Reviewed Jul 08 M Rhodes The Consultants Guide To Proposal Writing Wiley ISBN: 0-471-2491-24917-3 Author: Herman Holtz

Overview Proposal writing is key to the survival of most service providers and consultants, particularly those that operate in the Public or Government domain. Holtz has provided some clear guidance on the writing of proposals in a well structured and easy to read book. He presents a number of formats that are sufficiently flexible as to be considered as a template for most proposals and also adds some interesting comments on writing style and presentation. On some occasions he does seem to drift around the issue he is presenting but overall this is a highly germane book and should be considered as a solid grounding by consultants and business development staff alike. Chapter 1 An Orientation in Proposals Clients want proposals for a number of reasons: To establish is a consultant is able to solve the problem To establish the technical and professional capabilities of the consultant To demonstrate an understanding of the problem To investigate the problem with little or no initial outlay To allow a degree of competition before down selecting or choosing a consult A proposal should therefore meet all of these needs in a clear and structured format. Holtz suggests format along the lines of: Introduction Discussion of the Assignment Requirements Analysis Approach suggested Proposed Project Project organisation Plan Procedures Resources required Deliverables Time lines Qualification Staff resume Current and recent projects Resources available Annexes

The bottom line remains that the proposal itself is a unique sales opportunity. Chapter 2 What It Takes to Write a Good Proposal The key to writing a good proposal is to council your client clearly and honestly. This requires tact and skill. Holtz has identified the following skills as key to winning contracts: Marketing and sales skill Analytical and creative skills Subject matter expertise Writing skills There are some common mistakes that proposal writers make: Aggressive / Defensive Proposals dont make bold claims with caveats or have escape clauses if you fail to complete the task successfully. Loud Claims Proposal Avoid a sales pitch rather than a substantive address of the problem particularly if you do not offer a viable solution. Me too Proposal There is no point in arguing that we can do it too! if you dont offer another compelling reason to choose you. Unsure of the Requirement Proposal it is a poor consultancy that suggests we can do some really good work, perhaps it fits your needs when a key role of consultants is to help identify the needs. Whatever it is we can do it Proposal an approach that offers a whatever you want, we can do it and provide a great performance solution is rarely credible. Canned solution Proposal One size rarely fits all, so make sure you tailor you proposal and your solution to the problem you have identified. The client will have both Needs and Wants that have to be addressed (although not necessarily delivered) Whatever the proposal relates to however, the writing needs to be accurate, brief, relevant and be clear about how the solution meets the clients Wants and Needs. Often this is expressed poorly so you will need to: Study the need and decide if it needs to be redefined for the clients sake Accept the definition and identify how it can be satisfied The proposal you offer is only better than the others if the customer decides it is better, therefore it is more a matter of selling your solution to the client rather than just meeting the Wants and Needs. Innovation is often good, but visionary may cause the client to perceive too much risk. There is always a tendency to resist new ideas so be careful about how many you put in! Chapter 3 The Development of Effective Strategies

Holtz suggests that there are 2 broad strategies: 1. For small contracts Pursue a direct award 2. For large contracts Pursue an invitation for best and final offer A true win strategy anticipates the likely number of phases that need to be completed before success. A face-face presentation has the advantage is that you can tailor the proposal on the fly to the level of understanding that the client demonstrates. Too technical and you can slow the pace or decrease the detail, too trivial and you can drill down into the detail. You also have the verbal and non verbal cues that give you an indication how interested the client actually is. The main point is to have a Win Strategy, a sharply focused approach that reflects the likely buying decision approach of the client. The 4 strategy types Holtz suggests are: Technical or programme strategy A deeply technical and programmatic outline of contained to demonstrate of the problem will be solved. Cost Strategy Rarely the sole consideration, but sufficiently important that you can focus on this by being the lowest bidder that meets the need. Competitive Strategy From the clients perspective, Proposal Quality is the same as Consultant Quality, so the quality of your offering reflects your prowess as a consultant. Presentation Strategy The proposal as a sales presentation which meets the need but with a marketers impact and flair. Sometimes, a client may not fully understand the scope of the problem and a clever proposal can assist the client and attract the contract. Consider: A modification of the Statement of Work to reflect the true problem Demonstrating unusually splendid qualifications in your team Persuade the client to see extra benefit in your solution Sell a better approach than the request suggests Sell a unique resource you have Alert the client to project risks and hazards Convince the client that costs above your bid are wasted and unnecessary Some clients move toward a positive outcome such as a cost saving or improved output, whereas others clients move away from pain such as the financial impact of delay. The main point is to know your clients needs and emotional responses and write to those factors, emphasizing how your strengths will meet all of these factors. Chapter 4 Some Basics of Sales and Marketing In this chapter Holtz discusses the basics of marketing. Help the customer identify their needs and then highlight how your service benefits them by addressing that need. This requires: A demonstration that you understand the clients need A believable promise that you can address that perceived need Evidence that you can deliver on that promise

