How can you determine the appropriate level of detail in a proposal?

Aqui estamos falando sobre uma habilidade dificílima se ser ensinada que se chama comunica??o. A base da comunica??o pressup?e 3 elementos: emissor, mensagem e receptor. De nada adianta construir uma mensagem fantástica que n?o seja compreensível pelo seu interlocutor. Quando criamos uma apresenta??o ou qualquer outra forma de nos comunicarmos, tendemos a pensar muito na mensagem em si, e pouco no ouvinte do outro lado, e menos ainda no contexto na qual será comunicada, item este que é importantíssimo na tomada de decis?o sobre qualquer apresenta??o. Elementos como tempo disponível, local (virtual, físico, reuni?o, evento, palestra, etc) s?o indispensáveis na cria??o de um discurso de valor.

Knowing your audience is primarily the most important touchpoint while answering an RFP. Stakeholder mapping is one of the key elements while responding to a proposal. Formulating a proposal response is about telling a story that has a direct impact on your audience and influences them to even grasp the minute details of the response. Bringing out business benefits both short term and long term will definitely add value.

Research, research, research. If you are just pumping out generic presentations expect to fail. Figure out how your businesses align, how you can adapt to their tone of voice. Company reports for public business are a treasure trove of information, as are their websites and socials. An hour of desktop work will step change your proposal 50%, throw in some networking and effective questioning and you’re doubling your success rate!

?? Understanding the target audience is crucial when crafting a proposal. Different stakeholders have varying needs. A technical decision-maker seeks data and specifications, while a financial decision-maker prioritizes numbers and benefits. Adaptation is essential: a general manager prefers a summary and a clear call to action, while a project manager looks for a timeline and scope. However, the key lies in adaptation without losing the necessary standardization to create a structured value proposition. Researching their roles, goals, and decision criteria helps adjust language and format to meet their expectations. This customization is the key to success in presenting proposals.

Perfectly understanding your audience is key in crafting a winning proposal. Start by identifying the decision-maker and the client's target market. Gain a deep understanding of your client's current situation, challenges, and reasons for seeking your assistance. Your proposal should then paint a vivid picture of how your services will transition them from their current 'pain point' state to a future 'desired' state. Ask insightful questions to drill down to the root cause of their issues, and ensure your proposal directly addresses each of these. By demonstrating your grasp of their problems and offering clear solutions, you increase the odds of winning the proposal.

?? We tend to consider the proposal as the most crucial stage; however, the prior value creation is equally important. Understanding the various stages of the sales funnel is valuable knowledge for precise proposal development. Strictly adhering to client guidelines is crucial when drafting proposals, covering format, length, structure, content, and deadlines. Adhering to these guidelines reflects commitment to client expectations. Any deviation may undermine credibility and trust. It’s essential to clarify all doubts about the guidelines with the client before starting.

The second step to finding the right level of detail is to follow any guidelines or requirements that the client has provided for the proposal. These may include the format, length, structure, content, and deadline of the proposal. You should adhere to these guidelines as closely as possible, as they reflect the client's expectations and preferences. If you deviate from the guidelines, you may risk losing credibility, professionalism, or trust. If you have any questions or doubts about the guidelines, you should clarify them with the client before you start writing.

Follow client guidelines closely for format, length, structure, and content. Adhere to deadlines to maintain professionalism and trust. Seek clarification on any unclear points before starting, ensuring your proposal aligns with the client's expectations.

Following the guidelines or "answering the mail" is a critical success factor. If the writer can't follow the guidelines, they risk, at minimum, frustrating the evaluator and at most, being disqualified from the competition. Failing to follow the guidelines also sends a subtle message to the customer. It could indicate to them that you will not be easy to work with if you are win the competition. It could also be seen as a sign of arrogance. Play it safe, and comply with all guidelines.

I agree with you 100%. I have seen a lot of proposals written with assumptions of what should be done rather than what is being asked for. The answer is “we’ve done this a long time, we know what is required” and then don’t understand when they don’t win the opportunity.

Nothing is more important to your customer than their customer. Accept the fact that they generally don't care how you solve their problem, just that their problem is solved. Focus on identifying their most important requirements during the sales process so you can weave them into proposal messages and winning themes. Try to identify one or two benefits that are differentiators; benefits that are important to them, that only you can provide.

