Proposal Writing Tips » Writing

9 Ways To Improve Your Business Proposal’s Executive Summary

Editor — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:58:46 +0000

Here are nine guidelines to help you write a better Executive Summary for your next business proposal.

The Executive Summary creates difficulties for many proposal writers. Is it part of the business proposal or is it a separate document? How long should it be? Should it include costs?

1. Define the purpose of the Executive Summary

If you’re new to proposal writing, it’s easy to confuse the Executive Summary and the Introduction. After all, both seem to be doing the same thing. And they are, to a degree.

However, the Executive Summary is really the ‘elevator pitch’ for your Business Proposal.

If we see it in these terms, then we need to change the tone, structure and ‘hooks’ to capture the reader’s attention.

2. Write it as a Separate Document

One way to write the Executive Summary is to think of it as a standalone document.

In other words, if you took it out of the Business Proposal… it would still make sense to the reader.

When you look at it like this, you realize that you don’t need to write it before the proposal is finished. Instead, you can set it aside and develop it after you’ve completed the rest of the bid.

3. Develop Themes

Themes are an interesting way to develop the Executive Summary. What this means is that you choose a theme, for example, reputation, and then develop the bid around this theme.

Why create themes?

It adds a human element to your proposal. Instead of responding only to the requirements, you go deeper and explore the underlying pain points and needs of the customer.

This makes the document much more interesting to read as it speaks to the reader on an emotional level.

4. Problem Statement

What you’re doing here is three things:

Identifying the underlying problem or need that exists
Confirming how you’ve recognized this and
Why you’re expertise will address this

In this section, try to connect with the deeper underlying issues.

For example, why does the client need a content management system? Do they feel threatened or risk getting left behind.

These issues may not be identified in the Request For Proposal, but you as a proposal writer need to tease them out – and then weave these into the fabric of the proposal.

5. Proposed Solution

Remember that you may be writing for more than one reader.

In other words, your Executive Summary may be read by the:

CEO
Finance Manager
IT Manager
Quality Manager
Procurement Officer

…and so on.

For this reason, keep the text light, focused but not too technical. Avoid using jargon, three letter acronyms, and other buzzwords.

Give a short description of the proposed solution. Identify:

How it will be managed
Who will benefit from the solution
Where it will be implemented
How long it will take to develop
Who will maintain it

6. Costs

You don’t need to break down costs by line item; however, the evaluators will expect to see the total cost required for the project.

Don’t try to fudge it and bury the costs in the document. This sends out the wrong message. If you’re confident in your figures, show it in the summary.

If you want, you can also discuss the payment structure. For example, state that the client is expected to pay 15% upfront and the balance at different intervals.

7. Expertise

You need to demonstrate your expertise – but how?

One way to do this is include an endorsement from a respected industry figure. This works for two reasons:

It shows that another person (or company) is willing to vouch for you, which reduces anxiety in the reader.
It shows that you have a track record in the industry and aren’t another ‘fly by night’ company.

You can also look for ways to highlight your qualifications, industry recognition, and other prestigious projects you’ve worked on. Social proof is very important.

8. Length

There are different schools of thought on this.

I prefer to keep it to one page.

In this way, if it’s printed out, the reader doesn’t have to keep the pages together. They can scan it and absorb the key points in one go.

Whereas, when you add a second page, you break the momentum. You don’t want them flicking back and forth checking what you’ve said.

Remember to use a large, easy to read font. Don’t make the decision-maker strain to read your text. The may not have the same excellent eye-sight you possess.

9. Proofreading

The last step is the hardest – proofreading.

Try to avoid proofing your own document. Instead, ask a colleague to check it for you. If this is not possible, take a look at these twenty proofreading guidelines.

The key to effective proofreading is to assume there are mistakes. Check facts, dates, figures and numbers. Print it out and read the document from the End to the Start.

Why?

This technique forces you to pay attention; you can’t get into a momentum. Another tactic is to read the Executive Summary aloud and check if the tone sounds right.

Conclusion

Writing an Executive Summary takes dedication. Instead of writing it first to get out of the way – so you can get into the real document – see it as a separate piece of work.

Identify the core messages you want to convey, emotional triggers you want to evoke, and create a sense of urgency.

Over to you.

How do you write Executive Summaries? Do you write them before or after the proposal?

4 Smart Ways to Write Business Proposals That Win Contracts

Editor — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:24:02 +0000

“For your own good” is a persuasive argument that will eventually make a man agree to his own destruction. Janet Frame

Why do you write business proposals? Same reason we do! We write proposals to win more business, pay our bills and send the kids to college.

Same as you, I guess! Right?

I’ve been in the proposal development game for eleven years. I don’t call myself an ‘expert’ but I have learnt a few things that might interest you. Especially if you want to avoid the mistakes I made…

What’s the best way to write a proposal?

There is no ‘one way’ that works every time. But here are some pointers to consider.

To make your proposal work, you need to persuade your client that your solution is significantly better than your competitors. Not slightly better, but so much better that is would be foolish not to accept it. What makes this happen? As you write your proposal, look at where and how you can persuade the reader to buy your product.

