“How do you quote?”
Projects are quoted at a fee that’s tailored to your requirements, such as the number of deliverables, timelines, whether it’s a new product or an existing one, and so on.
Defined-benefit commitments: These are longer-term engagements where we give you priority handling, and a discount, for long-term engagements.
Retainer: This is where you pay for a set number of hours and we offer priority handling, night/weekend availability, and a discount.
“What do you need from us to get started on a project?”
Step 1: Initial consultation. This is a freebie, where we talk with you for an hour to scope the project. We’ll either send you a questionnaire or fill it out on the call. Once it’s done, we’ll send it back for you to confirm. That process cuts down on confusion, sets expectations, and lets us give you an accurate quote.
Step 2: Proposal & Payment. First, we will send a proposal agreement (the project quote we furnish you), which needs to be signed and sent back. We also require 50 percent of the project fee to begin work except under special circumstances that are spelled out in the agreement, like a retainer.
Step 3: Non-disclosure agreement. We find it’s best to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before beginning work to give you a level of confidence that your intellectual property won’t be disclosed. We have a standard NDA that streamlines this process – both parties sign, date, and keep copies for their records.
Step 4: Information gathering. We like to get as much information as we can beyond the questionnaire. We often find useful facts in an MRD, PRD or training deck if they’re up-to-date. If it’s an existing product, we welcome the opportunity to read case studies, white papers, etc.
Step 5: Creative Brief. We create a creative brief for your project, leveraging the questionnaire and your source content. To do the project well, we need some important information regarding your product/service, offer (if any), positioning, value proposition, target audience, competition and so on.
Step 6: Questions. Once we have the brief finished, we’ll share it with you to ensure that everything is accurate. At this point, we will probably have some questions.
“How do you handle revisions?”
Most projects automatically include two revisions which are included in the fee. However, if your revision requests come thirty days after initial submission, if they involve a change in direction, scope or format, we’ll need to discuss additional payment.
“How long will it take you to deliver?”
That depends on your needs and the scope of your project. Though at times we can guarantee a quick turn, a minimum of two weeks is realistic.
Larger projects – such as a complex white paper or messaging initiative – often require more time. Some projects — like developing all the deliverables for a product launch — can take months.
In addition, if inputs take time, you have to factor that in. For example, if you’ve hired us to devise and run a case study program, we have to have customers who are willing to talk about the product. Finding willing customers could take six weeks or six months.