Page 112 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

CHAPTER 7

Identifying, Selecting, and

Developing Themes

Determining What to Weave in Your

Web of Persuasion

n Chapter 6, I indicated that if you’re going to write a fully responsive proposal
Ito me, your potential client, you need to do more than meet my buying team’s
requirements related to the analytical and technical aspects—the logics—of your
proposed support. You also need to respond to the psychologics of our situation,
to us, to our individual and group concerns, desires, and needs. I’m not devaluing
expertise here. I want it. But you’re not the only expert around. Your expertise is
necessary, but it alone is usually not sufficient. So what else do I want?
In addition to expertise, I want a relationship, built on trust, founded on chem-
istry and rapport, characterized by understanding and assurance. Although I
want to be confident about your technical abilities, I also want to be confident
about your willingness to serve me, to put me first, to be there when I need you,
to answer questions neither of us anticipated during the business-development
process. That’s a tall order, but I’m willing to reward you now and perhaps in the
future for supporting me in that role.

103