Business Proposals: Four Steps

Your can persuade the reader to consider (and hopefully award) the contract to your if you use the follow four tactics:

1. Understand Your Client’s Needs

How do you do this? You get the reader’s attention by highlighting a specific need or problem they have and then explain how you can solve this.

You need to show that you understand their need and approach this from many angles throughout the proposal.

Demonstrate to the client that you recognize their need. State it clearly.

2. Show The Benefits

Next, discuss the benefits they can expect to gain by accepting your proposal. Discuss the solution at a later stage.

Focus on explaining how the client can improve their:

Productivity
Profitability and
Success

with the solution you’re offering.

To support your argument, explain the consequences of inaction or selecting inferior products. You’ll establish credibility not so much by demonstrating your expertise, but by showing your understanding of their business needs.

3. Discuss Your Solution In Plain Language

Make sure that the reader clearly understands what you are proposing. Ask yourself – can they summarize in one sentence what you are proposing.

Make a firm, clear recommendation accompanied by specific action steps. Avoid vague statements.

Recommend a specific approach or application: “We recommend that the Client use our company to design, write and produce its corporate marketing brochure.”

Present it so well that the client believes that your solution will meet their needs.

4. Give Details, Recommendations and Endorsements

Provide the reader with sufficient details. Demonstrate your qualifications and competence to deliver the solution:

On Time
Within Budget
To Specification

This effort will show that you understand the costs involved, particularly the Return On Investment to the client.

Also, discuss related issues, costs, management issues, schedules, risks, future implications. Always return to your key selling point and recommendation presented in terms of a quantifiable benefit. Wrap up by give convincing reasons that the client should choose you over all others.

About the Author: Ivan Walsh is a recovering technical writer who now writes business proposals for clients coast-to-coast. He shares business writing tips for smart people like you at Klariti.

37 Business Proposal Writing Tips

Editor — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:24:00 +0000

This short course on proposal writing reminds us that our business proposal does not stand alone. It is process of a larger process that involves planning, research, writing, editing, proofing, submission and acceptance.

This list gives 37 ways to improve your next proposal. Scroll through it and tell me what I missed.

Show that your response is logical and organized

Make the information easy to find. Cross reference against the Request For Proposal
Include a table of contents for proposals over 10 pages in length
Ensure that your Proposal is in compliance with the RFP
Arrange material in order of priority
Arrange everything in the order that’s most important to the client
Arrange the response in accordance with their requirements
Number pages and sections consecutively; do not re-number each section
Use headings
Each section title should stresses the main benefits
Each section title should help readers orient themselves
If possible, express the key point of the section in the headline, or immediately after it.
Highlight important points
You can emphasize the most positive points by using bold, underlining, different fonts, spacing, titles, bullets and summaries
Content – Sell the Message
Respond completely
Answer every question in the RFP. Failure to respond correctly to the RFP may disqualify your proposal. The client put these questions in for a reason, and expect an answer.
Avoid banal headings and titles
Rather than say “Development Section,” say “Ten Ways to Improve Your Processes”
Use action verbs in heads, especially verbs that stress a benefit for the client
Avoid boilerplate
Don’t recycle resumes and corporate profiles from previous proposals; modify them in accordance for the proposal at hand. Using old, tired resumes will be perceived by the reader, and will count against you when they can making the final judgments.
Avoid hype, padding and other self-congratulatory drivel. Remember that the proposal is a legal document that becomes part of the contract if you win
Support your recommendations
By giving specific details and quantifying the benefits whenever possible
Don’t just say that you will comply with a requirement — say how we’ll do so
Don’t attack competitors. Refer to rival products if you must.
Point out the weaknesses of alternative solutions.
Use a strong closing statement
Ask for their business; tell the reader exactly what you want him or her to do
Remind the reader of the benefits of taking action
Avoid business cliché’s
Avoid hackneyed openings and closings that clients have read a thousand times. Avoid “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for considering the enclosed . . .” Get to the point: “Here is your proposal.” Avoid “If you have any questions, please feel free to call.” That closing has been done to death, so avoid it and write something more genuine.
Make your proposal easy to understand
Use the same terms and jargon that appear in the RFP. Don’t try to impress the client with your own special brand of buzzwords or TLA (three-letter acronyms)
Use simple, direct language
Wrap up the Proposal with confidence

What did I miss?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh is a left-handed technical writer who writes business proposals for clients. He also shares business writing tips for smart people at Klariti.

How to Improve Your Case Study

Editor — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:33:06 +0000

Case studies and white papers are very effective marketing tools if you want to promote the benefits of your product or services. Case studies are the first most popular device used to promote the business. If you plan to write a case study, this article will give you a better understanding about this type of business writing.

What is a Case Study?

Case studies demonstrate how a business condition was identified, how you identified the main issues, and the summarized your results.

How to write a Case Study

Case studies tend to be short – between 500-1000 words.

In general, aim for three to five pages, and use one image per page at most. Case studies adopt a soft-sell approach.

How to Structure your Case Study

There are three sections to a case study.

1. Problem
2. Implementation
3. Results

The ‘problem’ section has to have a punch. In other words, it has to signify something to the person who reads it, something that they are able to relate to.
Focus on how the topic impacts the reader.

Demonstrate how your product resolved the business problem. The more explicit the case study, the more successful it will be.

