Let's be clear on being clear in your proposals.
You need to be clear on five points.
1. Clear Understanding
Your proposal must clearly show that you know, understand, and can address the clients' needs. The solution you propose should leave no doubt in your clients' minds that you have their best interests in mind. The proposal should clearly show that you understand their situation, their budgets, and their expectations.
And, clearly, you understand the project, the goals, and their timetable for achievement.
2. Clear Solution
You have to provide a clear solution to their problem. And, you can explain clearly what the client's world will look like after accepting your proposal.
3. Clear Justification
Third, the client needs to become completely clear on why your product or service stands out as the most logical choice.
4. Clear Reliability
If you are responding to an RFP, you need to clearly display your ability to respond to the clients' preferred way of doing business.
You do this by following the directions and format of the RFP completely and correctly.
If you can't follow their directions in the RFP, how can you be trusted to provide the correct products or services?
5. Clear Writing
The language, words, and tone of your document must be clear.
For example, compare the two following sentences and decide which one would be more appropriate in your proposal.
The contract stipulates exacting specifications for the installation of eight vertical access devices.
The contract calls for the installation of eight elevators.
If you selected the first example, go directly to jail; do not pass "GO;" do not collect $200.00.
Please visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Proposal Writing: Avoid "Boiler Plate Pollution."
Too many sales people, marketing people, and proposal writers focus on what their company or their products or their services can do. They don't focus on specifically what they can do for the specific client.
You can spot these instances of misplaced focus quickly and easily.
It's called "Boiler Plate Pollution."
If the words, pictures, illustrations, descriptions, and graphics you use in your proposal repeat the words, pictures, illustrations, descriptions, and grahics you find on your brochures or website, you are guilty of "Boiler Plate Pollution."
Most brochures and websites spell out the features and benefits of your products and services.
Successful Proposal Writing requires you to spell out exactly how those features and benefits solves your client's problems or meets their specific needs.
Read your proposal, then read your brocures and your website. If you sound like you're repeating yourself, you need to edit or rewrite your proposal.
For more information, plese visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
You can spot these instances of misplaced focus quickly and easily.
It's called "Boiler Plate Pollution."
If the words, pictures, illustrations, descriptions, and graphics you use in your proposal repeat the words, pictures, illustrations, descriptions, and grahics you find on your brochures or website, you are guilty of "Boiler Plate Pollution."
Most brochures and websites spell out the features and benefits of your products and services.
Successful Proposal Writing requires you to spell out exactly how those features and benefits solves your client's problems or meets their specific needs.
Read your proposal, then read your brocures and your website. If you sound like you're repeating yourself, you need to edit or rewrite your proposal.
For more information, plese visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Proposal Writing: Getting Inside Your Clients’ Heads
Successful proposal writing means getting inside your clients’ heads two different ways.
First, you need to know about as much as you can about what they are thinking, what they want, what they need, and what they expect when dealing with you.
You need to know how they feel about you, your products and services, and the value you bring to their organization.
And, you need to know what they think about your competitors and their products and services.
Second, you need to get inside their heads so that as soon as they think about awarding a contract or order, they immediately think of you. If you are not inside their heads to this extent, you can bet they think of your competitors first.
So how do you get inside their heads?
You have three powerful ways you can do that.
You influence people when you listen, when you speak, and when you write.
All three of these communication skills come into play in creating a winning proposal.
As a word of caution, you must remember that you want to stick in their heads in a positive way.
Unfortunately, too many times, people remember other people for the goofy grammar, sloppy spelling, omitted organization, shaky structure, and punctured punctuation in their writing.
The speaking skills include your phone skills, presentation skills, conversational skills, executive presence, nonverbal messages, behaviors, attitudes, and value system.
For my money, the easiest way to get inside your clients’ heads is to become an outstanding listener. Most sales people display excellent speaking skills but sometimes fall short on the listening side. And, by doing so, they leave a lot of money on the table.
For more information, please visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
First, you need to know about as much as you can about what they are thinking, what they want, what they need, and what they expect when dealing with you.
You need to know how they feel about you, your products and services, and the value you bring to their organization.
And, you need to know what they think about your competitors and their products and services.
Second, you need to get inside their heads so that as soon as they think about awarding a contract or order, they immediately think of you. If you are not inside their heads to this extent, you can bet they think of your competitors first.
So how do you get inside their heads?
You have three powerful ways you can do that.
You influence people when you listen, when you speak, and when you write.
All three of these communication skills come into play in creating a winning proposal.
As a word of caution, you must remember that you want to stick in their heads in a positive way.
Unfortunately, too many times, people remember other people for the goofy grammar, sloppy spelling, omitted organization, shaky structure, and punctured punctuation in their writing.
The speaking skills include your phone skills, presentation skills, conversational skills, executive presence, nonverbal messages, behaviors, attitudes, and value system.
For my money, the easiest way to get inside your clients’ heads is to become an outstanding listener. Most sales people display excellent speaking skills but sometimes fall short on the listening side. And, by doing so, they leave a lot of money on the table.
For more information, please visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Proposal Writing:Not All RFPs Are Alike
Proposal writing, many times, leads to wasted time, wasted effort, and wasted information. All this waste occurs when salespeople mistake an RFP for an immediate call to write a proposal.
