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10 Tips for Winning Proposals
Top 10 Tips for Winning
Proposals
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Never title your proposal "Proposal."
That doesn't say anything clients can't figure out
themselves. (Would you ever title a book "Book"?)
Instead, write a title that states a benefit to
the client: "Increasing Network Reliability and
Convenience through Advanced On-Line Capabilities."
- Focus on your clients' business needs or mission
objectives first. Mirror what you have heard from
them before offering a solution. That addresses what
they care about the most, and it shows you've listened
and considered their interests and are not offering
a canned approach.
- Avoid lengthy corporate histories. Nobody's interested!
- Eliminate jargon. Even if your contact at the client
organization understands all of your jargon, who else
will be reviewing your proposal? Will they understand
it? However, it is okay-a good idea, even-to use the
client's jargon.
- Keep your proposal as short as possible. It's always
tempting to throw in anything and everything that
might be of interest, but in reality the decision
makers won't read it. At best, they'll skim through
your document. A short proposal is likely to be looked
at first, which means all others will be judged in
comparison to it. That's an advantage if you've done
a good job.
- Highlight your key points. Note the comment about
skimming in the previous tip: Executives skim. You
can make your document more "skimmable" by highlighting
the main ideas. Use bullets, headings and subheadings,
boldface type, color, borders, graphics, and anything
else that will make your key points jump off the page.
- Quantify your benefits and payback. Show the decision
maker how much he or she will save, or how much more
productive the organization will be. A convincing
calculation of your client's return on investment
is more compelling than a slogan or cliche.
- Prioritize your uniqueness factors or competitive
advantages. Think about what you have to offer and
select a few qualities, prioritized in terms of what
your client cares about. If possible, tie them to
the ROI you're demonstrating.
- Ghost the competition. If you know who you are competing
against, raise issues in your proposal that strike
at their weak points. Don't disparage them or mention
them by name. But if you know their software is susceptible
to viruses, make a big deal about the importance of
protecting against viruses.
- Ask for their business. Ask for it in the cover
letter, ask for it in the Executive Summary, and ask
for it when you deliver or present the proposal. Being
passive doesn't work. You have to ask.
© 2005 The Sant Corporation. All rights reserved
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