? Balancing the benefits and features of a solution is crucial. Benefits represent the outcomes your solution will bring, while features are its characteristics. Benefits, more persuasive, showcase how your solution will solve the client’s problem. Features are informative, detailing how the solution works. Following the ‘Feature - Advantage - Benefit (FAB)’ framework is essential. Present a feature, highlight its advantage for the customer, and provide examples to support it, following the logic of ‘They, us, fit, and prove.

The third step to finding the right level of detail is to balance the benefits and the features of your solution. Benefits are the outcomes or results that your solution will deliver to the client, while features are the attributes or characteristics of your solution. Benefits are more persuasive and appealing than features, as they show how your solution will solve the client's problem or meet their needs. Features are more informative and descriptive than benefits, as they show how your solution works or what it consists of. To balance the benefits and the features, you should follow the formula of "feature + benefit + proof". This means that you should state a feature of your solution, explain how it will benefit.

Every client buys a solution, not your expertise. We consultants need to respect that we are merely a problem fixer, like a plumber, an electrician or car mechanic, only difference is we articulate without physical assets involved. End of the day — the client just wants the problem fixed, not to understand the intricate path the solution takes in great detail.

A proposal is the opportunity to show the client how our solution can solve their pain points. We must take advantage of the space, starting from each characteristic of the product, present its benefits, examples of use and show the client from their business perspective how our proposal translates into a solution.

A wise colleague of mine used to ask - "will a tired procurement team member be able to skim this and still understand at 10pm on a Sunday?" A picture really paints 1,000 words in this sense. Well-chosen graphics should illustrate and summarise your bid so details can be quickly understood. A picture of a proof grabs attention and invites a closer look. Appendices allow longer items or more technical details to be optional and avoid diluting your message. Combine all of them with good writing to balance the level of detail in your bid - helping readers of all backgrounds to understand your offer.

A wordy proposal risks losing the audience's attention. The more you know about presenting your ideas effectively, the higher your chances of a winning result. Visuals, strategic sections, and clear design are all critical components. Focus on scannable content, In today's fast-paced world, many people prefer to scan, not read. Compelling visuals help them grasp key information quickly. Ensure your sections, topics, and information flow are logical, clear, and relevant to keep them engaged. By incorporating these elements, you can craft a powerful proposal that grabs attention, communicates effectively, and increases your chances of success.

The fourth step to finding the right level of detail is to use visuals and appendices to supplement your text. Visuals, such as graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, or images, can help you convey complex or large amounts of information in a concise and clear way. They can also make your proposal more attractive and engaging for your reader. Appendices, such as case studies, testimonials, references, or samples, can help you provide additional or supporting information that may not fit in the main body of your proposal. They can also help you showcase your credibility and experience. To use visuals and appendices effectively, you should make sure that they are relevant, accurate, and easy to understand.

Being visually appealing in a presentation is crucial for engagement, clarity, and memorability. Well-designed visuals simplify complex information, emphasize key points, and convey messages more effectively than text alone. A visually polished presentation reflects professionalism and captures attention, preventing audience fatigue. Visuals also transcend language barriers, making them a universal means of communication. In summary, combining visual elements with well-crafted content enhances the overall impact and effectiveness of a presentation.

As much as adding visuals is a good idea, it must not be done to compensate for lack of substance by adding some secondary data reported in data sources in Google. Stay relevant and stay relatable at all times. Graphics and appendices are necessities to build a strong case for your argument, not easy plucks for filling spaces.

Obtaining feedback on a proposal is invaluable for increasing the proposal's effectiveness. It offers insights into strengths and weaknesses, allowing for a refined tone and allowing you to actually address the potential concerns of your prospects. Customer feedback enables a targeted and customized approach, demonstrating a commitment to meeting specific needs. This continuous feedback helps build strong relationships with customers from the get-go and ensures that the sales approach stays flexible and successful through time.

Validating the proposal by other colleagues or specialists, especially financial or from roles other than technical, will give a higher success rate to a detailed and accurate proposal. In many cases, we take some clarifications as obvious and another perspective will allow us to close this gap.

