This document discusses the 7 pillars of effective proposals: compliance, responsiveness, competitive focus, sales discriminators, win strategy, quality of writing, and visualization. It provides tips for implementing each pillar when planning, organizing, writing, examining and revising a proposal. Key aspects include knowing the customer's evaluation method and hot buttons, organizing around their needs, using benefits-focused and customer-centered language, and ensuring the proposal clearly addresses strengths, weaknesses and value proposition. The goal is to present a proposal that is compliant, responsive to requirements and needs, competitively differentiated, and conveys what's in it for the customer.

1. 7 Pillars of Effective Proposals
Presented by:
Brad Douglas, EVP Global Strategy
bjdouglas@shipleywins.com

2. 2+10 ÷ =2( ) ?

3. So What?
 There’s more than one right
answer
 Basic principles govern proposal
success
 No two proposals are exactly the
same
 Know the customer requirements

4. The Opportunity Lifecycle
Market
Segmentation
Early
Positioning
Opportunity
Qualification
and
Assessment
Opportunity
Planning
(Capture)
Proposal
Planning
Bid & Proposal
Development
Post-
Proposal
Activity
PHASE 5 PHASE 6 PHASE 7PHASE 2PHASE 1 PHASE 3 PHASE 4

5. RFP/RFQ
Release
Submit
Peaks and valleys of
activity

6. RFP/RFQ
Release
Submit

7. Standard Proposal Development Progression
INPUTS
Competitive
Assessment
Win Strategy
Bid Request or
RFP Receipt

8. Best Practice Study
Global Proposal Best Practices
1999-Present Over 420 Over 110 (B2G,
B2B; international,
local)
12 (Americas,
Europe, Asia-
Pacific, Middle
East, Africa)
Over 6,400
hours
-- Extract from
Proposal Assessment Study

9. Detailed Findings
Green: <20 percent off benchmark (1-6)
: 20 - 40 percent off benchmark (1-6)
Red: >40 - 60 percent off benchmark (1-6)
--Extract from Shipley Associates’
Proposal Assessment Study

10. Examining Each Pillar

11. Compliance
Have all the bid request requirements and instructions been followed?
4.3.2 Transition Plan & Resources
Outline in general terms how you will commence operations if you are awarded the contract.
Provide a high-level schedule showing the timing of transition activities from contract signing
through to handover of services delivery. Provide an organization chart for your transition team,
identifying roles of key resources. How many of the resources involved during transition will also
form part of the on-going service delivery team? What are their responsibilities in each phase?
Reference Compliance Requirement
4.3.2 Outline in general terms how you will commence operations.
4.3.2 Provide a high-level schedule showing the timing of transition activities from contract signing through to
handover of services delivery.
4.3.2 Provide an organization chart for your transition team.
4.3.2 Identify roles of key resources on the transition team.
4.3.2 Identify resources involved during transition that will be part of the ongoing service delivery team.
4.3.2 Identify responsibilities of transition resources in each phase of the transition.
RFP Paragraph
Compliance Checklist
How many unique requirements
in this paragraph?

12. Responsiveness
Does the proposal clearly and directly address the
customer’s needs?
Supplier must provide
24/7 support.
We provides 24/7
support.
You (customer) benefit from 24/7
support at four locations around the
world, in each language required, with a
response time of three minutes or less.

13. Responsiveness vs. Compliance

14. Competitive Focus
Is it obvious why this offer is better than
competitor offers?

15. Sales Discriminators
Neutral Position
Customer Needs It
Competitor Has It
We Have It
Irrelevant Position
Customer Doesn’t Need It
Competitor Has It
We Have It
Our Weakness
Customer Needs It
Competitor Has It
We Don’t Have It
Our Discriminators
Customer Needs It
Competitor Doesn’t Have It
We Have It

16. Win Strategy
Is it obvious what’s in it for the customer?
Are we addressing strengths, weaknesses and gaps?

17. Quality of Writing
Is the writing customer focused, well organized, clear, and
correct?

18. Ways to Destroy Any Sales Message
01
Jack and Jill went up the hill to
get a pail of water.
Use weak verbs:
02
Jack and Jill climbed up the hill
to fetch a ewer of water
Use Unfamiliar words:
03
To fetch a pail of water, Jack and Jill
climbed up the hill.
Put introductory phrases at the beginning to push the subject back:
Adapted from: http://everything2.com/title/Seventeen+ways+to+kill+a+sentence

19. Ways to Destroy Any Sales Message
04
Jack and Jill, to fetch a pail of water,
climbed up the hill.
Put the action at the end of the sentence:
05
Jack and Jill climbed to fetch a pail of
water up the hill.
Keep modifiers as far as possible from the words they modify:
06
The hill was climbed by Jack and Jill so that
a pail of water could be fetched.
Use passive voice:
Adapted from: http://everything2.com/title/Seventeen+ways+to+kill+a+sentence

20. Ways to Destroy Any Sales Message
07
To fetch a pail of water, the hill was
climbed by Jack and Jill.
Put the doer at the end of the sentence:
08
It was Jack and Jill that climbed up the hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Introduce false subjects:
09
Jack and Jill ascended the acclivity to
retrieve a vessel of Adam’s ale.
Pile on the gobbledygook (fluff):
Adapted from: http://everything2.com/title/Seventeen+ways+to+kill+a+sentence

