Tact

John Foundas

John Foundas

Well-known member
My production company is about a year old. I purposely have been going slow to make sure everything is in place from workflow, to gear and marketing. There is a reoccurring theme that is pissing me off. Three times now I have been solicited for work (yea me). One referral, one google hit and another 3rd party advertising. In each case we chatted about the project(s), details, price points etc...After submitting a proposal (as requested) I am totally blown off. No response, no return phone calls, no return emails.
I don't want to come off as a stalker...lol What do I do? Is it tactful to say "excuse me, a response would have be nice"?

This non professional behavior to me is unacceptable.. WTF!
How hard is it to say "sorry too expensive", or an email "moving in a different direction"

Do I let them ride off into the sunset or do I continue to call/email to get an response?
My rates are $1000-$1500 per finished minute and include 2 revisions
(first draft + shot changes).
I think our caliber of work is pretty strong for the price point and market we are in.

Thoughts/advice welcome.

www.wvmllc.com
 
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You can email as a follow up/reminder, that's normal. But keep in mind these people are probably pretty busy and have other video people to talk to. It's not normal to tell people when you decide to go another direction anyway, at least without a preexisting relationship.

If your issue is low commitment, you need to rethink your selling. The work on that site is good, but it's not totally mind blowingly awesome. Which means you have to sell something else; service, convenience, experience, price, turnaround... something. Translate what you do into a benefit for the client. I recommend sending follow up emails, and explain to them that if they decided to go with someone else you would appreciate knowing their reasoning for your own research. Based on your website I assume your targeting businesses, so they should totally understand that and want to remain on at least civil terms with you.
 
Thanks. My gut says this is about price. I offer impeccable service and experience with quick turn arounds (7-10 business days). I make that very clear. The work we do is strong, I feel we fit a very nice niche. We're not super high end but offer a high level of quality for reasonable price points. I had a large hospital solicit me for a 7 minute project. I proposed $5000 w/ 2 revisions and they balked and said I was "too expensive". For small/medium biz I might counter...but not from a hospital. 7 minutes is a lot of work. Getting a hospital as a client should be a gold mine I can't undercut from the get go...that would get ugly. The emails about why sounds reasonable. If they would just extend the courtesy to return it...lol

Thanks a ton John
 
Rude rude rude...how much effort does it take to hide behind a computer and send and email that says "no thanks".
 
Same thing happens in the regular employment world. Rare to get a response indicating you weren't the right candidate. It is rude. And frustrating.

Michael
 
Johnf said:
Rude rude rude...how much effort does it take to hide behind a computer and send and email that says "no thanks".
Click to expand...


I never get a response to estimates I send out, unless I get the job, even from people I've worked with. Even from people I've known for many years. Even from people I met face to face with about a project. I've gotten so used to it, I don't even give the potential project another thought once I send out the estimate.

Just concentrate on moving forward and don't take it personally.

You'll know if they want you to do the job because they'll ask you questions about your estimate, or they'll tell you what their budget is.
 
Something to consider. It's a reality that many inquiries for bids/quotes/estimates can be part of a standard triple bid. Especially with respect to agencies.

Best approach is by plainly asking, "Am I providing a competitive or comparative bid?" Many times a desired bid is already chosen and comparative bids are needed to show or justify pricing and capabilities. If a job is truly open then a competitive bid gives you an actual chance for the work. So don't waste your time if you have no chance to actually win the work. Bidding can be very time consuming and you could be doing something far more productive toward paid work than working on a comparative bid.

And it is common that only the hired bid is contacted. The losing bids are never notified. Thick skin is a necessity in the commercial art realm. It's just business. Clients are not friends even if the person is a friend. It's business; it's a transaction.
 
photonashville said:
Something to consider. It's a reality that many inquiries for bids/quotes/estimates can be part of a standard triple bid. Especially with respect to agencies.

Best approach is by plainly asking, "Am I providing a competitive or comparative bid?" Many times a desired bid is already chosen and comparative bids are needed to show or justify pricing and capabilities. If a job is truly open then a competitive bid gives you an actual chance for the work. So don't waste your time if you have no chance to actually win the work. Bidding can be very time consuming and you could be doing something far more productive toward paid work than working on a comparative bid.

And it is common that only the hired bid is contacted. The losing bids are never notified. Thick skin is a necessity in the commercial art realm. It's just business. Clients are not friends even if the person is a friend. It's business; it's a transaction.
Click to expand...

That was very helpful, thank you. I did feel like in my Hospital situation, they already had who they wanted and solicted me looking for a low ball ( they know im a realatively new company). They made me feel like the flavor of the month, gushing over my samlpes and as soon as they recived my prop, they said "well, we have 3 others to look at we'll be in touch"...then nothing. I know its business. I get that. I could never operate like that. It would be over before it started. I simply like establishing relationships with people. Networking. Whether we work together or not I dont care. I just want the exposure and contact. The work will come. "Not this time, maybe next?" But when you get blown off like that? WTF are these people thinking?

I had another person, who sits on the board of a local Chamber of Comm (of which Im a member and do work for) totally blow me off and never return my calls or emails after being asked to submit a prop. Again , I get it..."its Business". I just think if your interested enough to chat with me for an hour about a project and request a proposal, you owe me the common courtesy to say " no thanks, perhaps next time". Because you know what?

(Jerry Maguire moment)

IT IS BUSINESS, and thats got to mean something!
 
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People's rudeness is not going to change. After submitting a proposal and sending one followup email, consider it lost and move on, working on the next thing. If you get the gig, consider it a gift.
 
The best any business person can do is always flip roles, wear the other "person's" or "business' " shoes. Even think about how you are as a consumer.

How many times do we walk into a store and get all this info from the staff with no intention of buying the product or even buying from that store. Every consumer does that. Now take that to business transactions, and the same applies, the intent is just a transaction that is business related instead of home or personal.

With time you become more keen on being able to read the intentions of an inquiring party. I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone I've met for the first time say, "I have this upcoming project and would love to contact you later about it" with no response in the future.

The projects I get, the work I do comes from clients who are simply wanting me to do the work. They contact me, we discuss cost, we agree, I do the work, they are happy, I get paid and everything is fine.

When a potential client contacts me for a bid, more often than not it's a comparative bid. When it is a competitive bid, I might have a 1/3 chance to get the project. When it's a comparative bid, I have most likely zero chance of getting the project.

To most clients, content creators are viewed no different than buying office supplies. They are looking for best bang for buck. Little to no emotional connection exists for them in the process. They do want the best quality they deem worth spending money on, but that is a wide open field.
 
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