Published on Tuesday, July 10th, 2012 by Peter Giffen

When a client wants to initiate a project, they usually either send an RFP (request for proposal), call to describe the project or dash off a quick email with details about what they need. In all three situations, they expect you to respond by submitting a proposal. However, often there isn’t enough information to submit an accurate one, especially when it comes to large, interactive projects.

Why? The majority of businesses aren’t clear on what they want (even if they think they are). They often set arbitrary budgets without knowing what they really need. And they aren’t aware that alternative approaches could better serve them and help them reach their goals more quickly.

Here’s how one Colorado-based web design firm, Timeforcake Creative Media, avoids doing proposals that in the end may not be helpful. They call it the Website Blueprint and in the interview that follows, principal Erin Pheil describes a process that can save designers/developers hours of headaches and lost profits. . . . Read Ilise Benun’s latest Down to Business column.

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