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Persuasive Writing
Proposals, RFPs, and Other Sales Tools
Persuasive writing is the art of using the written word to convince the reader to agree with the writer's point of view. Persuasive writing is used extensively in marketing and sales. A very good example is objective-based selling, which is based on the customer's objectives. For years, I have been aware of, and employed, the philosophy of objective-based selling, which is designed to sell a product or service when the salesperson can not be face-to-face with the buyer at decision-making time.
Proposals & RFPs
Other Sales Tools
Proposals & RFPs
When a Request for Proposal (RFP) is received from a prospective client, it usually means a purchase decision has been made, the purchase is already budgeted, and vendor selection is nearing. Consequently, a vendor’s response will be viewed by the key influencers and decision makers. At this critical stage in the sales process, it is crucial that the vendor’s presentation reflect professionalism. A vendor’s response can make the difference for a favorable decision, even in some instances when there may be an unfavorable predisposition. A professional presentation gives tangible evidence of a company’s professionalism, capabilities, and attitude toward a customer.
Familiarity with the entire proposal process (client-side and vendor-side) is important and should include the following:
- How to plan the total RFP project to meet its deadline, in spite of conflicting deadlines
- What it takes to extract needed information diplomatically from subject matter experts (SMEs)
- How to work as a team
- How to analyze information and phrase responses appropriate to the questions and the client's needs
- The importance of concise, yet complete answers
- The importance framing responses in a positive light, even if the answer happens to be a negative one (I have yet to find a negative answer that could not be framed in a positive light.)
- How to enhance responses with graphics
- The importance of maintaining branding consistency
- How to work with the sales team and other departments at all levels
- How to talk with prospective clients
- How to understand and ensure compliance with RFP submittal requirements
- How to tweak boilerplate answers to custom fit clients and their questions
Inherent to proposal writing is the product knowledge gained; and with that comes an awareness of frequently asked questions. Standard answers should be prepared as boilerplates for future responses, which can be easily customized for each client. Boilerplates also prove valuable in documents as independent sales and educational tools.
As a professional with nine years of RFP experience, I enjoy my work and take pride in producing a world-class product, always with information design and content management in mind.
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Other Sales Tools
Persuasive writing services also include the following items:
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