Highlight the Benefits

Answer: how the solution, or service, addresses an issue.

Be careful here, as the whole case study is built in the region of this single issue.

Don’t dilute the case study by addressing more than the single issue – stick to one area and show how you can resolve the issue in measurable and proven terms.

Reduce Barriers

Case study writers need to demonstrate how their solution improves the situation. For example, how does it improve a business process?

This is an excellent area to state how your product integrates into other applications. You must use your conclusion when compile the last case study document. Avoid make it too technical or using too much statistics.

Case Study – Sample Templates

Compose the statistics set out so that the person who reads be able to easily grasp them and then memorize them later on.

About the Author: www.outsourcingresearchwriting.com

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

How to Write Better Case Study Documents

How to Write Better Case Study Documents

Editor — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:00:03 +0000

As mentioned earlier, a case study is a soft-sell sales document. Its role is to highlight your abilities without resorting to market-speak and sales clichés.

An effective approach to catch the reader’s attention (who is frequently a potential client) is to explore how the solution helped end-users and the target group.

How to build your case

Support your argument with direct quotes (with their names, if possible) from personnel who’ve adopted your system or use your services.

To make this work, concentrate on how the solution resolved one very specific issue and then build the case study around this.

Warning: don’t complicate the case study by addressing multiple issues; stick to one subject and explain how you solved the problem in measurable and quantifiable terms.

How to write a Case Study

How to support your case

Support your case study with statistics, figures and tables.

Areas to focus on include:

Return on Investments – how did the investment in your product pay for itself. For example, it increased productivity by 50% within 2 months. Explain how you can substantiate this; otherwise, your argument loses credibility.

Cost Containment – how does the solution help companies contain costs? This area is very important as budgets are always a sensitive issue. If you can illustrate how another company who adopted your solution saved money then you will keep the reader’s interest.

Reducing Barriers – explain how your solution improves internal operations and assists management planning. For example, how does it fit into the system workflow and business procedures? Alternately, mention how your system integrates with other applications and business critical applications.

When compiling the final draft, avoid making it too dry and overwhelming the reader with excessive figures. Rather, keep the tone light, easy-to-read while highlighting the key points.

Remember: case studies that oversell themselves by proposing to solve all problems to all people don’t work. No-one believes such claims.

How to refine your case study

Perfecting your case study takes hard work. But, once you refine the words and polish the edges, you have a very powerful marketing tool.

Indeed, those who download your Case Study will keep it on file and use it as a reference.

Case Study – Sample Templates

Once this occurs, the reader sees you as a credible, trustworthy and reliable source of information, the type of company people want to do business with.

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

How Many Hours Per Week Do You Spend Writing?

Editor — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:28:48 +0000

How much time do you spend working every week? I don’t mean being in the office, but actually working. You have 37.5 hours every week, but how much is actually spent doing what you’re paid to do? When I say working I mean developing real outputs (e.g. content); this includes illustrations, diagrams, publishing etc – whatever goes into the final deliverable.

Christine, my former manager, kept a record of all the tasks she did during the week. Here’s a breakdown of how much time was actually spent writing.

Writing – 15 hours (includes all writing tasks, such as release notes, developing videos, converting material from Word to FrameMaker and screen capture work)
Email – 12 hours (includes correspondence to programmers, team members, sales, customers, mgt)
Project Management – 6 hours (includes status reports, scheduling, document distribution & include feedback etc)
Timesheets – 45 min (including revisions that need to be made so we can bill the customer correctly and allocate resources to the correct ‘bucket’)
Internal Meetings – 6 hours (Mon & Fri office meetings, Tech Publishing Thursday meeting & meetings with HR (assessments) and project coordination meetings with Development)
Customer meetings – 4-10 hours (this includes conference calls, status reports, emergencies, monthly conf calls with global depts, and project handovers. Mostly status updates)
Travel – 6 hours (i.e. to customer sites or downtown to our HQ)

Total – 43-49 hours (50+ if you add in the travel)

Does this surprise you?

Less than 15 hours (30% approx) was spent on documentation. The rest was sucked up with email and meetings. While there are ways to reduce time spent on these, other areas are outside her control.

5 Mandatory Tasks

She has to:

Go to customer sites
Submit Status Reports
Attend conference calls
Deliver updates
Create documentation

There is no wiggle room there.

How about you?

How much time do you spend actually doing what you want to do? How do you stop others from wasting your time and pulling you away from your goals?

Posted via email from Technical Writing Tips

9 Business Proposals Format, Style and Presentation Tips

Editor — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:44:00 +0000

Last week we looked at how to format your Business Proposal, use a Style Guide, select the right type of font, language and writing style to impress the proposal evaluation team. Let’s look at other ways you can improve your next Business Proposal or Grant application.

1. Proofreading

Always proofread your proposal not once but several times.

As you do this, look at the:

Content – does your proposal have enough substance? Are your ideas complete?
Structure – is the bid organized in a logical manner? Are all facts and figures accurate? Are ideas expressed clearly? Is the proposal design visually appealing?
Format – are words spelled correctly, especially proper names? Are all numbers and computations accurate? Are sentences grammatically correct, including subject-verb agreement? Are sentences punctuated properly?

