Grant writing is a service, and like all services, we want the client to be satisfied and happy. This is important as it can lead to a long-term relationship with your clients and thus, they can bring in more projects and more work for you.
Furthermore, it can alleviate much of the grant writing stress. An upset client can ruin a project. It may mean payment will not be made on time, the client may opt-out and hire a new grant writer, etc. Hence, it is crucial to ensure that your client is satisfied and happy.
Communication
Communication is key to every relationship. The same goes for a relationship between a grant writer and his/her client. When speaking to your client, make sure that you are clear and understood. You do not want the client dissatisfied with your work because he/she wanted something else to be done or did not understand the procedure.
Further, make sure to contact your client right away when a bid is accepted or when the grant seeker hires you. This presents a level of professionalism and responsibility – that you are reaching out to the client immediately. This will be much appreciated by your client.
Always respond to emails and phone calls. Do not leave your client wondering what is going on with the project; this can lead to much frustration and confusion. If you are unavailable at the time, respond to the email or call and let your client know that you are unavailable and will respond or call back in a certain time frame.
In addition to this, update your client constantly so that your client is aware of what is going on with the project, what work is being done, what is needed, when to pay, etc.
Collect documents
Be sure to collect all documents necessary from the client. No one is happy when the client is scrambling for paperwork the date of the grantor’s deadline!
Transparency
Be transparent with all your work for your grant writer.
Create a contract with a series of deliverables (similar to GrantWriterTeam’s contract template), so that the client knows clearly what date the work will be completed. This will also help you complete the project in a timely fashion.
Moreover, make sure that each deliverable is clear as to what work will be delivered. So that the client is aware of the process and the work before signing the contract. If any confusion occurs, you can always point the client to the contract that he/she signed.
When submitting a draft to the client in your deliverable, be sure to label it as a draft – so that the client does not get upset from errors that may appear.
Professionalism
Always keep a professional decorum so that the client is ensured that they are in good hands. You need the client to trust your work and believe that you will provide excellent work to them.
Check your spelling and grammar for anything that you send to your client. You must maintain a professional persona in any of your emails, letters, and conversations with the client. If your emails have errors, the client may think that your grant writing work will have errors.
If any mistakes are made, take responsibility for it, and happily fix your errors. If the client does not like something that is written – edit it, instead of not acknowledging their request because you believe that you know better. Many grant writers seek to create the best proposal to get the grant awarded. Since the client is paying you for your work, their requests must be completed accordingly.
Create a long-term relationship
Thank your client for working with them and let them know that you are available for any further work that may be needed in the future. If your client is happy, chances are that he/she will contact you if he/she needs grant writing services again.
GrantWriterTeam allows you to work for many different clients, and to build long-term relationships. Deliverables can always be added to a contract. We also seek to ensure that all of our grant writers and their clients are happy with the work completed and the process. We check in on our clients at times to ask how satisfied and happy they are with their grant writer’s work and process of things.
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