Apr
14
2010
Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts
Posted by THAT Painter Lady in Faux Painters, tags: Business, Clients, Contracts, Customers, More, Persuasive, Proposals, Writing
- ISBN13: 9780814471531
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
With over 40,000 copies sold, the first edition of Persuasive Business Proposals helped many readers construct dynamic, effective proposals. Now in paperback, this fully-revised second edition still gives readers simple, effective techniques for organizing, writing, and delivering proposals while updating the author’s winning strategies for today’s global business environment. By cutting through the confusion, and providing dozens of real-world examples, this… More >>
Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win More Customers, Clients, and Contracts
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The second edition of Sant’s book picks up where the original left off. It’s well-writen, easy to follow and nicely organized. I’ve written more proposals in my day than I care to admit, but I found Sant’s advice added to my own knowledge and my proposal writing efforts got measurably better.
After the introductory material, Sant goes into a discussion of how to use the tools of persuasion in a written document. His advice is clear and readers may find tips that they’ve forgotten, or never knew.
He then describes how to manage a proposal process from beginning to end, and finishes the book with some rules on writing and language that make a proposal even more powerful.
Sant uses lots of examples and sample proposals to illustrate his points, which brings his concepts to life for the reader.
Overall, the book is a great read. If you write proposals, you should have this book on your shelf.
Michael McLaughlin, coauthor with Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants.
Rating: 5 / 5
Engineers like me need to be reminded. Sure the technology we’re selling is amazing, but it’s not about us. An effective proposal needs to focus on what the customer needs. This is what Tom Sant drives home so effectively in his book, “Persuasive Business Proposals.” I’ve been using (and preaching to my colleagues) Sant’s approach for more than ten years and have given away more than 20 copies of his first edition. The new edition is even better than the first.
Focusing on the customer sounds simple enough, but I regularly refer to the examples in Sant’s book to get started. I also frequently open the chapter on word choice. It’s a useful complement to the proposal tips, and it helps me confidently use words like complement. (Or should it be compliment? It’s in the book!)
Sant quotes Cicero in his book to drive home the persuasion point. Hopefully both Cicero and Sant would accept this attempt at a persuasive close: Engineers need help to write persuasively. Persuasive proposals must focus on the readers’ needs. Sant’s book delivers practical examples for how to meet these needs. “Persuasive Business Proposals” is so well-organized and fun to read that proposal writers will use it as a frequent reference. Ultimately, engineers (who write proposals) simply need sales from winning proposals. Sant’s methods are sure to deliver more wins. If you sell, you should read and use this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a great book full of practical advice on how to improve your sales proposals. Most business books tell you what you should be doing. This book tells you how to do it. It covers traditional business proposals and Request for Proposal responses. If you’re looking for help with business plans, this isn’t a book for you. But if you want to improve your sales proposals and win more business, this book is great! I saw Tom Sant speak at a sales conference last year and he was terrific. I also recommend his email newsletter!
Rating: 5 / 5
I have read many business books in my career and I was expecting this to be yet another “how to” book about the mechanics of writing. Boy was I wrong. Yes, writing techniques are covered thoroughly in Section IV. But first, you are firmly grounded in the customer point of view and the art of persuasion, learn how to distinguish between those “deals” you should go after and those you should forego, and gain insight into methods for organizing your thoughts and the whole proposal writing process. Before closing, the author leaves you with metrics to analyze and measure the success of your proposals so that you can incorporate “lessons learned” into future proposals.
I was looking for ways to improve my proposals but ended up with so much more… in fact, after reading this book, I plan to be more discriminating in responding to RFPs and when I do, I will use the techniques Tom offers in this book to make them more specific,customer-focused,and concise. I recommend this book to any person who is involved in the proposal process and wants to improve the effectiveness of their proposals.
Rating: 5 / 5
Tom shows you in a clear and distinct manner how to convey to customers the value you can provide them. He demonstrates via numerous real-life examples how to make your proposal appealing to the different types of customers that will review them (purchasing agent, technical buyer, manager, president, ceo, and the like). He also makes you rethink how you conduct your sales call so you can gather the necessary information to make custom-tailor, value-driven proposals instead of generic boilerplates. The book reflects Tom’s years of successfully working with sales forces and their customers worldwide to develop proposals that justify the solution and value proposition.
Rating: 5 / 5