The prospect seems like a perfect fit for your agency, and economic worries are making you antsy for more business. But, don’t be too hasty in offering a proposal. Tough times can lead to less-than-ideal business decisions, and the last thing an agency should do is take on a client that isn’t the perfect match.

Andrew Sobel, author of Making Rain: The Secrets of Building Lifelong Client Loyalty, and Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Develop Breakthrough Relationships, highlights eight things that you should know before submitting a proposal. “Proposals…can be huge time wasters. The problem is that some clients who are not serious buyers will ask for a written proposal, while others may prematurely ask for a proposal before the proper steps have been worked through and the right relationships established,” he writes. “You need to cover all the right bases during the business development process to ensure a successful sale and a fruitful relationship.”

The following are the first four things that need to be known prior to offering a proposal:

1. You are certain this is the right client and issue for you and your firm.
2. You have a thorough understanding of the issues you are being asked to address, and also a clear sense of the business goals or needs which are influencing them.
3. You and the client have agreed on the specific objectives of the work-on the outcomes that are sought.
4. You understand the client’s buying process.

Read the rest of the list, as well as Sobel’s explanation of each, here.

There is something unnerving about standing up in front of a room full of people. While a lucky few can get up and deliver a smooth, witty presentation without a stutter, the rest of us have less control over our nerves. Public speaking can affect even the best salesperson, whether it reveals itself through a wavering voice, sweaty palms, or the constant interjecting of “uh’s” and “um’s” throughout the presentation. Business coach and author Jonathan Farrington has identified four categories of presentation-givers:

The Avoider: Avoiders do everything possible to keep from having to stand in front of an audience.

The Register: Registers are also extremely hesitant of speaking in public. They may not be able to avoid speaking as part of their job, but they never encourage it.

The Acceptor: Acceptors will give presentations as part of the job, but do not seek opportunities to do so.

The Seeker: Seekers actively look for opportunities to speak. They understand that anxiety can be a stimulant that fuels enthusiasm during a presentation.

Obviously, we all would like to be a seeker, and Farrington believes that “even the most timid presentation-avoider can become an avid seeker.” In his article, he outlines a basic plan to change one’s mind-set when it comes to giving presentations. Click here to find out how to transform your nerves from a nuisance to an asset.

The art of negotiation has been the subject of several past blogs, due in part to the large amount of advice available from industry professionals. The majority of suggestions stress the importance of listening during the negotiation process, as well as making eye contact, asking questions, and leaving with a firm handshake.

I recently came across a piece of advice that offered a different type of tactic. The article, from Marketing Scoop, discusses the importance of silence while negotiating, and in addition to the typical advice on listening, the article also suggests the “10-second strategy”:

“…the next time you are negotiating with the other party, and they say something like “well, that’s my offer,” don’t utter a word for 10 seconds. It’s practically guaranteed they will jump in with another offer or more information, anything to break the silence. When you get comfortable with 10 seconds, bump it up to 20 seconds. The silence will hang like lead and drive ‘em crazy! ”

Interesting. Ten seconds may not sound like a long time, but during a meeting, those 10 seconds of silence may feel like an eternity. While Marketing Scoop doesn’t offer any examples of the effectiveness of this strategy, admittedly, it is an out of the ordinary idea. One of the questions that comes up is what should one do during this time? Maintain steady eye contact? Shuffle papers? Twiddle his or her thumbs?

Silence is not always bad, but agencies should find the comfortable balance between speaking up and keeping mum. The 10-second strategy might not be for everyone, but it does provide a starting point from which agencies can examine the role silence plays in their negotiations, and who knows, maybe a 5-second strategy is just what your agency needs.

The elevator speech is an old-school staple of selling. The brief why-you-should-buy-from-me speech is likely a part of every salesperson’s arsenal of business development tools, but a new quick pitch is on the scene. Inspired by the popular social-networking site Twitter, the “Twitpitch” is the latest way to sell yourself in a hurry. The Twitpitch is the brainchild of social media pioneer Stowe Boyd, who feels that in these times of information overload, pitches need to be even faster – more like the length of an escalator trip than an elevator ride.

But how can you condense your agency’s value into 20 words? BusinessWeek writer John Tozzi writes, “…the message should start with the people behind the product.” Gather employees together to brainstorm what is at the foundation of your business and which words best communicate that to clients, who may be strapped for time, overloaded with information, or just tired of hearing speeches. Need some inspiration? Tozzi recounts the story of Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who approached investors and pitched their Google idea in merely eight words (check out Tozzi’s article to see what they were)!