Proposal Software
And while the kinds of
databases/databanks/resource guides we developed were improvements, they lacked the
functionality of the new generation of proposal development software. Brief
discussion of the leading ones is further down this page.
Nothing will replace the effort required
to personalize a proposal and make it an effective sales tool, but clearly partners and
senior associates who have heavy client service schedules do need help in streamlining the
process and making the best use of their valuable time.
The biggest failing of these programs on
the whole is that they are geared toward government contract proposals. In
government proposals and academic grants, the RFPs are highly technical and require a
proposal document that is specifically structured to stated requirements. This means
that databases of standardized answers to specific information requests can be built and
reused conveniently.
Most of the proposal products cannot seem
to distinguish between ``boilerplate" text sections and proposal archives--and the
need to be able to maintain them separately, yet cross-refer to them. Most of them
cannot target the topic of text you are interested in using and retrieve it--they bring in
the whole associated document. It wastes time to have to search and cut out the
section that you want from an entire file.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that
while there are some excellent proposal database-building tools available today, the only
winning solution for a professional services firm is still to create its own proprietary
response system. In the personal service business, ``canned" answers are not
effective at selling the work.
Nevertheless, a good proprietary system
may be built based on some existing products. Certainly some of the largest law and
accounting firms have used specially created proposal databases using Lotus Notes, or a
combination of Microsoft Word and Access. Over the past year I have evaluated
the currently available commercial proposal software options. If you are considering
purchasing a proposal program to help organize your own firm's process, here are some
observations on each that may help you as you try to find the right solution. If I
can help you, let me know.
I've also provided a list of questions
that you might want to ask before signing on the dotted line. Every firm's
requirements will be a little different. Click here to go to the questions. You may want to print them out
for easy reference.
Leading Proposal Software Packages
FolioView Infobase
(Open Market, Inc. About $1,200.) http://www.folio.com/
FolioViews is intended as a multiuser
product for LAN or Intranet, and provides end users with tools to create personal 'views'
of information in its databases. It is primarily for storing and retrieving
information, which is one of the first proposal functions that most firms grapple
with. It can be useful for such applications as large numbers of resumes, proposal
archives and proposal summaries and features near instantaneous searching, custom query
templates, highlighters, sticky notes and bookmarks to make even a large database more
accessible.
Proposal Master
(The Sant Corporation. About $1,200 for full set of software modules.)
Sant's people conduct site visits where
they build a customized data base for their customers. Their consultants then
populate the package with the industry and company-specific information to be used by the
program. Output is a Microsoft Word document that can be edited further.
Additional components include ProposalTracker, PresentationBuilder and RFPMaster. A
downloadable demo is available from http://www.santcorp.com
.
Proposal Solution System
(Advantage Consulting, Inc. ) http://www.acibiz.com/tools/pss01.html
Automates the proposal process from
planning through production. It integrates your expertise with their proposal methodology
in a LAN/Windows environment. The program provides tools for analyzing an RFP or
set of requirements, building a Proposal Cross Reference and using project management,
storyboard and text templates. PSS was developed in MS Visual Basic and integrates MS
Word, Project and Access. May be more appropriate in a large firm or government
contracts environment.
RFP for Windows
(A/E Management Services. Over $6,000.) http://www.rfp4win.com/PROD01.HTM
Designed primarily for the architecture,
engineering, construction, and environmental professions integrates all of your
marketing information into one centralized database. RFP's user-friendly interface
simplifies data entry, proposal generation, and Report Writing.
The RFP Machine
(Pragmatech Software. Under $1,000.)
The RFP Machine is one of the leading
contenders for proposal management. While primarily a database application that can
store and categorize information, it has two interesting features that make it a cut above
the field. First, a simple artificial intelligence that makes subsequent searches
for various information more precise, and secondly, easy updating of existing RFP Machine
text as changes are needed. Many financial service organizations (banks, insurance
companies, etc.) use it for their proposals, as do some of the larger government
contracting companies. The program may be less useful in a grant/contract
environment or a large multi-user environment. A downloadable demo is available from http://rfpmachine.com.
Preparing to Write a
business plan
by Kaye Vivian
Congratulations! The
good news is you have a plan or idea and you think it can make some money! The bad
news is you have a lot of work to do to get your idea ready to present to potential
investors. You're going to work hard to write your business plan. It will take
longer than you think it should take and, in the end, you will be forced to do the things
that you would really rather avoid right now...like research and financial projections and
identifying the strengths of your management team in a convincing way.
Dale Carnegie said, ``Most of the
important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying
when there seemed to be no help at all." There will be times when you
will feel this way as you try to fund your new venture. Perhaps this article will
give you an easier time with the basics. And if you run up against an obstacle, drop me a note and I'll try to help, time
permitting. See the links at the bottom of this page for some
specifics on what to do and what to avoid. Check here for
an outline of what you should include in a typical business plan.
What to Expect
You're going to have to work and work hard on your business plan. There's no way
around it if you want it to do the job. Have you ever written a major business
report or proposal or strategic plan? If not, consider hiring a business or
technical writer to help you with that part so you can be free to gather and organize the
information. It will save you a lot of grief. If you're going to write it yourself,
here's what you'll need to do to get ready.
- Do your homework. A business plan
gives prospective investors the facts about your concept and ability to deliver, but it
also demonstrates how you think through a problem. This is important to investors
who may not know you.
- Determine your audience and get facts to
support your idea that will matter to the audience of potential investors you are trying
to reach. The Roman poet Ovid said, ``Everyone is a millionaire where promises are
concerned." It takes proof, not claims, to convince an investor to write a
check.
- Rewrite your resume to emphasize the
skills needed to make your venture succeed. A business plan is like a management
team resume with financial projections. An investor wants to know that the people
behind the idea have the expertise to make it happen.
- Give a structured presentation in a
factual way. Even if your idea involves creativity or leading edge technology or a
radically new concept, the people with the checkbooks still need a document that is full
of substance, easy to read and simple to understand. In this case the rule is
substance over form. That is why you will work harder than you think on your business
plan.
Want some specifics
about how to do it? Here are some pointers on what to do
and what to
avoid. You can print them out as reminders or reprint them in other
publications, as long as you use the copyright attribution statement with it. Good luck!
About Kaye
Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian (kvivian@cloud9.net). All rights
reserved. |
