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WIN NEW CONSULTING BUSINESS:
THE FOUR KEYS TO WRITING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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MODERATOR
STEVE ARHANCET
Director of Consultant Services
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WEBINAR CONTROLS
The full screen icon
maximizes the
presentation area.
The chat box allows you
to send a question to the
presenter.
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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ABOUT SPEAKER
“America’s foremost practitioner of proposal writing”
– American Management Association
Dr. Tom Sant
• Co-founder of Hyde Park
Partners
• Over 25 years experience
• Areas of expertise: proposal
writing, presentation delivery,
communication management
• Author of 3 books
• Named ―One of the ten best
sales trainers in the world ‖ by
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
Selling Power Magazine
• tsant@hydeparkpartnerscal.com
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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THE FIRST QUESTION…
What is a
SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL?
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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THE VOICE FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM…
―ONE THAT’S DONE!‖
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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MAYBE A SLIGHTLY HIGHER STANDARD?
How about:
―ONE THAT WINS!‖
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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AND TO MAXIMIZE THE CHANCE OF WINNING?
It’s a matter of delivering
the right message
the right way.
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WHAT IT’S NOT…
Price Quote Product Spec Company History
Commodity Self-centered
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Transaction, not a solution
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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Unfortunately,
Those approaches are pretty
typical.
For example, does this look familiar?
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
13. Introductions
The Albion Team:
• Thomas Martinson – COO, EMEA
• Peter Campbell – Regional Relationship Manager
• Jim Thorslev-Slater – Regional Technical Manager EMEA
• Sallie Mae Park – Proposed Account Director
• Nigel Bentley–Transition Manager EMEA
© 2012 ALBION, Inc. All rights reserved
14. Who is Albion?
An $11 Billion Global IT services company that builds,
integrates and supports applications and infrastructures
for business and government
• More than 80,000 employees
• NYSE: ALBN- Headquartered in Liverpool, England
• 85 Offices in 50 countries
• Leader in communications infrastructure implementation and
support, government solutions, and higher education solutions
• Distributed Delivery Framework
– Domestic development centers
– IT Operations outsourcing
– Offshore development and support
• ISO 9001 certified
Global Strength, Local Touch
© 2012 ALBION, Inc. All rights reserved 14
15. Welcome to “A World of Innovation”
More than 85,000 Employees
Represented in more than 50 Countries
Provisional Revenue 2011: USD 11.5 billion
Operating Margin 2011: 8.5%
Growth 2011: 15%
Gartner Magic Quadrant 2009, 2010
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, China & Hong Kong, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark & Greenland,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA
© 2010 ALBION, Inc. All rights reserved
16. Delivering Leading Edge Solutions
Innovation leader since 1994
Over 1,000 Clients
World Class Consulting Experience
Uniquely Qualified in Service Offerings to our Clients
State of the Art Technology Solutions
16
17. Blah, blah, blahdee, blah
Me
More about me
Something else about me
Do you love me yet as much as I love me?
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HERE’S A DISTURBING FACT…
Nearly 1/3 of all sales proposals
and pitches start with the
vendor’s company history.
Why??!!
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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THE GRIM REALITY
Proposal writing is hard.
Business owners, sales people,
marketing professionals, and
proposal writers often look for a
quick way out.
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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ESCAPE ROUTE #1
Cloning previous proposals
Cutting and pasting can result in
embarrassing errors!
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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ESCAPE ROUTE # 2
―Data Dumps‖ or ―More is Better!‖
Nobody buys based on the ―thud factor.‖
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If it’s not meaningful to the customer, leave it out!
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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ESCAPE ROUTE # 3
Talking about what we know and love best.
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Focus on your prospect, not on yourself!
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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EXECUTIVES EXPECT A DIFFERENT MESSAGE
Peer-to-Peer * Outcome Oriented * Bottom-Line Focused
Information Evaluation Persuasion
Expert Comfort
Zone
Highly
informed
Somewhat
Persuasion
informed
Zone
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
Lay
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS…
1. No focus on the client’s business problems and payoffs
2. No persuasive structure
3. No clear differentiation
4. Failure to offer a compelling value proposition
5. Key points are buried--no highlights, no impact
6. Difficult to read--full of jargon, too long, too technical
7. Credibility killers--misspellings, grammar errors, wrong
client name, inconsistent formats, etc.
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
YOU COMMIT THESE SINS?
You lose.
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FOUR KEYS TO BETTER
PROPOSALS
WINNING MORE, WORKING LESS
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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1
Get a NOSE Job
2
Pack Your Case
Proposing to Win
3
Show Me the Money
4
A KISS for Luck
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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GET A N-O-S-E JOB
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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THE RIGHT NOSE CAN HELP YOU WIN
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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STRUCTURE IS THE SECRET
TO MAXIMIZE YOUR
CHANCE OF WINNING
Present the right information
Present it in the right order
Create the right impression
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE “RIGHT ORDER”?
Consciousness is intentional.
We focus on finding specific content, depending
on our purpose:
• Getting the facts we need
• Obtaining an expert opinion
• Making a decision
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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The Persuasive Paradigm
THE STRUCTURE OF PERSUASION
•N
Needs: The customer’s key business needs, problems,
issues, pains, or opportunities: the drivers behind the deal.
•O
Outcomes: The positive impact that will come from meeting
those needs: the motivation to move forward.
