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Ask Early and Often
Too many of us are reluctant to really engage our clients. Fearful that clients are demanding, needy, mercurial, edgy and under enough management pressure that they could snap at any moment we forget that they actually hired us, use our products and services and generally have ideas about what's good, bad or ugly.My Granny always said, "If you don't ask you don't get." So now you are officially on notice -- ask your clients what they think and how you can do better. You'll be surprised at what brand loyalists and advocates the people who break your balls each day actually can be.Afte

ange for the better?

6. Decision Criteria

If you don't have a comprehensive list of the criteria that your prospect will use to make their decision, you probably shouldn't be writing a proposal. List all of their decision criteria here.

7. Decision Process, Time Frame, and Budget

The purpose of including this information in the proposal is to make sure you and your prospect share the same expectations.

8. Next Steps

There should be specific next steps (and related time frames) that are expected to take place after you submit your proposal. List them here to make sure you and your prospect are "on the same page".

9. Closing

Close with a final paragraph that summarizes why your product or service is the best solution for your prospect, plus a positive statement of expect

Everyone is Marketable
I realise that everyone is marketable. Marketable in the sense that everyone is unique. Everyone is talented at something. Everyone is good at at least one thing. We can therefore make money out of what we are good at. Of course, being good at something is not enough and we have to be marketable but since we are different in our own ways, we are all marketable. Makes sense, doesn't it?Hence the bottom line is that everyone has the ability to acquire success and wealth owing to the fact that he/she is skilled in something and is unique in his/her own ways.Did you know that if you writ

Depending upon how much you enjoy writing, writing sales proposals can be a joy, purgatory, or something in between. However, if you sell a complex product or one that involves the delivery of professional services, learning how to write effective sales proposals can be critical to your success.

Some proposals are written in response to an RFP (Request for Proposal) or RFI (Request for Information). Organizations that go to the trouble of writing RFP's want to receive highly structured proposals, as this makes it easier for them to compare responses from various bidders.

Some proposals are "Boilerplate Bombs". These proposals tend to be long, boring, and tedious to read. Often these proposals are written under the assumption that "bounce factor" (how high objects on a desk bounce when the proposal is dropped on the desk) is what makes a proposal effective.

The proposal category that is the focus of this article is effective sales proposals. These proposals are lean, highly focused, customer-specific documents that are written to sell anyone that reads them. How can a written document accomplish this feat? Through text that invokes emotion and provides compelling reasons that support a buying decision.

Before we go any further, let's review the single most common flaw in proposal generation -- lack of proper opportunity qualification. Companies waste incredible amounts of time and resources preparing proposals for poorly qualified opportunities. These proposals have little chance of producing sales.

When you are armed with the necessary opportunity qualification information and you have made a conscious decision that the opportunity warrants the investment of time and resources required to generate a quality proposal, you are ready to write an effective sales proposal. To aid you in this undertaking, here are brief descriptions of nine suggested proposal sections:

1. Opening

This is usually a single paragraph where you thank the people that provided the opportunity qualification information and set the stage for the proposal. The last sentence of the paragraph should list the primary value the prospect will receive by making the proposed investment.

2. Background

Your prospects know a lot about their own companies. They don't need you to provide them with a chronological history or a bunch of unnecessary facts. The bulk of this section should focus on selected facts concerning the specific business functions or departments that your solution will impact.

3. Current Situation

This is where you really start selling. In this section you lay out the prospect's business problems and the impact of the problems...in painful detail. Your goal should be to invoke your prospect's negative emotions (fear, frustration, pain, etc.).

4. Desired Results

Your goal for this section should be to invoke your prospect's positive emotions (relief, joy, satisfaction, etc.) by helping your prospect visualize the "desired state" for their business.

5. Business Impact

This is where you justify the acquisition. What impact will your solution have on your prospect's business? How will their operations and financial results change for the better?

6. Decision Criteria

If you don't have a comprehensive list of the criteria that your prospect will use to make their decision, you probably shouldn't be writing a proposal. List all of their decision criteria here.

7. Decision Process, Time Frame, and Budget

The purpose of including this information in the proposal is to make sure you and your prospect share the same expectations.

8. Next Steps

There should be specific next steps (and related time frames) that are expected to take place after you submit your proposal. List them here to make sure you and your prospect are "on the same page".

9. Closing

Close with a final paragraph that summarizes why your product or service is the best solution for your prospect, plus a positive statement of expecta

Structure + Boundaries = Freedom
Workplace boundaries will prevent you from reacting to others' interference and getting angry at their disturbances.No matter what size your business is, you need to set boundaries and provide structure to your workday. You determine your schedule, not your clients or vendors. If you decide your day starts at 9:30 AM, then don't answer the phone or turn on the computer until then.Start the day with a good breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Break-the-fast like a king or queen. Don't forget the protein. Take frequent breaks during the day to give your

roposal is dropped on the desk) is what makes a proposal effective.

1. Opening

2. Background

3. Current Situation

4. Desired Results

Your goal for this section should be to invoke your prospect's positive emotions (relief, joy, satisfaction, etc.) by helping your prospect visualize the "desired state" for their business.

5. Business Impact

This is where you justify the acquisition. What impact will your solution have on your prospect's business? How will their operations and financial results change for the better?

