Jim and I have been working with Ben Yoskovitz (who also blogs with Des, Jeremy, and I at b5). Ben is a sharp guy and has skills that keep Jim and I in line (read guys with lots of great ideas … sometimes harebrained ideas though). Ben told us that he was writing up a Top 10 list of why proposals fail. Now given that he’s been reading the proposals I’ve been writing for OBO lately, I’m kinda worried.
Anyway, Ben’s list rocks. Basic stuff. Simple stuff. And how about this for a closer to the post:
Your business rocks. You work hard. You deserve more business.
Don’t let proposals get in the way. Do them right and you’ll win a lot more business.
Source: Top 10 Reasons Why Proposals Fail : Instigator Blog
Ben has been “lucky” enough to have this make the front page of Digg. I put that in quotes because his server has crashed at least twice today. Ah the peril of fame.
Okay, while this post isn’t about blogging it is about consulting which is what this blog is also about. I think Ben’s post is one of those that should be printed, laminated, and tacked to your wall. Maybe even given to all new hires. I dunno, but these are points to keep in mind.
One of the best set of point involves not being too technical and getting to the benefits. Jim and I had a section in our proposals about TechCrunch. Ben pointed out that to most of our potential clients (folks who don’t have blogs yet) TechCrunch might as well be Crunch ‘n’ Munch to them. They just don’t care—it has no inherent meaning to them.
Okay folks, everybody dust off some recent proposals and see if you make the top 10 list. Man, I’ve got some work to do.
This was a really good post and a great reminder for all of us that are service providers – web or otherwise.
I know that I’ve taken a second look at my proposals because of Ben’s post.
Comment by Dawud Miracle — February 8, 2007 @ 10:50 am
It is good that someone writes articles which really matters something. Thank you for this article, it’s full of knowledge which is hard to find in tons of rubbish in our famous world wide web. Regards and good luck!
Comment by tapety — November 19, 2007 @ 11:32 pm