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HOW TO PREPARE A PROPOSAL Developing A Winning Proposal
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Page 1: How To Prepare A Proposal

HOW TO PREPARE A PROPOSALDeveloping A Winning Proposal

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Outline• What is the proposal and how to get

started planning• Marketing, analyzing, designing,

estimating and publishing the proposal• Sample proposal outline and contents• Final Checklist

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Your Company IntroductionDeveloping your commercial

• In one minute or less tell us briefly:

• Tell us what you do?• Give us one benefit

statement (why?)• End with your Name

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What is a Proposal?

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• A proposal is a plan of action for fulfilling a need.• Basically, it is a sales document that responds to the needs of

someone else.• It is a written document describing in detail the work to be

performed and provides the reader/evaluator adequate information to make an informed purchasing decision.

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Why use a Proposal?

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When a customer enters the market for making a purchase he/she aims at making a best purchase of the product or to opt for the best business deal that gives best investment to him as a return. It is for this reason a marketer needs to prepare a business proposal in a professional manner.

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Getting Started• The first thing you will need to do is to gather the documentation

for the proposal’s six planning steps. • 1. Marketing• 2. Analyzing and making bid decision• 3. Planning• 4. Designing, when applicable• 5. Estimating/Pricing• 6. Publishing the proposal• The data-gathering process makes the actual writing much easier. • The planning stage is a good time to focus your key people on the

mission of the company, available resources, and the project's overall value to the organization.

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What is Marketing? To make a communication about a product

or service a purpose of which is to encourage recipients of the communication to purchase or use the product or service.

MARKETING – The techniques used to attract, build confidence and persuade potential customers.

What are you marketing?You are marketing/selling solutions. Your proposal should illustrate how your company understands and provides the solution to the evaluators problem.

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Marketing the company to the evaluator

• Marketing plays an important role in writing a proposal and building the case for the Company’s capabilities to perform the project.

• Be proactive in marketing. • The proposer should determine if their company is truly

able to do the job better than anyone else. If the answer is yes, state your case in writing.

• Next step: develop or review the company’s vision, goals, objectives, and strategic plans.

• A successful proposal is a win-win situation for the proposer and the purchaser. Talk about what the purchaser’s agency will gain.

• All throughout the proposal market your company. What's in it for them? Why is your company the best choice for

the project?

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PROACTIVE MARKETING TAKES TIME

Make a contact and follow upDevelop a plan of action for your 8 to 12 contacts;

• Thank You Card or Letter• Confirmation Letter• Follow up telephone call• Company fact sheet or a capability

statement• Media articles-A collection of editorial

about a person, the product, or the company.

• Develop a sales pitch: Why should the agencies choose your company. Something more than price and quality.

• PORTFOLIO – A large, bound volume containing samples of past work and used to promote business.

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Analyzing• What is the key to success?

“one word: customizing” if you don’t address the specific needs of the purchaser, you’re wasting your time.

• Only through analyzing the customers basic needs can you prepare a proposal stating your company’s capability to perform the required work.

• The purchaser may need you to convince their higher ups that the project is necessary. Present your proposal as the solution to the specific problem.

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• Public sector purchasers are accountable to the public, which affects how they scrutinize proposals. Generally, experience is more important to the selection. The audience for a public proposal is not just the evaluator, but the general public.

• When presenting your analysis always talk the language of benefit.

• Can you respond quickly with a quality product or service? How can you demonstrate this?

• A part of your analysis should be considering if the proposal is profitable for your company.

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Planning• Army Five P’s; proper planning

prevents poor performance.• Companies that plan, schedule

meticulously and test prior to work implementation ensure that the work activities will be profitable and beneficial to all.

• In your planning process consider yourself in a contest, focused on how you’re going to tip the scales in your favor.

• For an evaluator that looks at proposals all day long a really good proposal is often like a breath of fresh air.

• A poor proposal will not win against a really good proposal, no matter who wrote it.

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Questions to AnswerHere are a few questions to answer when preparing the information for the proposal:

• What is your company good at? What’s your legal status? How long have you been in business?

• What is your company’s philosophy on this type of project?

• What is the nature of the project and how will it be conducted?

• How will your company respond to the timetable for the project?

• What are the anticipated outcomes and how will the required results be evaluated?

• Who are your references? What certifications do you have? Awards you have received?

