tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893728882719060750.post2615603836732706345..comments2023-05-15T04:51:16.609-04:00Comments on T H E W I L D W I L D E A S T D A I L I E S: How Not To Market In Asia - The Importance of Time, Money, Quality and Knowing How Much of Each You Need to SucceedDavid Everitt-Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05273297703653439412noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893728882719060750.post-89783379316536428292009-02-02T04:27:00.000-05:002009-02-02T04:27:00.000-05:00Thanks all for the excellent comments. The reason ...Thanks all for the excellent comments. The reason I post this is that WE all need to be responsible for some of the crap that goes down as well. I've learned the hard way that writing free proposals is not the way to go. More often than not, simply writing the proposal means a fair amount of research and problem solving - therefore, it is work and should be paid for. So basically, I don't do anything for free. On proposal i do three things:<BR/><BR/>-----------------------------------<BR/><BR/>#1) Find out who the competing agencies or suppliers are. If they are quality companies, you know your client has their head screwed on straight. If they're not, proceed immediately to step #2<BR/><BR/>#2 Charge a fee for your proposal and have the client deposit 1/2 upfront and 1/2 on delivery. Also draft a 1 paragraph agreement that states the information contained therein is copyrighted by your company and to be used for "presentation purposes" only. This won't stop an unscrupulous client from ripping off your ideas and giving them to a cheaper company to produce but it sets up a few ground rules and you can sue them later if the tagline you wrote ends up on billboards all over town.<BR/><BR/>#3 Get your client to state a budget for the project. If he can't do that, consider walking. Almost any number you give to him will be wrong. If a client has clear financial goals going in he's likely to be a better business person that a client who just "shopping" what may not be a very feasible idea in the first place.<BR/><BR/>-----------------------------------<BR/><BR/>My "tiny" company in Korea worked for 4 months on a pitch for British American Tobacco (BAT) against Bates 141 and another large Korean agency with 400 employees. First we won the print, then the BTL promotion, then a package design - always in competition with big agencies - but we were always paid as we worked and then rebated the money back to the client after securing the business.<BR/><BR/>Free advice has no value, because it's free. Paid advice is valuable, even if it causes the client to disagree with you, because he paid for it and considers it more seriously.David Everitt-Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05273297703653439412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893728882719060750.post-77574458882142988012009-02-02T01:25:00.000-05:002009-02-02T01:25:00.000-05:00Great post David. In Asia, "Time" and "Intellectua...Great post David. In Asia, "Time" and "Intellectual Property" are free (at least when taking it from other people) only assets and product get paid for. <BR/><BR/>In our grey art of advertising media and marketing, its a skill and art to make non-believers realise the value in this grey-matter. And frankly it's not our job to make them believe, leave that for another day. Those that understand the effort needed for the 'sell' and the 'close' are also happy to pay for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893728882719060750.post-20268415747447080432009-01-29T11:25:00.000-05:002009-01-29T11:25:00.000-05:00Hi,Talking about doing business in Vietnam, I some...Hi,<BR/><BR/>Talking about doing business in Vietnam, I sometimes really wonder "Do they ever stop thinking about their personal pocket for one minute to listen to a good proposal?" <BR/><BR/>After sometimes trying to sell something nice and new, I realize that it's not your idea that sell, it's the % commission and the contact you have. <BR/><BR/>And in case they really like your idea, and when you tell them the price, for sure they would say: In fact we planned to do this long time back. We would do it ourselves now! We have professional staffs here! And it's not surprised that one day you know they come back to the old thing they have for the past 10 years. <BR/><BR/>My personal opinion is business in the south do much better work than ones in the north. And they appreciate your ideas... But will they buy it at the price you want? PRAY GOD!loithienthuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03135758476748864771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893728882719060750.post-46297109709398330022009-01-27T23:16:00.000-05:002009-01-27T23:16:00.000-05:00I really enjoyed your article. It is like someone ...I really enjoyed your article. It is like someone has summed up so many business dealings i have had here in Vietnam. I work in photography and film and i still get offered, "partnerships" It always makes me laugh to myself. <BR/><BR/>Keep up the great articles on the blog.<BR/><BR/>-Ehrin Macksey<BR/>Website http://www.ehrinmacksey.com<BR/>Blog http://ehrin.blogspot.com/Ehrin Mackseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13022661444386527382noreply@blogger.com