For most people writing proposals, making the document truly persuasive is one of the biggest challenges.
At Julian Midwinter & Associates, we observe many “creative techniques” to minimise effort on proposals, including:
- cloning old proposal
- changing names to protect the guilty
- cutting and pasting chunks of boilerplate text (even if they don’t match client needs)
- debating the soundness of request for proposal or tender
- ignoring the opportunity - praying it will go away!
Results are varied:
- all-night marathons
- missed deadlines and opportunities
- proposals that contain wrong names
- incorrect information
- spelling and grammatical mistakes
- information sometimes years out of date
- damage to the firm’s reputation for quality
- lost business!
The Primary Principle is one of the tools you can use to close the gaps. It works to your advantage because most of us rely heavily on first impressions.
So, when next writing:
- DO focus on your client’s key issues, concerns, return on their investment, and their outcomes
- DO count how many times your name appears in the first few pages and how many times your client’s name appears - is the balance right?
- DO put your key points of information up front. Because “first impressions” matter so much, this advice extends to sentences, paragraphs, and the whole proposal
- DO NOT start with your firm’s history, your offerings, or your mission statement.
Another tool you can use to close the gaps is Persuasive Structure. Persuasion is not just a matter of words and pictures. It’s also a matter of structure.
Here are five steps to organise your proposal persuasively:
- restate your client’s needs, problems, or issues
- state the positive outcomes and results they want
- recommend a solution that solves their problems and delivers results
- demonstrate your value and quantify the impact
- show you are competent to deliver your services on time and on budget - provide evidence.
To ensure it is relevant, include content specific to your client’s industry or vertical market, especially in the covering letter and always in the executive summary.
Lastly, keep it simple by eliminating jargon and acronyms, and by using short, simple words and sentences.
This approach will definitely help to increase your win rate.
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