Reengineering the Engineering Proposal...Opportunity Pipeline Guidelines New Business Assessment...

Dr. Tom Sant

www.hydeparkpartnerscal.com

www.PersuasiveBusinessProposals.com

Reengineering the Engineering

Proposal

Your Presenter: Dr. Tom Sant

Author of Persuasive Business Proposals, the world’s #

1 best selling book on proposal writing

“One of the 10 most important business books of all time.” Geoffrey

James, Inc. Magazine

“America’s foremost expert on proposal writing.”

(American Management Association)

“One of world’s top ten sales trainers.”

(Selling Power Magazine)

Over 30 years’ experience with Fortune 500 companies

Over $30 billion in winning proposals

Agenda

1. Five problems

2. Six principles

3. Five process steps

Five Problems

The Five Problems

1. False analogies

2. Dysfunctional divisions

3. Constricted roles

4. Rigid processes

5. Misplaced contributors

Problem 1: False Analogies

The proposal is…

• a technical report

• a product overview

• an engineering spec

• a statement of work

• a scope document

• a bill of materials and quote

• a contract

Problem 1: False Analogies

The proposal is…

a sales document.

And that often makes our

colleagues in engineering and

technology uncomfortable.

So why do people base proposals on the wrong model?

Four reasons:

1. Preference for informational writing

2. No training

3. Misplaced quest for efficiency

4. Skepticism or suspicion of persuasion

Analogies

InformationEvaluationPersuasion

Expert

Highly

informed

Somewhat

informed

Comfort

1. Strong Preference for Informational Writing False

Analogies

InformationEvaluationPersuasion

Expert

Highly

informed

Somewhat

informed

Comfort

Writing information = the Fallacy of the Familiar

Persuasion

Analogies

2. No trainingFalse

Analogies

3. The quest for “efficiency”

KX information more

accessible

Client Development Templates

Tailored to Size of Opportunity

BDD roles clearly

defined/ more BDDs

Win/Loss Quarterly Reports

Proposal/Presentation tools

New Relationship Selling Training-

condensed version

60/30/10 Toolkit

Opportunity Pipeline Guidelines

New Business Assessment Meeting Guidelines / Agenda

Opportunity

Qualification

Pursuit

Proposal

Contract

Client

Maintenance

Business Development

Lifecycle

Business development Investment Guidelines

Standard presentations

Marketing programs aligned to client maintenance

BDDs driving client planning process

Client Group Opportunity Reports

Winning Marketing Content for Proposals

Winning Proposal Content Definition

Competitive Intelligence

Review Team Criteria

PDC Usage Criteria

Proposal Training Curriculum

Fast, standard, Large

Opportunity Criteria

PDC/KX integration

Oral presentation

training

KX content update standards

Credentials Directory &

process

Proposal content

modules for re-use

Capture manual map

Client Development Plan execution

Analogies

The V.P. of Engineering’s View

4. Suspicion regarding persuasion

Pretty pictures? Fancy words?

Analogies

Subject

Sender Receiver

Contact

Informing

Evaluating

Persuading

The purpose of a communication defines its focus

One answer to the question,

What is persuasion?,

is this:

A form of communication for which the controlling

element is the

audience.

Persuasion is client-centered communication.

Problem # 2: Dysfunctional divisions of labor

Problem # 3: Constricted role definitions

“I can’t look into the customer’s

business needs. That’s the

sales person’s job. I’m just a

proposal manager.”

Problem # 4: Rigid processes

“In our proposal process the account manager always writes

the executive summary just before we send the proposal out.”

“We’ve always done it this way…”

For example:

What is the deal with

“storyboarding”?

Over time, businesses

develop methods and

approaches that become

fossilized. We do it

because we’ve always

done it.

Problem # 5: Misplaced contributors

Does a failed engineer

or bad sales person

necessarily make

a successful

proposal writer?

Six Principles

1. Focus on the right outcome.

2. Look at the document from the

customer’s point of view.

3. Challenge the status quo.

4. Work toward best practices.

5. Abandon thoughts of

incremental change.

6. Empower the people.

1. Focus on the right outcome

The purpose of all sales documents

is to win business.

A proposal is a sales document.

Therefore, the purpose of a proposal

is to win business.

2. Look at the document from the customer’s point of view

For the customer,

the proposal is a tool

to help make

good decisions.

Answer the decision maker’s 3 critical questions

1. Are we getting what we need?

2. Is it worth doing?

3. Can this vendor actually do it?

To make a good decision, the customer wants

to know:

tsant@hydeparkpartnerscal.com

So what’s the point?To reach the decision maker

we need to focus on what they care about.

3. Challenge the status quo

Status Quo

1. Start with an overview

of our company history

or technology.

2. Provide only vague claims

of value— “increased

revenue,” “improved

performance”.

3. Write in a complex,

academic or legalistic

style.

Thinking Different

1. Start by focusing on the

customer’s business situation

and challenges.

2. Quantify value against the

customer’s current performance

and/or industry averages, and

monetize the value if possible.

3. Write simple, direct prose at a

readability level appropriate for

The Wall Street Journal.

4. Work toward best practices

5. Abandon thoughts of incremental change

6. Empower the people

Proper preparation.• Both training and education.

• Continuous improvement.

Worthwhile work.• What is the higher purpose?

• It’s how the solutions being proposed matter, not the page count.

Challenging goals.• Goals aligned with values.

• Meaningful rewards for achieving the goals.

Fanatical team spirit.• Acknowledge and cheer contributions before the final goal is reached.

• Spontaneous and specific cheers.

Five Process Steps

Five process steps—for a successful reengineering project

1. Review current processes and work products—proposals,

presentations, sales collateral.

2. Establish the business case for change.

3. Interview the people involved in creating / using proposals.

4. Develop and implement recommendations and tools.

5. Measure and reinforce.

1. Review current processes and documents

1. Assess the deliverables in

terms of:

Achieving the ultimate goal—

winning business

Conforming to best practices

2. Assess the processes in

terms of:

Promoting efficiency

Empowering effectiveness

1. What are the current problems in our proposals

and/or processes?

2. Why are these problems a problem?

3. What impact will solving them have?

4. Who benefits from implementing the solutions?

2. Establish the business case for change

3. Interview people involved in / affected by proposals

Proposal writers and managers.

Subject matter experts.

Sales people in the field.

Senior management.

Customer decision makers.

4. Develop and implement recommendations and tools

5. Measure and reinforce

In summary…

Identify the problems: alignment, analogies, roles

Focus on the right outcomes: persuasive, client-centered, winning

Implement best practices: define the factors that matter

Challenge the status quo: resist the power of conventional thinking

Create a business case: define the problem and quantify the value

Measure and reinforce: establish momentum and then keep it going

Dr. Tom’s Tips

Are you getting Dr. Tom’s Tips?

Are your competitors?

Get the latest research, insights and

practical pointers to increase

your win rate.

www.persuasivebusinessproposals.com

And good luck… in reengineering your engineering

proposals!

www.persuasivebusinessproposals.com

Reengineering the Engineering Proposal...Opportunity Pipeline Guidelines New Business Assessment...

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