The fifth step to finding the right level of detail is to get feedback and revise your proposal before you submit it. Feedback can help you identify any gaps, errors, or inconsistencies in your proposal, and improve its clarity, readability, and persuasiveness. You can get feedback from different sources, such as your colleagues, your manager, your mentor, or a professional editor. You should ask them to review your proposal from the perspective of your audience, and to give you constructive and specific suggestions on how to improve it. You should also revise your proposal based on the feedback, and make sure that it is polished, proofread, and formatted properly.

This is one of the most important ones, as when we do a detailed plan/proposal, human tendency is to overlook something, miss a typo or just get something wrong. I always do a proposal and review it the next day page to page while in the bathroom or before sleeping, and then send to client. Sometimes I get a colleague who is super sharp to do this for me. Certainly helps.

Success leaves clues. What's worked in the past for similar organisations or individuals for successful proposals. What made them work and can you adapt your current proposal to reflect the elements that got them across the line.

The sixth step to finding the right level of detail is to follow up and learn from your proposal. After you submit your proposal, you should follow up with the client to confirm that they have received it, to answer any questions they may have, and to reiterate your value proposition and your interest in working with them. You should also ask them for feedback on your proposal, and how it compares to other proposals they have received. You should use this feedback to learn from your strengths and weaknesses, and to improve your future proposals. You should also thank the client for their time and consideration, and maintain a positive and professional relationship with them until they make their decision.

Following up and learning from a presentation is crucial for improvement. Feedback helps refine communication skills and tailor future presentations for better audience engagement. Evaluating effectiveness identifies what works well and what needs enhancement. Continuous learning from each presentation contributes to ongoing professional development and confidence building. Building relationships with attendees strengthens connections and adapts future presentations to audience needs.

A proposal should contain your must haves; hardware, software, licenses, amounts, services, estimated hours, exclusions, assumptions, and pricing with a cover letter and Executive Summary that overviews what you are proposing. Keep it simple then set up a review with your prospect or client.

Determining the appropriate level of detail in a proposal is a delicate balance. Tailor the depth of information to the audience, providing enough detail for clarity without overwhelming them. Understand the specific requirements of the project and align the proposal with the client's expectations. Focus on key value propositions, benefits, and outcomes while providing sufficient supporting details. Use a structured format with clear sections for easy navigation. Regularly review and refine the proposal to ensure it aligns with evolving project dynamics. By customizing the level of detail to the needs and preferences of the audience, a proposal becomes a compelling and digestible document that effectively communicates the proposed solution.

Some simple tips to follow are: 1. Gather all inputs before you attack the proposal - reference documents, any available guidelines etc 2. Create a clear summary and outline the decision that you are seeking upfront so there is no ambiguity on the outcome expected 3. Lay out the rest of the proposal by answering queries that the recipient will need answers to, to approve or reject the recommendations. 4. Essentially write the proposal now from what you want to say, but rather from the perspective of what the recipient would like to read Once you can deliver the above as succiently as possible you will get the outcome that you are seeking.

For any proposal the level of specificity should be equal to the outcomes desired - for complex proposals don’t be afraid to split into areas but always sense check or qualify the intended communication is being received as you want the message to be

??Understanding Total Value of Ownership (TVO) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is critical. In my experience, this approach not only establishes credibility but also nurtures mutual commitment and trust between parties. TVO delves into the comprehensive benefits of a solution, beyond just monetary aspects, while TCO assesses all expenses from acquisition to ongoing maintenance. TVO uncovers holistic solution benefits, including qualitative gains, as TCO evaluates total financial costs, encompassing initial investments and recurring expenses. Balancing TVO and TCO is pivotal for informed decisions. This enables a thorough evaluation, considering both gains and actual costs, facilitating informed choices beyond a mere financial standpoint

Pour des propositions percutantes, je recommande une approche en 2 volets?: - Un résumé visuel et accessible mettant en avant les principaux éléments de valeur pour le client - Une annexe technique détaillée pour les aspects plus complexes (solution, méthodologie, spécifications, etc.) Ainsi, on s'adapte au type de lecture privilégié par chaque décideur, qu'il préfère un survol rapide ou une analyse approfondie. La clé: capter tous les lecteurs en offrant le bon niveau de détails au bon endroit!