1. Make Your Proposal a Winner by Putting on the Client’s Hat Responsive, Persuasive Content Meets Page Architecture TM

2. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 2 Make Your Proposal a Winner by Putting on the Client’s Hat Responsive, Persuasive Content Meets Page Architecture TM Presented by Beverley Sinclair and Nancy Webb

3. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 3 Our Objective Introduce tools and techniques to make your proposals, and other business communications, more clear and responsive. ■Create pages that support and enhance your message by ■understanding visual (vs. verbal) communication ■communicating effectively through Page Architecture TM ■Identify unstated information requirements by ■becoming more client-focused ■understanding the communication process © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

4. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 4 © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved What makes a proposal a winning proposal? ■Compliant ■Well written, presented, and organized ■Convincing ■Client-focused A winning proposal is:

5. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 5 What does it mean to be “client-focused”? It means putting the interests, values, and needs of the client first. © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

6. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 6 Using these tools & techniques you will be better able to ■Identify your clients ■Understand their wants ■Understand their issues and concerns ■Understand their needs ■Convey your message within a context that the client can more fully understand and appreciate © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

7. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 7 What is communication? “Communication” comes from the Latin word meaning “to share.” © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

8. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 8 The Communication Process Does your drawing look something like this? © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

9. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 9 The Communication Process © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

10. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 10 How can we create a common field of experience with our client to more effectively share our message? ■Gathering competitive intelligence ■Analyzing what you know about the client’s needs and wants ■Anticipating the client’s needs and wants By ■Listening to what your team members know about the client, the project, and the client’s field of experience in this area ■Putting on the Client’s Hat Focus more on ■Who the client is and what the client has told us Client-focus + The Communication Process © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

11. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 11 Let’s start by thinking about who the client is ■The organization issuing the RFP ■Their clients ■Everyone who will be affected by the outcome of the project ■The project stakeholders © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

12. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 12 Who are some of our clients in the following example? A proposal to build a sports stadium in an economically depressed major city ■City government ■Taxpayers ■Conservation groups ■People who live in the area where the stadium will be built ■People whose livelihood depends on tourism © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

13. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 13 What will each of these clients be concerned about? ■City government: cost, funding, risk, jobs, tourism, safety, suitability, sanitation, subcontracting, building code compliance ■Stadium management: design, risk, building code compliance, garbage, sanitation, ■City residents: cost, funding, jobs, noise, traffic ■Taxpayers: cost, funding ■Local residents: noise, traffic, appearance, sanitation, crime ■Local businesses: tourism income, traffic © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

14. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 14 Stadium stakeholders StakeholderCostRiskFundingJobsTourismSafetyDesignTraffi c NoiseCode Compliance City Gov.XXXXXXXXXX Stadium Mgmt. XXXXXX City Residents XXXXXXXXX TaxpayersXX Local Residents XXXXXXXX Local Business XXX © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved The Issues / Requirements Matrix

15. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 15 By putting on the client’s hat we can ■Identify and reduce barriers to communication ■Improve the communication context and environment ■Better enable the client to understand and appreciate our message ■More effectively share our message with the client © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

16. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 16 Our Objective Introduce tools and techniques to make your proposals, and other business communications, more clear and responsive. ■Create pages that support and enhance your message by ■understanding visual (vs. verbal) communication ■communicating effectively through Page Architecture TM ■Identify unstated information requirements by ■becoming more client-focused ■understanding the communication process © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

17. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 17 The Communication Process © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

18. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 18 ■Written words make you hear spoken words Visual vs. verbal communication: The words ■Visuals communicate viscerally ■Visual consistency clarifies content © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

19. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 19 Newspaper Annual Report Spec Sheet TextbookWhite Paper Brochure... Proposal? Visual vs. verbal communication: The page © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

20. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 20 Page Architecture... ? © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

21. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 21 Page Architecture at work © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

22. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 22 Some basic building blocks & critical details ■White (negative) space ■Scannability / Readability / Visual hierarchy ■Pattern / Meaning / Consistency ■Pacing © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

23. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 23 White (negative) space © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

24. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 24 White (negative) space © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

25. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 25 White (negative) space © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

26. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 26 © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved Scannability: Alignment + Scale + Weight + Color

27. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 27 Scannability © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

28. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 28 A readability issue. Scannability: Text configuration © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

29. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 29 This is a critical readability detail! Scannability: Word shapes © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

30. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 30 Visual hierarchy Go from large, bold type with color to small, light weight, black text. © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

31. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 31 Visual hierarchy: The template © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

32. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 32 Pattern / Meaning / Consistency: Captions / headings Settle on one convention, then stick to it throughout the document. © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

33. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 33 Meaning must be clear. Pattern / Meaning / Consistency: Tables © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

34. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 34 Flow must be clear at a glance. Pattern / Meaning / Consistency: Graphics © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

35. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 35 Meaning must be clear at a glance. © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved Pattern / Meaning / Consistency: Graphics OR

36. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 36 Color © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

37. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 37 The relationship between content and visuals in a multi-page document. Pacing: The pages © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

38. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 38 Minimize visual repetition in consecutive pages/spreads Pacing: The document © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved

39. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 39 Recap ■Identify unstated information requirements ■become more client-focused ■understand the communication process ■Create pages that support and enhance your message ■understand visual (vs. verbal) communication ■communicate more effectively through Page Architecture TM © 2015 Nancy Webb. All rights reserved © 2015 Beverley Sinclair. All rights reserved

40. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 40 Questions? Make Your Proposal a Winner by Putting on the Client’s Hat Responsive, Persuasive Content Meets Page Architecture TM Beverley Sinclair 650.796.8491 beverley@sinclair-and-associates.com Nancy Webb 510.531.3611 nancy@nancywebb.com Thank You!

41. APMP BID & PROPOSAL CON 2015 | PAGE 41 Beverley Sinclair Sinclair and Associates 650.796.8491 beverley@sinclair-and-associates.com Nancy Webb Nancy Webb Graphic Design 510.531.3611 nancy@nancywebb.com Contact Us APMP PO Box 77272 Washington, DC 20013-7272 Phone: +1 - (202) 450-2549 www.apmp.org