Dateline: 06/1/97

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Proposals are the critical point in the selling process where the client is won or lost. And now that professional firms have had some experience making formal proposals for a number of years, many firms are finding that their "boiler plate" proposals are meeting stiff competition. What used to be adequate is no longer good enough to win even minor engagements. This feature will focus on a few things you can do to improve your proposal process and increase your share of "luck." I've added a few helpful links at the bottom.

Designate a proposal guru for your office. There is typically at least one partner who has participated in a number of the firm's most significant opportunities. Make the guru available to proposal teams to provide shortcuts, insight, tips, pointers, and general guidance for those less experienced.

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Establish a proposal resource center. Create a conference room, an empty office, a cubicle or even a corner to be a central proposal resource. It's not necessary for every proposal team to reinvent the wheel. Centralize your resources! The proposal center should have things like:

• copies of past written proposals and presentations
• copies of other firms' proposals
• a text database or handbook of prewritten descriptions of your most commonly cited services, expertise, publications and firm statistics
• any forms, checklists or graphic guidelines typically used in proposal opportunities
  copies of biographies (photos optional) of all partners and managers, updated at least annually
• an up-to-date list of all personnel in the office and their billing rates
• standardized information about the firm, such as client service philosophy, peer review, litigation record, listing of office locations
• a supply of any brochures, article reprints typically presented with proposals
• a list of all the firm's services with a contact person's name and phone extension
• examples of distinctive features that can differentiate your firm from others
• client testimonial quotes or letters that may be reproduced in proposals

If your firm uses group ware like Lotus Notes or information databases like Telemagic or an electronic bulletin board system, much of this information should be available electronically, which prevents the need to retype. You may want to put a computer workstation in your proposal resource area for this purpose.

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Evaluate each opportunity and make a distinct "Go" or "No-Go" decision. It's always flattering to be asked, and no one likes to turn away work. Chasing small and inappropriate proposal opportunities, however, is a waste of valuable professional time that could be used serving clients or prospecting for more suitable new clients. There can be valid business reasons to take work that doesn't fit the firm's profile--for example, a charitable organization whose Board consists of top community leaders, an entrepreneur that you want to gamble on, or a political favor. Just be sure that firm management agrees it's work you want to pursue.

Research the prospective client before you present a proposal. Perform at least rudimentary client acceptance procedures before you submit a fee and get accepted. It's awkward and embarrassing for everyone if you have to leave the bride standing at the altar.

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Determine (before you propose) the absolute minimum you would be willing to do the work for, even if a competitor offers to do it for free. Everyone loves a bargain, but most clients don't expect you to give away your time for nothing. They will respect you for knowing the value of your time and experience and for expecting to be compensated for it.

Ask open-ended questions and get the prospect to talk. You'll learn more by listening than by talking. If you are doing most of the talking, the meeting is not going well. You probably need to tell them less about your firm than you think. Get right to the issues that are on the prospect's mind and show them that you have solutions.

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Determine what it will take to win, define it in a single phrase, and communicate
it to the entire team. Let the "win" strategy be your mantram in all the work you do on the proposal and in every meeting you have with the prospect. Drive home that key message during the proposal process, and you will greatly improve your chances.

Be persuasive, in your words and in your documents. Claims and promises don't hold any water. Any firm can say "We have the best..." "We have the most..." "We are the biggest..."  And everyone does. What persuades and convinces the prospect is when you back up your claims with proof. If you claim something in one sentence, the next sentence should demonstrate how or why that claim is true. Proof, not promises.

Jefferson was right. There's a lot of work in luck because you have to prepare. However great or small your firm's resources, focus on those aspects that will give you the most impact for the amount you have to spend on business development. If you keep your focus on giving each prospect what will help them resolve their immediate need, you'll increase your chances of winning, and start the new relationship on a sound footing.

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There are few resources for information on business-to-business proposals, and there are even fewer for professional services firms. Here are a few. Watch this site for a useful listing of books on proposals and other topics that will interest you. I'm developing it now. In my own proposal book, I go into a lot more detail about how to strategize proposal efforts and improve your chances of winning. What proposal resources have been helpful to you? Please send me the links and I'll add them to the site.

In a few weeks, we will return to proposals and discuss Successful Oral Presentations and Client Meetings.

Next week's topic:
Personal Marketing Techniques--Success Without Feeling Foolish.

Take a look here for more information:

Tips for New Business Proposals
Practical tips to help accountants and lawyers strategize proposals for new business opportunities.

Winning Proposals: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Proposal Process
Everything you need to know about persuasive business-to-business proposals--written for professional services firms.

Proposal Manager's Guide
Everything you need to know about government contract proposals.

The Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing
One of many writing guides by Herman Holtz.

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Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian (kvivian@cloud9.net).  All rights reserved.  Permission to reprint is granted provided this article is not altered and the copyright notice remains attached