This is for Presales Professionals across the globe. All you needed to know about writing an effective business proposal

1. PROPOSALS
THAT
CREATE
HIGH IMPACT
AMIT KUMAR DAS

2. Difficult Times for the Organizations!!

3. Business Landscape is Changing !!
VARIABILIZATION SIMPLIFICATIONSTANDARDIZATION

4. Process | Applications | Platform | Delivery
STANDARDIZE

5. VARIABILIZE
Software | Platform | Infrastructure

6. SIMPLIFY
Information at the Edge | Access Anywhere

7. Organizations Are Under Lot of Stress

8. Organizations Need Compelling Solutions

9. WHY
DO
WE NEED
TO
WRITE GOOD PROPOSALS?

10. Proposals Can Change Buyer’s Last Decision
3 Months 12 Months 3 Months
Business
Issue
Develop a
Budget and
Solution
Express
Solution as
Requirements
Seek
Proposals
Evaluate
Alternatives
Negotiate
and
Contract
Capture Phase Proposal Phase
First
Decision
Last
Decision

11. “A good proposal can
win
us business that others should
have won”
Source: Shipley
So…Let’s Define A Good Proposal

12. Compelling Solution
Value for MoneyBusiness Alignment Differentiated
Clear and Specific Value Propositions
Technically Competent
Compliant
Good Document Design
VisuallyRich
Compelling Solution
Visually Rich
Business Alignment
Value for Money
CompliantDifferentiated
Clear and Specific Value Propositions
Technically Competent
Technically Competent
Differentiated
Differentiated
Ingredients of A Winning Proposal

13. Proposals are all about Team Work

14. “If you wish to
persuade me,
you must think my
thoughts,
feel my feelings, and
speak my words”
Cicero

15. WHAT
ARE THE
PHASES
IN A
PROPOSAL LIFECYCLE ?

16. Open the Opportunity

17. Vendor Briefing

18. Do I Qualify the Bid ?

19. Assess the Risks

20. Seek Clarifications with the Prospect

21. Discuss Win Strategy

22. Onboard the Team

23. Create the Templates and Structure

24. Hold the Kickoff Meeting

25. Build the Solution

26. Track Progress of the Response

27. Build the Estimates

28. Review the Response

29. Submit the Response

30. Customer Evaluates Your Proposal

31. Defend Your Proposal

32. Negotiation and Contract

33. Win Loss Summary

34. MYTHS
ABOUT
PROPOSAL
MANAGEMENT
PROCESS

35. Myth# 1: I Can Handle Any Traffic

36. Myth# 2: Cloning is Easy and Effective

37. Myth# 3: More is Better

38. Myth# 4: Collation of Information is Easy

39. SO…
WHAT
IS
THE
REMEDY?

40. It is Time To Change the Status Quo

41. Key Process
Categories
Customer Focus People Capabilities
Themes
Increasing Customer
Value
Improving Performance
and Synergy
Building Competencies
and Teams
Enhancing Systems
and Processes
Levels Key Process Areas (KPAs)
Optimizing  Innovation and Transformation
Managed
Defined
Repeatable
Initial
 Relationship
Management
 Solution
Development
 Response Generation
 Enterprise Influence
 Quantitative Process
Management
 Organizational Tactics
 Quality Management
 Business Development
Administration
 Quality Control
 High-Performance
Teams
 Organizational
Competencies
Development
 Individual Skills
Development
 Business Development
System Integration
 Infrastructure
Management
 Business Development
Processes
 Support Systems
 Sales/Capture
Procedures
 Work Environment
 Ad hoc
Business Development Capability Maturity Model (BD-CMM)
Capability Maturity Model and CMM are registered trademarks of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute
5
4
3
2
1
BD-CMM is The Answer

