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Proposals and Cost Estimates

Posted on Thursday, July 09, 2009 at 1:51 PM

A few months ago, we received a call from a publisher. He was looking to have a comprehensive management audit conducted on his operations. My firm and several others were being invited to submit proposals. He offered to provide a lot of background documents to help in preparing the proposal. His request for proposal specified that the a detailed description of the methodology that would be used in conducting the audit must be included along with pricing information.

We're always pleased to give free ballpark estimates based on a clients description of a project. However, this publisher was looking for something we honestly couldn't do.

Giving a detailed description of how we'd carry out an analysis of this client's business would require that we first acquire a detailed understanding of the business itself. No two publishing operations are the same. There are different people and personalities, different sizes of operations, different resources and facilities. And they all impact how we would conduct an audit and make recommendations. It's just not possible to get sufficient insight only from documents provided by the client.

That's why we have a long-standing policy of declining invitations to bid on large, amorphous projects like this one. (We can, however, prepare such proposals on a retainer basis.)

We offered this client an alternative: We would conduct a preliminary analysis of his operations for a modest price. This would involve starting with the client's self-identification of problem areas, making our own assessment, taking stock of strengths and weaknesses and of the organization's readiness for change, and finally of its resources for supporting and effectuating change. The result would be a detailed assessment report including recommendations.

This made a lot of sense to the client, and we went ahead with the project. Our feedback shed light on key issues that needed to be addressed, and suggesed approaches for a remedial course of action. The client was both pleased and surprised. What surprised him most was that this preliminary analysis actually accomplished all he was looking for from the "comprehensive management audit" that he was seeking bids on. And we were able to provide it to him for a fraction of the cost he originally envisioned.

Client References?

Posted on Thursday, July 09, 2009 at 1:49 PM

We used to provide client references to prospective clients, but stopped. The reason is that we came to see how that practice was compromising the interests and confidentiality of existing clients. Let me give you a few examples of incidents that led us to that conclusion.

Item: We had been providing services to Client X for a number of years. A competitor saw Client X's name on our list of clients, familiarized himself with our writings, and thereby was able to formulate insightful competitive strategies against Client X.

Item: We had done extensive advertising sales training with the staff at Client A. Client B was not a competitor of Client A, but had a sales staff that was underperforming. Instead of addressing the staff's underperformance, Client B attempted to hire away sales people from Client A, realizing that they had already received our extensive sales training.

Item: A prospective client was interested in developing greater readership for her publication. She requested the names of clients for which we had previously done readership development work. Soon afterwards, we received complaints from those clients. The prospective client had begun pestering them to tell her the specific lessons they had learned from us, in an attempt to get the essence of our advice for free.

Item: A man called requesting help on a start-up, and asked for references. One of the clients we put him in touch with was a past-president of one of the major broadcast networks. After speaking with that client, the man called back saying, "You should give that guy half of everything you make," in response to the positive comments that were made about our help. What then unfolded, however, was that this start-up entrepreneur was operating in a very unsavory area of publishing that bordered on illegality. Of course, we regretted very much that we had put that character in touch with our prominent client.

That last item was the final straw. We weren't about to start checking references on prospective clients before putting them in touch with existing clients. Thus, we concluded that the best policy for serving the interests of clients is to consider their identity as a confidential matter, and to decline requests for client references.

The Assessment

Posted on Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 1:53 PM

The purpose of an assessment (sometimes called an audit) is to survey an organization's strengths and weaknesses, identify problem areas, and indicate likely solutions. It also identifies underexploited strengths deserving of greater attention. The assessment examines the structure of the organization, the quality of staffing, the financial resources, the market position, and the processes it uses to do its work.

Typically, we will examine your:

--organizational goals and objectives,

--structure and organizational dynamics of your team,

--use of technology,

--workflow practices,

--division of responsibilities between staff and outside suppliers,

--management systems,

--staff and freelance competencies,

--resources available for accomplishing your mission, and

--impact upon key constituencies.

An assessment can provide an early warning of impending problems and identify unperceived issues, or it can relieve doubts or fears. The results of an assessment can help an organization to direct its attention and resources in ways that will be most productive for both the short and long term.

The cost of an assessment usually ranges from $3000 to over $50,000, depending upon the size and complexity of the organization and on intricacy of the dilemmas it faces. In cases where an extensive assessment is needed, we recommend first conducting a simple assessment, and, based on its findings, devising a plan for a more thorough and targeted assessment. This is usually the most cost-effective approach.

We are experienced at doing organizational assessments of for-profit and non-profit organizations. That means we'll get to your key issues right away, and won't take up your time unnecessarily. We know exactly what to ask and what to look for. You'll get the insights and advice you're looking for -- without running up an excessive bill. One client had budgeted $30,000 for an assessment. We were able to deliver one for just under $5000, and provided far more insight and specificity than was expected.

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