At least, it’s not purely logical. To influence more deeply and fundamentally requires an emotional connection.

I recently spoke at six sessions of IGD’s Leading Edge, the association for managers and executives in the grocery and food distribution business, on the topic of preparing compelling business proposals.

When I asked the groups about the minimum needs of a decision-maker are for any proposal, this is what they consistently came up with:

Facts, size of prize, costs, benefits, risks, resources required, timings, next steps, fit with current plans, do-ability, recommendations, rationale, data integrity, success criteria, background information.

This is logical and sensible stuff and is, of course, necessary in any proposal. When I asked them how they could really make their proposal stand out from the crowd, I got a different list:

Enthusiasm, samples and props, personal relationship, a different style, clear link to decision-maker’s personal objectives, tailored to personality, uniqueness, interaction, something more than they asked for, passion, fit into a bigger objective, demonstrate that you’re listening.

These factors are emotional – they are more of the ‘soft’ but difficult stuff.

Do you have a proposal coming up? Make sure that you’ve got the logic of the proposal covered, certainly, but don’t forget to engage your decision-maker on a more personal, emotional basis.

© Stuart Cross 2010. All rights reserved.

Many of you have to prepare business proposals. But what is the system that you follow, and what is your success rate?

The chart above demonstrates the importance of the process to getting your ideas and proposals heard and approved. Instead of falling into the trap thinking that the quality of your idea, alone, will guarantee approval, you must understand how the approval process really works.

There are three critical points you should take away:

1. The relationship with the decision-maker comes first. As I’ve written elsewhere a strong, trusting, peer-level relationship with the decision-maker can transform your chances of success. Take the time to understand their objectives, provide them with insights and information of value to them and help them shape your idea wherever possible.
2. Create a proposal that gets to the point. Many business proposals are long on needless technical information and detailed implementation plans, and short on the information need to sign-off. Focus your proposal on answering these questions: How well does your idea meet the decision maker’s wider objectives? What evidence do you have that this is a big, compelling and credible idea? Do you know how you will take this idea forward? How will you manage any downside risks? Are you clear what you are asking for and what will happen next?
3. Think of it as a conversation, not a one-off pitch. Business proposals are not generally like an edition of Dragon’s Den. You get more than one shot at success, and you should therefore follow-up soon after you’ve presented the proposal, obtain feedback to understand any objections and information needs and have another go.

Understanding and acting on these three factors will transform your approach to developing business proposals and dramatically increase your chances of success.

© Stuart Cross 2010. All rights reserved.

A couple of weeks ago I shared the three factors that drive your ability to gain approval for your business ideas – see here.

Below is a chart to enable you to assess the likelihood of you getting approval for your ideas. For each of your business proposals simply determine your current position on each of the three drivers – your relationship with the decision maker, your own credibility on that subject, and the quality of your idea.

What do the results tell you about your chances, and which of the three drivers do you need to do some work on?

© Stuart Cross 2010. All rights reserved.

Most business decisions are a mix of the rational and emotional and the personal and the organisational. This means, as set out in the chart, that your ability to get a proposal heard and approved depends on three clear variables:

1. Your own personal credibility, including your track record of success, your capabilities and what others say about you.
2. Your relationship with the decision maker, and your ability to engage the decision maker in a meaningful dialogue on your idea.
3. The quality of the idea and the impact it will have on the business.

In short, it’s not just about the idea itself. It’s also about you and your relationship with the person who has the power to say yes or no.

To have the maximum chance of approval you should be able to address all three factors. If you can only cover two of the three factors, then you should expect the following responses:

1. Thanks, but no thanks. Your relationship and personal credibility will mean that your idea is heard, but the lack of business impact means it won’t be approved. Focus on developing new proposals with a clearer and more compelling effect on business performance.
2. Who are you again?. In this case you have, at best, a 50:50 chance of getting your idea accepted. You simply do not have a good enough relationship with the decision maker. Perhaps your track record and the quality of the idea means that it gets accepted, but if the decision maker doesn’t know you she may just ignore the message.
3. Why should I believe you on this? Apart from the bull’s-eye position of #4, this is the next best position to be. But even where you have a reasonable personal relationship with the decision maker, if you’re not seen as an expert in the area you’re proposing you can expect to face serious questions about your proposal.

How well do you plan to cover all three of the success factors as you develop your business proposals?

© Stuart Cross 2010. All rights reserved.

Click on the link to read my article, Five Tips On Compelling Business Proposals, which has just been posted on BNET.

© Stuart Cross 2009. All rights reserved