•S
Solution: A recommendation for a product or service that will
solve the problem and deliver the outcomes
•E
Evidence: Proof you can do the job on time and on budget:
your differentiators.
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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PACK YOUR CASE
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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OUR JOB…
Create a specific, client-centered
business case
that answers the client’s three most important questions:
Am I getting what I need?
Is it good value?
Can they really do it?
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE THEY TRUST
CxR
T =
S
Where:
T = trust
C = credibility
R = rapport
S = risk of self-serving
behavior
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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SELLING ON TRUST
CxR
T =
S
Where:
T = trust
C = credibility
R = rapport
S = risk of self-serving
behavior
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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SELLING ON TRUST
CxR
T =
S
Where:
T = trust
C = credibility
R = rapport
S = risk of self-serving
behavior
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WHY DO RAPPORT AND
CLIENT FOCUS MATTER?
The Primacy Principle
The Principle of First Impressions
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WHAT KIND OF FIRST
IMPRESSION ARE YOU MAKING?
• Title— ―Proposal‖
• Initial focus?
• Your name or the client’s?
• Are you pushing a product or
“Don’t waste my time with proposing a solution?
a bunch of boilerplate!”
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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SEVEN CLIENT-CENTERED QUESTIONS
1. Client’s problem, issues?
2. Why is it a problem?
3. Desired outcomes?
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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FOUR AREAS OF GOALS
Business / Financial
Budgetary compliance Personal goals
Profit improvement
Downsizing
Mergers / acquisitions
Market share
Reduced risk
Better clinical outcomes
Social goals
Technical /
Internal
infrastructure goals - Improve morale
Introducing best - Reduce absenteeism
practices - Decrease turnover
Adding flexibility External
Improving QC - Gain public support
- Win approval
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- Enhance recognition
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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SEVEN CLIENT-CENTERED QUESTIONS
1. Client’s problem, issues? 5. Potential solutions?
2. Why is it a problem? 6. Probable results?
3. Desired outcomes? 7. Why are we the right
4. Most important? choice?
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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SHOW ME THE MONEY!
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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FACT: WITHOUT VALUE,
WINNING IS JUST LUCK.
You must establish superior value
based on technical, contractual, managerial, quality, or
service differentiators,
Or the customer will choose based on
PRICE
or may choose to do
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
NOTHING
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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SMART BUYERS DO LOOK
FOR POSITIVE IMPACT
• Revenue generation
• Operational efficiency
• Reliability of mission-critical operations
• Quality
• Worker productivity
• Customer satisfaction
• Regulatory compliance
• And other key performance indicators
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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THE VALUE PROPOSITION
(Values - Costs) > (Valuea - Costa)
Where:
Values = the value of your offering
Costs = the cost of your offering
Valuea = the value of the next best alternative
Costa = the cost of the next best alternative
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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FOUR PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE VALUE
1. Make sure the client cares
2. Measure it
3. Picture it
4. Link it to your differentiators
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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COMMUNICATING VALUE THAT HAS VALUE
Differentiators Proof
What you do that Verifiable claims
no one else you make about
does. yourself.
What you do Value Claims your clients
differently from Proposition make about you.
anyone else. Third-party
evidence.
Value That Has Value.
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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A KISS FOR LUCK
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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KISS: KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE
The first principle of persuasive writing:
Do not confuse the reader.
Live by the “first time right” rule.
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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FOUR PSEUDO-LANGUAGES TO AVOID
Fluff
Guff
Geek
Weasel
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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Fluff:
1. Grandiose claims
2. Vague generalities
3. Clichés
4. No proof
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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FORGET THE FLUFF!
Here are a few examples….
Anything look familiar?
World class High performance
Best of breed Synergy
Leading edge User friendly
State of the art Integrated
Quality focused Partnership
Uniquely qualified Seamless
Innovative Robust
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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Guff.
Guff:
1. Long sentences
2. Too many big words
3. Too much passive
voice
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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Geek:
1. Disregard for the
audience
2. Overuse of jargon and
acronyms
3. A focus on technical
details instead of
business fit or impact
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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AVOID THE WEASEL!
Weasel:
1. Unnecessary use of
weasel words
2. Hyperqualification of
every statement
3. Passive voice
4. Subjunctive
constructions
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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WEASEL WORDS
―can be‖
―might‖
―helps‖
―could‖
―may be‖
―enable‖
―allow‖
―up to‖
―like‖
―virtually‖
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
―significantly‖
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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Fi ve ways to a chieve clarity:
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Five ways to achieve clarity:
1. Short sentences
2. Short words
3. Passive voice ≤ 10%
4. Readability index ≤ 10
5. Minimal jargon and acronyms
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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LET YOUR WORD
PROCESSOR DO THE WORK
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©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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1. Short sentences
Average
sentence
length
15 to 17 words per sentence is a good average
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sentence length.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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2. Short words
Average
word length
in characters
5 characters or less means your words probably
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aren’t too long.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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3. Passive voice ≤ 10%
Percentage of
passive voice
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Keep passive voice below 10%.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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4. Readability level ≤ 10
Readability
Scores
Aim for a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
of 10 or less.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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5. Minimal Jargon and Acronyms
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
Ask your mum.
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IN SUMMARY…
1
Get a NOSE Job
2
Pack Your Case
Proposing to Win
3
Show Me the Money
4
A KISS for Luck
©2012 MBO Partners Inc.
©2012 Tom Sant. All Rights Reserved.
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