Persuasive Business Proposals

Overview

Use the latest technology and techniques to craft winning proposals.
"With over 40,000 copies sold, the first edition of Persuasive Business Proposals helped many readers construct dynamic, effective proposals. Now in paperback, this fully-revised second edition still gives readers simple, effective techniques for organizing, writing, and delivering proposals while updating the author's winning strategies for today's global business environment.

By cutting through the confusion, and providing dozens of real-world examples, this updated version provides step-by-step instructions for crafting value-centered, recipient-specific proposal packages, with all-new discussions on:

* How to increase business using new communication channels from e-mail and electronic submissions to PDF, HTML, and others

* The Seven Worst Proposal Mistakes illustrated with real-world examples

This is an essential book for anyone seeking to win contracts and sell projects."

About the Author

Tom Sant (San Luis Obispo, CA) is a world-renowned proposal consultant whose clients range from small entrepreneurial operations to Global 500 companies including General Electric, Microsoft, Lucent, and Accenture. He is the creator of the world's most widely used proposal automation systems: ProposalMaster and RFPMaster.

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Review Quotes

"This book contains valuable advice for writers who have to sell either their organization's or their department's products and services. What's more, Sant writes clearly and concisely, and his wry humor and use of real -- and sometimes awful --examples adds to the readability. Use the book yourself or pass it on to departments that are writing bad proposals, and Sant assures readers most of them are." -- Writing That Works

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Table of Contents

"Section I: Why You Need This Book

1. The Challenges You Face

2. A Good Proposal Is Hard to Find

Section II: A Primer on Persuasion

3. Why the Intuit Hunt Whales and Other Secrets of Customer Behavior

4. The Structure of Persuasion

5. Developing a Client-Centered Message Every Time You Write

6. Understanding the Customer: The Cicero Principle

7. Establishing Your Credibility

Section III: How to Manage the Process and Keep Your Sanity

8. An Overview of the Proposal Development Process

9. Writing from the Right Brain: Getting Your Ideas Organized

10. Presenting a Winning Value Proposition

11. The Structure of the Letter Proposal

12. The Structure of the Formal Proposal

13. Writing Research Proposals and Proposals for Grants

14. Packaging Your Proposals for Success

15. Presenting Your Proposal

16. What to Do After You Submit

17. Writing in the Midst of a Storm: How to Deal with Bad News & Negative Publicity

18. Creating a Proposal Center of Excellence

19. Proposal Metrics -- How to Measure Your Success

20. Automating the Process

Section IV: Writing to Win

21. Give the Reader a KISS!

22. Word Choice: Six Traps to Avoid

23: Sentence Structure: Maximizing Your Clarity

24. Editing Your Proposal"

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