Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts
Author: Tom Sant
List Price: $17.95
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ISBN: 0814471536
Publisher: AMACOM (December, 2003)
Sales Rank: 5,590
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
I think Cicero would have been proud...
Engineers like me need to be reminded. Sure the technology we're selling is amazing, but it's not about us. An effective proposal needs to focus on what the customer needs. This is what Tom Sant drives home so effectively in his book, "Persuasive Business Proposals." I've been using (and preaching to my colleagues) Sant's approach for more than ten years and have given away more than 20 copies of his first edition. The new edition is even better than the first.Focusing on the customer sounds simple enough, but I regularly refer to the examples in Sant's book to get started. I also frequently open the chapter on word choice. It's a useful complement to the proposal tips, and it helps me confidently use words like complement. (Or should it be compliment? It's in the book!)
Sant quotes Cicero in his book to drive home the persuasion point. Hopefully both Cicero and Sant would accept this attempt at a persuasive close: Engineers need help to write persuasively. Persuasive proposals must focus on the readers' needs. Sant's book delivers practical examples for how to meet these needs. "Persuasive Business Proposals" is so well-organized and fun to read that proposal writers will use it as a frequent reference. Ultimately, engineers (who write proposals) simply need sales from winning proposals. Sant's methods are sure to deliver more wins. If you sell, you should read and use this book.
Rating: 5 out of 5
I wish I had read this earlier in my career!
I have read many business books in my career and I was expecting this to be yet another "how to" book about the mechanics of writing. Boy was I wrong. Yes, writing techniques are covered thoroughly in Section IV. But first, you are firmly grounded in the customer point of view and the art of persuasion, learn how to distinguish between those "deals" you should go after and those you should forego, and gain insight into methods for organizing your thoughts and the whole proposal writing process. Before closing, the author leaves you with metrics to analyze and measure the success of your proposals so that you can incorporate "lessons learned" into future proposals. I was looking for ways to improve my proposals but ended up with so much more... in fact, after reading this book, I plan to be more discriminating in responding to RFPs and when I do, I will use the techniques Tom offers in this book to make them more specific,customer-focused,and concise. I recommend this book to any person who is involved in the proposal process and wants to improve the effectiveness of their proposals.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The "Write" way to become a sales superstar!
Tom shows you in a clear and distinct manner how to convey to customers the value you can provide them. He demonstrates via numerous real-life examples how to make your proposal appealing to the different types of customers that will review them (purchasing agent, technical buyer, manager, president, ceo, and the like). He also makes you rethink how you conduct your sales call so you can gather the necessary information to make custom-tailor, value-driven proposals instead of generic boilerplates. The book reflects Tom's years of successfully working with sales forces and their customers worldwide to develop proposals that justify the solution and value proposition. Similar Products
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Book Index