Evidence that you are dependable and trustworthy

Chapter 5 Gathering Market Intelligence The content of your proposal will reflect your knowledge, judgement, analysis and creative imagination, but it must also reflect robust market analysis. Typical sources of this information are: The request for proposal document itself Fact finding conversations with client Other client materials, reports, publications and brochures Open source information Experience, knowledge and judgement Your proposal library and files Analysis of the requirement and related research Chapter 6 In the Beginning Holtz suggests that the most common cause of failure in consulting is failure to market effectively. Marketing requires a consistent continuous effort. Proposals are part of the consultants marketing approach so knowing when to bid and not to bid is crucial. The bid/no bid decision requires some consideration. Holtz suggests a number of criteria to consider when making this decision: Estimated probability of a win Estimated value Estimate effort in preparation of bid Your strengths compared to the need Your weaknesses compared to the need Arguments for and against Any additional factors You can increase you likelihood of success by: Receiving as many opportunities as you can. This builds your knowledge of requests and allows you to be more selective. Watch the market and maximise your market intelligence. Build a proposal library Check for possibilities of follow-on work with current clients Keep in touch with your current clients Preparation is essential. You need to: Define your major objective Identify your approach Develop your grand strategy Prepare an outline Chapter 7 Program Design Proposals are normally in response to a request for a custom or bespoke service and key to this is the delivery of programme that gives value. Holtz uses the function of Value = Utility / Cost

The key is to create utility for minimal cost. It is common for consultants to try to increase value by adding functions and features. This may not be the best policy as unnecessary frills confuse the issue and can be perceived as unprofessional. A better approach is to consider the whole life cycle costs. These include: Initial outlay and purchase costs Operating costs Maintenance Costs This can impact proposal strategies particularly those that focus on cost. Through life costs can appear expensive to the client. Chapter 8 Writing, Communication, and Persuasion The words and language structures that are used in the proposal can make or break the bid. The language needs to be clear, persuasive and reflect a true understanding of the wants and needs of the client. Credibility is important as clients will garner confidence for a proposal that outlines successes in a similar project. However, it is important to avoid using hyperbole that oversell your experience and pervious performance. Rarely is a project completed in magnificent or sensational fashion. It is not always necessary to repeat information that is public knowledge or remembered from previous projects that you have undertaken or this client. You should present just enough information to refresh the clients memory and then move on. Some clients will want to see quantified data. This may be a test of you analytical skill or as an indicator of the magnitude of the task at hand. Precision can be important as an estimate of 97 man days is more convincing than 100 man days. Holts suggests that some proposals fail to impress because: The proposal shows too little understanding of the problem giving the indication that you have done too little analysis. Insufficient research has been completed and there is insufficient information for the proposal to be compared with the task. You appear insufficiently experienced or knowledgeable about the task. The proposal offers your solution (perhaps a boilerplate solution) rather than meeting the clients needs. The plan is poor despite having all the essential elements. The proposal is inconsistent and only meets part of the requirement. To ensure that your proposal meets the needs of the client, you need to fully understand the Request for Proposal, discuss the requirement with the client and then ensure that you weight the elements of your proposal to meet the marking scheme for the proposals tendered. In the final draft, ensure you focus on word choice and readability.

Chapter 9 Special Presentation Guides and Strategies Any presentation strategy needs to: Focus attention on the main sales strategy Capture reader attention Generate and sustain interest Make it easy for the client to understand everything Inspire professional respect Be believable Be persuasive Holtz also suggests the following generic headline format: Section 1: Introduction Brief introduction of you Understanding of the requirement Section 2: Discussion The requirement Analysis Approach Section 3: Proposed Project Organisation Management Plans and Procedures Staff Deliverable Items Schedules Resume(s) Section 4: Qualifications and experience Relevant current and recent projects Resources References Testimonials Section 5: Miscellaneous Annexes Appendices This format is only for guidance and should be altered to meet the needs of the bidder and the clients request. Chapter 10 - Graphics Graphics are a useful addition to a proposal. Communicating with images can be far better than words could and also adding a visual balance to the overall document. It is important to ensure that the graphic used is relevant and clear to the main argument and supports the proposal rather than distracting the reader.

Beware the use of clipart as this can look unprofessional and focus on graphics that support the image you are trying to present. Chapter 11 The Executive Summary (and Other Front Matter) The executive summary can be the most important element of the whole proposal. It should achieve 2 things: Capture the reader by giving the information essential to understand the issue but be tantalising enough to compel the reader into the completing the document Present a sufficiently clear and informative prcis such that an executive can read it and have enough knowledge to make a decision to proceed or not. The importance that Holtz places on the Executive Summary is reflected in the fact that he spends an entire chapter on the topic. His key points are: Rewriting is essential to ensure you have the best possible document that is dynamic, well organised and with no excessive words Cut down the length, about 3.6% as a general guide Chapter 12 Common Problems and Ideas for Solutions Holtz presents a few common problems including: How can small consultancies deal with larger projects? How can I cope with limited bidding experience? How should I package the document? How professional do I have to be? Do I need to be incorporated? Holtz does make some suggestions here, but as these questions are more wide ranging than just proposal writing and Holtz present his views which may not meet a specific business strategy or model. Chapter 13 Miscellaneous Important Information for Proposal Writing In this chapter, Holtz presents a simple analysis of how a number of different consultancies have measured their success in proposal writing / Contract signing and some of the communications aspects considered. Given the diversity of respondent business and metrics used for the questionnaire that Holtz developed, there is little value in this chapter other than to state that you need to measure your own success rate to ensure you get the relevant feedback to improve your proposal writing. Conclusion Overall, this guide does provide an easy to read how-to/reference for problem solving in proposal writing. Anyone involved in proposal writing or considering the role of an independent consultant should certainly read this book. The book is sufficiently nonspecific as to be applicable to most business domains, but the need to understand your

particular customer and the specific requirements is essential for successful proposal writing. 4/5