You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod for today's lesson on business development and discussing a proposal with a new client.
Before we get started, a quick reminder that this lesson, along with hundreds of others, is available as a free download from the BEP website.
Premium members can also access a PDF transcript and online quizzes for every lesson.
If you'd like to take a free trial to preview some of these extra resources In business development.
As you build relationships with prospects, you're on the lookout for problems you can solve or gaps you can fill.
And when you find one, you'll likely want to submit a proposal to the potential client.
But clients rarely come back and accept your proposal as it is.
Indeed, in the consulting world, it can take a lot of work just to get from the proposal to signing the contract.
You need to discuss your proposal and close the deal.
To help you get there, it's a good idea to show enthusiasm for the project and invite questions.
And during this process, you'll most likely need to educate the client about costs.
You may also find yourself managing client expectations and asking some of your own questions.
In today's dialogue, we'll listen to a conversation between Nick, an HR consultant, and Andrea, an HR manager.
Andrea's company is experiencing high turnover, and she's looking for an outside perspective.
Nick has submitted a proposal to help Andrea's company understand staff engagement.
Now they're discussing the specifics of the proposal with the aim of coming to an agreement.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
When Nick invites questions, what does Andrea ask about?
2.
What does Nick say to manage Andrea's expectations about the timeline?
3.
What important information does Nick ask for at the end of the conversation?
Well, Andrea, glad you like the proposal.
We'd really love to work with you folks on this.
Thanks, and yes, important is a bit of an understatement.
Figuring out this culture and staffing business is mission critical.
For sure.
And so, I laid out some basic working assumptions in the proposal.
But anything you're not sure about at this point?
I mean, about our overall approach?
Approach is clear.
We feel good about that.
But I do have a question on the facilitated staff sessions.
Curious about the costs there?
They seem pretty high compared to other activities.
Right.
Well, costs on a facilitated session include more than just the session itself.
There's considerable preparation, plus documentation and follow-up.
We're assuming work in the lead-up, agenda setting, all of that.
Ah, okay.
Maybe that's something that could be spelled out in more detail then?
I mean, break out those activities more clearly?
Yeah, we can do that.
No problem.
I can pass on a revised work plan by the end of the week.
Much appreciated.
And on the timeline front, I think I mentioned we're hoping to get started fairly soon on this.
Duly noted.
But just want to underline that note in the work plan that we typically need four to six weeks lead time before kicking things off.
Once a contract is in place, that is.
So that puts us into June, if we can get something signed next week, right?
Yes, that's about right.
And that would begin with a project kickoff meeting.
I'm guessing that would involve you, yourself, and other key leaders?
So, yeah.
Who would the consultant actually be reporting to?
Me primarily.
But I'm working closely with our COO on this.
So in terms of project sponsorship, me and her.
I know it's been me you've been liaising with, but it's critical she's looped in once we get things going.
Sounds great.
Just going to make a note of that here, and then we can have a closer look at timelines.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Nick used during the meeting.
Well, Andrea, glad you liked the proposal.
We'd really love to work with you folks on this.
Clearly important work.
And I'm confident we can help.
Business development isn't purely transactional.
That is, it's not just a negotiation about the nuts and bolts of a project.
You need to show enthusiasm for the work and for the relationship.
As you can hear, Nick is using words like glad and would love to and confident to show positive energy.
In consulting, it's important not just that clients like your work and credentials, but that they like you on a human level.
Let's run through some more ways you can show enthusiasm for a project.
I must say, this sounds like a really exciting project.
We would be really happy to work with you on this.
If this works out, I think we could do some great work together.
This is a project we'd absolutely love to be involved with.
Nick showed enthusiasm, but also understanding of how important the work is.
Let's hear how Andrea responds.
Thanks.
And yes, important is a bit of an understatement.
Figuring out this culture and staffing business is mission critical.
For sure.
And so, I laid out some basic working assumptions in the proposal.
But anything you're not sure about at this point?
I mean, about our overall approach?
You can hear Andrea agree about the project's importance by calling it mission-critical or vital to their company's functioning.
And now that Nick has shown enthusiasm and understanding, he wants to invite questions about the proposal.
His invitation is very open.
He asks if there's anything Andrea's not sure about concerning the approach or the overall methods.
An openness to questions is crucial for a good relationship.
So let's try some more examples.
Is there anything in our proposal that you'd like to ask about?
Do you have any questions about the plan that we've laid out?
Does anything we've discussed so far need clarification?
Is this all clear or is there anything you're still wondering about?
When Nick invites questions about the proposal, Andrea inquires about the costs of the facilitated sessions.
A facilitated session is one where a consultant leads a group in a discussion.
Let's hear how Nick deals with the question.
Approach is clear.
We feel good about that.
But I do have a question on the facilitated staff sessions.
Curious about the costs there?
They seem pretty high compared to other activities.
Right.
Well, costs on a facilitated session include more than just the session itself.
There's considerable preparation, plus documentation and follow-up.
We're assuming work in the lead-up, agenda setting, all of that.
Clients often ask about the budget of proposed projects for obvious reasons, and external consultants often find themselves having to educate clients about costs.
That typically means explaining what's included and the amount of work behind different project steps.
