On a proposal, sales guys want us to sound like we’re promising everything; contracts guys want us to clearly specify the limits of the offer. Somewhere in that tension a winning and yet feasible proposal is born. Sometimes.
And sometimes, the tension starts even before we get to the stage of planning the work . . .
Thanks to everyone who has bought the book.
This week, I ask everyone to consider sharing the information about it
on your social media or in your network.
When I was still teaching Eight-Step Editing courses, I got a “standard contract” from the Alberta government which required, among other things, that
a) the course text had been created entirely and exclusively for them
b) the AB govt now owned all copyright on this text
c) this material would not be used with any other client.
I objected that to satisfy those conditions, they would have to compensate me for the rest of my life earnings from that program.
They said it was just a standard contract. It didn’t really mean anything.
I said I couldn’t sign it. Period. Full stop. Cancel the program.
They said remove those clauses.
Jim T
Jim – 🙂 I’ve had similar conversations with companies whose standard contracts required me to meet insurance conditions suitable for corporations. Eventually someone agreed to remove them. But what you describe is an amazing set of conditions. The only situation I can think of where they’d be appropriate is where they’d paid for the program development.