Proposal Postmortem; Ask "Why Not?"

Web Developers Studio bid for a new contract and was not selected to do the job. Although it's discouraging after having worked diligently on the proposal to be rejected, I resisted the urge to drop the subject.

To better understand the missed opportunity, I emailed the prospective client this (with the particulars removed):

"Thanks for the opportunity to bid on the project. Good luck with your ....
I wonder if you would take a few moments to give me some professional feedback regarding my proposal. What were the factors that made you go with http://xyz/? Was my pricing on the high side? Did I omit requested features? Was my proposed solution set unworkable? I'd appreciate any information you'd offer to help me better respond to my clients in the future.
Please keep me in mind for future projects and if you require any assistance on the current one, I'm available on an ad hoc basis.

Best regards,
-Terri

Within a few hours I received this most gracious and informative reply:

"Hi Terri,

I’m not at all surprised that you ask that, since “professionalism” is one of the key words that came to mind in reviewing your proposal. But I can honestly say that none of the concerns you list played a part. Your price was well within range and every aspect of the proposal was sterling.

In fact, in the end, we narrowed our choices to Web Developers Studio and xyz. Among the seven bidders, your two proposals were in a class by themselves, and I agonized for days. After long discussion with the rest of the Board, it finally came down to a slight preference for stylistic intangibles – a feeling that xyz’s portfolio reflected a somewhat better fit with the eventual design elements we envision for the ... site. Even this was a difficult call – your work is extraordinarily elegant and creative. I have also developed a philosophical attraction to Drupal (which xyz uses) and have worked with it before.

I am very glad to have been made aware of your work. I occasionally have friends and colleagues in need of web development and design work, and I will recommend you without hesitation.

Kind regards and thanks,"

Well, that was nice and I know much more than if I hadn't asked: the price I quoted was reasonable, but my suggested solution of Joomla happened to be off the mark. Regarding the stylistic concerns, well -- better luck next time.

In the future, I'll be sure to always ask for reasons.