42. BD-CMM- Key Process Areas
Levels Key Process Areas (KPAs)
Optimizing  Innovation and Transformation
Managed
Defined
Repeatable
Initial
 Relationship Management
 Solution Development
 Response Generation
 Enterprise Influence
 Quantitative Process
Management
 Organizational Tactics
 Quality Management
 Business Development
Administration
 Quality Control
 High-Performance Teams
 Organizational
Competencies
Development
 Individual Skills
Development
 Business Development
System Integration
 Infrastructure Management
 Business Development
Processes
 Support Systems
 Sales/Capture Procedures
 Work Environment
 Ad hoc
5
4
3
2
1
 Continuous business development process improvement is enabled by quantitative feedback from the
process and from piloting innovative ideas and technology.
 Process is characterised as ad hoc and occasionally even chaotic. Few processes are defined. Success
depends on individual effort and heroics.
Business Development Capability Maturity Model (BD-CMM)
Capability Maturity Model and CMM are registered trademarks of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute
 Detailed measures of the business development process and results are collected. Both the process and
products are quantitatively understood and controlled.
 Process for business development activities is documented, standardised, and integrated into the
organisation. All activities follow an approved, tailored version of standard processes.
 Basic business development management processes are established to track cost, schedule and progress.
The necessary process discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes.
Themes
Increasing Customer
Value
Improving Performance
and Synergy
Building Competencies
and Teams
Enhancing Systems
and Processes
Key Process
Categories
Customer Focus People Capabilities

43. CURRENT STATE
OF
PROPOSAL
MANAGEMENT
IN EVERY
ORGANIZATION

44. Generate Qualify Propose Shortlist Close
Lead, Suspect Prospect Customer
Bid Manager
BDM/Sales
Stages
Life-Cycle
Responsibilities
Opportunity Management Process

45. The Blue Sheet: Win Themes & Buyer’s Influence
Template Available upon request

46. Battle Royale For Qualification
Template Available upon request

47. Opportunity Background
Customer
Opportunity
Background
(Describe why the customer has undertaken this project and how we
received the opportunity. E.g. Customer wants to add another vendor
and has floated an RFP to which we have been invited; RFP received
from website and no details on the background, etc.)
Objective
Scope (Describe in a few points what the customer is looking for. E.g. L1
support for xx apps; App maintenance for xx apps; XX resources for yy
years; Set up and run customers’ data center , etc)
Opportunity Size (Sales / Account Manager’s estimates based on indication from client /
incumbent’s price / other sources)
At a later stage, update with actual estimates
Incumbent /
Competition
Bid Team
Solution Owner
Review Team
Submission Date
Leadership Review
Win Strategy (List what in the view of Sales/Account Management the proposal
should address to meet customers’ expectations in order of importance;
E.g. Speed to market, Risk free transition, past experience, price, etc)
Discussions till date: (How many conversations have been had with the customer and what
messages have been communicated prior to receiving this RFI / RFP?)

48. Staying on Course: Bid Plan and Tracker
Template Available upon request

49. Bid Response Template
Template Available upon request

50. Presenting the Proposition
Template Available upon request

51. Capturing Why Have We Won or Lost ?
Template Available upon request

52. WORKING OUT…
HOW
TO
WIN?

53. Understand the Customer Issues

54. Understand the Customer Motivators

55. Solutions Through Storyboarding

56. Ingredients For Getting The Right Solution

57. Ensure Solution Is Being Built As Per Plan

58. State How Your Solution is Meeting the Needs

59. Strong Value
Proposition
Deliver
Tangible
Results
Increased
Revenues
Faster Time
To Market
Decreased
Costs
Improved
Operational
Efficiency
Increased
Market
Share
Improved
Customer
Retention
Levels
Quantify Your Value Proposition

60. PROPOSAL
REVIEW
PROCESS

61. FINAL
DOCUMENT
VERIFY
COMPLIANCE
COMPETITOR
STRATEGY
WIN STRATEGY
BUSINESS CASE
LESSONS LEARNT
BLUE TEAM REVIEW
To review
capture plan
and validate
your win
strategy

62. BLACK TEAM REVIEW
To review
competitors
likely strategies
and update
your win
strategy
FINAL
DOCUMENT
VERIFY
COMPLIANCE
COMPETITOR
STRATEGY
WIN STRATEGY
BUSINESS CASE
LESSONS LEARNT

63. PINKTEAM REVIEW
To validate the
deployment of
your strategy
and verify
compliance
FINAL
DOCUMENT
VERIFY
COMPLIANCE
COMPETITOR
STRATEGY
WIN STRATEGY
BUSINESS CASE
LESSONS LEARNT

