An Open Letter to the Potential Client Who Contacted Us Last Month

Dear Potential Client,

When you called us just before Thanksgiving, you were filled with urgency and enthusiasm. “We need copy for our website,” you said, “and it’s got to be ready in three weeks. Can you get me a quote by this afternoon?”

“Yes,” I said. For we like to be accommodating. Especially when we hear from a potential client in distress.

Soon after you called, we started putting together an estimate. Sure, we had other things to do, like finish some client work for which we actually get paid. But you needed a quote ASAP. So we put those other priorities aside.

“What went in to putting together the quote?” you wonder. Well, more than you might think. We spent some time reviewing your current website and other collateral. We thought about what research would be involved — interviews, competitive analysis, etc. We considered the subject matter and scope of work to determine how much time we’d need for the writing and revisions.

Next, we added up the numbers and attached a dollar value to it. We included that along with an explanation of how we arrived at the figure. The whole process took about 30 minutes. (For larger projects, it can take a couple hours.)

After all that, we emailed you the quote. You didn’t respond that night. Or the next day. Fearful that you might have been hit by a bus or something, we checked in with you a few days later. Still nothing. In fact, we haven’t heard from you since.

So here’s the deal, Potential Client: If you request a quote from us, we owe you a timely response. And you owe us the very same courtesy. Sometimes our quote will be too high for your budget. Other times you’ll find another writer who’s a better fit. That’s OK. Either way, just let us know. We can take it.

But don’t leave us hanging. Or we’ll have to tell your mom she raised an impolite brat.

Sincerely,

Dan