The Short-Pitch Proposal

Laura Faulkner, PhDFalconDay Consulting

MAKING YOUR CUSTOMER YOUR CHAMPION!

Let me tell you a bedtime story…

Each fell victim to the “Long-Pitch”Proposal

What most believe is the impressive model that will get you the funding.

The 50-Page

Impressive

Proposal

Learn, Study,

Research

They think we’re wonderful!

$Cha-ching! They give us lots of money!

Or if you’re in product dev...

The Super-Deluxe

Impressive Product Model

Build,

Build,

Build

They think we’re wonderful!

$Cha-ching! They give us lots of money!

Tonight’s take-aways:

• If you can’t sell it in 1-3 slides, you’re wasting your time.

• 50-page proposals, up front, are a waste of time and won’t get you anywhere.

• Write those only after you have ‘closed the deal.’

Reality 1: No one reads your 50-page proposal.

Reality 2: Individual humans make these decisions.

Reality 2: Individual humans make these decisions.

Reality 3: Each human has multiple pressures and needs to be met.

Particularly, they need to keep their jobs or advance their careers. To so that, they need to show their superiors that they rock.

How can you help them totally rock?

It begins with a conversation.

It’s simple as A, b, c, 1, 2, 3, do,

re, mi …

Baby, you and me, yeah…

How can you sell that in one slide?

THE CONVERSATIONExamples from Defense contract sales

1. Sell to civilians, not green-suiters.

• Lesson: Understand who is actually your customer, and why.

2. Identify and name what would most help that civilian.

• Lesson: You sell to individuals, not organizations.

• Caution: You convince one individual, but that one has to convince 6 others.

3. The civilian’s goal: Get next year’s funding.

• Lesson: Learn to hear (or discover!) what that one person needs to make happen for his or her organization as soon as your contract is ‘done.’

4. The civilian’s two motivations: Keep job, increase recognition.

• Lesson: Think through what is the driver behind that individual’s approach and need.

What does the civilian need to get next year’s funding?

• Proof that this year’s was of value.• Proof that his or her organization is of

value.

Ask the question: What do you most need to show (your superiors) at the end of this year?

Ask: Fast forward 5 years, what do you most need to have accomplished?

Why this works: A sponsor is far more interested in his or her own problem, than in your beautifully

crafted solution.

This will require that you be flexible in what you are offering.

Most satisfying for both: When you can map your beautiful solution to the problem.

• Caution: It must solve the real problem of the sponsor in a way that they can describe to superiors.

NOW, GET THE MONEY!

Answer the most critical need.

Maybe we could start

with a moped, instead!

Start with the smallest possible ‘document’.

One Slide The 50-Page Impressive Proposal

Vs.

Pain point

Solution proposed

Products / Deliverables

Benefits & support

Think of it as Twitter

for biz dev.

You *can* say it 140

characters.

Pain point title. Tell them all about their own problem, so that they experience it again. Let them know you understand them, their needs, and feel their pain. Lorem ipsum until you are done. Write too much, and they won’t read this either.

A Smashing Title

Products or deliverables. Here’s where you finally get to tell them all about the shiny new things you have or will make for them. Be sure to tell them in their words, not yours. They don’t really speak your language.

Solution. Here is the lovely gateway from pain to your awesome solution. This is what you will do along the way.

Planned Schedule & Cost in $K

Tasks 1QFY 2QFY 3QFY 4QFYTest Task/Quals Analysis      Certification Definition      Content & Instruct Design      Course Development      Online Tracking Config     50K  Prototype Testing/Eqpt     50KTask Cost: 350K 100 100 100 50

50505050

50100

Benefits & Support. The fabulous reasons why they should buy this, and why they should do business with you. Bonus points for naming dignitaries within their organization that you have already talked with and support your proposed solution.

Contact Info. …that’s where you’ll find me.

Need more? Do The Whitepaper.

Let’s co-create!

Now that we have their attention

The 50-Page Impressive Proposal is the “contract before the contract.”

And for you?

Go from fried …

… to freedom

It’s the short-pitch proposal.

A/K/A The Great Lost Art

of the Quad Sheet.

You win!

Use simplicity to get attention, adapt, and get a commitment.

The punchline

!

Start with the moped.

Then build the Winnebago!

The punchline!

Don’t make yourself crazy:

Laura Faulkner, PhD

Laura@FalconDay.com

MAKING YOUR CUSTOMER YOUR CHAMPION!

512-964-2323

FalconDay Consulting