64. RED TEAM REVIEW
To evaluate for
customer focus,
completeness
and
communication
of your solution
FINAL
DOCUMENT
VERIFY
COMPLIANCE
COMPETITOR
STRATEGY
BUSINESS CASE
LESSONS LEARNT
WIN STRATEGY

65. GOLD TEAM REVIEW
To confirm your
acceptable
profits and risks
FINAL
DOCUMENT
VERIFY
COMPLIANCE
COMPETITOR
STRATEGY
BUSINESS CASE
LESSONS LEARNT
WIN STRATEGY

66. WHITE TEAM REVIEW
To determine
how your
processes and
strategies can
be improved
FINAL
DOCUMENT
VERIFY
COMPLIANCE
COMPETITOR
STRATEGY
BUSINESS CASE
LESSONS LEARNT
WIN STRATEGY

67. Finally…A Word of Caution

68. Avoid Credibility Killers

69. Customers Should Not Dig For Information

70. Don’t Make It Rocket Science For The Reader

71. ATTRIBUTES
OF A
GOOD
PROPOSAL

72. 1. Compliance: Following Instructions

73. Have followed our instructions, answered our questions and
delivered a compliant proposal that is easy to evaluate
Compliance
Strict adherence to submittal
instructions and requirements
Create and submit a compliance
matrix
Ideal response is 100% compliant
and any non-compliances are clearly
mitigated

74. Ref Requirement Compliant
Y/N
Proposal
Ref
Comment / Note
1 The system shall have
a diagnostic capability
Yes 5.1.1 The system is the
only one to be
offered in the UK
with this capability
2 The system shall be
capable of powering
up in less than 12 sec
Yes 5.1.2 The system powers
in less than 8 sec if
required
3 The system shall be
protected from
electrical surges
No 5.1.3 Whilst not self
protecting, an
auxiliary search
protector can be
attached, if required
Compliance Matrix : A Sample

75. Compliance: Rating Factors
 Compliance with organizational and
format instructions is obvious and
deliberate
 Major section titles and subheadings
are consistent with the names and
numbering in the proposal request
 The proposal has a compliance matrix
that is easy to find and is mapped to
the proposal request )even when the
customer did not ask for one)
 The proposal is >90% compliant with
requirements, and any non-
compliances are clearly identified and
mitigated

76. 2. Responsiveness: Business Drivers

77. They understand our business issues and what we are trying to achieve-
they are likely to interpret our requirements correctly
Responsiveness
Proposal demonstrates
understanding of the customer
vision, operational scenarios and
issues
Summaries link solutions to hot
buttons and features are tied to
benefits
Each section reflects customer
language and tone in the proposal

78. Responsiveness: Rating Factors
 The executive and section summaries
offer a self-contained and discriminated
solution linked to the customer’s hot
buttons and requirements
 Major sections open with clear
statements( in an informative title, theme
statement or summary) that the offering
satisfies the customer’s hot buttons and
requirements
 Major sections tie product/service
features to customer benefits addressing
hot buttons and requirements
 The language in each section reflects the
customer’s language and tone; the
customer is mentioned first and more
often than the supplier

79. 3. Strategic Focus: Why should I choose You?

80. It is clear why I should select this proposal
Strategic
Focus
Reasons for selecting the proposal
are clear and obvious
‘Why you’ should jump out of the
page; strengths are emphasized,
weaknesses are mitigated
Proposal should do the work for the
customer’s evaluators

81. Strategic Focus: Rating Factors
 The proposal emphasizes the strengths
and mitigates the weaknesses of the
proposed solution
 Theme statements are specific, factual,
believable, and quantified where possible
 Theme statements, action captions, call
outs and informative headings exist, and
are consistent in content, language,
structure and placement
 Value added is emphasized, quantified
and substantiated
 The proposal builds upon clear and
coherent benefits; any boilerplate is
tailored specifically to the customer
 Risk assessments and corresponding risk
management approaches are discussed

82. 4. Competitive Focus: Why Not Someone Else ?

