Page 34 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

CHAPTER 3

Aligning the

Baseline Logic

his is the most difficult, perhaps the longest, and arguably the most impor-
Ttant chapter in the book. If you skip this chapter, you won’t understand
fully most of the book’s subsequent content. So find some blocks of time during
which you’re not distracted, and forge on.
Why is this the most important chapter? First, because the baseline logic, intro-
duced in Chapter 2, is the foundation of your proposal, and more than 95 percent of
the proposals I’ve read, over the course of 30 years, have serious flaws in the baseline
logic, causing serious cracks in their foundations. Second, this chapter demonstrates
how you can fully align the baseline logic, as shown in Figure 3.1, and thereby:

◉ Identify substantial content for your proposal that you would otherwise miss
◉ Assess the clarity (or lack of clarity) in your thinking
◉ Understand the clarity (or lack of clarity) in my thinking
◉ Recognize where you and I view matters differently as a first step in having seri-
ous conversations about your proposed approach, scope, and projected outcomes

Note two things about Figure 3.1. First, all the new material is just an expansion of
what we’ve already discussed: S1 (the current situation), S2 (the desired results), and B
(the benefits). On the left side of Figure 3.1 are aspects of the current situation. That’s
where you and your firm will begin the change process I desire. On the right side are
major project outcomes, including the results I desire and the benefits my organiza-

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