Seven questions to keep you client focused

Before you ever set pencil to paper, before your fingertips caress a single key, you should answer the following seven questions. They'll force you to develop a client-centered perspective. If you are a proposal writer who supports a field sales organization, you should ask these questions of your colleagues in sales when they submit a request for proposal that they want you to work on. Without knowing these basic aspects of the opportunity, you can't give them the best possible support. If they resist, point out to them that you don't want to undercut the work they've done during the sales process by delivering a boilerplate proposal.(If they still resist, maybe they haven't done any work during the sales process and don't know the answers. When that's the case, you should question whether or not the opportunity is "real.") SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR A CLIENT-CENTERED PROPOSAL           1.What is the client's problem or need?   2.What makes this problem worth solving? What made this need worth adressing?   3.What goals must be served by whatever action is taken?   4.Which goal has  the highest priority?   5.What products/applications/services can I offer that will solve the problem or meet the need?   6.What results are likely to follow from each of my potential recommendations?   7.Comparing these results to the customer's desired outcomes or goals, which recommendation is the best?

Don't abandon your commitment

       Vendors are invited to send in their proposals by posting them to a web site, e-mailing them, or responding in forms posted on the web. To the extent that companies are using this kind of technology to save time and money, it's helpful. But when they post a spreadsheet or a rigid form, asking potential vendors a disservice. By reducing the buying process to spreadsheet comparisons, a company treats all products and services as commodities and limits the ability of providers to offer anything creative. Differentiators disappear and calculations of ROI or value become very difficult. All the same, you may still have an opportunity to use the principles we discuss in this blog. For instance, if you are allowed to submit a cover letter with your form, turn it into an executive summary. It's not an ideal situation, but if you are forced to respond in a spreadsheet, don't abandon your commitment to communicating persuasively.

Differentiators disappear

 Remember that Different receivers will respond differently to the same message presented in a particular medium.  A decision maker who likes to study information in detail and who tends to be an introvert will prefer to base decisions on a written proposasal. A more intuitive decision maker ,by contrast, would probably glance through the details in a written proposal but rely heavily on any accompanying presentation and the overview elements. The growth of the internet and the widespread use of e-mail have spawned a trend for electronic submissions.