83. I don’t know why, but I have got some real concerns about those other
proposals
Competitive
Focus
It is obvious why your proposal is
better than that of the competitors
The proposal should downplay
competitor strengths and exploit
competitor weaknesses
Proposal should ghost the
competition

84. Competitive Focus: Rating Factors
 Competitive discriminators are
prominent in themes, captions,
headings, callouts, lists and
summaries
 Competitors are ghosted in trade
studies or other discussions that
substantiate the proposed offering
 Competitors’ approaches are
discussed; competitors are not named

85. 5. Structured & Succinct Writing: Not Every Word

86. This is a well structured quality proposal, suggests that these people know
what they are doing
Structured and
Succinct
Writing
Proposal is written “Top Down”
The proposal should be
grammatically correct, and have been
spell-checked
Proposal should use the minimum
number of words

87. Structured & Succinct Writing: Rating Factors
 Sections use the “Top-Down, 4-box
writing approach”
 Summaries are used at all levels
 Section sub-headings and content
reflect section summaries
 Paragraphs, sentences and words are
kept short where possible
 Jargon an acronyms are appropriate
and not overused; a glossary is
included to explain acronyms
 Word use and grammar are accurate
and correct

88. 6. Visualization: Help me Understand Offering

89. These visuals actually help me to understand the proposal
Visualization
Proposal should make effective use
of visuals: pictures, graphics, action
captions and informative headings
Clearly communicates the Win
strategy and selling points
Understandable in <10 seconds

90. Visualization: Rating Factors
 Graphics are professionally and
consistently formatted
 All graphics are appropriate,
contributing significant content
 All graphics have action captions
linking benefits to the features shown
 All graphics have figure numbers and
informative headings/titles
 All graphics and tables are referenced
in prior text

91. 7. Document Design: Easy To Navigate & Evaluate

92. The proposal is easy to read. All the work was done for me
Document
Design
Key information stands out
Page easy to read and comprehend.
Balanced use of text and graphics
Consistent and appealing
presentation

93. Use Color Wheel; It impacts Documents

94. Document Design: Rating Factors
 Key information stands out
 Pages are easy to read and
comprehend
 Text and graphics are balanced and
appropriate for the evaluators
 Document, pagination and graphic
standards are applied consistently
 Package is appealing, the evaluator
would want to look at it

95. WRITING
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARIES

96. Writing A Compelling ‘Executive Summary’

97. How to Develop an Executive Summary ?
Don’t assume prior knowledge Maintain customer focus
Mock up by
Sales before
Kick-off
Review with
Customer
if possible
Complete and
Refine by sales/
management
Use for briefing
Internal and
external
NOT
o Just an introduction
o A brochure
o Longer than 1000 words
Write for decision makers
Make brief but comprehensive
Make more visual than proposal
The proposal expands upon the
Executive Summary

98. Fundamentals
of
pursuasive writing
Organize Content to Sell

99. • Articulate customer vision, mission and issues – use Customer
words
• Summarize what you believe that your Customer could achieve and
which unique capability offered by your organization could enable
the Customer to achieve this goal
• Introduce the Key concerns and issues of the Customer and provide
a brief description with benefits of the proposed solution to each of
concerns/issues
• Provide references to similar solutions already implemented by
your organization
• Suggest Next Steps
Executive Summary: Guidelines

100. UNDERSTANDING
BUSINESS
MODELS

101. Where is the Money ?

102. Pricing Model Unit of Measure Customer Benefits Provider Benefits
Time & Material • FTE • Resourcing flexibility
• Control
• No long term commitments
• Revenue certainty for
resource deployed
Fixed Price • Project Size • Pricing certainty
• Predictable quality / SLAs
• Revenue certainty
• Ability to manage margins
through internal efficiencies
Transaction Price • Transaction • Resource flexibility and
pricing certainty
• Scalability with no
increased capital
investments
• Ability to leverage home-
grown solution across
clients and thereby manage
margins
Outcome Based • Business outcome • Alignment between IT
spend and business
outcome
• Greater pricing power;
better margins upon
success
• Demonstration of true
value; increased stickiness
Benefits: Various Pricing Models

103. Staffing & Fulfillment
Project Management, Delivery Capability
Program Governance, Process Maturity
Business knowledge,Agility, Domain
Expertise, Solid Risk Management Capability
Business Outcome
Linked
Output Based
Fixed Price
T&M
Risks: Pricing Models

104. Writing Winning Proposals is a Process..

105. For more details: dasamitk@gmail.com