Monday, December 18, 2006

Tip #150: What NOT to Do When Interviewing A Potential New Client:

26. be unwilling to be flexible on work expectations
27. neglect to add into a contract limitations on edits and revisions
28. neglect to add into a contract provisions for work beyond the initial scope of the project
29. forget to ask for referrals and references from the client after completion of a successful project
30. disregard your intuition that the client might not be the right fit for you
31. walk into situations where they are looking for a –fall guy” to blame
32. assume you know what the client means or wants without asking clarifying questions to make sure you are on the same page
33. accept work that is contrary to your ethics
34. talk the client out of hiring you
35. be unrealistic about workload and time commitments
36. overbook yourself rather than negotiating a more reasonable time frame
37. speak negatively about former clients or client experiences
38. go into the meeting without having all relevant experience, references, and project dates available
39. neglect to anticipate questions and prepare answers
40. neglect to anticipate and plan how to minimize or address client concerns
41. assume that larger corporations are more professional and fiscally responsible than smaller companies
42. neglect to propose follow up services as part of the project package
43. plan to work without a written contract
44. be apologetic about your fees
45. be unprepared to discuss your fees
46. rush to answer questions rather than taking time to think them through
47. assume the client needs an immediate proposal the next day rather than asking or negotiating a reasonable turnaround time
48. tell the client what they should think or do, versus what they are prepared to think or do
49. believe your business and professional credibility begin and end with the outcome of the interview
50. forget to consider each client interview situation as an interesting new learning opportunity!



Friday, December 8, 2006

Tip #149: What NOT to Do When Interviewing A Potential New Client:

1. tell them what they're doing wrong
2. push them to do more than they are ready to do
3. get lost and be late to the meeting
4. put on hand cream just before you shake their hands
5. turn the interview into a training session
6. assume that you are the only consultant being interviewed
7. firmly suggest that the client consider his or her culpability for the issue under discussion
8. terrify the client that sensitive issues will need to be discussed
9. ask the client to betray their loyalty to management, no matter how poor the management appears to be
10. exhibit a sense of humor when the client is humorless
11. lose articles of clothing or jewelry during the interview
12. flirt with the client
13. think out loud when asked about a potential approach to an issue
14. neglect to do research on the client, so that references and examples are relevant to their industry
15. do lots of work for the client in good faith prior to receiving a signed contract
16. make assumptions that the fee is understood rather than explicitly stating the fee upfront
17. bidding on work without getting a clear idea of the context and extenuating circumstances that may affect the time involved
18. take personally the personality traits of the client when under duress
19. get blindsided with additional issues or processes that the client neglected to mention and you had no reason to expect or inquire about
20. go into the situation as the crusader rabbit, ready to take on the establishment and protect the employees when you are actually hired by the establishment and have no real control over the situation
21. promise confidentiality when you have no control over what people say
22. use extreme examples to make a point, thereby distracting and derailing the client's attention and comfort level
23. humbly minimize your expertise and competence
24. neglect to check with references ahead of time, to ensure that they are willing and available to provide positive support
25. inadvertently misrepresent yourself, your expertise, or your experience