Writing Business Bids and Proposals For Dummies

Acquire the necessary skills to win business through proposals, bids, tenders, and presentations—this hands-on guide is your partner for success  You have in your hands the collected knowledge and skills of the professional proposal writer. Proposal writing is a profession — a growing and increasingly important one and an essential part of a broader group of business development professionals who plan and execute strategies for businesses who want to obtain new customers. Proposal writers have a professional organization — the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) — and their best practices are the foundation for this book.   Proposal writing is a skill you can learn, practice, and master; you can even go through a professional certification process to prove your mastery. Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies is your no-nonsense guide to finding out what professional proposal writers know and for applying it to your own business.   If you’re a small- to medium-size business owner, a first-time proposal writer in a medium-size company, or a sales representative, you know that a written proposal (printed or electronic) is still a common, personal, and effective way to win business. Written in plain English, Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies will help you to:  Know the difference between reactive proposals (the RFP or request for proposal) and proactive proposals  Focus on the customer by going beyond their requirements to address their true needs  Know your competition through research and analysis  Write persuasively to develop a winning business proposal  Plan and use a repeatable proposal process  Incorporate a lessons learned aspect to your proposal process  Use tools and templates to accelerate your proposals  Motivate and lead your proposal team to ensure they’re on the same page  Use graphics to enhance your proposals  Learn ways to automate your proposal development process  And a whole lot more  Additionally, you’ll gain access to ten templates for building a proposal, find out ten common misconceptions about bids and proposals, and add a compiled list of online resources to your toolset. Grab a copy of Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies to start sharpening your proposal writing skillset.