Working closely with another business owner, whether that be a client or colleague, means trusting your instincts regarding being proactive and making recommendations that are beyond the scope of the project. For me, this proved beneficial for the project-at-hand and opened the door for gaining a new client, well . . . actually two.
My services were secured for a small supporting piece in a larger project. I was part of a collaboration team of four businesses who would be working together. At best it was anticipated that my part would take three days while the other businesses rotated in and out of the other aspects of the project through its completion – taking up to eight weeks. Midway through my contributions a collaborating colleague shared about a snag that may delay the project for the rest of the team. Several of the best minds were at work brainstorming viable solutions with the client.
I’ve always felt strongly about being a team player so each business achieves success and ultimately the client reaps some incredible results. On my own, I began to research similar situations and alternatives to workaround this issue. After several hours of research and a preliminary test of my theory I approached one colleague with my recommendation and shared the results from the preliminary test. Granted neither my background, nor service offerings, were applicable to the issue-at-hand (far from it, really) but my research and theory were solid. A viable solution was within our grasp because I showed initiative and the project was back into full swing for everyone.
My initiative gained me additional work on this project plus two of the colleagues I’d collaborated with secured my services after this project was completed. That one small decision I’d made to do research and testing (unbillable time to me, I might add) paid off BIG in gaining two long-term retainer clients plus we continue to collaborate on projects.
The moral is that it’s often very favorable, and welcomed, to be proactive and point out alternatives to enhance a project. Always be confident in your abilities and offerings as a virtual professional.