In this case, Nick is educating Andrea about how much work is involved in preparing for and following up on a facilitated session.
Sometimes clients don't factor in travel costs and preparation time and they may not understand what the going rates for consulting work are.
Let's run through some more ways of educating clients about these types of cost issues.
These rates are actually right in the middle of the range for this type of work.
Well, one thing to remember is that travel costs have a significant impact.
There's a large amount of administrative work on a project of this nature.
The follow-up work on this typically takes 10 to 15 hours, which increases the cost.
Now let's hear how Andrea responds by asking for the details to be spelled out or explained in the work plan.
Ah, okay.
Maybe that's something that could be spelled out in more detail then?
I mean, break out those activities more clearly?
Yeah, we can do that.
No problem.
I can pass on a revised work plan by the end of the week.
Much appreciated.
And on the timeline front, I think I mentioned we're hoping to get started fairly soon on this.
Duly noted.
But just want to underline that note in the work plan that we typically need four to six weeks lead time before kicking things off.
Once a contract is in place, that is.
It's not just costs that you have to make sure clients understand.
You may also need to manage expectations about the timeline.
You can hear that Nick wants to underline or emphasize that they need four to six weeks lead time before starting a project.
In this case, lead time is the time between coming to an agreement and starting the work.
This is important for Nick to emphasize because Andrea has mentioned they want to start soon.
Consultants are typically juggling many different projects and can't always start immediately on new work, and you need to make sure clients understand.
There is a tendency to underestimate how long projects will take, and so it's worth making sure clients understand this.
Let's practice some more ways of managing client expectations about timelines.
We can aim to be finished in eight weeks, but realistically, it'll take more like nine to ten.
I understand you'd like to start soon, but we can't really get going until August.
Three months is probably a low estimate of the amount of time this will take.
That January 1st milestone will have to be flexible because of the holiday season.
Now let's get back to the dialogue, as there's one important issue that Nick wants to clarify.
So that puts us into June... if we can get something signed next week, right?
Yes, that's about right.
And that would begin with a project kick-off meeting.
I'm guessing that would involve you, yourself, and other key leaders?
So, yeah.
Who would the consultant actually be reporting to?
It sounds like they're getting close to an agreement, since they're talking about when they might sign a contract.
But the one thing Nick wants to know is who the consultant will report to.
That is, who will be the consultant's primary contact and who will make decisions on the project.
Sometimes we call this project sponsorship.
The project sponsor is a person in the client company who will be directing the work.
When it's not clear who a project sponsor is, things can get confusing.
Let's try some more ways of asking about project sponsorship when you're discussing the final details of a project.
So who exactly will be managing the project from your side?
In terms of accountability, who should we be talking to for decisions?
Who is the ultimate project sponsor for this project?
Can you tell me which department head we'd be reporting to on this?
So who would Nick be talking to during the project?
As you can hear, there are two primary project sponsors.
Me primarily, but I'm working closely with our COO on this.
So in terms of project sponsorship, me and her.
I know it's been me you've been liaising with, but it's critical she's looped in once we get things going.
Sounds great.
Just going to make a note of that here, and then we can have a closer look at timelines.
Andrea explains that it's not just her that Nick will be liaising with or connecting with, but also their Chief Operating Officer, or COO.
And with that clarifying question from Nick, it sounds like they're pretty close to an agreement.
Nick has managed some of Andrea's expectations and answered her questions, and the project is almost at the starting line.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are a consultant talking with a new client about a proposal you've submitted.
You'll hear a cue by the client.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Well, as I said in my email, I think you are a good fit for us.
Start by saying that this sounds like a really exciting project to work on.
Fantastic!
This sounds like a really exciting project to work on.
I'm glad you think so.
We were certainly impressed with your proposal.
Now thank the person and ask if there were any questions about the work plan.
Answer.
Thank you.
And are there any questions about our work plan?
Yes, just one.
I was quite surprised by the hourly rate for consulting work.
Answer.
Well, our hourly rates are in line with industry standards.
Ah, I see.
And I guess one other thing is about the finish date.
Can that be earlier?
Now tell the client that it won't be possible to finish any earlier than September 1st.
Answer.
I'm afraid it won't be possible to finish any earlier than September 1st.
I guess we can live with that.
So do you have any questions for me at this point?
Finally, ask who will be managing the project from their side.
Answer.
Yeah, could you tell me who will be managing the project from your side?
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
I'd just like to explain some of our working assumptions on this project.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Make sure you... me in on all emails about the project.
Answer.
Make sure you loop me in on all emails about the project.
One thing I'd like to is the importance of good communication.
Answer.
One thing I'd like to underline is the importance of good communication.
I would like to see the work activities out in more detail.
I would like to see the work activities spelled out in more detail.
We will need about two weeks of time before we can start.
We will need about two weeks of lead time before we can start.
We've reached the end of this lesson on business development and talking about a project proposal.
We've learned how to show enthusiasm, invite questions, and educate a client about costs.
We've also looked at managing expectations about the timeline and asking about project sponsorship.
For more practice.
Premium members can access the online quizzes and PDF transcripts for this and other lessons on the BEP website.
Not a member yet?
Then head over to wwwbusinessenglishpodcom and sign up for a free trial to preview some of the extra resources available to members.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
