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Engineering consulting services online: see how to shorten the selection process, cut on the costs, and get the project done within the desired timeframe.

Make Connections, and Follow Up

Sending an e-mail the day after someone's meeting is probably the hardest thing to remember for me, but it's critical. Make sure you include what you talked about and what the next step might be.

And do not forget social media. I found opportunities on Twitter because I have my skills and my email address in my bio. Following the people on Twitter that you meet in real life is an easy way to stay in touch with potential customers.

Be smart about citation and planning

Quoting a project for the first time is difficult, but asking people who have already done similar projects is a good starting point. "It's in everyone's interest to get a cost-plus quote over a fixed offer because the project will have a lot of unknowns," says Daniel D Lindmark, Contract Electrical Engineer, and Make's owner. Believe Company. "Asking someone to quote a fixed cost means that after going over budget, you will have an entrepreneur who is not making any more money and has no incentive to help you." But with the cost-plus quote, all production and labor costs are included. On a quote, I inform my customers that a cost for materials, not included in the price, will be added. To offset the costs you incur during the project, ask for 30 to 50% of your quote in advance.

Sometimes you can not complete a project alone because of time constraints or a lack of expertise. If a customer wants me to do electrical work in addition to mechanical work, I know I have to contract an electrical engineer. Fortunately, I know someone; otherwise, it would not be wise to accept this customer.

Planning a project depends on your bandwidth. It does not benefit anyone to have more work than you can handle. If you quote for more time, your customer will be delighted when you deliver early. Scheduling due dates later also give you a stamp if you find more work or something unexpected happens.

Engineering consulting firms offer a wide range of services falling under multiple categories. That, of course, varies from firm to firm, but let us suppose that everyone does some research before even drafting a proposal.