Page 126 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

Identifying, Selecting, and Developing Themes 117

CHAPTER 7 REVIEW
Identifying, Selecting, and Developing Themes

1. Identifying themes. Themes are the repeated expression of your abilities and
capabilities to address hot buttons, meet evaluation criteria, and counter the
competition:
◉ Hot buttons are needs and desires of individual buyers that can be addressed
during your face-to-face meetings with me and other buyers, by altering your
project’s methodology, and/or by altering your project staffing. Hot buttons
almost always have emotional content.
◉ Evaluation criteria are collective needs and desires of the buyers. They often are
written, especially in an RFP. Evaluation criteria typically have technical content.
◉ Counters to the competition are your strengths relative to the competition
vis-à-vis the specific evaluation criteria for this proposal opportunity.
2. Selecting themes. Themes should be selected from:
◉ Hot buttons of medium- and high-power-base buyers whose receptivity you
want to maintain or increase. Power base refers to a buyer’s relative influence in
this buying opportunity, not to the buyer’s general level of influence within his or
her firm. Receptivity refers to a buyer’s relative receptivity to your selling efforts to
date.
◉ Evaluation criteria on which you believe you rate highly or that the buyers
weight highly
◉ Counters to the competition that provide you with an opportunity to
significantly counter competitors’ arguments or moves, remembering that
your competition can also include in-house (do-it-themselves) options or other
initiatives competing for the same resources
3. Developing themes. Themes spin a web of persuasion throughout the proposal.
They can be developed by using the Themes Development Worksheet, which uses
four proposal slots:
◉ SITUATION: Given the problem or opportunity, what is needed by the potential
client, related to this theme?
◉ METHODS: Given that need, how will the project be configured, related to this
theme?
◉ QUALIFICATIONS: Given those methods, how are you qualified to perform them,
related to this theme?
◉ BENEFITS: Given those methods and qualifications, what benefits will accrue,
related to this theme?