Keep your head down and follow through

In golf, you’re told to keep your head down, keep your forward arm straight and follow through in a smooth but decisive manner. That’s pretty good advice for marketers, too. Well, except for the arm thing.

Here’s the situation: You’ve pitched the client and been asked for a quote. You’ve determined the scope of work, researched their needs and put together what you believe to be a winning proposal. Then, it’s into an envelope or into an email message and off to the client (the proposal, not you).

Then, days later…nothing.

At first, you start to worry that you’ve lost the job because your quote was too high. Then you think, “No, I deserve to be paid what I’m worth,” so you resign yourself to the fact that if you’ve lost it, it’s just as well. At the same time, you can’t help but remember the enthusiasm the client showed before you left her office.

Now what?

You have two options. The first is to call her—but that’s always a bit risky, isn’t it? You don’t want to annoy her. Besides, didn’t she say that she’d “be in touch”? The other option is to let it go. After all, you’ve done your part and now the rest is up to her, right?

To me, letting this client go would be the equivalent of cutting your fishing line the minute you get a bite. Calling her is absolutely essential.

This is a client who already knows you and is familiar with what you do. As well—and this is very important—she has already shown an interest in having you work for her. Now you just have to convince her that you can solve her problems better than anyone else (even if your proposal has already done that).

Yes, timing is critical. Every client and every situation is different, of course, but letting just a few days pass before you give her a call is usually enough.

The client hasn’t called for one of two reasons: Either she hasn't made a decision or she’s given the gig to someone else. Whatever the reason, you need to call her.

If she hasn't made a decision yet, ask questions such as, “Is there anything else you need to know or anything else I could explain? Have I outlined the scope of work clearly?” You can also use this as a chance to give her another reason to hire you. (“Oh, and did I mention that I can turn around this project on a dime?”)

If she's given the job to someone else, use it as a chance to learn. Was your price too high? Too low? (You never know.) Did you lack experience in a particular area? The more you learn, the better chance you’ll have next time.

Remember: Keep your head down and follow through. You may not win every game, but with solid practice, you can get a lot longer and straighter off the tee.