The Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing: How to Satisfy Your Client and Double Your Income [Hardcover]

Herman Holtz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1990

From Herman Holtz, America's foremost expert on consulting, here's a complete guide to marketing your consulting services The Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing Second Edition This updated edition has answers to all the questions that arise during the process of developing a proposal--where to begin, how it should look, what to include, and what to leave out. It emphasizes practical, "how-to" advice on.
* How to sell to the biggest customer of all, the government (see page 275)
* How to avoid some common errors in proposals (see page 22)
* Do you have to be the low bidder? (see page 131 for some surprising answers)
* How to safeguard your proposal against piracy (see page 113)
* Why clients want proposals, and what they look for in a proposal (see page 117)
* How to solve proposal production problems (see page 254)
* How other consultants devise winning strategies (see page 40)
* How to copyright your proposal--instantly and at no cost (see page 113)
* How to develop cost strategies (see page 43), technical strategies (see page 118), presentation strategies (see page 186), and competitor strategies (see page 193)
* How to find the keys to creativity (see page 138)
* How to solve the problem of page-limited proposals (see page 257)
* How to produce graphics at virtually no cost (see page 211)
* How to make the bid/no-bid analysis and decision (see page 90)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The most important skill an independent consultant can possess is skill in marketing--it shows how to write winning proposals and use them to best advantage. Incorporates new material on using a PC and available software for marketing consulting services generally and for writing proposals especially. Also discusses how the federal government, by far the largest market for consulting services, is revamping its procurement systems to increase efficiency and control.

From the Inside Flap

As a consultant, your livelihood hinges on your ability to put together coherent, concise proposals in writing. But if you’re like most consultants, you’re probably not sure where to begin or what your proposal should look like, how much information to include, or what to leave out. Written by Herman Holtz, one of today’s most successful consultants, this Second Edition of The Consultant’s Guide to Proposal Writing packs over 20 years of consulting experience into the most thorough treatment of proposal preparation ever written. It’s a complete step-by-step guide that enables you to present your expertise in the best possible light. This updated Second Edition covers:

• New information on the advantages of using desktop computers, new software, public data bases, and Fax machines
• New information on "program design" approaches to proposal writing
• Revised information on how to develop effective strategies, the basics of sales and marketing, gathering information, and using graphics

The Consultant’s Guide to Proposal Writing, Second Edition is everything you need to know to simplify one of the most difficult consulting jobs—getting the job in the first place.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (March 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471515698
• ISBN-13: 978-0471515692
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,898,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing: How to Satisfy, June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing: How to Satisfy Your Client and Double Your Income (Hardcover)

Review for the Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing: How to Satisfy Your Client And Double Your Income.

This particular book was rather helpful to me, for as a writer already, and knowing the pressures and demands (edits, edits, edits, and deadlines, deadlines, deadlines)besides pleasing the client and of course attract the attention of the desired reader---this book is a straightforward how-to on what you need to do inorder to meet and satisfy all the elements when writing a proposal.

The content and context are thorough and easy to understand and follow for someone experienced in proposal writing but also matter-of-fact enough for anyone desiring to dip into this specific field of writing. It also provides basic and general tips that apply to the nature and the art of writing in itself.

All in all this guide was as it's title suggests a how-to/reference for problem solving in proposal writing. I would suggest this to anyone that is interested in writing, and who does not want to restrict themselves to specific genres of writing, and want to make money in other lucrative sectors of the writing market as proposal writing.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Worth The Money, May 6, 2007

By 

James E. Reid "Thirst for Knowledge" (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Consultant's Guide to Proposal Writing : How to Satisfy Your Clients and Double Your Income (Hardcover)

Very Basic, and quite frankly old school. Not focused enough on Variety of Buyer Needs. Emotional, Economical, Rational etc. Do not recommend at all