Preface

The goal of Persuasive Business Proposals is to teach you how to write winning proposals. More than ever, effective proposal writing is a skill that you need if you hope to be successful in sales.

When the first edition of Persuasive Business Proposals appeared, proposals were a staple item in government contracting and were appearing with increasing frequency in the commercial sector. Now, it has become extremely difficult to win large deals without a proposal. From high technology to waste hauling, customers in all sectors of industry now require a written proposal before they will award their business. You need to know how to do the best possible job as quickly as you can.

Why are decision makers requiring proposals more frequently? Five business developments in particular have had a profound impact:

1. Federal buying behavior. First, there's the influence of the federal government's procurement policies. Billions of dollars are up for grabs each year in federal contracts for everything from defense systems to janitorial services. Virtually all of that money is awarded on the basis of written proposals. Many government contractors, especially those in the defense industry, imitate federal procurement policies and procedures when seeking subcontractors of their own. They require written proposals, and the trend trickles down.

2. Increasing complexity. A second factor that's boosted the demand for written proposals is the increasingly complex, technical nature of many of the products and services being delivered. In technology-oriented industries and those involving complex or specialized solutions, including telecommunications, transportation, insurance, information technology, and dozens more, the customer faces a bewildering assortment of information and options. As a result, decision makers ask for proposals so they can slow down the sales process and clarify what is complex and confusing.

3. More competition. The business environment has become increasingly competitive. Clients and prospects who once were willing to make buying decisions based on face-to-face contact are now delaying the decision process, encouraging competition, and—here's the irritating part—requesting formal proposals from all potential vendors. Clients want to compare sources. They want to study their options. They want to compare prices to make sure they're getting the best possible deal. Often they want to be convinced, reassured, impressed. It doesn't matter whether they're buying accounting services or aerospace products, technical writing or touch probe systems. Everything is a competitive opportunity. Some sectors of the economy have been deregulated, opening them up to competition. When the first edition of this book appeared, no one was writing proposals for energy services, because the entire energy industry was regulated. Now it has become extremely competitive and confusing.

4. Team decision making. Over the past few years, many companies have embraced the notion of pushing decision making downward and outward to include as many perspectives as possible. Decisions are often made by a "self-empowered work group" that embodies a variety of expectations and assumptions, a wide range of responsibilities, and very distinct information needs. Selling to a group means you must deliver a message that shows users of your systems, services, or products how the features you will provide can make their lives easier. Technical evaluators will need to receive data on the application fit, operational impact, specifications, and similar details. And other subsets within the team might look at the general business impact, the return on investment, the total cost of ownership, the effect on productivity, and other measures of outcome. You will need to provide content appropriate to each group, and may face the additional challenge of trying to communicate without having personal contact with some members of the team. As a result, you need to create a proposal that walks the corridors of the customer's organization on your behalf, speaking to each type of decision maker as clearly as possible so that those decision makers can join their colleagues in approving your recommendations.

5. The need to calculate costs accurately. The smart buyer doesn't select a vendor based on price alone. Smart buyers look closely at the business impact of the various solutions they receive. They may try to determine the total cost of ownership by looking at "hidden costs" associated with acquisition, planning, shipping, implementation, training, or maintenance. And they will try to determine whether a particular recommendation will require process changes that could be costly or difficult to accomplish.

   Besides cost factors, they may also want to see which solution delivers the greatest overall value. They may be looking for impact on operations, revenue generation, operational efficiency, customer retention, employee productivity, product quality, or regulatory compliance. Whatever the criteria may be, they want to choose the product or service that gives them the most of what they need. As a result, they will request a proposal and try to find information and evidence that enables them to calculate true costs and project a realistic return.

These are just some of the reasons you need to know how to write a winning proposal. Your job, your company, your prosperity may depend on it. Unfortunately, if you're like most proposal writers, you probably do not have a clue how to do it.

But don't worry. I've taught thousands of people how to write a winning proposal. In fact, during our workshops students have written proposals that directly resulted in six- and seven-figure sales. I've received phone calls, e-mails, and hearty handshakes from people who have been thrilled to tell me that they used what they learned and it worked. They won the contract, they sold the service, they closed the deal.

They did it by following some simple guidelines. You can do it, too. This book will show you how.

The methods I advocate have been successful in all kinds of environments, for all kinds of businesses. How can that be? How can a method that produces a winning multivolume, multibillion-dollar aerospace proposal also produce a successful two-page letter proposal to fund a recycling center?

The answer is simple, but it's important. You need to understand it so that you know what to expect. Writing a winning proposal isn't a matter of content. It's a matter of structure and process. Say the right things in the right order and you'll win.

What we will focus on in this book is the process, the steps you need to follow to develop and write a clear, compelling, persuasive proposal. I'll show you the same methodology I use when I work directly with a client.

Persuasive Business Proposals is divided into four broad topical areas: the proposal writing problem, general principles of persuasion, project management as it applies to producing a proposal, and writing tips to help you communicate clearly and persuasively. Here's a summary of each area:

• Section I: Why You Need This Book. You may already believe that you need help with your proposals, but this section briefly defines what a proposal is (and what it isn't), the elements that are common to winners, the most damaging mistakes (the ones you must avoid), and a few other foundational concepts.

• Section II: A Primer on Persuasion. At its most basic, a proposal is a form of communication. But in its controlling purpose it differs from a technical memo or a job appraisal. A proposal is written to persuade. As a result, it's vital to understand what persuasion is, how it happens, and what you need to think about when writing a proposal.

• Section III: How to Manage the Process and Keep Your Sanity. I once heard the manager of proposal operations at a major telecommunications firm describe his job as "directing traffic in the middle of a stampede." Developing and publishing a proposal, whether it's a two-page letter or a twenty-volume formal bid, can be maddening. But if you understand the basic steps and have a structured approach to managing a proposal project, you can make the work much more bearable and increase your efficiency. We will look at the process from pre-RFP activities all the way through to the steps you should take after the contract has been awarded.

• Section IV: Writing to Win. You can have the best idea, the best product, the best plan. But if you can't communicate what you have to offer in a way that the decision maker understands and accepts, none of that will matter. Your choice of words and the way you structure your sentences can either attract or repel the decision maker, helping you win or guaranteeing your loss.

Throughout the book I have included examples of both good and bad proposals to illustrate techniques, processes, and formats. The good examples aren't intended for you to copy and use, although if you want to do that, go ahead. You'll be better off if you take the time to grasp the principles that underlie the examples. Learn the techniques. Understand the process. Then you will have the skills to write tailored, persuasive proposals of your own, proposals that speak directly to your clients' needs and values. Proposals that win.

I know you're busy and I know writing is probably not your favorite job, so I promise that throughout the book I'll maintain a dual focus: First, to make sure your proposals are as effective as possible, to maximize your chance of winning. Second, to improve your efficiency, so you can get those proposals done as quickly as possible.

No one can guarantee that your proposals will always win. There is no magic that can transform a weak performance into a masterpiece. But there are techniques and methods that can help you produce a strong proposal in the first place. That's the goal of this book.