If you have got one of your recent proposals to hand why not follow through these guidelines along with your proposal and check it through. It will confirm what is best practice and may give you one or two 'new' ideas.
Your Covering email:
- Apply all your normal criteria for an effective email.
Make sure your subject heading is straightforward and clear to anyone ( Decision makers, influencers and PAs) in the Prospects Company to identify
- Refer to your client's agreed objectives gained during the interview stages or survey.
- Give examples of how their key objectives will be met.
- Thank the company and the individual influencers for their help.
- Point out the advantages of acting now and ask for a decision.
( Leitz-create (left) is a new service from Esselte where you can design and personalise their top quality 180 degree lever arch files - scroll down for link. for your proposals this could make great impression on clients )Title Page:
- Include logos of your own and prospect's company if at all possible.
- Author's name, date, your company's website,address and telephone number.
Contents Page:
- Leave this page until last to make sure of accurate page numbering.
Management Summary:
- State the essence of your case in half a page.
- Expand on the objectives stated in the covering letter.
- Summarise key findings of the interviews/survey.
- Summarise your recommendations.
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Agreed Objectives:
- List all the agreed objectives, and concentrate on four or five key objectives.
- Quantify the objectives wherever possible.
Agreed Assumptions and Definitions:( Leitz-create is a new service from Esselte where you can design and personalise their top quality 180 degree lever arch files - scroll down for link)
These ensure that your case is built on a sound and accepted foundation.
Include such items as:-
- Supplies, usage and costs
- Maintenance costs
- Rental, lease or purchase
- Staff costs, including overheads and benefits
- Machine productivity rates
- People productivity rates
Present Method and Work-File:
Present method is a benchmark, and a confirmation that you understand their current situation.
- Avoid giving masses of figures - put them in an appendix if necessary.
- Select the most significant figures and draw the relevant conclusions from them.
Workload Suitable for the Proposed Method:
- Select from your audit survey analysis, work that will be suitable for your proposed method.
- Look for ways in which your equipment can help in other areas, so that you can show greater productivity.
Proposed Method and Work-File:
- Show the whole method and work-file that the customer will be using, and what it will do for them.
- Emphasise the roles of your equipment and services.
State the Advantages and Future Potential:
- Make the advantages specific to your specific client.
- Avoid imprecise or generalised claims.
- Stick to four or five key advantages which relate to the agreed prime objectives.
- Give some idea of the measure of improved performance which could be achieved by the proposed system.
- Match the benefits of your equipment to your client's needs.
(Powis Parker fastback 8X Click for Powis Binding Products)Cost Benefit Analysis
- Show all agreed and quantified benefits.
- List all benefits that are not quantifiable, but which the client agrees are real.
Implementation Schedule:
- Show actions needed by yourself and the client.
Give details of support - commissioning, training etc.
The first step -the client's authority to proceed.
Recommendations for Action:
- Keep this short;
ask for their authority to proceed, so that they can get the benefits you have described.
Appendices:
- Official quotation
- Sample of analysis
- Rental and service agreements
- Terms and conditions
- Brochures and technical specifications
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