11 Questions To Ask Clients Before Writing Your Proposal

One of the most important things you can do when talking to a prospective client is to find out what they think their expensive problems are. It’s a simple thing to do if you know what to ask, are a good listener, and take good notes.

When you meet with a client, work some of the following questions into the conversation as appropriate. You don’t need to ask them all–pick three or four that you’re comfortable with and memorize them. Modify the wording to suit your style so you don’t feel awkward saying them out loud.

Once you have their answers, you’ll be ready to create a proposal that uses the client’s language and is priced based on the value they themselves have expressed. This greatly increases the likelihood that the client will greenlight your project.

Without further ado, the questions:

1. What would a homerun look like for you?
2. What about your business keeps you up at night?
3. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your business - even if it’s impossible - what would it be?
4. What’s been at the top of your to-do list forever?
5. Is there anything that your competitors could do that would threaten your business?
6. How do you acquire new customers?
7. Have you been putting off any difficult decisions?
8. Does your business go through slow periods (weekly, monthly, yearly)?
9. If you had to set priorities now, what three things must be accomplished?
10. How has your business performed over the last 12-months?
11. Is there anything on your radar that has the potential to revolutionize your industry?

HTH!

Jonathan

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Many thanks to Kai Davis, Philip Morgan, Marcus Blankenship, David Trejo, and Jorge Colon for their contributions to this list!