Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts

ISBN-13: 9780814417850 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 288 str.

Tom Sant

Opis

Writing a winning proposal has always been an important part of sales. In recent years it has become vital. But many companies are still cranking out confusing, unpersuasive proposals and RFPs--few of which result in new clients or contracts. Now everyone can dramatically boost their success rate with the third edition of Persuasive Business Proposals. This classic guide explains how to craft compelling messages and powerful proposals that attract prospects' attention and speak to their needs. The new edition includes more valuable information than ever before, including: - Essential questions for qualifying opportunities - Ways to -power up- cover letters and executive summaries - Advice for overcoming -value paranoia- - Guidelines for incorporating proof into a proposal - Tips for winning renewal contracts. Most people find proposal writing to be tedious and time-consuming--and their documents show it. With clear instructions as well as before-and-after samples, Persuasive Business Proposals takes readers step-by-step through a highly effective process for writing customized packages that capture new business.

Spis treści

Contents

Preface

Section One: Seven Deadly Sins
1:A Good Proposal Is Hard to Find...But It's Worth Looking
2:Recognizing Reality
3:Rushing to the Exit

Section Two: A Primer on Persuasion
4:Understanding Persuasion
5:Winning by a NOSE: The Structure of Persuasion
6:Seven Magic Questions: How To Develop a Client-Centered Message
7:Why the Inuit Hunt Whales and Other Secrets ?of Customer Behavior
8:The Cicero Principle:How to Avoid Talking to Yourself in Print
9:Fluff, Guff, Geek, and Weasel: The Art of Saying What You Mean
10:Weaving Your Web: How to Pull It All Together Right from the Start

Section Three: The Art of the Part: Where to Put Your Effort
11:Letter Proposals
12: The Structure and Key Elements of Formal ?Proposals
13:Writing the Business Case
14:Recommending and Substantiating Your Solution
15:Persuasive Answers to RFP Questions
16:Presenting Evidence and Proving Your Points
17:Gathering and Tailoring Reusable Content

Section Four: How to Manage the Process Without Losing Your Sanity
18:Deal or No Deal?:Qualifying the Opportunity
19:An Overview of the Proposal Development Process
20:The Pursuit of Perfection: ?Editing Your Proposal
21:The Packaging Is Part of the Product
22:Presenting Your Proposal
23:Tracking Your Success
24:Creating a Proposal Center of Excellence
25:Special Challenges

Index

O autorze

TOM SANT is a renowned proposal consultant, whose clients range from small entrepreneurial operations to Global 500 companies, including General Electric, Microsoft, Lucent, and Accenture. He is the creator of the world's most widely used proposal automation systems, ProposalMaster and RFPMaster.