2. Editing

Revise, reduce, and rearrange where necessary.

Rewrite to improve the transitions between sections and chapters.
Are all the major pieces of the proposal in the proper order?
Does your bid look attractive?
Is it readable?

3. Headings

Use headings and subheadings that mirror the structure of the Request For Proposal. Headings and subheadings re-enforce the main ideas and the organization of your proposal to the reader.

4. Lists

Use list to break up text and make the document easier on the eye. Also:

Use a numbered list when items need to be examined in a specific sequence.
Use a bulleted list when items are all equally important.
Lists convey a sense of immediacy.

5. Margins

A ragged margin is easier to read than one that is right justified because the proportional spacing slows readability. It is easier for the reader’s eye to track from the end of one line to the beginning of the next line when the right-hand margins are jagged.

6. Page Numbering

Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center of the pages of your proposal.

Do not number the first page!

7. Bold Type

Use bold type to emphasize key words, avoid overemphasis.

8. Font

Consider using serif typefaces for the text of your proposal and sans serif typefaces for titles and headings.

Note: Serif typefaces such as Times Roman are easier to read.

Sans serif typefaces such as Arial are ideal for titles and headings because they stand out from the body of the text.

9. White Space

Use white space to break up passages of text. White space makes your proposal appear inviting and user-friendly. Judicious use of white space breaks your proposal into smaller, manageable chunks of information making it easier for the readers to move through your document and find the relevant information.

What other mistakes do we need to avoid when creating Business Proposals and Grant applications?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides business proposal writing tips, tutorials, and templates on the Proposal Writing Course every week. Get his free proposal writing newsletter here.

Business Proposals: How to Write Costs For RFPs

Editor — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:16:00 +0000

Having difficult getting started with the Budget and Costs section in your Business Proposal? The purpose of the Budget is to give more than just a statement of proposed expenditures; it is an alternate way of showing, for example, the fluctuations that may arise depending on how the scope of work may change or if new requirements are added to the list of deliverables.

Business Proposal – Sample Budget Guidelines

In essence, your budget is as much a credibility statement as your project narrative. Key Budget questions to answer?

Does your budget:

Provide sufficient resources to carry out your project?
Include a budget narrative that justifies major budget categories?
Present the budget in the format desired by the sponsor?
Provide sufficient detail so the reviewer can understand how various budget items were calculated?
Relate budget items to project objectives?

Business Proposal – How to Write Budgets and Costs

Make sure your calculations are exact. For example, instead of writing,

travel = $324

be more specific and write:

local mileage for project director, 100/mi/mo @ .27/mi x 12 mos. = $324.

Indicate the name, location, and date.

In multiyear budgets, allow for yearly increases such as inflation. If the project will occur in phases, identify the costs associated with each phase.

Business Proposal – Mistakes to Avoid with Costs

Include a budget narrative immediately following your budget to explain or justify unusual expenditure items, even if the sponsor does not require one.

Ultimately, it shows how well you’ve estimated the time and effort required to complete this project. Budgets that are too low cast doubt on your planning skills and ability to gauge the amount of work involved.

What other mistakes should we avoid?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides business proposal writing tips, tutorials, and templates on the Proposal Writing Course every week. Get his free proposal writing newsletter here.

How to Write Headlines, Summaries and Abstracts For Business Proposals

Why The Table of Contents Is The Heart of Your Business Proposal?

Editor — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 13:43:31 +0000

This is Part 1 of a 20 part series on writing Business Proposals. What we’ll look in this course is how to get started, format the proposal, and submit it. Once we’ve done this, we’ll look at how to improve your chances of getting the bid accepted, for example, by giving presentations to the Assessors. I’ll also show you how to improve your business writing techniques.

And before you say I HATE GRAMMAR, I can guarantee you it’s not about grammar.

Ok, some parts will be, but they’ll be painless.

Instead I’ll show you how to use psychological tricks to get into the reviewers mind. To close the gap between what they need and what you offer. It’s very interesting. If you want to stay one step ahead of me, read Chip and Dan Heath’s Switch. That will get you started.

Example of Consultancy Proposal

There are different types of business proposals. Each type has its own requirements.

In this course, I’ll look at how to write a consultancy proposal and how to avoid the most common mistakes proposal writers make.

For example, this will be of use to government agencies or other bodies that want to procure the services of a consultancy firm, such as an advertising agency, Public Relations or Recruitment firm or another type of company that provides specialist services.
This type of proposal differs from contracts where, for example, you want to use a specific product, piece of equipment or have very exact specifications in mind.
In a proposal for Consultancy Services, you want to determine the most appropriate firm based on their expertise and capacity of deliver based on your needs.

Define the Table of Contents First

To get started, I will create a table of contents for each of the main sections and then drill-down into each sub-section.

Here is the table of contents:

1. Introduction
2. Supervision
3. Deliverables
4. Consultation – Meetings schedule
5. Reports & Presentations
6. Programme
7. Award Criteria
8. Information to be submitted
9. Fee Proposal
10. Conflict of Interest
11. Terms of appointment
12. Ownership of Documents and Copyright
13. Termination of appointment
14. Dispute Resolution
15. Tax Clearance Certificate
16. Withholding Tax
17. Professional Indemnity
18. Confidentiality
19. Submission of proposal

That’s it for today. No homework! You get the weekend off.

