1. Have Professional Branded Materials and Attitude
In order to land the big project, it's necessary to brand your company like you're even bigger than the company you're contracting out to. In other words, to get a deal from a Fortune 500 company, you've got to look like a Fortune 10 company. That means your professional materials should be complete with logo and branded in your company's style. E-mails emanating out of the company should be professional and courteous. Your website should be impressive to both layman and techie alike, devoid of broken links and typos.
2. Stellar Customer Service
The importance of customer service has been discussed many times.
Focus on clear, timely communications that serve to solve problems or ask poignant questions. Good testimonials are most often the result of friendly service, rather than high quality of work.
3. A Detailed Statement of Work and Milestone Delivery Schedule
[See How to Tackle a $50,000 Freelance Project on FreelanceSwitch.com for more information on milestone delivery sheets, including template sample.]
4. A Single Fair (and Not Too Cheap) Price, Contingent Upon Milestone Delivery
Never bid on big projects by the hour if you can help it. Try to give the customer one price for the entire solution, everything included. Be sure to permit for client revisions, software and server fees, outsourced labor costs and even more client revisions. A single price avoids the nasty surprises that sometimes lie in hourly wage work. A single price also avoids the client raking up charges for being on the phone discussing their project, which otherwise discourages communication and dampens customer relations. At least 25% should be due up front, with the remainder to be paid when specific milestones are delivered.
5. Ability to Speak the Customer's Language and Ease Their Fears of Being Burned
A $50,000 job is more like a relationship than a contract. The client must be extremely comfortable with the contractor in order to get a bid this large. The contractor must be able to speak the client's language, guiding them through the complex processes of technology-based work without resorting to acronyms and geek speak. At least one in-person meeting is essential to build trust with the customer. If you're on friendly terms with your customers, there will hardly arise a reason for them to leave you.
Share
Leave a comment