Page 78 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

Using Logic Trees to Construct Your Methodology 69

Some years ago, XYZ’s marketing group wanted to explore the idea of offering
its services to a new market, the motor freight sector, possibly in partnership with
a motor carrier. Figure 5.8 lists the objectives and the tasks as they first appeared in
the proposal. After you’ve read Figure 5.8, I’ll take you through the four-step pro-
cess of constructing (in this case, revising) the methodology. Because constructing
a logic tree seems complicated the first few times you try to build one, I’ll repeat
much of what I said when building the logic tree for giving a dinner party. In the
work session at the end of this chapter, you’ll have yet another opportunity to see a
logic tree constructed. After that, you should be able to start building your own.

Step 1: Clearly Identify the Objective(s),
Based on the Overriding Question(s)

Because the methodology contains the tasks you will use to achieve your project’s
objectives, the starting place for building your methodology has to be the objec-
tives themselves. It makes little sense to plan a trip if you don’t know where you’re
going, and it makes equally little sense to tell me how you’re going to go about
achieving what you’re uncertain about accomplishing. Fortunately, I’ve given you
some important tools for thinking about your objectives. As we’ve seen, they can
be of only three kinds: Insight, Plan, or Implementation. If yours is an Insight

Objectives
Objectives
• Develop market and competitive information to assist XYZ in determining if
• Develop market and competitive information to assist XYZ in determining if
there is a demand for the proposed service offering and how it could be tailored
there is a demand for the proposed service offering and how it could be tailored
to better meet customers’ needs.
to better meet customers’ needs.
• Determine how the product should be marketed given customers’ needs, the
• Determine how the product should be marketed given customers’ needs, the
marketplace, and the activities of competitors.
marketplace, and the activities of competitors.
• Identify potential actions for XYZ to be successful in this marketplace.
• Identify potential actions for XYZ to be successful in this marketplace.
Tasks
Tasks
• Conduct kickoff meeting.
• Conduct kickoff meeting.
• Identify market participants and develop questionnaires.
• Identify market participants and develop questionnaires.
• Evaluate motor carriers’ requirements.
• Evaluate motor carriers’ requirements.
• Evaluate competitors’ capabilities.
• Evaluate competitors’ capabilities.
• Evaluate shippers’ needs.
• Evaluate shippers’ needs.
• Review progress with top management.
• Review progress with top management.
• Assess overall market potential.
• Assess overall market potential.
• Define market opportunities.
• Define market opportunities.
• Assess strategic alternatives.
• Assess strategic alternatives.
FIGURE 5.8 T he original objec tiv es and tasks f or the X YZ pr oposa
FIGURE 5.8 The original objectives and tasks for the XYZ proposall