Before you begin the proposal writing process, carefully consider what RFP means to your clients or prospects. You might save yourself a lot of time, money, and effort.
RFP - REQUEST FOR PRICING
Many sales people confuse request for pricing with request for proposal.
Request for pricing simply means the company is comparison-shopping. They might not even be ready, willing, or able to place an order. Salespeople who mistake this as a proposal writing opportunity often waste time, effort, and information.
Send a price quote, a big response, or, sometimes, do nothing.
Whatever you do, don't spend time creating a proposal when your chances of receiving the order or contract are limited.
RFP - REQUEST FOR POSITIONING
Many times, prospects will ask for a proposal to determine if the company they plan to award the order or contract to is actually giving them the best price or value. They will use your information to justify their decision to go with someone else.
RFP - REQUIRED FOR PUT OFF
Prospects sometimes use the RFP ploy to limit your access to them.
This can mean many things. It could mean they already plan to use a preferred vendor. Or, they know little about your company, or, they have received bad, although unfounded, reviews of your organization.
They may also have had a bad experience with a previous salesperson or principle from your company. The reasons are endless in terms of why they might not want to deal with you.
But, they need to keep up the appearances of being fair.
After all, strange things can happen during and after the process of vendor selection, and they might be compelled to use someone else as a last resort.
Before you spend the time, money, and effort writing a proposal, examine the odds of actually being considered as the selected vendor.
For more information, please visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
Before you begin the proposal writing process, carefully consider what RFP means to your clients or prospects. You might save yourself a lot of time, money, and effort.
RFP - REQUEST FOR PRICING
Many sales people confuse request for pricing with request for proposal.
Request for pricing simply means the company is comparison-shopping. They might not even be ready, willing, or able to place an order. Salespeople who mistake this as a proposal writing opportunity often waste time, effort, and information.
Send a price quote, a big response, or, sometimes, do nothing.
Whatever you do, don't spend time creating a proposal when your chances of receiving the order or contract are limited.
RFP - REQUEST FOR POSITIONING
Many times, prospects will ask for a proposal to determine if the company they plan to award the order or contract to is actually giving them the best price or value. They will use your information to justify their decision to go with someone else.
RFP - REQUIRED FOR PUT OFF
Prospects sometimes use the RFP ploy to limit your access to them.
This can mean many things. It could mean they already plan to use a preferred vendor. Or, they know little about your company, or, they have received bad, although unfounded, reviews of your organization.
They may also have had a bad experience with a previous salesperson or principle from your company. The reasons are endless in terms of why they might not want to deal with you.
But, they need to keep up the appearances of being fair.
After all, strange things can happen during and after the process of vendor selection, and they might be compelled to use someone else as a last resort.
Before you spend the time, money, and effort writing a proposal, examine the odds of actually being considered as the selected vendor.
For more information, please visit http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
Monday, September 22, 2008
THE FIRST WORD IN "PROPOSAL" IS "PRO"
Successful Proposal Writing requires a professional approach in three significant areas: Proposals, Writing, and Selling.
PROPOSALS
Sales, Marketing, and Writing Professionals need to know, understand, and focus on very specific qualities that all successful, profitable, image-building proposals display.
Without those qualities, proposal writing turns into wasted time and erosion of image. These qualities separate proposals from bid responses, brochures, and spec sheets.
Get a FREE Special Report, "How to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Proposals" at http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
WRITING SKILLS
If you are in sales, you are probably proud of the company you work for and the products or services you sell. In your own modest way, you are probably proud of your sales skills and your success.
As a professional salesperson, you should include writing skills as a clear example of your selling skills. The proposals you write become a "product" you want your clients and customers to buy.
SELLING SKILLS
The third component - selling - is often neglected in proposals.
You may do a great job of selling your clients in person or on the phone. But, do the proposals you send or deliver match your oral skills?
Proposals actually sell for you when you are not in front of your clients. Do you want to gamble sales on proposals that do not live up to the pride you take in your company, your products or services, and yourself?
What is your close ratio with proposals telling you about the quality and power of your proposals? If you invest time and effort in creating proposals, you should get a Return On Your Investment.
PROPOSALS
Sales, Marketing, and Writing Professionals need to know, understand, and focus on very specific qualities that all successful, profitable, image-building proposals display.
Without those qualities, proposal writing turns into wasted time and erosion of image. These qualities separate proposals from bid responses, brochures, and spec sheets.
Get a FREE Special Report, "How to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Proposals" at http://www.proposalwritingsuccess.com
WRITING SKILLS
If you are in sales, you are probably proud of the company you work for and the products or services you sell. In your own modest way, you are probably proud of your sales skills and your success.
As a professional salesperson, you should include writing skills as a clear example of your selling skills. The proposals you write become a "product" you want your clients and customers to buy.
SELLING SKILLS
The third component - selling - is often neglected in proposals.
You may do a great job of selling your clients in person or on the phone. But, do the proposals you send or deliver match your oral skills?
Proposals actually sell for you when you are not in front of your clients. Do you want to gamble sales on proposals that do not live up to the pride you take in your company, your products or services, and yourself?
What is your close ratio with proposals telling you about the quality and power of your proposals? If you invest time and effort in creating proposals, you should get a Return On Your Investment.
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