You Send a Client a Proposal with a Different Client’s Name in It

There are two things everyone in a business setting knows about proposals: (1) No one writes them from scratch. In fact, if people did, they’d never get any work done—or send more than two or three proposals a quarter. (2) Everyone acts as if his or her proposal were fresh, targeting that one, single, most remarkably valuable potential client. So if you accidentally put someone else’s name in the “_____” slot, you’re basically revealing a deep, dark secret . . . that everyone knows. Mostly, the mistake is embarrassing. And like most minor mistakes, it could cost you the potential client’s goodwill. Of course, with the right message, it could also open doors to how great you are. Just rely on these perfect phrases.

Start by Acknowledging the Problem, So You Can Control How the Client Responds
●We just noticed we accidentally put a different company’s name in your proposal.
●Oops—by mistake, we put someone else’s name in the proposal.
●Our associate _____, whom you have been talking to about the project, just alerted us to the fact that another company’s name is in the spot where yours belongs.
●Just wanted to let you know—somehow, ____’s name got into the proposal we wrote for you.

When You Think It’s Appropriate, Apologize
●So sorry—I am really embarrassed about that mistake.
●I apologize—I don’t know how that could have happened.
●Thanks for letting me know about the mistake. I feel pretty foolish!
●I’m so embarrassed about that mistake. Thanks for letting me know.
●Wow—what a mistake! My apologies.

When the Proposal Was Really Specific to Your Client
●We had an intern review the final cut—after our team developed it for you. Since we recently wrote a similar proposal, she probably got confused. Our apologies.
●As you probably know, we do cut and paste certain paragraphs discussing core services—but we designed the bulk of our proposal specifically for you.
●Somehow, one of our templates appeared in your proposal. Sorry about that.
●We borrowed information from a similar proposal. Somehow, the client’s name ended up in the text.

When the Proposal Was Unique but the Name Was Not
Point out how the client’s proposal was special, especially if you’re providing more of something for the same price. Be specific about where this information resides.
●As you’ll see on page 8 in our cost breakdown, we still provided 10 percent off all services.
●We will provide the additional services, at no additional expense, as we discussed. (See page 3, paragraph 4.)
●Because of our long relationship, we are giving you the Level 2 plan, without additional costs, as you can see in the “Details” section of the proposal.
●If you need more time to complete the project, we will be flexible. Normally, as you know, we add 10 percent to our fees, but in your case, we won’t. You can find more specifics by contacting me or by looking at the cost breakdown in the last section of the proposal.

Quick tip
Most people flip through proposals quickly, looking for specific types of content—frequently cost. Then they move on. So it’s possible that your reader may not read or otherwise notice the error. If so, then don’t point it out. Just ignore the mistake and hope for the best. If the client does notice, then use the perfect phrases we just discussed.

Perfect Phrases for When You Notice the Mistake during a Presentation
Your response will depend on the audience. When possible, make a joke:
●Wow—look at that! When did you guys change your name?
●Hmmmm . . . are you really (other client’s name here)? I know a company that has that name, too.
●How did that happen?
●Sorry about that . . . Embarrassed? Who’s embarrassed?
Or address it with professional seriousness, as you would in an e-mail.