Persuasive Business Proposals

Contents

Preface

Section One: Seven Deadly Sins
1:A Good Proposal Is Hard to Find...But It's Worth Looking
2:Recognizing Reality
3:Rushing to the Exit

Section Two: A Primer on Persuasion
4:Understanding Persuasion
5:Winning by a NOSE: The Structure of Persuasion
6:Seven Magic Questions: How To Develop a Client-Centered Message
7:Why the Inuit Hunt Whales and Other Secrets ?of Customer Behavior
8:The Cicero Principle:How to Avoid Talking to Yourself in Print
9:Fluff, Guff, Geek, and Weasel: The Art of Saying What You Mean
10:Weaving Your Web: How to Pull It All Together Right from the Start

Section Three: The Art of the Part: Where to Put Your Effort
11:Letter Proposals
12: The Structure and Key Elements of Formal ?Proposals
13:Writing the Business Case
14:Recommending and Substantiating Your Solution
15:Persuasive Answers to RFP Questions
16:Presenting Evidence and Proving Your Points
17:Gathering and Tailoring Reusable Content

Section Four: How to Manage the Process Without Losing Your Sanity
18:Deal or No Deal?:Qualifying the Opportunity
19:An Overview of the Proposal Development Process
20:The Pursuit of Perfection: ?Editing Your Proposal
21:The Packaging Is Part of the Product
22:Presenting Your Proposal
23:Tracking Your Success
24:Creating a Proposal Center of Excellence
25:Special Challenges

Index