| Conjuring Up Ghosts |
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Sometimes you may know who your competition is, and while you certainly don't want to "trash" them and appear, at the least, impolite, you can still take the opportunity to emphasize your strengths and contrast them against those your competition lacks. For example, if you find out that a competitor has been given a warning by a government agency or independent auditor because of poor financial management, or if they were cited for contract violations, wouldn't it be helpful to show that you have never had such problems? A Ghost Story offers an excellent way to do it. A properly presented Ghost Story can cause the reader to stop and think. And the conclusion the reader draws can effectively wound the competition. A Ghost Story is a subtle way of pointing out your competitor's shortcomings without actually pointing a finger directly at them. It simply raises questions in the reader's mind which, when answered, will not flatter the competition. The Ghost Story makes a veiled reference to something you know about the competitor's practices which may already be known by the reader or which may prompt the reader to look into the circumstances. For example, if you knew that a competitor had been warned on an audit because they "padded" their budget in order to buy some sophisticated equipment that they then kept for their own use, you might include a Ghost Story like this:
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Lease or Purchase? We Know When To Do Which!
We want to keep costs down. That's why we won't waste your money on expensive equipment that has a short-term use, expecting to keep it for ourselves. The technique we've proposed is especially economical because it only requires leasing equipment for the duration of the work, rather than purchasing the equipment and selling it at a loss later. This approach is far better (and definitely more ethical) than the "spend and keep" philosophy of some companies.
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The reader of such a story may look closely at other proposals to see if they promote a "spend and keep" philosophy. They're more likely to scrutinize the techniques your competitors might use and even ask questions about equipment purchased under their past contracts. Obviously, having a particular bit of intelligence about a competitor makes a Ghost Story very effective. Next page in the Magic of Winning Proposals | Marketing Manager | Proposal Manager | Proposal Writers | Proposal Coordinator |
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