In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to write the Introduction.

About the Author: Ivan Walsh is a Proposal Writer who develops Business Proposal Plans. He also shares Business Planning Strategies on IvanWalsh.com. Follow him on Twitter & Facebook.

How to Analyze the Buyer’s Mindset When Writing Proposals

Editor — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:58:14 +0000

One of the most difficult challenges for any Proposal Writer is to figure out what the buyer is really interested in. Is it cost? Is it value-for-money? Is it innovation? Maybe it’s a combination of factors. Think of each RFP as a set of requirements that you, the bidder, have to answer for your proposal to be reviewed.

How to Analyze the Buyer’s Mindset When Writing Proposals

Let consider the following scenario:

“As the RFP’s author, with a significant stake in the project’s success, I am very anxious that I could select the wrong partner and jeopardize both my own position and also the agency that I represent.

It is for this reason that you, as a prospective contractor, need to convince me that you possess the ability to address both my immediate (and long-term) requirements as captured in the RFP and also those that I may have overlooked or omitted, for whatever reason.

Therefore, when you respond to my RFP, it is imperative that you answer every point in the document correctly but also consider the possibility that there are areas to need to be explored for this project to succeed.”

In the competitive world of government contracting, it is not enough to merely answer the requirements as set out in the RFP.

You have to go much further than this; to win this contract you need to convince me that you understand WHY I have prepared this RFP and are sensitive to my needs, both spoken and unspoken, during this project.

After all, I am expecting that your expertise will uncover areas that I have overlooked and you can resolve these without exploiting me financially.

Most proposals that an RFP evaluation team receive are very similar in tone, content, style, and cost.

For the most part, they are dull, formulaic, and repetitive.

Almost all are congested with jaded business clichés, the buzzword of the month, and resort to pseudo-jargon whenever possible.

Though I have years of experience in my industry sector, the proposal’s authors frequently speak down to me, avoid the key ‘pain points’ highlighted in our RFP and attempt to impress me with new technologies, many of which they have not even implemented themselves.

In short, despite what their executive summary may profess, they make no real effort to understand my needs and even worse, don’t appear to grasp the urgency behind this proposal nor the months of effort my team put into it. It feels that we were simply another proposal on their lengthy to-do list.

Question: Do you know how a proposal is typically evaluated in your country?

If not, contact your national procurement agency and ask for the guidelines on proposal evaluation. If none are available, contact the government agency who issued the RFP and ask if they have guidelines. You can do this either before you submit your proposal or during the clarification stages.

With this in mind, if you sincerely want to win my business, you need to differentiate your proposal from the rest of the pack as otherwise they are politely refused. Future submissions from your company will not be anticipated with much enthusiasm.

So, if you acknowledge this and want to raise the profile of your submissions, consider the following.

Identify the individuals in my team who will ‘buy’ this project.

After all, I don’t make the final decision on my own. On the contrary, I will consult with my colleagues through-out the entire procurement process.

Making an impression involves analyzing the buyer’s interests. In other words, you need to consider what types of buyers are involved in the procurement process and then write your proposal around their needs. For example:

Technical

What does the technical buyer look for?

Is it a track record of similar deployments or is s/he interested in a particular skill-set?
This person’s role is to screen out technologies that do not align with their strategy.
It’s also to determine if you really have the expertise you claim you have.

This person(s) may be in the business for many years and could be (read: will be) suspicious when dealing with unproven consultants. S/he has been burnt before and does not want to engage another ‘cowboy’ who will ruin their project.

How do you prove you are trustworthy?

Finances

What is the financial controller interested in?

This person will have the final word on the project’s go-ahead.
They are solely concerned with the bottom line and how you will impact their profit margin. This person is afraid that you will exploit grey areas in the contract to your advantage, such as forcing the project into extended change control and accumulating additional man days.

How do you reduce these fears?

They will ask colleagues (i.e. due diligence) to get an idea of how you operate and will listen to those who have worked with you. If you are new in town, they may make them more nervous as you could potentially disappear in mid-project or prove to be a totally unsuitable match.

Operations

How does your proposal go down with the Operation buyer?

This person will work with your team on a daily basis and could be concerned with ‘rumors’ that you will try to bully or intimidate staff during projects. Some consultancies come with a very tarnished name!
This person is concerned that s/he may be excluded from the project’s success or blamed if it fails. After your team has left, this person will have to use the solution that you will have implemented. Remember: one reason you are being contracted is because this person’s team do not have the skills to implement the solution by themselves – this area can be a very sensitive!
Now that we know that there is a ‘team’ of buyers, each of whom may have a different appreciation of your proposal, you need to prepare all communications with this in mind.
The buyers know that their proposal is not perfect and that there are gaps, inconsistencies, and errors in its construction. But they expect you to accept this and patiently help them to remedy the situation.

What I’m emphasizing here is that you need to build trust with us, the buyers, and unless you have a physiological profile of us in mind, your proposal will probably miss the mark.

You see, we have never met face to face. You don’t even know my name. But, I may know quite a lot about you – and some of what I’ve heard may not be very nice.

