How do you research and analyze to support your proposal?

1 Identify your purpose and goals

The first step is to clarify why you are proposing your idea and what you want to achieve. This will help you define the scope, objectives, and outcomes of your proposal. You can use the SMART criteria to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. For example, if you are proposing a new training program for your team, your purpose might be to improve their presentation skills, and your goal might be to increase their sales conversion rate by 10% in six months.

2 Know your audience and stakeholders

The next step is to research who you are presenting to and what they care about. This will help you tailor your proposal to their needs, interests, and expectations. You can use the PESTLE analysis to identify the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors that affect your audience and stakeholders. For example, if you are pitching to a potential client, you might want to know their industry, budget, challenges, opportunities, and decision-making process.

3 Analyze your market and competitors

The third step is to analyze the market and competitive landscape for your idea. This will help you demonstrate the demand, viability, and uniqueness of your proposal. You can use the SWOT analysis to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your idea in relation to the market and competitors. For example, if you are proposing a new product, you might want to know the size, growth, trends, and segments of the market, as well as the features, benefits, and prices of your competitors.

4 Define your value proposition and differentiation

The fourth step is to define what makes your idea valuable and different from the alternatives. This will help you communicate how your proposal solves a problem, meets a need, or creates a benefit for your audience and stakeholders. You can use the value proposition canvas to map out the customer segments, jobs, pains, gains, and value propositions of your idea. For example, if you are proposing a new service, you might want to know how it helps your customers achieve their goals, reduce their frustrations, or increase their satisfaction.

5 Gather and organize your data and evidence

The fifth step is to gather and organize the data and evidence that support your proposal. This will help you back up your claims, arguments, and recommendations with facts, figures, and examples. You can use the STAR method to structure your data and evidence into situation, task, action, and result. For example, if you are proposing a new strategy, you might want to show how it worked in a similar situation, what tasks you performed, what actions you took, and what results you achieved.

6 Synthesize and visualize your findings and insights

The final step is to synthesize and visualize your findings and insights from your research and analysis. This will help you summarize the main points, highlight the key benefits, and showcase the impact of your proposal. You can use the pyramid principle to organize your findings and insights into a logical and coherent structure. You can also use charts, graphs, tables, images, or videos to make your findings and insights more engaging and memorable. For example, if you are proposing a new policy, you might want to show how it aligns with the vision, mission, and values of your organization, how it addresses the current issues and challenges, and how it improves the performance and outcomes.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?