Writing Winning Business Proposals, Third Edition, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 12Writing the Benefits Section

I began this book with a kind of quiz as a way of introducing the concept of generic structure. I discussed how the generic structure of proposals has six slots, the last of which is BENEFITS. Let’s begin this chapter on the benefits section with another quiz, which comprises the three statements in Figure 12.1.

It’s eminently clear that benefits play an important part in selling, whether you’re hawking beer at the ballpark (or at a cricket or rugby match) or submitting a million-dollar proposal to a Fortune 100 firm.

Let’s consider the last major part of one of those proposals, a typical proposal, perhaps one of yours written to me and an organization like mine. Your document begins informally and maintains ...