SJM
(Only got back from London at 4.30 this morning so I am going to deal with what we spoke about in the morning - when I get up to the office).
All of the work that we have carried out over the last 7.5 years has been by verbal agreement. I have done alright so far and year on year have maintained healthy growth - though this year we have had several substantial contracts pulled and I will be happy if we level.
I am giving a price on some work tomorrow that hopefully will lead to more council work, from several councils. I expect this to be a verbal agreement as well.
I have spoken before about wrapping services tightly around your clients and making them choose your service as the first port of call. Their confidence in your service will be determined by a number of factors, these will include quality, availability, width of additional services, overall business impression and your direct relationship with the client.
I would trust my business package more than a contractual agreement - written on paper and would put more time into developing the bigger picture than worrying about tying a client that could easily wriggle out of it.
Not the angle that was requested but it seems to be working for me.
I have a number of templates of various and necessary business stationary and I also feel that these are important in tying a client to your service, risk assessments, method statements, business portfolios, introduction letters, etc.
To gain a commercial client it has to be about the whole set up and package but even then there may be things that you cannot see coming - we lost a substantial client at the beginning of the year, not through any fault or problem with our service.
Trust in you and your service is more important than a contract!!!!
Rob