For Immediate Release
Monday, August 18, 2008

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Ed Barks
(540) 955-0600
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Premature Proposals Harm Consultants’ Interests, Barks Maintains in ASAE Column

Should consultants leap at every chance to submit a proposal? Not so fast, cautions Barks Communications President Ed Barks in a newly published column.

“The fact is that consultants need to get adequate and accurate information from potential clients before putting pen to paper and writing a proposal,” he writes in the debut issue of Consultants Connection, a newsletter of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). “Your patience will pay off in the end, sparing you troublesome clients.”

Too many consultants from a wide variety of disciplines send out proposals at the drop of a hat, Barks contends. That serves the interest of neither the consultant nor the client.

In his communications consulting practice, he begins with “a 10 to 20 minute conversation as a first step to see if we have anything to talk about. If your prospect balks at this suggestion, odds are you haven't lost anything by declining to submit a proposal. You are likely not dealing with an active prospect but rather with a window shopper,” his column continues.

A real world proposal can only be drafted after a lengthier meeting. Even then, consultants who end the process when they submit a proposal risk losing the business. Prior to delivering the document to a prospective client, Barks recommends securing a commitment to “a follow-up appointment to discuss the proposal. Here again, if they hesitate, my experience tells me I am talking to a tire kicker, not an active prospect,” according to his column.

The communications training expert will contribute additional thoughts to readers of Consultants Connection in coming months. He also writes frequently for other publications and speaks before groups of communications and public affairs professionals.

Ed Barks works with corporate and association executives who need a magnetic message and sharp communications skills, and with public affairs and public relations pros who counsel their bosses and clients. The former radio broadcaster is the author of The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations. As President of Barks Communications since 1997, he has taught more than 3000 business leaders, association executives, government officials, athletes, entertainers, non-profit executives, and public relations staff how to succeed when they deal with the media, deliver presentations, and testify before government officials.