Million Dollar Consulting Proposals How to Write a Proposal That's Accepted Every Time

by Weiss, Alan

• ISBN13: 9781118097533
• ISBN10: 111809753X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-29
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Bestselling author of Million Dollar Consulting shares the secrets of writing winning proposals Intended for consultants, speakers, and other professional services providers, Million Dollar Consulting® Proposals ends forever the time-consuming and often frustrating process of writing a consulting proposal. It begins with the basics-defining these proposals and why they are necessary-and coaches you through the entire proposal process. In this book, youll learn how to establish outcome-based business objectives and maximize your success and commensurate fees. From bestselling author Alan Weiss, Million Dollar Consulting Proposals delivers step-by-step guidance on the essential element in creating a million dollar consultancy. Outlines the nine key components to a Million Dollar Consulting proposal structure Presents a dozen Golden Rules for presenting proposals Offers online samples, forms, and templates to maximize the effectiveness of these tools The New York Post calls bestselling author Alan Weiss "one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America." Alan Weisss expert guidance can lead your consulting business to unprecedented success, and it all starts with a million dollar proposal.

Author Biography

Alan Weiss, PHD is a consultant, speaker, and bestselling author. He has the strongest independent consulting brand in the world and his firm. Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz and more than 500 other leading organizations. His prolific publishing career includes forty-five books some of which have been on university curricula and translated into nine languages. The New York Post calls him one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Business Vows: What Is a Proposal and Why It Is Necessary	p. 1
What They Can Do and What They Can't Do	p. 1
Their Place in Your Business Model	p. 5
Why You Don't Provide Proposals for Just Anyone	p. 9
The Role of Conceptual Agreement	p. 12
The Concept of Value (Not Time and Materials)	p. 14
Notes	p. 18
Five Steps Toward Great Leaps: How to Prepare Yourself and the Client	p. 19
Determining the Economic Buyer	p. 19
Developing Trusting Relationships	p. 23
Establishing Outcome-Based Business Objectives	p. 27
Establishing Metrics for Progress and Success	p. 30
Establishing Value and Impact	p. 33
Notes	p. 37
Avoiding Gatekeepers, Intermediaries, and Goblins: Accepting Rejection and Rejecting Acceptance	p. 39
Utilizing Mutual, Enlightened Self-interest	p. 39
Using Guile and Other Art Forms	p. 43
Using Explosives	p. 46
Avoiding Delegation	p. 50
Ensuring Support	p. 54
Note	p. 56
The Architecture of Successful Proposals: The Million Dollar Consulting“ Proposal Structure	p. 57
The Nine Key Components	p. 57
Notes	p. 75
One Dozen Golden Rules for Presenting Proposals: Steak and Sizzle Are Hard to Beat	p. 77
Speed and Responsiveness	p. 77
Accurate Re-creations	p. 81
Counterintuitive: No Pitch or Promotion	p. 85
To Be or Not to Be (In Person)	p. 89
Definitive Dates and Times	p. 93
Notes	p. 96
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People Who Wait: Moving Mountains	p. 97
How and When to Follow Up	p. 97
What to Anticipate and How to Cope	p. 100
Overcoming Last-Minute Objections	p. 104
Overcoming Legitimate Obstacles	p. 108
Creating a Signature (or Something Else)	p. 111
Notes	p. 114
First, Let's Kill All the Lawyers: Shakespeare Really Meant That We Needed Them	p. 115
Dealing With the Legal Department	p. 115
How to Avoid the Legal Department	p. 118
Utilizing Your Own Attorney	p. 122
Effective and Ineffective Compromise	p. 125
The Golden Handshake	p. 129
Notes	p. 133
The Dreaded RFP (Request for Proposals): Why Fill Out the Truly Boring in Triplicate?	p. 135
The Beauties of Being a Sole-Source Provider	p. 135
How to Massage RFPs so That They Look Like You	p. 139
How to Offer Additional Value	p. 142
How to Use Public Meetings for Leverage	p. 145
When to Run for the Hills	p. 149
Notes	p. 152
Retainers Are to Projects as Montrachet Is to Thunderbird: The Wonder of Access to Your Smarts	p. 153
The Three Variables of a Retainer	p. 153
The Need to Control Scope Creep and Scope Seep	p. 157
How to Assertively Pursue Renewals	p. 160
How to Stimulate More Retainers	p. 164
In the Unlikely Event You Need Oxygen: We Don't Anticipate a Crash, But There Are Some Things You Ought to Know	p. 171
What to Do With Requests for Delays Based on Time and Money	p. 171
What to Do If Rejected	p. 175
How to Improve Your Proposals Constantly	p. 178
How to Maximize Your Successes and Fees	p. 181
When to Stop Writing Proposals	p. 185
Note	p. 187
Virtual Appendix	p. 188
Sample Proposals	p. 189
Index	p. 203
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