Proposals take so much time to write-and time is often so short-that you are
always sorely tempted to pull sections out of other proposals (ones that won and ones that
didn't), tweak them a bit and plug them into the current document. If you give in to this
temptation, follow this advice:
Be careful!
Using boilerplate is a quick fix that more
often than not will fail. It will fail in great part because the client will notice that
you are presenting boilerplate, and that sends a clear message:
Dear Client, your project is not important
enough for us write a proposal that is specifically tailored to meet your needs. But
please select us for the job anyway.
All you have to do is think of the direct
mail you get at home with your name plugged in to understand how the client will feel once
he sees your proposal is a collection of past sections stitched together.
What boilerplate you can use.
Does that mean that you can have no boilerplated sections? Not at all. Some sections will
be the same from proposal to proposal. The following is a very short list:
That's about it. Everything else should be
tailored to meet the requirements of this specific proposal.
"Reusable" Materials.
Now, there are some materials that you will use over and over again. Aside from the
contract language, which usually doesn't change much, you can reuse the following
materials:
In upcoming articles we'll address each of
these in detail. But for now, here are a few words on each.
Tailor the resumes for each project.
This means going in and selecting which elements of a person's past experience has direct
and immediate impact on this project. After all, the client is asking for qualified
people, and you are able to supply qualified people. Show exactly how they are qualified
for this specific project.
Tailor the past performance/related
experience sections to show a direct relationship to this project. You did lots
of work on past projects X, Y and Z. And sure, a lot of the work will be the same on this
project. But if want the client to walk away with a warm feeling that you really know how
to do this job, cite specific instances of past projects that look a lot like this
project. In other words, make it obvious to the client; don't expect him to figure it out
for himself. He may not take the time. Would you?
Tailor the management sections to
show how you will apply your management expertise to make this project a success.
Clients can smell boilerplate management sections a mile away. Be specific; show you
understand the issues involved in managing this project by citing them, and showing how
you will resolve them.
Sure, you can use "boilerplate. The key
is to tailor, tailor, and tailor some more. And by the time you finish tailoring, it
probably won't look much like boilerplate anymore.
And that's a good thing.
