Write a proposal - What's your sales message?

cohesive: strong, unyielding

New business will be won only to the extent that the client believes that
the professional is interested, cares, and is trying to help.
—DAVID H. MAISTER1

So you have received a request for proposal? Do you know how to write a proposal? Do you know how to present your sales message?

The project proposal is a tool — not a goal. It should be followed as closely as possible, and deviations should occur only when necessary.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal statement of requirements and technical specifications that constitute a company’s needs for the evaluation, recommendation and bid proposal of systems, services or products from vendors.

[...] If you have the tools you still need wood to build anything.

‎[...] A hammer does not build a house for a carpenter.

In order to ask for comments provide a section by section overview to indicate where you are most uncertain.

• The proposal as a cohesive document
• The proposal as a persuasive document

[...] Persuasion – A successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state through communication in a circumstance in which the reader has some measure of freedom. – Daniel J. Okeefe

Why would we persuade?

• To narrate
• To inform
• To convince
• To explore
• To make decisions
• To define
• To establish credibility

All proposals share in common the following basic parts:

1. The metaphor of a body
2. The idea of narration
3. The idea of persuasion, we really are arguing for our idea
4. The idea of audience

The checklist for effective persuasion:

• Have the aims of persuasion been identified and addressed?
• Is the central persuasive statement controlled?
• Have logical fallacies been avoided?
• Have the audience’s knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes been considered?
• Has a formal persuasive system been followed?

[...] Anything only has a value depending on what we compare it to – Rory Sutherland

[...] The first rule of Persuasion Design is that every design is persuasive in some ways. There is no neutral way of designing something. – Arjan Haring 2010

Trick:

• In your sales video, talk about the value you will be providing
• Send customers to buy
• Invite them –  “See you on the other side”

[...] Don’t tell me about your grass seed, tell me about my lawn

See also:

• What is an RFP? by Paul
• Writing winning bids by Neil
• Write compelling responses by Ivan
• How to Develop and Manage RFPs for ICT
• Ideas must be presented
• Make innovative ideas happen
• Persuasion  tactics 101 by Henk
• The psychology of persuasion by Adam
• The Six Principles of Persuasion by Bridget
• Project Proposal Writing PDF
• Project Proposal Example
• How to influence human behaviour by James
• Marketing by Raph
• How to leverage the 5 stages of Customer buying cycle?
• Make the sale without telling the tale by Marni
• How to sell while serving by Mike
• Ecommerce Marketing Applications of Humor by Sam
• 100 Marketing Ideas by Dragan
• Intellectual property is dying by Lincoln
• Get what you want by Geoff
• Proposal Tips by David
• Discover The Hidden Persuasion Techniques Concealed In Online Ads by John

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