A client in Boise told me my project plan was 'too clean to be real'

We were reviewing the site map and wireframes in their office last Tuesday, and they just kept asking where the messy, hard parts were. I realized I'd been making my plans look perfect to win jobs, not to show the real work. How do you show the rough spots in a proposal without scaring a client off?

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3 Comments

spencer3626mo ago

Been there! I started adding a "known hurdles" section to my proposals, and it actually builds trust.

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xena2776mo ago

Disagree honestly, @spencer362. Listing out problems before you even start can just give people a reason to say no. It plants doubt. I'd rather show a solid plan to handle issues as they come up, not hand a list of excuses to someone looking for one. Being too upfront about hurdles can backfire big time.

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elizabeth9006mo ago

But what if they find out later?

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