3 Proposal Follow-up Tips

Before you submit a proposal, you’re in an ongoing dialog with your prospects, e-mailing back and forth. Then, with some, as soon as you submit the proposal, silence reigns and you never hear from them again. That’s the “black hole.” If this happens to you, know that you’re not alone.

People are so busy these days that they rarely take the time to let you know what happened. It’s discourteous and unprofessional, but it’s becoming the norm. Whether there was a shift in their priorities or they awarded the project to someone else, you may never find out. Sometimes you have to accept that fact.

However, don’t disappear into that black hole yourself. Stay in the game. Here are three ways to do that:

1. Leave a final message. If it’s clear that the project isn’t going to happen within the time frame you’d anticipated, don’t just slink away. Put some closure to the process by leaving a final voice mail message along these lines: “I haven’t heard from you, so I don’t know what happened with the proposal we sent, but it looks like it’s not going to happen within the time frame we discussed. So I just wanted to let you know that we’re still interested in pursuing this if and when you are. I will touch base again in a month.” Then send that same message via e-mail, so they have it in writing (and because they just may respond to it).

2. Check in to see how it’s going. This is especially important if they did award the project to someone else. Let some time go by, then call to see how it’s going. They may have chosen the low bidder and are paying for it now with low-quality work. If you happen to call and things aren’t going well, you might be the perfect solution to their problems.

3. Stay in touch. Obviously, you shouldn’t stalk your prospects, but you also mustn’t drop out of sight. Let your marketing kick in by staying in touch via an e-mail newsletter or regular postcard mailings to stay top of mind.

SOURCE: HOW Design

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TCBY reveals logo in prototype store

TCBY has revealed its new logo, which will replace its original 30–year–old design.

There are various versions of the new logo in the rumor mills at present, and photos of the prototype store, to be opened in Salt Lake City, do not show the same logo as what is reported to be released. In any case, the new identity is sleeker and simpler.

If the new store design, created by Salt Lake City-based StruckAxiom, proves successful in two corporate-owned prototype stores, it will be offered to franchisers.

SOURCE: QSR Magazine

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Deforest to Reforest

Philips is back with an update to its much-lauded "Shave Everywhere" work for its Bodygroom razor. TribalDDB got a lot of kudos for its 2006 introduction of the product, a very fun site that introduced the concept of shaving "down there" into the mainstream. Tribal followed up with a crop of "manalogues" in 2008. Philips is back with a new take, although it's not from Tribal. Promo shop Alcone Marketing Group is behind the "Deforest yourself. Reforest the world" campaign, which tries to enliven the idea by linking personal hedge-trimming with adding greenery back to the planet. Philips will plant one tree for each Bodygroom sold through the end of June, up to 75,000. The centerpiece is a Web app that lets you customize a furry avatar for use as a Twitter or Facebook profile picture or desktop wallpaper. It's somewhat like what Deep Focus did on "Mad Men Yourself." The question is when this genre, which hearkens back to "Elf Yourself" and "Simpsonize Me," begins to get tired.

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Bike Sharing Rolls Out

Denver's bike sharing initiative, B-Cycle, was rolled out on Earth Day. The bike-sharing program, developed by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Trek Bicycles and Humana, includes 500 B-Cycles at 50 B-stations available throughout the city as an alternative to cars for short trips. Each bike is outfitted with computers that track mileage, calories burned and amount of carbon offset. Users register at the B-Cycle website to check out bikes. There, they can montior their own fitness and see their contributions to the city's greening efforts. The newly formed nonprofit Denver Bike Sharing will manage the program.

SOURCE: www.bcycle.com

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Logos For Lunch

Now you can have your logo and eat it, too–literally. Sports merchandisers have found ways to put an edible logo right on a pizza and how to sear it into toast. Panini sandwich presses are next, sources say.
SOURCE: USA TODAY

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BP's Logo ReDesign Contest

There are three categories: professional designers and design students; the general public; and those under 18. Enter before 5:30 GMT on June 28, 2010. greenpeace.org

BP = Basically Pathetic

As oil continues to vent in the Gulf, designers are starting to vent as well. Greenpeace UK has launched a competition to redesign BP's logo, which might be just the sort of outlet some of may be needing at this point.

The brief is to show that BP is certainly not “beyond petroleum.” The winning entry will be used in Greenpeace efforts against the company. Entries will be judged on concept and idea; the final logo will be brushed up by a “top graphic designer,” according to the web site

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