Page 152 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

CHAPTER 9

Writing the Situation

and Objectives Slots

n Chapter 1, I said that a well-written proposal isn’t a collection of separate
Isections or chapters or slots but a coherent argument woven throughout the
document or presentation. For this reason, it’s difficult for me, your potential
client, to claim that one proposal slot is more important than another. In some
situations, cost could be crucial; in others, your own or your firm’s reputation
or qualifications; in still others, the methodology, especially when the tasks are
numerous and the project’s management will be complex.
But let’s limit the variables. Let’s assume a competitive situation with multi-
ple bidders whose objectives, methods, qualifications, and costs are all similar.
Everything else being equal, your competitive edge could lie in the situation slot,
which is often formed into a section called “Background” or “Business Issues” or
“Our Understanding of Your Situation.”
situation is usually my first significant contact with your proposal and, in some
cases, with you. It may be my first significant opportunity to sense who you are, what
you believe, how strongly you believe it, how knowledgeable and competent you are
regarding my problem or opportunity, and how qualified you are to address it.
Later, you probably will discuss your firm’s qualifications, but from the first
word in situation, you’re already displaying (or not displaying) your abilities and
projecting (or not projecting) a desirable image of you and your firm. You’re already
demonstrating (or not demonstrating) that you know my industry, organization,
issues, and culture and that you can come into my organization, interact with a
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