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.

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