Page 233 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

224 Writing Winning Business Proposals

B. Identify for each buyer the likely benefits that will accrue from achieving S2,
remembering that those benefits will be conditioned by the buyer’s role and
position in the organization (Psychologics Worksheet, Cell 1).
C. If at all possible, develop at least one coach (Psychologics Worksheet, Cell 1).
4. Identify, select, and develop your themes (Chapter 7 and Figure 14.1).
A. Identify possible themes by considering the following:
◉ Hot buttons—the desires or concerns of individual buyers that, if
addressed, will affect your selling process, project organization, and/or
project methodology (Psychologics Worksheet, Cell 2).
◉ Evaluation criteria—the criteria developed by the consultant-selection
committee often contained in RFPs (Appendix G) and other documents
(Psychologics Worksheet, Cell 4).
◉ Counters to the competition—your strengths relative to the competition,
especially as those strengths apply to evaluation criteria for this particu-
lar project or selling opportunity (Psychologics Worksheet, Cell 5).
B. Select the themes by considering the following (Chapter 7):
◉ Hot buttons of medium- and high-power-base buyers whose receptivity you
want to maintain or increase (Psychologics Worksheet, Cells 2 and 3). Power
base refers to a buyer’s relative influence in this selling opportunity, not to

‡have emotional content
‡have emotional content
‡affect project and selling
‡affect project and selling
process
process
Hot Buttons ‡are usually
Hot Buttons
‡are usually
individualized and Themes are:
individualized and
unspoken Themes are:
unspoken
The repeated
The repeated
expression of your
expression of your
abilities and
abilities and
capabilities to:
capabilities to:
Evaluation ‡usually collective ‡ address hot buttons
Evaluation
‡usually collective
Criteria ‡can be written or spoken ‡ address hot buttons
Criteria
‡can be written or spoken
‡ meet evaluation
‡ meet evaluation
criteria
criteria
‡ counter the
‡ counter the
competition
competition
your position relative to
your position relative to
Counters to competitors, based on the
Counters to
competitors, based on the
Competition evaluation criteria
Competition
evaluation criteria

14.1
FIGURE 14.1 Identifying your themes s
FIGURE
Identif
y
our theme
y
ing