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The
invitation to write a proposal is a milestone in the sales cycle—an
opportunity to get one step closer to a client and a new project.
The
best proposal is one you don't have to write. Tip the competitive scales in
your favor and try to eliminate the proposal process altogether. A
competitive field reduces the odds of landing the business, so sidestep that
challenge, if possible.
It's
less costly for you to write a letter confirming your services than
to prepare a formal document proposing your services. Consultants
rarely ask clients to award them the business without a formal proposal, so
distinguish yourself and ask whether you can start the work using a letter
of confirmation. What do you have to lose?
A
confirmation letter differs from a proposal in that it describes
specifically what you will do, not what you are proposing to do. The
confirmation letter will describe the objective, scope, schedule, fees and
results. But since it's not subject to competitive bidding, many other
elements of a proposal may not be needed, such as a long list of
qualifications, case studies and detailed descriptions of your firm. Most
importantly, the confirmation letter approach ends the sales cycle in your
favor. So…
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Explain
to clients why they also benefit from skipping the competitive proposal
process.
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Point
out that the consultant selection process takes their time and attention
away from their business.
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Stress
that you have the skills to get the job done, and that the longer the
process takes, the more it costs them and delays the resolution of their
problems.
In
one case, a client asked a consultant how to create a better process for
communication between the client's engineering and manufacturing
departments. The client intended to ask three other firms the same question
and then solicit proposals.
Armed
only with a white board and a marker, the first consultant led a three-hour
discussion with the client team; that discussion dug out the real problem
between the two groups, worked through a potential plan for creating the
results the client needed and proposed a schedule.
At
the end of the meeting, the consultant asked for 24 hours to solidify the
work of the group and prepare a letter confirming the work. The client
agreed and awarded the work to the consultant the very next day, without a
competitive bidding process.
If
consultants have done their homework in qualifying the project and the
client, a request to confirm the project should seem natural. You have
nothing to lose in showing the client exactly what you can do and then
asking for the work. In the worst case, the client will say no.
Twelve
Tips
For
those times that drafting a proposal is inevitable, here are some things to
keep in mind.
A
public relations consultant once sent a proposal to a client for the design
of a small PR campaign that was to be a test for additional campaigns in the
future. The firm presented a beautifully packaged proposal with a
description of their qualifications, their understanding of the project and
their approach to completing the work.
After
reviewing the proposal, the client noticed that the document footer showed a
different client name, and in several places in the proposal the previous
client's name was also used. The client threw the proposal in the round
file.
To
avoid this fate, follow a few guidelines before you send proposals to
clients:
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Create
a powerful, but concise executive summary.
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Focus
on results, which matter more than methods and processes. Clients buy
methods and approaches only when they know you can deliver results.
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Be
generous with your ideas; don't hoard them. Show clients how
innovatively you think.
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The
length of the proposal doesn't win, but quality does. Projects are not
awarded because proposals pass a weight test.
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The
proposal content must be about the client, not the consultant. Take a
back seat and focus on how you will solve problems.
-
Your
liberal use of "best practices" will label you as uncreative.
Find the blend of outstanding practices and innovative solutions that
fit your client's needs, not answers that worked for someone else.
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Accuracy
is essential. Validate all data and double-check to make sure it's right
before you present it.
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Sweat
every small proposal detail, watch for typos, use high-quality materials
and make sure the right people receive the proposal on time.
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Rewrite
your resume for every proposal. Highlight the skills in your resume that
demonstrate your qualifications. Your boilerplate resume is rarely up to
the task.
-
Let
your proposal sit for a day and then reread it completely before sending
it out.
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Let
your personality shine through your proposals. Give clients a sense of
the firm and your style of working.
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Don't
let your proposal claims outdistance your true capabilities. Write an
honest proposal, or you'll pay dearly in the future with blown budgets
and unhappy clients.
The
consulting proposal is a necessary evil. A great proposal can be decisive in
winning a project; a poor one can cause you to lose a project, even if
everything else in the sales process has gone flawlessly. Use these
guidelines to a write a killer proposal every time.
Written by Michael W. McLaughlin -
coauthor, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerrilla Marketing for
Consultants.
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