Writing Winning Business Proposals: Your Guide to Landing the Client, Making the Sale, Persuading the Boss [Paperback]

Richard C. Freed (Author), Joe Romano (Author), Shervin Freed (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070219257 | ISBN-13: 978-0070219250 | Publication Date: January 1, 1995

Are your business proposals good, but perhaps not good enough? One leading management consulting firm recently lost a major project by 5 points out of 1000, one-half of one percent! With the gap between victor and also-ran so narrow, and the stakes so high, your proposal must give you every advantage. Here is the guide that will give you the edge, especially in tough times. The secret is the authors' rigorously systematic yet easy-to-learn method for creating proposals. This method has been proven to win business, especially in "complex sales" involving multiple buyers - each bringing different buying criteria to the final decision. Part One of this book shows you how to probe and present the "logics" of a proposal: the logical relationship between the potential client's current situation and desired result. You will learn to ferret out key information (often unwritten and unstated) in order to address the discrepancy between where the organization is and where it wants to be. However, because most people buy for psychological as well as logical reasons, Writing Winning Business Proposals also focuses on proposal "psychologics." Part Two shows you how to assess all members of the evaluation committee, determine their individual "hot buttons, " and craft a proposal strategy that has collective appeal. You'll discover new ways to crystallize and develop key proposal messages and themes - and thus convince decision makers that you have heard and understood the issues from their respective points of view. Part Three offers specific strategies for weaving these elements into a web of persuasion. "Just as Beethoven repeated musical themes throughout his symphonies, " the authors write, "youwant to 'play' your themes throughout your proposal." Because presentation is also crucial, there are effective techniques to help you make your writing, visuals, and page design more powerful and persuasive. To help you experience and practice the book's concepts step by step, most

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The authors, who work with A.T. Kearney and KPMG Peat Marwick, offer their particular method of training consultants to write proposals. They clearly distinguish proposals from internal reports: proposals don't have an answer but seek to sell a service to find an answer. The strengths of this title are its practicality, logical development, and detail. It points out trouble spots such as clients who don't know what they want or organizations with conflicting goals. It offers specific language for specific kinds of proposals, e.g., identify and compare for a market survey; develop and recommend for a planning project. The features that make it useful for teaching in a corporate or academic setting include reviews and summaries, checklists and worksheets, and a real-world case study. Unfortunately, like similar works, it invents its own jargon (hot buttons, PIP, SI) and takes swipes at English teachers. It is more thorough and realistic than many similar titles, however, and may be of interest to business collections and technical writing programs.?Nancy Shires, East Carolina Univ., Greenville, N.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

"Forces you to think strategically about the proposal itself before jumping in and starting to write (or worst still, resorting to the paste pot!). Should be part of every new consultant's training (and retraining of a few oldsters as well)."

"Combines psychological with logical aspects to defuse objections and answer questions before they arise. could help you to double your acceptance rate."

"...certainly the most thorough treatment of the subject that we've seen." - Jim Kennedy, Publisher, Consultants News

"Writing Winning Business Proposals deserves the attention not only of all who write proposals but also all who teach business/technical/professional writing. Certainly the best treatment of audience analysis that we have, and hands down the best treatment of proposal writing on the market. This book is required reading for teachers, writers, and executives." - Charlotte Thralls, Professor of Rhetoric, Iowa State University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 267 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Trade (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070219257
• ISBN-13: 978-0070219250
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,959,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent & Recommended Book, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Winning Business Proposals: Your Guide to Landing the Client, Making the Sale, Persuading the Boss (Paperback)

The book takes you through a step-by-step methodology for creating a business proposal. It focuses on meeting the clients needs to create a winning proposal. It lacks a convincing example that could go with the current market requirements.The templates for creating the proposal are a good help and I would recommend this book to new and seasoned proposal writers.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Business Book I've Read, May 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Winning Business Proposals: Your Guide to Landing the Client, Making the Sale, Persuading the Boss (Paperback)

This is an outstanding instructional on how to create effective communications, particularly with clients/customers. It is aimed at consultants, but really applies to communications broadly--whether you're presenting a proposal to a prospective client, or trying to convince your boss to give you a raise.

It takes the essence of Barbara Minto's "pyramid principle" of organization and adds to it audience evaluations, audience perspectives, and general guidance on how to make your communication well-received. It highlights common assumptions and errors on the part of any author, and truly makes a writer put him/herself in the shoes of the audience.

It's an easy read at a bargain price, and I've recommended it to everyone with whom I work. Well worth the price!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Eating Your Vegatables..., July 23, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Writing Winning Business Proposals: Your Guide to Landing the Client, Making the Sale, Persuading the Boss (Paperback)

This book is really good for you... just like eating your vegatables. Unfortunately, its not easily digested. This book provides a great method of preparing strategic proposals. The method is largely based on the Mento "Pyramid Principle" a book which is itself not an easy read (however, it is required reading at McKinsey, BCG, and other major strategy consulting firms. This fact should tell you instantly just how powerful a concept it is). However, if you're willing to hold your nose and chew slowly (I'm not willing to give up on the "eat your vegatables" analogy just yet), you and your proposals will be much more competitive. Since the book is far from an easy read, I'd suggest that you tackle it chapter-by-chapter with some time for rest and contemplation in between (divide it into "bite-sized" pieces, in other words). If you're looking for fast-food proposal fair, I'd like to suggest Robert Kantin's "Proposal Kit For Dummies" which, despite the title, is a terrific book on proposal writing for professionals -- particularly consultants. Overall grade: A-/B+.