6. Decision Criteria

If you don't have a comprehensive list of the criteria that your prospect will use to make their decision, you probably shouldn't be writing a proposal. List all of their decision criteria here.

7. Decision Process, Time Frame, and Budget

The purpose of including this information in the proposal is to make sure you and your prospect share the same expectations.

8. Next Steps

There should be specific next steps (and related time frames) that are expected to take place after you submit your proposal. List them here to make sure you and your prospect are "on the same page".

9. Closing

Close with a final paragraph that summarizes why your product or service is the best solution for your prospect, plus a positive statement of expect

Who Should Do The Hiring?
“Who should do the hiring?” is today’s Myatt on Monday’s question which was asked by a CEO of a technology company. Self admittedly, this particular CEO hasn’t had the best track record of hiring, and at the same time also isn’t completely comfortable with turning the process over to HR. The main difference between the CEO that posed today’s question and many other CEO’s is that he recognizes his shortcomings (recognition is the first step on the path to recovery). It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who are charged with hiring who possess absolutely no skill at doing so. In today’

ion and you have made a conscious decision that the opportunity warrants the investment of time and resources required to generate a quality proposal, you are ready to write an effective sales proposal. To aid you in this undertaking, here are brief descriptions of nine suggested proposal sections:

1. Opening

2. Background

3. Current Situation

4. Desired Results

Your goal for this section should be to invoke your prospect's positive emotions (relief, joy, satisfaction, etc.) by helping your prospect visualize the "desired state" for their business.

5. Business Impact

This is where you justify the acquisition. What impact will your solution have on your prospect's business? How will their operations and financial results change for the better?

6. Decision Criteria

If you don't have a comprehensive list of the criteria that your prospect will use to make their decision, you probably shouldn't be writing a proposal. List all of their decision criteria here.

7. Decision Process, Time Frame, and Budget

The purpose of including this information in the proposal is to make sure you and your prospect share the same expectations.

8. Next Steps

There should be specific next steps (and related time frames) that are expected to take place after you submit your proposal. List them here to make sure you and your prospect are "on the same page".

9. Closing

Close with a final paragraph that summarizes why your product or service is the best solution for your prospect, plus a positive statement of expect

It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know: Truth or Rumor?
It’s all about who you know, not what you know.How many times have you heard this phrase?In other words, the rumor is that if you don’t know the right people, you can’t get anywhere.Don’t buy into this rumor.Sure, there might be instances where you have to know the right person to get your foot in the door and there are certainly times when knowing someone might be the only way you can get hired with a particular company.Certainly there are instances where a new manager gets rid of existing staff and brings “their own people” (ie. their friends) in to repl

ected facts concerning the specific business functions or departments that your solution will impact.

3. Current Situation

4. Desired Results

Your goal for this section should be to invoke your prospect's positive emotions (relief, joy, satisfaction, etc.) by helping your prospect visualize the "desired state" for their business.

5. Business Impact

This is where you justify the acquisition. What impact will your solution have on your prospect's business? How will their operations and financial results change for the better?

6. Decision Criteria

If you don't have a comprehensive list of the criteria that your prospect will use to make their decision, you probably shouldn't be writing a proposal. List all of their decision criteria here.

7. Decision Process, Time Frame, and Budget

The purpose of including this information in the proposal is to make sure you and your prospect share the same expectations.

8. Next Steps

There should be specific next steps (and related time frames) that are expected to take place after you submit your proposal. List them here to make sure you and your prospect are "on the same page".

9. Closing

Close with a final paragraph that summarizes why your product or service is the best solution for your prospect, plus a positive statement of expect

How Corporate Governance Impacts Investors
Investor sentiments are a very crucial issue for any company. If the investor confidence is high, the share price of the company soars. If the investor confidence weakens, the value of the stock plummets. Therefore, it is crucial for a company to keep its investors in mind before taking important decisions and to maintain a flawless management quality.The recent spate of corporate scandals has sent investor confidence plummeting to an all time low. Mismanagement in companies like Enron and World Com left the national exchequer poorer by around $80 billion. As recent studies have shown, comp

ange for the better?

6. Decision Criteria

If you don't have a comprehensive list of the criteria that your prospect will use to make their decision, you probably shouldn't be writing a proposal. List all of their decision criteria here.

7. Decision Process, Time Frame, and Budget

The purpose of including this information in the proposal is to make sure you and your prospect share the same expectations.

8. Next Steps

There should be specific next steps (and related time frames) that are expected to take place after you submit your proposal. List them here to make sure you and your prospect are "on the same page".

9. Closing

Close with a final paragraph that summarizes why your product or service is the best solution for your prospect, plus a positive statement of expectation.

Do you see the power of this type of proposal? Do you see the benefit of eliminating volumes of boilerplate that do not address your prospect's specific and immediate needs and concerns? Do you see how an effective sales proposal can influence the thinking of decision makers and influencers, even if you have had limited (or no) personal contact with them?

If you construct your proposals in this manner, you will maximize your return on proposal writing time and resource investments.

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This article is the story about how Hiroyuki Fukushima created a 2000 Percent Solution for his organisation. It clearly illustrates the powerful eight-step process.

Triple your yard sale profits with 16 secret tips and tricks you can put to use quickly and efficiently. Buying bulk can be really addicting. Imagine saving a few dollars if you buy a six-per-pack of a product compared to buying just one? The savings that you can potentially have can be really hard to resist.

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