{"id":302,"date":"2017-05-24T11:53:21","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T11:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stratitude.co.za\/blog\/?p=302"},"modified":"2017-05-24T11:53:21","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T11:53:21","slug":"thanks-for-your-hard-work-now-please-go-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratitude.co.za\/blog\/thanks-for-your-hard-work-now-please-go-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanks for your hard work, now please go away!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every agency, freelancer and consultant in the business knows the story: you get called in to pitch on business, there\u2019s pressure to get the proposal back on a tight deadline, you submit on time and then\u2026 nothing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You give it a few days and send an email. You wait another day and then phone. You leave a message and still\u2026 nothing. At this point you either have to accept that you\u2019ll never hear from this potential client and you simply give up on the pitch, or you carry on phoning in the hope that your call will be answered, even if it is accidentally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all experienced this frustration,\u201d says Sylvia Schutte, managing director of integrated agency Stratitude. \u201cSo, the next time you have to tell someone that they didn\u2019t get the job, here are three simple guidelines on how to do it gracefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Get it done quickly<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Once you and the internal team have made your choice, let all the non-winners know as soon as possible. The longer you delay, the more frustrated everyone becomes. And please don\u2019t wait until you\u2019re received three follow-up voicemails to make the call. It\u2019s like ripping off a Band-Aid, you always think it\u2019s going to be worse than it turns out to be.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Tell them in person<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Yes, sending an email is an easy way to avoid that dreaded face-to-face or telephone conversation, but have the courtesy to tell them in person. This shows that you value your relationship with them and that you respect them as a professional. Even though you\u2019re giving them bad news, they should respect you for delivering the message in person.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Give a reason<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Prepare a valid reason why they didn\u2019t get the job so that it provides an idea of what they could have done better and how they can improve their chances next time. Focus on the positives instead of pointing out all the negatives of why they weren\u2019t chosen. Stick to the facts and make sure you give accurate information.<\/p>\n

        If it\u2019s a matter of you just liking one candidate over another, be honest and say it\u2019s about chemistry. You need to be confident and comfortable with your chosen team so you can work well together and produce your desired results.<\/p>\n

        Sometimes, however, it\u2019s about the price. If you believe a bidder is not market-related with their pricing, your feedback should be that they are not competitive in the market. When no price is low enough, or when both bidders were equal except for price, then you can use price as an excuse.<\/p>\n

        \u201cIt\u2019s never easy to be the bearer of bad news, but by doing it quickly, politely and professionally, it can be a positive experience for all involved,\u201d says Schutte.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Every agency, freelancer and consultant in the business knows the story: you get called in to pitch on business, there\u2019s pressure to get the proposal back on a tight deadline, you submit …<\/p>\n

        Thanks for your hard work, now please go away!<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"categories":[1,12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nStratitude | Thanks for your hard work, now please go away!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stratitude.co.za\/blog\/thanks-for-your-hard-work-now-please-go-away\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stratitude | Thanks for your hard work, now please go away!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every agency, freelancer and consultant in the business knows the story: you get called in to pitch on business, there\u2019s pressure to get the proposal back on a tight deadline, you submit … Thanks for your hard work, now please go away! 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