INFORMATION

The best way to communicate informatively is to use the pattern taught in journalism classes.Start with the fact or set of facts that is more important to the reader.In journalism,there is often who, what, when, where, why, and how? Then go to the next most important fact. Then the third level of importance. The fourth, the fifth, and so on, until there is nothing left to say. The challenge in writing informatively is to figure out which fact is most important to the reader. The most common mistakes are writing chronologically,usually leads to wordiness, or starting with facts that matter to the writer but not to the reader ,which usually leads to confusion of false emphasis.

Move out of the Comfort Zone to Persuade Effectively

we have to move away from the kind of writing that's easy for us(factual, technical) and into the style that's effective(persuasive,clear), as Figure 4-1 shows. So let's distinguish among the primary reasons people write in a business setting and look at how those different purposes require different approaches. When people present facts that other people need to do their jobs, they're to inform. The goal of informative writing is to be concise and accurate. The focus should be on transferring the information quickly and easily. The communication fails if the reader does not undastand the facts or, worse yet, misunderstands them. When people present facts that other people need to do their jobs, they're to inform. The goal of informative writing is to be concise and accurate. The focus should be on transferring the information quickly and easily. The communication fails if the reader does not undastand the facts or, worse yet, misunderstands them.

The Structure of Persuasion

Most people are comfortable providing information. That's a writing or speaking task you probably feel good about. Evaluations are a little tougher for most of us, and if they involve touchy material, as a performance appraisal might, we may actually dread doing them. However, for the majority of people, persuasive writing is by far the most difficult communication task. It involves a step-level increase in complexity and difficulty over what the other types of communication require. Most people are comfortable providing information. That's a writing or speaking task you probably feel good about. Evaluations are a little tougher for most of us, and if they involve touchy material, as a performance appraisal might, we may actually dread doing them. However, for the majority of people, persuasive writing is by far the most difficult communication task. It involves a step-level increase in complexity and difficulty over what the other types of communication require. Unfortunately, when we're short of time or feel uncertain about our readiness to proceed, we're likely to revert to the type of writing we find easiest. For most writers, that's presenting information, usually to an audience that's about as knowledgeable on the subject as we are. For prposals, that's a lethal combination. Factual information presented at a high level of technical expertise not only doesn't persuade, but may actually alienate the reader.

Emphasize your differentiators and explain how they add value for the customer

You have to read the previous post to follow suit. Third, find out what kind of outcome the key decision maker thinks is most important for his or her company. Is it increased revenue? Regulatory compliance? Elimination of downtime? Whatever the customer thinks is important defines the value proposition. If we provide the right information in the right way, one that corresponds to the processes our customers use to make decisions, our chances of winning business will soar. And, after all, winning business is what writing proposals is all about.

How can we help them use the estimation heuristic to our advantage?

The fact is that when people are making decisions on behalf of a group, they instinctively want to make a decision that gives their organization the best possible ROI. They'll even buy something more expensive and complex if they're convinced it's the best choice for their company. How can we help them use the estimation heuristic to our advantage? First, every proposal should include calculations and graphic displays of ROI, total cost of ownership, payback period, productivity improvements, speed of delivery, or other measures of gain. Second, provide your decision maker with case studies that show how other customers got big rewards from selecting your products or services. Quantify the impact your solutions had for those customers whenever possible.

These Researchers even went so far as to calculate the Calories

The experts who contributed to Simple Heuristics have come up with an answer. Their research suggests that one of the built-in decision heuristics people use is an innate capacity to calculate the "rate of return" for their efforts, particularly as they pertain to the group as a whole. In other words, hunting or a whale or a wooly mammoth has a bigger ROI for the tribe than hunting a Rabbit does. These researchers even went so far as to calculate the Calories required to kill a whale compared to the Calories the community will get from that animal, then calculated the Calories expended versus the Calories obtained for other prey. The result:The whale was by far the best investment of the tribe's energies. Leave a comment and also follow my blog.

Estimating the Rate of Return

For thousands of years,the Inuit people of Alaska and Canada have hunted whales as their primary source of food. They go out into the ocean in small boats, and pound on drums and the side of their boats to drive the whales toward shore(whales have very sensitive hearing, you know). Then, when the whales are in shallow water, they attack and kill them. Now they use harpoon guns and more advanced weapons, but they used to do it with little more than spears. Now why on earth would they do that? There are much simpler and less dangerous game they could hunt-geese,rabbits,seals,walruses even. They could fish. Why go after the largest, most powerful mammal on earth? For that matter, why did primitive humans hunt mastodons? We've all seen the "artist' recreations" of a tribe of scantily clad Neanderthals surrounding a wooly mammoth the size of a beachfront condo,attacking it with little more than sharpened sticks. Okay. So why did they do that? Why not pick on something your own size?

Highlight your proposal

It is a good idea to highlight your proposal so the customer can quickly find the high-value content that directly addresses the factors he or she thinks are important. For proactive opportunities, customers tend to search on their own key criteria until they find a differentiator. Then they stop and make a decision. This implies that it's vital that we organize our sales presentations and proposals to focus right away on the criteria that the customer thinks are most important. Often, these factors will address issues such as: # 1. Are we getting what we need? Does this solve a significant business problem? Will the proposed solution work in our environment? # 2. Can this vendor really do it? Do they have the experience and resources to perform on time and on budget? Are they competent? # 3. Does this represent good value for the money? Is the proposed pricing fair? What kind of return on our investment will we receive? Don't forget to post your comment.

What does this mean for our sales effort? Answer #3

we need to differentiate between opportunities where we are acting to the customer's request for a proposal and opportunities where we are offering a solution proactively. When we submit a proposal in response to an RFP, we must recognize that our first job is to avoid elimination based on some arbitrary or trivial issue. That means following directions carefully, answering all of the questions and requirements, and making our compliance to the bid as obvious as possible. An effective tool in this area is the compliance matrix, a table in which you list each of the client's requirements, give your level of compliance with that requirement, and possibly offer a brief comment or explanation.

What does this mean for our sales efforts? Answer #2

We can uncover the decision criteria of our prospects rather simply. We just have to ask:
#1 "When you compare different vendors, what is the most important factor for you in choosing one?" #2 "The last time you made this kind of decision, what factors did you use to guide your decision? What did you look for? Did that work for you?" So the second answer according to the title says: This technique opens up opportunities for us to help the decision maker during the sales process. An inexperienced or a naïve customer may take a simplistic approach, looking only at price. By using the sales process to educate the buyer, we can introduce other factors beyond price that may be more helpful to the buyer in making a good decision and that may give us more of a competitive position. Follow my blog. Welcome once again!