In yesterday's column, I shared the mistakes that many consultants make when responding to inquiries from prospective clients.

Today, I'm going to share the tricks you can use to increase the chances a prospect will respond positively to your proposal or resume:

• Check out the prospect.

  If you're responding to an ad or returning a phone call, you've got the time to do a little background check. Thoroughly review the prospect's web site and do a basic online search about them. That gives you a better understanding of the type of company you're dealing with and the products or services they offer.
  

  One consultant who called me seven times in response to my ad said he hadn't had time to check my company's web site. He had time to make seven phone calls, but not to go to my web site?

• Tailor your response.

  Make sure your response reflects the needs indicated in the prospect's ad or request for proposal. Never lie or misrepresent your capabilities or areas of expertise. But do stress the services you offer that meet the prospect's needs.

• Personalize the response.

  You don't have to spend the time to develop a custom proposal for every prospect. In fact, it's a good idea to have a standard response or proposal.
  

  But take the time to modify the language and your cover email so it shows that you've looked at their web site and thought about whether you're a good fit for their needs.

• Get some help.

  You don't have to be a great writer to be good at what you do. But your written response is going to be what a prospect judges first. So ask someone who writes well to help you draft your standard response email, resume, or proposal.

• Send prospects to your web site.

  A web site adds credibility. Your web site doesn't have to be the most elaborate on the Internet, but you'll have more success if you have at least a basic site with background information about your company, your products or services, your qualifications, and contact information. A photo would be nice, too.
  

  If you don't already have a web site, you can get website hosting and design help from Yahoo! small business

• Be appropriately responsive.

  Respond to ads as quickly as you can. You can send an email and then follow up with a phone call, even on the same day. After that, don't email or call more than once every few days.
  

  And if you're going to be away, set up an auto-response for your emails and leave a message on your voicemail indicating when you'll return.