Getting Started in Consulting, 4th Edition

Chapter 7 Closing the Sale

A consulting proposal is a summation, not an exploration. That is, it is not a negotiating document, because it is based on previously established conceptual agreement. Therefore, your proposal will have a very high likelihood of acceptance. My own experience is over 80 percent, though people in my communities have claimed over 90 percent.¹

How to Write a Proposal That’s Accepted Every Time

Your proposal should be about 2.5 pages in length. You don’t include credentials, résumés, or any collateral information, because trust has already been established. There are nine segments in the proposal.

1. Situation Appraisal

• This is a paragraph of about 5 to 10 sentences explaining why you’ve met with the buyer and why this proposal is being submitted. It is not general background or history.
• Poor: The Acme Company is a 15-year-old enterprise supplying precise measuring equipment to oil field exploration. It has expanded by 50 percent in the past two years, and is now focusing on offshore exploration for the first time. The buyer knows all this! It’s irrelevant.
• Good: The Acme Company’s 50 percent growth rate and expansion into offshore exploration has created the need for an additional 100 engineers in a zero unemployment marketplace, and at least half must possess deep-ocean experience. The challenge is to hire such people from competitors and others without a major disruption to the company’s compensation strategy. That will have the buyer nodding in ...