Intent note in salary portage: the guide

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note dintention en portage salarial le guide

Mis à jour le Monday 14 October 2024

Publié le Monday 14 October 2024

Writing an intent note in salary portage

The intent note in salary portage is a concise document (generally 5 to 10 pages maximum) written by an independent consultant for a prospect. It usually follows an initial meeting and aims to convince the client by outlining the main points of what the future specifications document will contain. Its primary objective is to formalize the understanding of the need expressed by the potential client and to propose the main lines of the IT consultant's intervention to address it.

What is an intent note?

Imagine you are an independent consultant in salary portage. You have approached a potential client, and after fruitful exchanges, this client is interested in your services. They wish to entrust you with an IT mission. Before you start working, you need to formalize the framework of this salary portage mission. This is where the intent note comes into play.

It is essentially a synthetic document that serves as a "header" to a larger set of commercial documents that the consultant sends to the future client:

The commercial proposal: This is the central document that formalizes the IT consultant's service offer. It includes the key elements of the intent note (context, approach, deliverables...) but goes further in the concrete description of the service: dedicated team, detailed planning, budget by item...
The specifications document (or functional specifications): Once the mission is validated, this document details the precise content of the work to be carried out (objectives, tasks, expected deliverables, quality criteria).
The CVs of the participants: To win the decision, the consultant must prove that they have the right team to successfully carry out the mission. The CVs of each salary ported member of the team complement the "expertise" part of the intent note.
The client references (or case studies): This is a key element to validate the proposed approach by presenting similar successful missions for other clients, with tangible results (summary sheets, client testimonials, or even more detailed presentations of emblematic cases).

How is the content of the intent note structured?

This part aims to demonstrate your understanding of your client's challenges, at the level of their market and specific challenges. Here are the elements that compose it, with examples to support.

Market analysis

Major trends: technological, regulatory, sociological... Example: "The banking sector is facing a wave of digitalization, with the rise of neobanks and fintechs redefining the standards of customer experience."
Competitive dynamics: positions of players, strategies... Example: "Traditional banks are seeking to reinvent themselves to withstand new entrants by investing heavily in digital and developing new services."

The client's situation

Their positioning: targets, value proposition... Example: "A regional bank with a strong local presence, [Client] differentiates itself by the proximity and quality of customer relations. However, this proximity is threatened by the rise of digital channels."
Their projects and initiatives: transformation, offers... Example: "[Client] has launched a 3-year transformation plan to digitalize its processes and services, thus offering its clients a seamless omnichannel experience."
The obstacles encountered: systems, skills... Example: "This transformation faces the complexity of the IT system, a lack of digital skills, and internal resistance to change."

Reformulation of the need

Summary of the challenges and expressed need. Example: "In this context, [Client] wishes to be supported in defining its target digital strategy and implementing the first priority projects, with the goal of maintaining its regional leadership."

Consultant's expertise: highlighting specific skills

This is where you will demonstrate your legitimacy to support your client. The idea is to showcase the "augmented consultant" that you are, with tangible elements: key figures, client testimonials, certifications, publications, distinctions... Everything that will make your expertise concrete and credible in the eyes of the client.

You can also highlight the complementarity of your skills with those of the internal teams. Your IT mission does not aim to replace them, but to provide them with a fresh perspective and additional resources. Here are the elements to highlight:

Your specific areas of expertise related to the client's needs. Example: "Specialist in the digital transformation of industrial companies, with a sharp expertise in integrating IoT solutions and managing product data, developed x years before my 100% digital transition."
Your achievements and past successes on similar issues. Example: "In the last 5 years, I have supported 8 connected factory projects, generating an average of 18% productivity gains from the first year."
Your proven methodologies and tools. Example: "My approach incorporates the principles of design thinking, lean management, and agility, for quick and sustainable results. I particularly use the tools from Dassault Systèmes' 3DExperience suite."

Proposed solutions: details of responses to identified problems

This is truly the heart of your intent note. The context analysis has highlighted challenges and opportunities; now you need to present your expertise and show that you are the right person for the job. You detail how you will concretely approach it. The points to develop here are five.

The objectives and expected results of the mission. Example: "The ambition is to make your factory a benchmark for Industry 4.0, with productivity gains of 20% and a 30% reduction in maintenance costs over 3 years."
The main axes of the approach and associated deliverables. Example: "Our approach will revolve around 4 projects: digital maturity diagnosis, definition of the transformation roadmap, management of priority projects, change management. The deliverables will include a mapping of processes and data flows, a 3-year IoT & Data master plan, a demonstrator on a pilot line, and a training and support system for the teams."
The macro-planning and key milestones. Example: "The project will unfold in 3 main phases: framing and diagnosis (2 months), deployment of priority projects (6 months), industrialization and extension (4 months). Key milestones will include the launch steering committee, co-design workshops, POCs on pilot sites, deployment of the first wave, feedback, and adjustments."
The prerequisites and key success factors. Example: "The success of the project will rely on sponsorship at the highest level, alignment of all stakeholders on the objectives, regular communication on progress, and a logic of continuous improvement and empowerment of field teams."

How to make your intent note more effective?

Clarity and conciseness

Your client does not have time to decipher a poorly structured or verbose intent note. To capture their attention, you need to get straight to the point regarding the IT mission.

Use the "storytelling" technique in your introduction. In one or two impactful sentences, tell the story of your client's need and how your intervention will change the game. For example: "Today, only 5% of visitors to your e-commerce site complete their purchase. Our ambition is to double this rate in 3 months through a rethought customer journey."

Structure each part with clear hooks. Instead of simple titles like "context," "expertise," "solutions," use phrases that summarize your key message. For example: "A market in full mutation, calling for a new approach," "10 years of experience in the digital transformation of retail," "3 immediately actionable levers to boost your sales."

Personalization

Your client must feel that this intent note has been written specifically for them, that it precisely addresses their expectations and constraints.

Use the exact words of your client. If they spoke to you about "flawless purchasing experience," "time-to-market," or "data silo management," do not try to rephrase. This shows that you have listened to and understood them.

Reference specific elements of their company. This could be a flagship product, a recent campaign, or a news article that talks about them... For example: "We noticed that the launch of your new eco-friendly range generated strong anticipation; it is essential to capitalize on it."

To find this balance, a good practice is to submit your proposal to external eyes before finalizing it. Seek the opinion of a peer who has already carried out an IT mission for this client, an expert in the field who can challenge your solutions, a salesperson who will put themselves in the client's shoes... It is from this positive confrontation that adjustments will arise to strengthen your proposal.