THE WORTH OF YOUR PROPOSAL- What decision Makers look out for.

Acer Aspire AS5251-1805 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)Toshiba Satellite L645D-S4036 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop (Black)In my last article I made mention of the fact (although briefly) that a lot of the times, most proposals are rejected on the basis that they are perceived as cloned proposals. What you should add to that however is that, that is only used some of the times as a pre-screening edge. Once you are able to scale this hurdle, you face the other criteria used by decision makers in the choice of which consultant/group has the advantage over the others. 

A result of recent researches published by Oxford University Press in 2000 and called Simple Heuristics that Make Us Smart has documented for the first time, how people actually make decisions. An interdisciplinary team, based at the Max Planck Institute for human development (Berlin and Munich) and the University of Chicago published the results of extensive inquiries into the methods people use for making decisions quickly, based on Minimal amount of information.

It was discovered from these researches that these simple heuristics are the same set of decision making strategies we’ve always used since childhood, during “multiple option” examinations in our schooling years, in our personal lives and also in business. They are hard wired into our brains and also a part of our evolutionary survival package. The same decision strategies were the ones that helped our ancestors, though they never had so much survival gadgets as we do today, yet they still had to make crucial choices that helped them survive.

To determine whether people use these techniques in making Proposal related business decisions, World Renowned Consultant Tom Sant Conducted experiments for over a year in which he distributed a proposal for internet security services to groups of business professionals where he asked them to evaluate the proposal, noting the time it took them to reach a decision either for or against the offer being made in the proposal. 

To be able to properly organize our proposal for acceptance, we must get into the mind of the decision-makers. Whether you are making a 4 page service proposition or a 125 page response to an RFP, these factors should be taken into proper consideration and I shall delve into them more extensively next week.Panasonic KX-TG6545B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Digital Cordless Answering System with 5 HandsetsVtech CS6219-2 DECT 6.0 Expandable 2-Handset Cordless Phone System with Caller ID and Handset Speakerphone (CS6219-2)

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WINNING A CONTRACT- The Worth of your Proposals

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Most professionals hate writing in general and proposals in particular which makes it bad because it’s actually very hard to do something well if you hate it. Some of the very best account executives, program managers, engineers, designers and business owners that I have met cringe at the thought of having to put their thoughts on paper.
So they have this brilliant idea that will be a solution to a prospective client, or they actually have all it takes to win an RFP(Request for proposals). What should be next of course is to put their thoughts on paper, and they start to fidget and quickly they start to look out for ways to escape the task the most popular of which is what I call Proposal cloning.
Working as a Content Administrator with the National bureau of statistics, I have seen a lot of cloned proposals. What you as a consultant, do not know is the fact that Cloned proposals (where you tend to grab an electronic copy of somebody else’s proposal, go ahead to change the client’s name to that of the new prospect and then fires it off to the organization that called for an RFP) are the very first we tend to throw out of the pack or are quick to delete out of our inbox.
So you lay back and ask why my proposition is not attended to. Or you sit day after day in your office and expect the phone to ring at anytime with the call for a presentation then ask when they take too long, why haven’t they responded to our proposal?
Another approach is the “Detailed garbage” approach. The author puts together a string of case studies, documentation, product slicks among others in a bid to impress the client and sends it off painting a message that says “whatever you really need out of all these, you can layback and sort it out that is your problem!” Please note, Customers don’t want bulk, they don’t want IRRELEVANT details. And they don’t want to do more work than is necessary to get your drift.

Writing a contract winning proposal could prove to be a lot of work. I see people wince, at the thought of having to put together a lot of details that may even look tiresome. You need to bring your business side plus your psychological insights, your communication skills, and your creativity together in one package.

The value of your proposal is laden in the fact that it is the only means you have of communicating to the highest levels of your client’s organization. It represents your ideas, your product and services, and your company to these people. By creating a powerful tailor-made proposal, you cast a larger shadow. You may be tempted to ask, why do I need all these carefulness when I could easily clone another proposal or get a boilerplate? The gist is, you never know where it’ll end up! Will it be read by the Manager, the CEO, or by a committee of evaluators?
So if you think you are not up to it yourself, why not get another professional to help you out? Because writing a proposal is often the most truly professional thing you do.Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future250-cards 2x3.5 White Inkjet Business CardsAvery Printable Two-Side Clean-Edge Business Cards for Laser Printers, White, Pack of 200 (05871)

SELLING YOUR IDEA-How to write an Investor attracting Business Plan!

Writing a Convincing Business Plan (Barron's Business Library)

About five years ago, I was having a nice time with Chuks, a friend of mine that was the head of the Business Development unit of one of the banks in the town. We were just talking when our topic shifted to the drought of knowledge in our communities when it comes to business proposition he lamented at the lack of depth of all business proposals brought to him and confided in me that after reading the executive summary of most Business proposals/plans he discards them. So we eventually had to conclude that the true and real knowledge we need to succeed in life was not taught within the four walls of our Universities.


While I will believe this piece can give you creative insight into the basics of the how, my specific recommendation will be that you employ a consultant to write if it is urgent and after you’ve been writing for a while, you would have mastered how.

DON’T USE YOUR BUSINESS IDEA AS A GUNIEA PIG?

If you believe so much in the Idea you will be ready to give it whatever it takes, to make it happen!

In my years of rendering business consultancy services with various Individuals and organizations across Nigeria on various Proposals I have met with a lot of bright young men and women with big projects and divinely inspired business Ideas which I know could have been well channeled to prosperity if they had a perfect understanding of how to raise venture capital.
Against this backdrop, and many other vicissitudes of life faced by the Nigerian’s creative mind have I decide to package this write up.

(Permit me to inform you that we are working on partnership with one of the world’s best business development experts and will soon sign a deal with another of our Nigerian Consultant just to bring a proper training to you on Business Development and raising venture capital. Details out soon)

I shall also be providing you with a solid prototype/sample Business plan. Packaged by our International partner (Of course for a token) to kick start making your Idea work.

You have a creative business Idea SO WHAT?

Let me shock you by saying, that no one is tripped at the fact that you have a business Idea!
What the Investor wants to see are;
• Is it realistic?
There is nothing wrong in building castles in the air so long as you can put pillars under it! How real and earthly can you get with your business plan?
• What is the ROI?
The most popular radio station the world over is WIII FM- What is in it for me! Understand that everyone and not just you want’s to know the something that they stand to gain, how they will get it, and for how long they’ll keep getting it.
• How simple is it?
Contrary to popular belief, your business proposal should be simple enough to understand. It should be such that without you being there anyone can understand it?
Only one out of every business proposal submitted gets reviewed.

Permit me however to congratulate you; On What? On the fact that you can think and generate business Ideas I belief that is the foundation but remember in the midst of many counselors there is safety.
© 2010
Ajibade OluwaseunAnatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's FutureSuccessful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies (Successful Business Plan Secrets and Strategies)Business Plans Kit For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))