Page 77 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

68 Writing Winning Business Proposals

went to school together and haven’t seen each other for over 20 years. She would like to
see your friend, and your friend would like to see her (and you, of course, would like to
make the sale). Next week, this potential client will be in town for two days. Your over-
riding question is: “How can I further my relationship with her to increase the likelihood
of a sale?” Your answer is to give a dinner party that she and your friend will attend (and
during which, we’ll assume, you won’t serve butter sandwiches as a main course).
Note that three things have generated the logic tree in Figure 5.7 and therefore deter-
mined where it begins. First, a problem: in this case, your not having yet made a sale.
In your proposal, the problem is discussed in the situation slot. Second, an overriding
question related to the problem: in this case, “How can I further my relationship with
my potential client to increase the likelihood of a sale?” Third, an objective, which is the
answer to the overriding question: in this case, “Give a dinner party.” The objective is
stated in your proposal’s objectives slot. It also becomes the top box in your logic tree,
as shown in Figure 5.7, which provides the logically related actions necessary to achieve
that objective.
In the rest of this chapter, I’ll show you how all those actions under the objective
form part of your proposed project’s methodology. I’ll also take you through the revi-
sion of a methodology of an internal proposal written to the XYZ Company, a provider
of information systems.

How can I further my Give a dinner party.
How can I further my
relationship? Give a dinner party.
relationship?
(How?)
(How?)
Prepare a three-
Invite guests. Order flowers. Prepare a three- Clean house.
Order flowers.
Invite guests.
Clean house.
course meal.
course meal.
(How?)
(How?)
Buy food. Prepare food.
Prepare food.
Buy food.
(How?)
(How?)
Prepare main
Prepare main
Prepare salad. course. Prepare dessert.
Prepare dessert.
Prepare salad.
course.
(How?)
(How?)
Butter one side of
Butter one side of
Join the buttered
each slice of Join the buttered
each slice of
sides.
bread. sides.
bread.
FIG U RE 5. 7 A logic tr ee struc tur es the tasks nec essar y f or achieving an objec tiv e .
FIGURE 5.7 A logic tree structures the tasks necessary for achieving an objective.