Creating More Effective ProposalsWritten by Robert F. Abbott
The need for good proposals - business kind, not marriage kind - struck me again a couple of days ago, when I received a poor proposal. I had talked on phone with a sales rep, and then she followed up with a proposal.You know what? Her proposal was even worse than her live sales pitch. It was a completely canned message, which wasted her time and mine. With that, some thoughts on creating effective proposals. Let's start by dividing them into two categories: commodities proposals and differentiated (or value-added) proposals. If you sell commodities, your proposals will be relatively straightforward, as you compete on issues like price, delivery, and product characteristics. The buyer makes a relatively objective decision, and all other things being equal, he takes best offer. That likely makes clarity your best proposal writing strategy. For example, if you have a significant advantage in one area, you might create a matrix showing information in a table format for easy comparison. Turning our attention to proposals for differentiated or value-added products, we immediately notice an important distinction. There are no easy comparisons among vendors, as there are with commodity sellers. The buyer has to compare intangibles, which means subjective judgments. He can't compare one marketing consultant with another, for example, unless he hires both, which he's unlikely to do. Since we're dealing with subjective judgments, it's good to ask, "What goes on in minds of buyers?" Solving a problem or exploiting an opportunity probably tops list for most buyers. While solution may not be immediately obvious, need likely is plain to buyer.
| | Linking Features & BenefitsWritten by Robert F. Abbott
I'm sure that you've had those Eureka! moments, too. When a piece of information suddenly helped you see or understand something that hadn't been apparent before.For me, one came when I discovered means-end analysis, a marketing concept that helps us understand why listeners or readers might respond -- or not respond -- to our messages. It does this by clarifying relationship between product features and benefits experienced by consumers. I also believe it has great potential for developing communication strategies. But first, let's review marketing connection: Consumers know about products in three general ways: * by attributes (features) they possess; * by consequences of 'consuming' those attributes; and * by way consequences help satisfy personal needs. As list suggests, these types of knowledge are linked, providing connections among attributes, consequences, and value-fulfillment benefits we derive from them. For example, a luxury car offers a number of attributes (features) that make it distinctive. Owning and driving one has some personal consequences, which might include showing others that owner is affluent and successful. That, in turn, satisfies owner's value-driven need to be seen as successful... Now, let's look at same example another way. A low-end car's attributes might include an inexpensive purchase price and economical operation. One personal consequence of owning a car with these attributes might be to have more money available for saving. And, that could provide value satisfaction by giving owner a sense of accomplishment as she watches her savings account grow.
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