Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 1 Proposals Proposals are marketing tools that sell your ideas to others A persuasive document that  Communicates what you plan to do or offer  Explains how you will implement what you propose  Convinces potential customer that you can better meet his or her needs than the competition  Stresses unique qualifications of your organization to do the job or provide goods or services  Often stands alone in selling your solution or services

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 2 Classification of Proposals Internal Versus External  Internal  Usually directed at a specific level of management within your organization  Can be simple or time-consuming and lengthy  Has the potential to radically change the organization  Reorganize the company  Build new facilities  External  A marketing tool aimed at current or prospective customers  More common than internal proposals

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 3 Classification of Proposals Solicited Proposals  Respond to a request  Advertised  Requested when desired product or service can be defined concisely and quantitatively  Suppliers learn of requirements in Invitation for Bids (IFB)  Negotiated proposal  Allows writer to specify a proposed solution to the need  Originates with Request for Proposals (RFP) from potential customer; explains need and seeks responses

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 4 Classification of Proposals Unsolicited Proposals  Identify a need and propose to meet it  Initiated by the proposal writer  More difficult to write than solicited proposal  Target audience must first be convinced:  That a need exists  That the response is worth the time and money required  Preparing and presenting generally requires exceptional persuasive skills

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 5 Classification of Proposals Forms of Proposals  Letter proposals  Written for projects that aren’t complex; brief  Used to present qualification or commercial proposals  Preliminary proposals  Used in service areas such as public accounting or advertising  May be either qualification or commercial proposals

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 6 Classification of Proposals Forms of Proposals  Detailed proposals  Longest and most complex  Usually commercial proposals that contain precise plans and cost estimates  Oral  Can accompany written qualifications but should not take their place  An opportunity for experts to explain their areas of knowledge and experience, detail the services they can provide, and give immediate feedback to questions

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 7 The Proposal Planning Process Screening: The Bid/No Bid Decision  Most important aspect of the planning process  Screen RFP or IFB to decide if you should compete for the job  Does your firm meet the qualifications?  Is your company capable of doing the work?  How will taking the work influence your staff’s workload?  Will taking this job enhance your reputation?  What are your chances of winning?  Determine the total value of the project to your firm

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 8 The Proposal Planning Process Creating a capture plan  An analytical planning document prepared for internal use  Ensures the creation of a winning proposal  Involves careful planning to review all variables that might affect the proposal  Entails conducting a customer analysis and a situational analysis

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 9 The Proposal Planning Process Conduct a customer analysis  Problem identification  Meet with contracting agent and ask questions  Needs analysis  Examine RFP or IFB to fully understand customer needs  Customer’s previous procurement background  Conduct research to determine customer’s buying behavior  Proposal evaluator  Use formal list of criteria to be used in the evaluation as a checklist for your proposal

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 10 The Proposal Planning Process Conduct a situational analysis  Competitor analysis  Know the strengths and weaknesses of the competition  Internal analysis  What are your company’s strengths and previous experience in this specific field?  Build on or sell your company’s reputation  Theme development  Develop a few major themes that communicate that your ideas are better than everyone else’s

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 11 The Proposal Planning Process Formulating a Solution and Strategies  Technical strategy  Explains the solution and how it will be implemented  To convince reader that solution best meets his needs  Management strategy  Establishes your company’s ability to carry out solution  Cost strategy or cost estimate  Allows reader to assess if company can afford products or services proposed  Allows reader to determine if your offering is competitively priced

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 12 The Proposal Planning Process Budgeting and Scheduling the Proposal Effort  Prepare a proposal cost budget  Prepare a proposal schedule  Proposal manager monitors and controls costs  Use Gantt chart to aid in scheduling  Schedule all proposal activities to meet crucial deadlines  Scheduling forces you to be organized!

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 13 The Proposal Writing Process The Writing Process  Be persuasive  Use a hook or attention-getting device  Back up your statements with facts and statistics  Write effectively  Clear, concise, attractive and free of errors  Organize writing for maximum clarity and effect  Use graphic appeal  Pay attention to the layout of your proposal  Use appropriate graphics to illustrate and clarify

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 14 The Proposal Writing Process Additional Types of Proposals  Procurement proposal  Requested by government entities  State who qualifies to submit a proposal, what form it should take and what information should appear  Must follow RFP or IFB directions exactly  Grant proposal  Used by nonprofit organizations to obtain funding  Organization must prove its nonprofit status  Present a plan for obtaining additional funding in the future

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 15 The Proposal Writing Process Proposal Formats  Cover materials  letter of transmittal, title page, table of contents  Executive summary  Briefly states the need or problem, solution, plan, and costs and resources required  Introductory materials  Background to the situation or cause of the problem  Purpose and goals of the proposal

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 16 The Proposal Writing Process Proposal Formats  Need or problem statement  State the problem concisely  Technical solution or methodology  Heart of the proposal  Present solution and prove that it is the best alternative  Management profiles  Introduce the individual or team who will implement solution; describe how you will organize the project  Describe administrative methods; sell company strengths

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 17 The Proposal Writing Process Proposal Formats  Budget  Provide thorough breakdown of costs  List subcontractors, their qualifications, and costs  Conclusion and recommendations  Last chance to sell your solution  Summarize the problem and your solution  Bibliography (research resources)  Appendices (resumes, letters of reference)

Chapter 8 - The Planning and Writing of Persuasive Proposals 18 Finishing Touches Packaging  Professional appearance  Type should be clean and easy to read  Enclose external proposals in a binder Evaluating the proposal  Evaluate proposal in light of RFP or IFB to ensure that it is complete Delivering the proposal  Be sure to submit correct number of copies  Be prepared to make an oral presentation, if necessary