Page 57 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

48 Writing Winning Business Proposals

Logics Worksheet Cell 1
Prospect Profile “How would you characterize the prospect?”
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‡ Major products/markets: Large home appliances (refrigerators, ranges, washing machines, etc.)
‡ Annual revenue/profitability/trends: Last year’s revenue = ??. Highly profitable, though increasing red
distribution costs (a major component of landed cost) could begin to erode margins. Trends??
‡ Major competitors: GE, Whirlpool, Bosch

‡ Market/industry issues: Fairly stable, mature industry, with only modest growth expected next five years.
In U.S., demand moving to South and Southwest. Internationally? (Unknown)
red
‡ Strategic direction: Unknown red

‡ Experience with your competition: Has worked with one of our major competitors (name unknown) and
with two boutiques, all of which have done good work for ABC and have been asked to bid.
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FIGURE 3.20 ABC Logics Worksheet, Cell 1, completed
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Finally, you yourself are unaware of who among your competitors ABC has used
before, and nothing in Gilmore’s notes helps you complete this part of Cell 1.
The Logics Worksheet: Cell 2 (See Figure 3.21.)
You know that this cell asks you to define several elements of the “problem bundle”—
the overriding problem your project will address or solve, the triggering event or
events that brought that problem to the prospect’s consciousness, and the effects
of the problem itself. Clearly, the triggering event is ABC’s market forecast, and its
overriding problem, at least from ABC’s point of view, is a looming lack of capacity.
However, you don’t necessarily see the overriding problem as they do (for the same
reasons related to the discussion in Figure 3.22). So you red flag this item, as well as
the effects of the problem. Many of these effects (and lack of benefits) were generated
by your aligning them with benefits. And while they seem to fit ABC’s situation, many
of them are not addressed in Gilmore’s notes. Those that aren’t, you believe, will lead
to fruitful follow-up discussions with Ray Armstrong, the president, and his team.
The Logics Worksheets: Cell 3 and Cell 4 (See Figures 3.22 and 3.23.)
The first of these cells asks you to identify the kind of project; the second, ABC’s
overriding question(s).