a later date.

For more RED FLAG Tips #8: How to Find More Clients, So Obviously!

Save 20% off your purchase of The RFP Transformation with code RFP20 at check-out, woot