|
Writing the Related Experience Section Proposal
By Dan Safford
When asking for proposals to provide services, clients frequently
require descriptions of relevant projects. And being a conscientious
proposal writer, you always respond. The problem is that too often you
probably select the projects that you know are relevant and tuck them
into the “Related Experience” section but don't let the client know
exactly how they are relevant.
Your Experience sections must be tailored, just like all your standard
proposal sections must be tailored. They must speak directly to the
client's needs on this project. Do not expect clients to take the time
to figure out how your experience is relevant. They won’t.
Why the client asks for relevant experience. When the client
asks for examples of work you have done in the past, she is not simply
looking for a laundry list of similar projects—she is looking for your
experience on projects that closely resemble hers. Why else would she
ask for it?
To make the most persuasive case that you are the best qualified to
conduct this work, you should cite experience that comes as close as
possible to her project. This will convey the message that you have
encountered problems that you know she has, and that you have
successfully addressed them. And the more specific you are in calling
them out, the less time she will have to spend looking for them in your
write-up.
Be specific, not general. I can’t say this too often—the client
will not spend time reading your proposal to pick out the information
that is relevant to her. Your job is to make that information obvious
and easy to grasp.
Don’t give a general description of work you have performed in the past
and hope that the client will take the time to apply that to her
specific project—the chances are she won’t.
Call out specific client benefits. You need to take every chance
you get to remind the client of the benefits of selecting you. This
section is a perfect place to do it. Tie your past work into the
proposed work, and point out how you will put what you have learned to
work for your client.
This, of course, means knowing your client and her project; you can’t
call out specific benefits unless you know what she wants. But you
should be doing that anyway.
You cannot count on your readers connect what you have done with benefits to them. They simply won’t make the effort. You must.
Quantify your successes. If you can, give numbers. Did your
approach to a certain set of tasks on a past project save the client
money? Say so, and give numbers to back it up. If you don't want to
give exact dollars, give the percent of budget you saved. Did you bring
the project in before schedule? How many days/months/years? Nothing
makes a stronger case than a hard number.
Use graphics. Whenever possible, show pictures of past work. In
color, if you can. It may be hard to show pictures of a some types of
projects, but you should find a way to do it anyway. Pictures are
eye-catching and they compel the reader to read the text. Also, use
tables to summarize the elements of the past projects, the similarities
to the proposed project, and the benefits you’ll bring.
Clients are emphasizing Relevant Experience more and more these days.
This means you need to spend more time tailoring them to the job you’re
going after. You can’t afford to rely on the client to see the value of
your experience; you must take the time to point it out. It’ll be worth
it.
|