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DESIGNING• The design part

of the proposal includes such items as schedules, sketches, plant layouts, work flow diagrams, scale models, mockups, ROI and prototypes.

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Estimating• Estimating is one of the most important steps.

Estimating includes forecasting (predicting) the amounts of administrative time, materials, man hours, travel and all other costs required to accomplish the job.

• You will not know all the expenses associated with the project until the project details and timing have been completely worked out.

• Thus, the main financial data gathering takes place after the master proposal has been written.

• However, at this stage you need to sketch the outlines of the budget as you go along to be sure that the costs are all accounted for.

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Publishing• This includes the organizing,

writing, editing, planning, and binding of the proposals.

• Follow the required proposal format. Proposals that do not follow format instructions are rejected.

• The emphasis should be neat, accurate, easy reading with easy references to assure the evaluator the company has the capabilities and experience to perform the work.

• The appearance and adequacy of the proposal are crucial. However, excessive proposals can show a lack of cost consciousness.

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Writing Objectives• Keep the writing simple. Proposals with clear

objectives and methods are generally the most successful.

• Avoid jargon. Also be sure to spell out the full names of any acronyms.

• Have someone proofread your proposal. A fresh set of eyes can help you identify sections that are unclear and catch typographical errors.

• Follow directions. Every year, proposals are disqualified because the writer failed to follow general format directions regarding the number of pages, appendices, fonts, spacing etc.

• Evaluators rank proposals lower when writers fail to follow instructions regarding what content goes in which section of the proposal.

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Sample Proposal OutlineWhen a format is not provided.

• Executive Summary: a short statement of your case and summary of the entire proposal; typically 1 to 2 pages.

• Statement of Need: why this project is necessary; 1 to 3 pages

• Project Description: nuts and bolts of how the project will be implemented; 2 to 5 pages

• Bid Amount/Budget: financial description of the project plus explanatory notes; 1 to 2 pages

• Organization Information: history and structure of the company; its primary activities, clientele, and services; 1 to 2 pages

• Conclusion: summary of the proposal's main points; one-page.

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The Executive Summary

The first page of the proposal is the most important section of the entire document. Here you will provide the reader with a snapshot of what is to follow. It summarizes all of the key information and is a sales document designed to convince the reader that this proposal should be considered. Be certain to include:

Problem: A brief statement of the problem or need your company has recognized and is prepared to address (one or two paragraphs);

Solution: A short description of the project, including what will take place and the benefits, how it will operate, how long it will take, and how it will be staffed (one or two paragraphs);

The organization and its expertise: a brief statement of the name, history, purpose, and activities of your company, emphasizing its capacity to carry out this proposal (one paragraph).

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The Statement of Need• Write your proposal like a sales documents.• The statement of need will enable the evaluator

to learn more about the issues and to understand the problem that the project will remedy.

• It presents the facts and evidence that support the need for the project and establishes that your company understands the problems and therefore can reasonably address them.

• You want the need section to be logical, yet persuasive. Like a good debater, you must assemble all the arguments. Then present them in a logical sequence that will readily convince the reader of their importance. As you marshal your arguments, consider the following points.

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• Demonstrate complete understanding of the stated requirement or problem.

• Be specific and direct, being vague only demonstrates that you do not understand the requirements and will create questions in the mind of the evaluator.

• Be sure the data you present are accurate. There is nothing more embarrassing than to find out your information is out of date or incorrect.

• Decide which facts or statistics best support the project and substantiate your promises with facts and details.

• Information that does not relate to the project you are presenting will cause the reader to question the entire proposal.

The Statement of Need

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Developing Your Conclusion• Every proposal should have a

concluding paragraph or two. This is a good place to call attention to the future, after the project is completed.

• If appropriate, you should outline some of the follow-up activities that might be undertaken.

• This section is also the place to make a final appeal for your company’s consideration.

• Briefly summarize what your company wants to do and why it is important.

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Finishing touchesPackaging• Cover design• Cover letter• Spell check• Gather appendix materials• Prepare table of contents,

section dividers, etc.

Production• Where and by whom will the

document be produced?

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Proposal delivery• Deliver on time.• Label the original documents

and required number of copies.• Seal the original and copies in a

package and label appropriately.• If mailing, don’t forget to check

delivery schedules.• If hand carrying, provide a

signature receipt for the delivery person.

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