21. Ways to Destroy Any Sales Message
10
Jack and Jill did the hill climb for purpose
of water retrieval.
Turn verbs into nouns:
11
Jack and Jill traversed the gradient to
fetch an alembic vessel of H20
Use unnecessary technical jargon:
12
Jack, in the company of Jill, climbed their way up the
hill for the purpose of fetching water in the
approximate amount of a pail’s full.
Add wordy phrases (fluff):
Adapted from: http://everything2.com/title/Seventeen+ways+to+kill+a+sentence

22. Ways to Destroy Any Sales Message
13
Both Jack and Jill climbed all the way up to the top of
the hill’s summit to fetch a pail filled to its capacity with
water
Multiple redundant words:
14
Jack and Jill, who need no introduction, climbed up the
hill by leaps and bounds to fetch through their good
offices a pail of water by hook or by crook.
Throw in clichés indiscriminately:
15
Jack and Jill water retrieval hill ascent was achieved.
String lots of nouns together to form the subject:
Adapted from: http://everything2.com/title/Seventeen+ways+to+kill+a+sentence

23. Visualization
Do our graphics clearly
communicate major
selling points?
Does our caption support
our sales message?
Figure 6.5-1. Efficient Account Team Structure. With only three direct
reports and co-location with OSG, Ms. Natasha Bevans will focus exclusively
on meeting OSG objectives.

24. Page and Document Design
Is the proposal professional in appearance and easy to
evaluate?

26. Implementing the 7 Pillars
Planning Organizing Writing examining Review
and
Revising
Know the big
picture
Follow customer
instructions
Write for evaluator
Understand
discriminators and
win theme
Develop customer
benefits
Main points first
State, support,
summarize (3S)
Use clear, concise
language
Write short
sentences and
paragraphs
Avoid fluff and
jargon
Use proposal
reviews at key
milestones
Check for compliance
and consistency
Benefits-focused
messages
Clear
discriminators—
why us!
Be clear, concise,
and correct
Spell and grammar
check (then human
check)

27. Plan Your Proposal:
Know and Write to the Evaluator(s)

28. Numerical Adjectival Color Ordinal
Know the Customer Evaluation Method
10
9 Outstanding
8
7
6 Good
5
4
3
Marginal
2
4thUnsatisfactory
1st
2nd
3rd
1
Source: FAR 15.305(a)
0

29. Organize Your Proposal
1: Organize as
Instructed
2: Mirror the
Bid Request
3: Organize
Around
Customer’s
Hot Buttons

30. Write with Customer Focus
Is the customer named
before us?
Is the customer named
more often than us?
Is the customer’s buying
vision evident?
Have we linked the buying
vision to this
solicitation/bid?
Are the customer’s
hot buttons prioritized?
Is hot button
ownership explicit?
Are proof statements directly
related to customer’s hot
buttons?
Are the benefits of the
solutions(s) listed before
the features?
Is the content previewed
and organization
instructions followed?
Is the value proposition clear
and are next steps defined?

31. Proposal Writing Guidelines
Write Quickly
•Work from outline
•Write headings first;
use as guide
•Begin with easiest
parts
•Start and keep
writing
•Don’t worry if draft
contains errors
•Work with desktop
publishers and
editors
Use Paragraphs
Effectively
•Have only one main
idea per paragraph
•Begin with sentence
that states main idea
•Organize from
general to specific,
familiar to
unfamiliar, etc.
•Put details in middle
of paragraph
•Use transitions to
show connections
Overcome
Writer’s Block
•Check your Section
Planner or Organizer
•Write continuously
even if gibberish
•Talk out problem
with another writer,
manager, or
someone you trust
•Change working
environment
•Create summaries
for each section to
clarify thoughts
Additional
Guidelines
•Follow general
sequence on each
hot button of
Benefit, Solution,
Proof
•Substantiate claims
•Address weaknesses
•Use lists to clarify
and emphasize
•Summarize key
content within
subsections

32. examine and Revise Your Proposal
Our Proposal
 Is our proposal compliant, responsive,
competitive, and priced to win?
 Does our proposal meet corporate quality
standards?
Risk Assessment
 Are there any unresolved elements of risk to
us that could preclude submitting the
proposal?
 Does our proposal meet corporate quality
standards?
Negotiation
 Is the contract likely to be awarded without
negotiation? Are we prepared to accept this?
 If negotiations occur, do we know who in the
customer organization will be leading them?
 Is the customer under any constraints (e. g.
time) that we can leverage?
 Has our negotiating team been identified?
 Is our negotiating position clearly defined
and agreed to by senior management?
Transition
 Is our project manager ready to begin
delivery immediately upon award?

33. A Checklist for Winning Proposals
 Write to evaluators (customer), not yourself
 Make it easy for evaluators to find information
 Use simple, clear, customer-focused language
 Do not overwhelm evaluators with technical information
 Never assume you have the opportunity “wired”
 Do not attack competitors by name
 Always tailor reuse material
 Apply the 7 characteristics

34. Discussion
Thank you!

35. Contact Information
Brad Douglas, EVP Global Strategy
bjdouglas@shipleywins.com
www.shipleywins.com