If you take this on board, your proposal needs to go to great length to assuage these fears and demonstrate repeatedly that you are not just going through the motions with this bid but have a very compelling argument that will justify us in awarding you with this business.

Profiling the buyers

Keeping in mind that we are a team of buyers, you need to prepare profiles for each role. You won’t get it 100% right the first time, but you will definitely be moving in the right direction while your competitors are laboriously cranking out the same ‘boiler-plate’ proposal as per usual.

To understand the buyers:

Classify the team members based on their role and estimate their input (i.e. influence) into the final approval.
Define each member as a buying type. Note that some buyers may have more that one role, e.g. the CTO may have a role in the technical evaluation and signing off the project budget.

For each buyer, identify their fears, hopes, anxieties and what they would consider to be major success factors.

Put these in a matrix and cross-reference this when evaluating your own proposal. Apply weights and values if appropriate.

Once you have completed this task, the next

step is to write your response with these buyers in mind. Remember: you are not writing to an anonymous disembodied entity – there is a very real person examining your proposal.

With these profiles at hand, you can blend into your proposal all those points that answer all the unspoken requirements not laid out in the proposal.

Warren Buffet Guide to Plain English Business Writing

Warren Buffet Guide to Plain English Business Writing

Editor — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:32:00 +0000

“For more than forty years, I’ve studied the documents that public companies file. Too often, I’ve been unable to decipher just what is being said or, worse yet, had to conclude that nothing was being said. If corporate lawyers and their clients follow the advice in this handbook, my life is going to become much easier. “ Warren Buffet

In the late 90s, I found the Plain Language writing technique almost by accident. It’s also called Plain English, by the way. I was reading a lot about Warren Buffet a few years back and came across a nice, short document he wrote for the SEC. These are the folks who submit legal and business document to Wall Street when going on the stock exchanges. Buffet writes like he speaks. Direct, immediate and without pretension.

Ever read an annual report from Warren Buffet. Try it. Easy, isn’t it? Few successful business-people write so clearly. There is no pretension, no haughty references to obscure allusions and no strange acronyms. It’s all there in black and white. Here’s what Buffet had to say about other business writers, though,

Audience Analysis worksheets.

From the handbook:

There are several possible explanations as to why I and others sometimes stumble over an accounting note or indenture description. Maybe we simply don’t have the technical knowledge to grasp what the writer wishes to convey. Or perhaps the writer doesn’t understand what he or she is talking about. In some cases, moreover, I suspect that a less-than scrupulous issuer doesn’t want us to understand a subject it feels legally obligated to touch upon. “

He adds that “Perhaps the most common problem, however, is that a well-intentioned and informed writer simply fails to get the message across to an intelligent, interested reader. In that case, stilted jargon and complex constructions are usually the villains.”

It’s a great read and you can download it here www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf in PDF.

Write Business Proposals in clear English

So, with this in mind, I wrote this short guide to help you write Business Proposals in clear English. It explains how to prepare an business documents that readers can digest in one reading. That’s the acid test. They shouldn’t have to read them twice and three times to get the meaning. It also covers how to use Plain Language writing techniques to win more business, accelerate your tender process, and encourage staff to contribute to the overall tender process.

1. Start Early

Developing a Plain English document takes time – the first time!. For your first Plain English proposal, allow extra time to write, edit, and revise. Add more time than you would expect to your usual schedule if possible. The next time it’s easier.

2. Study the principles of Plain English

Remember: you want your request for proposal to be understood in one reading. This means you need to:

Identify your target audience i.e. Government departments.
Consider what they need to know.
Consider the technical terms they may, or may not, know.
Develop plain English writing guidelines for your staff.
Think about how to organize and format your Proposal.

3. Promote Plain English amongst your Staff

Once you’ve seen the benefits of plain English compared with other writing styles, you can promote its values to your own staff and senior management. You need to get your staff onside so that they will begin writing in this style. Likewise, you also need to convince your managers of its values and possibly funding for a training program. Explain to both camps how they will benefit. Outline a high-level roadmap with timelines for the overall program.

4. Contact an experienced proposal writer

The first time you write a plain English proposal, you may find it time-consuming and more difficult than you thought. If this is the case, you’re on the right track! Everything worthwhile is difficult the first time round – soon you will get the hang of it.

You can also approach a writing consultant, especially someone who has a proven track record of writing good, clear English.

5. Review previous Proposals and see where you can improve

Before you start writing, consider the following:

Literacy level. What level of education is required to understand the Proposal? Use the Fog Index to test your proposal’s readability.
Clarity. What parts of the Proposal are hard to understand? Are the sentences too long and complex? Does it use technical terms and acronyms that the target audience will not understand?
Organization. How easy can you find relevant information? Would the Proposal be clearer if you reordered the main sections and possibly the sub-sections within it? Does the table of contents and index need sharpening? Are there too many/too few levels of information in the TOC.
Repetition. Is the same information repeated in several sections? Does it have any real benefit?
Headings. Should the headings be re-written in the form of questions that each section answers?
Format. Do you need to add more bullet-point lists? Put keywords in bold? Use more white space?

6. Create an outline to help readers find information faster

One very effective writing style is to write headings as questions,which each section answers. If you include sub-sections, use a numbered outline format (e.g. 1.2, 1.3) for the section headings. This helps the reader find the main sections quickly and see the relationship among subsections.

