Writing persuasive proposals

A bid document is not a technical specification, a price quote or an overview of your company, it's a sales document that should move an opportunity through towards the winning of work.

The decision-makers evaluating the bid will be asking:

• Am I getting what I need? 
• Can they really do it? 
• Does the pricing represent good value? 

The document needs to persuade the decision-makers to respond with a confident 'yes' to all of these questions. 

Your document needs to be structured to persuade the reader and obtain their preference. As a general rule the document content should follow this basic sequence (NOSE).

1. Needs - demonstrate your understanding of the client, their business, their objectives and their requirement.

• Decisions are not always as logical, rational and detailed as we would like to think; they are often quick and based on first impressions. Therefore, what you say first in a bid, the reader will assume reflects are your primary interests and values i.e. you should start with them (the client) and not yourself.

2. Outcomes - identify outcomes and results from meeting their needs.

• These outcomes should be meaningful and valuable to the client. 
• Show a positive business impact of these outcomes e.g. impact on operational efficiency, revenue generation etc. 

3. Solution - Recommend a specific solution.

• Show that you have thought about the requirement and what it means to them and offer something beyond a generic service description. 

4. Evidence - Build credibility by providing examples of where you have done this before.

More bidding - devising a winning strategy

Following a successful pre-qualification stage of a tender, or in some cases as a first stage, you may be asked to provide a detailed proposal document.

When poorly prepared, these bid documents can become simply a generic collection of facts and figures about your firm. While this may be sufficient to win smaller tenders, in more competitive situations you may need to produce a more tailored proposal and take a more client centric approach; showing your understanding of the client and demonstrating your ability to provide value and benefit. 

Success at this stage is to a large extent dependent on your capability and efficiency in communicating your knowledge and offer. Operating in a competitive market means many firms are offering relatively similar services. To win, your proposal needs to clearly and persuasively present a positive business impact to the client. If the client does not perceive superior value from your offer, they will be more likely to choose based on price. 

Creating a bid strategy 
1. Setting up the team: The bid team should include the people best qualified to meet the needs of the bid (and the client). Identify a lead partner, who will be the main point of contact for the client and organise a timeplan for the bid (allocate time for future team meetings, deadlines etc). 

2. Researching the bid: Your understanding of the client's needs and their business should be demonstrated throughout the bid document. What work (if any) are you doing with them already? Who are the key decision-makers? Does anyone in the firm have a relationship with key decision-makers?

Consider contacting the client; would it be possible to arrange a pre-bid meeting with them to discuss requirement/background/criteria of assessment? Not only could it uncover vital information but it will also demonstrate your enthusiasm to the client.

Who are you competing with? Establish customer perceptions of competition/ relative positions of competing firms to inform your response.

3. Devising a strategy: To create client preference, the client must recognise the unique benefits and value of your proposal. You should aim to sell the client solutions rather than selling a range of generic services.

Analyse the requirement, distinguishing between: 

• Core requirement - the basic service the client is seeking. 

• Expected extras - what the client expects. 

• Added potential - where you can add real value to the client. 

Then, when you have done this, you should be in a position to devise your value proposition (what makes your proposal distinctive and attractive to the client).