Why Spend Money on Marketing?

The Two Keys: Credibility and Repetition

Getting to the Top of the Magic Wand

Good Work Is Not Enough

A Good Presentation Is Not Enough

A Good Proposal Is Not Good Enough

Customer CASEs

Strategy and Analysis First

Identifying the Goal

The Marketing Plan: A Process, Not a Product

Stage One: Starting Questions

Stage Two: Organization Questions

Stage Three: Customer/Client Questions

Stage Four: Sharing the Plan

Stage Five: Selecting the Targets

Identifying the Buyers

Managing the BUGs

Four Types of Buyers

Issues of Critical Importance

ISSUEs

Identifying the Gaps in Knowledge

Finding the Black Holes

The Black Hole Report

Black Hole Report

Making an Action Plan

What Needs to Happen?

Budgeting for Success

Do You Need the Help of Outsiders?

Identifying the Client Target
Identifying Good Prospects
Identifying Your Best People
Identifying the Right Level
Identifying the Right Match of Levels

Setting the Goal for Your Meetings

Don't Go On a Safari Unless You Know What You're Hunting

Marketing Meeting Worksheet

Go/No-Go Decisions

Time In and Time Out

Reviewing the Meeting Results

Looping Back to Strategy and Analysis

Comparing Strategic and Tactical Elements of Marketing

Analyzing the ISSUEs

Check Out the BUGs
The Boss
The Users
The Gatekeepers
The Supporters

Review Your GO/NO-GO Checklist

GO/NO-GO Checklist

The Magic of a Theme
And Why You Need One

How the "Big Building" Principle Works

Themes Connect You and the Client

Themes String Together the Writing

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Theme?
How It "Sticks" and Won't Let Go

How Do You Build a Theme?

Pitfalls of the Magic Act

Moderator Notes for a Theme Meeting

Storyboards
Pure Magic

A Storyboard Is Not an Outline

How Storyboards Save Time and Money

A Sample Storyboard

How To Use Storyboards
The Storyboard Process

How To Generate Good Benefit Statements
Features vs. Benefits

Senior Management Signs Off on Storyboards

Storyboard

How To Save Money on Proposals

Increase the Winners and Cut Your Losses

Increase the Winners by Choosing the Right Battles

Cost Proposal
Elements to Include, Elements to Avoid
When to Evaluate Accounting Requirements
When to Adapt to the Client's Accounting Requirements

Scheduling the Cost Proposal

Reviewing the Cost Proposal
The Green Team Review

The Request for Proposals
Cutting Corners

Breaking Down and Summarizing the RFP

Breaking It Down

Finding "Volunteers"

Example of a Proposal Checklist

Setting a Schedule: Don't Try to Pull a Rabbit Out of a Hat

Scheduling Considerations

Sample Schedule

Distribution of Authority
Who's in Charge?

Shorter Deadlines Require Better Teamwork

If It Wins, It Was My Idea; If It Loses, It Was Yours
Someone Is Always in Charge

Common Proposal Management Problems

Process Flow Diagram

Who's in Charge

Who's Involved

Enforcing Security

How To Protect Yourself From the Amateur Houdinis

Database Resources

Resumes

Project Experience

Unfriendly Ghosts and Goblins

Conjuring Up Ghosts

Trading On Goblin Tales

Writing the White "Draft"
Preparing Storyboards

Benefit Statements
Lead paragraph
Page Limit
Importance
Due Date
Writer
Supporting Paragraphs

Storyboard Sample

Proposal Art Work
How Much Is Enough?
When Is Color Appropriate?

What Kind of Cover Art Should be Used?

The White Team Review

Reviewing Storyboards

What Can You Tell From a Storyboard?

Sample Review Storyboards
Example of Helpful Comments
Example of Useless Comments
Example of Completed Storyboard

Writing Style
abracadabra or Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo?

Making Writing More Readable

Writing the Pink "Draft"
Writing From the Storyboards

The Table of Contents and Action Captions

The Pink Team Review
Technical First

Writing the Final Draft
The Red Team Draft

The Red Team Review
Reviewing the Final Draft

Publication and Delivery Management
Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The Command Shift from Proposal Manager to Proposal Coordinator

Implementing the Backup Systems

Debriefing

Celebrate the Delivery

Comparing the Strategic and Tactical Elements of Proposal Management

Best and Final Offer

Actors Need Not Apply

Careful Preparation Is the Key

Oral Proposals

Critical Features of the Oral Proposal

Further Considerations

CASE STUDY for 1Ricci
How We Coach Oral Presentations

Black Hole Report

BUYERs, Four types of

CASEs, Customer

GO/NO-GO Checklist

ISSUEs of Critical Importance

Marketing Meeting Worksheet

Schedule (blank)

Storyboard (blank)

Strategic and Tactical Elements of Marketing, Comparing

Strategic and Tactical Elements of Proposal Management, Comparing

Theme Meeting, Moderator Notes for a

Edited by George Wilkerson  
Final edit and publishing oversight by DeLisa Hutchison 
Page design and typesetting by Shirley Saul 
Cover and figures by Jeffrey Breckenridge, Ellis Graphics 
Interactive Flash Application by Eileen Parzek, Turtle's Web Art & Design www.turtlesweb.com

Copyright 1998 by Laura Ricci
All rights reserved. No part of this book or electronic 
files may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, 
electronic or mechanical, without permission from the 
Publisher. Reproduction of up to 100 words for the purpose 
of published review is acceptable to the Publisher with 
notice by mailing a copy of the published review to 1Ricci ,  
315 Jonathan Suite B, Milwaukee WI 53072.

First Printing 1998. 
Second Printing 2000. 
Third Printing 2006.

LCCN 98-093370 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ricci, Laura 
The Magic of Winning Proposals / Laura Ricci 
p. 142 cm 
1. Marketing and Sales 
2. Marketing Management 
3. Management: Organizational Change 
4. Management: Organizational Effectiveness 
5. Sales Training and Education 
ISBN 0-9657399-1-0