7. Write the RFP, section by section, using plain language techniques

If some sections are hard to write, read them aloud and see where they are difficult to understand. Go through the document section by section.

Write the first draft of key sections first, and then work on the inside sections. Once you’ve written these, refine the text by editing each section tightly. However, make sure your text does not become too cold and dry. Write as if you were speaking to a colleague whom you respect; this often helps control the tone of the document.

8. Review and Revise

Once you’ve finished the first draft, get it reviewed internally by colleagues who can add value to the review process. Don’t choose colleagues who are too close to the Proposal, as they will not see errors. Instead, get a neutral reviewer if possible. After getting the feedback, make the required edits.

If possible, ask volunteers from the target population to review the draft Proposal. Ask them if they can locate information easily. When interviewing ask open questions and you will get a better response.

Avoid closed questions, such as, is this a great RFP? Most will say Yes, just to please you – and make you go away!

Ask how much they could read in one sitting. Again, revise as needed.

9. Create an easy-to-read format

Format the document to make it easy to read and attractive in presentation. If you have time, prepare a template that can be re-used for all future RFP’s. This will reduce the time spend on preparing the document.

Leave a blank line between paragraphs
Use bulleted lists
Highlight main points with bold and italics
Use boxes for examples
Use white space generously
Include margins of at least one inch all around the page
Use two (2) columns to increase readability, if practical

Use several different type sizes for headings. In many documents, the headings are in San Serif font (i.e. Verdana) and the body is in a Serif font (e.g. Times New Roman). Use a contrast in style to add emphasis.

10. Get feedback – and share it

Lastly, see if the Proposal works! Ask the external reviewers how they felt using the ‘new’ plain English Proposal. Get feedback from personnel involved in the review process and collate it for distribution.

Did they find that the plain English Proposal made a better application?
Was it easier to write the application, and what made the most difference?
What worked and what needs more refinement.

Summarize what you learned and share this information with colleagues. Encourage them to try writing plain English Proposals.

Track Your Proposal Wins

Keep a record of all the Proposals written in plain English and see if their success rate is higher than the previous styles of writing. There are more great writing resources are at: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the popular Business Planning Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com. Follow him on Twitter @ivanwalsh

PS: The Audience Analysis Template is here.

How to Fix Corrupt & Damaged Microsoft Word Documents – Part 2

Editor — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:23:00 +0000

Post by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on Twitter.

Last week we showed you how Bullet Lists can crash MS Word. We outlined some techniques to reduce the file size, mostly by creating pre-formatted bullet lists in advance. But what happens if you’re given a User Guide that’s already bloated to massive proportions. It’s too late to create new styles at this stage.

Here’s what to do.

1. Open the User Guide in Microsoft Word.

2. Cut and paste every graphic from the file into an image-editing tool, such as Snagit.

Create a naming convention, (e.g. Page1-A.gif, Page1-B.gif etc) and name each graphic using the same naming convention.

WARNING: DON’T SAVE THE FILE YET!

3. In Word, select File, Save As HTML.

Name the file with an HTML extension, e.g. Proposal.html and then close Word.

4. Re-open Word. Select File, Open and select the Proposal.html file.

5. Select File, Save As and save Proposal.html with a .doc extension, e.g. Proposal.doc.

TIP: This process of converting the Microsoft Word file into HTML and back into Word, removes unnecessary (i.e. corrupt) code in the file and will significantly reduce the file size.

6. Insert the graphic back in the correct order.

I’ve seen Word files larger than 20 MB reduced to less than 3MB in less than one minute by using this technique. Might be worth a try! The reason you don’t save the file at Step 2 is because this would trigger Word into action (e.g. I WILL now save this file etc) and as it struggles to save the oversized file, will probably crash the application.

I hoped you enjoyed these articles on fixing corrupt or damaged documents. What’s been your experience using Word?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh shares Action Plan Tips at Klariti. He also creates Business Plans for SMEs

Four-Step Strategy for Better Business Proposals

Editor — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:26:00 +0000

One of the secrets to writing successful proposals is to write the proposals backwards. Ok, I don’t mean line by line backwards. What I mean is identify the problems first and then write the proposal to address these problems. I’ve been reading Business Proposals for a client all week (I assess Business Plans and Proposals as part of my consultancy services) and found it very difficult to make a solid recommendation. Here’s the problem.

The proposals are fine.
They’re well-written.
They look good.
They have (almost) no grammar or typing errors.
Even the prices are fine.

So, what’s the problem?

Business Requirements Excel Matrix

Why Most Proposals Don’t Get Accepted

The problem is that they are offering solutions to problems we don’t actually have.

Maybe someone else does but these documents don’t address our ‘pain points’. My guess is that they read the RFP we sent out and got started pronto. But…

Did they read the RFP in detail?
Did they read out annual reports?
Did they ask to see any feasibility studies we did?

I’m not sure.

How to Write from the Client’s Perspective

One way is to step back and see how you can link your client’s strategic needs – what holds their business together – and what you have on offer. By doing this, you’re putting yourself in their shoes and writing the document so that it answers the issues they have. This actually makes your life simpler. Instead of writing about features, specifications, and other functionality you can dovetail your product offerings to their exact needs.

