Do you ensure an excellent 1st date? (aka winning customers via a smaller "Specification Review")

Last updated by Brady Stroud [SSW] 5 months ago.See history

So you had a good initial meeting (like a 1st coffee with a new girl), and you have agreed to have a Specification Review (aka first date).

For the majority of new clients, a Specification Review (also known as a Spec Review) will be your 1st paid engagement with them, and gives the client a smaller first commitment. This is to work out the requirements and put together a broad time and cost estimate.

It is a simple 4 step process:

  1. Once you have decided that this is a project you want to work on, you have to convince the client to book in a Spec Review

    • This is a 1-5 day exercise for 1-2 people. The general rule is 1 man day per expected 2-week Sprint.
    • This process is timeboxed, and so appears to the client as a fixed price.
  2. Make sure you get Terms and Conditions signed before you start work on this.
  3. Specification Review - You will create a backlog of tasks, and some form of document (word or ppt) to present to the client explaining your proposed approach.

ms ppt word logos

  1. Present the Spec Review results to the client (in a meeting with all stakeholders) on site if possible, or over the phone if not, but never just by email.

ProductBacklog
Figure: Good Example - The backlog is constructed during the Spec Review

CRMOpportunitySalesStage
Figure: Good Example - CRM Record showing the sales stage of the Opportunity after the Spec Review has been booked

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