But…

First you need to identify their strategic needs.

Indeed, the fastest way to lose business is to write business proposals/business plan from your perspective and not that of your clients.

The second is to overlook how the proposed solution actually meets the client’s requirements.

You’d think this would be obvious, right? But many proposals I review miss this point. The proposed solution and the actual business requirements are very far apart.

Identify Strategic Goals
Your business proposal should focus on the client’s needs and how your solution or service solve their problem. This means that before you write the proposal,

You need to read the Request For Proposal, Business Cases, Annual Reports and other collateral that gives you an insight into their business operations. Ask yourself: what it is the client really wants to accomplish.

In other words, does the Request For Proposal, your solution and their Strategic Plan all connect. If not, revise your Proposal and close the gaps between their needs and your offering. Indeed, the more knowledge you have of the client’s strategic goals, and how they impact their business, the more likely your proposal will align with their needs.

How to do this?

Examine their strategic goals from these four different angles:

Business Strategy – how can you increase their market share; raise profitability; reduce overhead and marketing the product line.
Technical Strategy – how does your product automate labor-intensive processes, enhance quality with automated machining.
Social Strategy – in what way can you enhance employee morale, reduce turnover, increase brand recognition, and change consumer attitudes.
Personal Strategy – and how can you improve career development opportunities and improve employee issues.

Look at the material you have gathered about the client and

Identify
List
Number and
Rank

the strategic goals.

Revise the Business Proposal so that it addresses each of these strategic goals.

How to Prioritize Strategic Goals

I use an Excel spreadsheet (matrix) to captures the requirements in one column and then cross-references it against our products key features. You can develop something similar that allows you to map your technical solution against their Request For Proposal or other business documents.

In next week’s article, I will look at how to identify the client’s strategic goals. Once you have identified these, you can fine-tune your Proposal to match these goals.

Conclusion

The cardinal mistake that many novice business writers make is to focus on their product – and assume that the reader will have the time, patience and interest to read their material. This is forgivable when someone is charged up and wants to get the message out. And it works to a degree. The message is sent out but does anyone likes what they read? And will they be so patient the next time?

Over to you.

How can we improve this? Where do you see the connection between Request For Proposals and identifying Strategic Goals? Also, what other points should business writers bear in mind when developing their Business Proposals?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the Business Plan Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/ivanwalsh

PS: The Business Plan Template is here.

Kate Winslet’s 7 Smart Ways to Read Business Proposals

How Tai Chi Will Make You a Proposal Writer

Editor — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:06:00 +0000

Post written by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on twitter

I spend 10 hours a day writing proposals, business reports and other documents. One of the hazards of working these long hours is migraine, back pain and (literally) a pain in the neck. You can get away with this in your 20s, but as you get older you need to take greater care of your health. I really hate jogging (: and looked for an alternative form of exercise. I found Tai Chi. Here’s what happened.

The Tai Chi Guide to Proposal Writing

I start work at 6 a.m. most days. By 12am I’m ready for a break. Usually I walk along the canal or hit the gym. But, it gets a bit monotonous. All those thread-mills pounding along. And no-one ever looks happy in the gym. All so serious – fight the flab!

My local gym (we’re in Beijing) offer Tai Chi classes every Thursday. So, why not? Along I went.

Now, I’m pretty sporty and have done yoga, dancing and other such activities.

How hard can it be?

It is really hard.

No, really, really hard.

What’s difficult is the simplicity of the whole thing

If you tighten up, get tense, or start to get negative, then you’ll lose your footing and look a bit of a clown. Luckily, our teacher (it’s a group class) is very calm and shepherds us along. Bit by bit we got there.

Remember all of this is in Chinese – and you know more Chinese than I do!

At a certain point, I felt defeated. Despite my best efforts, I could not get it.

Also, I’m left-handed (first excuse!) so I ended up doing all the steps back to front, backwards and upside down. It really was crushing but I kept a brave face and went on.

By the way, all the others were ladies — and no-one spoke a word of English. Let’s say I soon became light entertainment.

Why not?

But then it clicked.

I did a few turns, swayed this way and completed a small routine. A minor triumph. After that I went home and re-started on my technical writing.

So, did this improve your user guides?

Yes.

Tai Chi makes you:

1. Stop your mind.

For this I am very grateful. It’s so difficult at first, you have to just stop thinking and ‘feel’ how it works.

2. Eat less

I noticed that after I finish, I tend to eat a smaller lunch, maybe a salad and feel more calm. Not sedated, Calm.

3. Sleep better

I try to do 10 min at night when junior is in bed. It seems to slow down the machine. Thoughts, worries, deadlines melt away.

4. Less time-wasting

The lesson is about 45 min every Thursday, so I gave up a few other activities. In real terms, it meant less time on Facebook, social media sites, checking email and other time-killers.

Once you stop doing these things, you realize how pointless they really are – or for me anyway.

5. Better results

This is the real test, isn’t it? When you sleep well as night, eat better, feel calm, are in less pain, and waste less time twittering with some jezebel, then you’re output is bound to improve.

How about you?

What do you do to take care of your health? Do you find Tai Chi, Yoga, or other such activities really make a difference?

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