Consultancy is one of the ways professionals sell their knowledge and skills. Usually, consultancy is done on a contractual basis for a time period. Knowing how to write a winning consulting proposal can help you achieve career success.!
So, you have seen an advert calling for a consultant. You think you can do the work excellently and you want to apply for the work, but you wonder whether your proposal can be the winning consulting proposal. Great! You are in the right place. We are going to teach you how to write a winning consulting proposal. But first, we will discuss:
what a consulting proposal is
why a consulting proposal is important
the key elements of a consulting proposal, and
how to write a winning consulting proposal.
What is a consulting proposal?
A consulting proposal is the initial document the consultant submits to a client, in anticipation of future business. It describes the client’s challenge, problem or situation. It also describes what the client expects to achieve and how the consultant will go about solving the challenges of the client. What’s more, the document also includes the period it will take to complete the work, the resources which will be required to do the work and the conditions under which the consultant wants to work. It also includes the consultant’s fees. In essence, the consultant demonstrates that he understands the client’s challenge and positions himself as the solution.
Why a consulting proposal is important?
A consulting proposal is important because:
It demonstrates credibility of the consultant. A consultant uses the consulting proposal to demonstrate that he can do the job. That he can be relied on to successfully deliver the required results and that he is the best among all others bidding to do the work.
A consulting proposal gives a plan of how the work will be done, complete with milestones, deliverables, goals and outcome.
It brings a common understanding between the consultant and the client about the work to be done, the deliverables and milestones. That is, it puts them on the same page.
Finally, it helps establish the scope of work and boundaries. This is very important because it ensures everybody is clear on what the consultancy contract includes or does not include. Should disagreements arise during the course of the work, the consultancy proposal helps clarify things.
What are the key elements of a consulting proposal?
A good consulting proposal typically contains the following key elements:
A summary of the project, problem and challenge.
A consultancy proposal should describe the project in brief, the problem or challenge the project is trying to address and the goals. It should also describe the intended outcomes or achievements at the end of the consultancy project
The objective at end of the consultancy work.
The consultancy proposal should include the client’s objective. The objective must be clear and measurable.
The deliverables of the consultancy assignment or project.
The proposal must also state the deliverable(s) or list of results which the consultant will achieve for the client. This makes all parties know what will be delivered at the end of the assignment. Sometimes there is a tendency to amend or expect more deliverables than was agreed at the beginning. The deliverables stated in the consultancy proposal helps clear things up.
A detailed account of how the consultant will do the work or solve the problems.
This is about the methodology of doing the work. By definition, a methodology is a frame, structure or set of tasks completed in a logical order. In a nutshell, it is really how you intend to go about the interaction with the client and the client’s work so as to deliver what the client wants.
The consultant’s fees and terms.
Equally important are fees and terms. The consultant should state his consulting rate and a time frame for the project. The time frame should include anticipated start and end dates. He should also state his terms and conditions for the project. This includes related expenses, travel, administrative, logistical, and communication. Additionally, the consultant also gives various service options which the client can choose from, thus providing a choice of consulting offers.
Writing the winning consulting proposal. How to approach the writing?
Envision yourself as the client or the client’s team reviewing proposals
Recall, the client is hiring a consultant based on specific needs. Your job as a consultant is to craft a short, yet concise, proposal that most closely fits their needs by describing the procedures you will take, and outcomes you expect as a consultant.
First, see yourself as part of a team reviewing consulting proposals and what your expectation would be in the document. That is the eye you should use to write a winning consulting proposal. The client has to feel that you understand their situation, and are the sole individual who can take the current situation and produce the best outcome.
This is the individual who can best show:
a)They understand the client.
b)They recognize their need.
c) They best summarize the client’s needs.
d) Equally important is they offer the best opportunity for success, based on the strategy they propose.
The manner in which you describe the methods of intervention.
Every bidder will include a methodology of how they will go about doing the work. But the manner in which you describe the methods of intervention you will use, how you will isolate problems and your preliminary understanding of the scope of problems is what will make your proposal a winning consulting proposal. Additionally, as clients review your proposals, they are primarily looking for the person who best understands the forces that act on their company within the marketplace, which include environmental, political, economic, legal, technological, and social aspects.
Highlight your consulting experience, competence and specialized skills.
Once the client sees you have a good understanding of their situation, they will compare your proposal to others in terms of your consulting competence, specialized technical knowledge and skills, managerial skills, and interpersonal skills.
Create a powerful executive summary. Be creative and succinct. Be brief, yet provide a high-quality document.
Quantify the expected results. Clients are more interested in what you are going to provide instead of how you are going to provide it.
The following is a brief additional proposal checklist for a winning consulting proposal
Cover letter
Contact information and Company name
Objectives
Measures
Value
Situational awareness
Timing
Methodology
Joint accountability
Terms and conditions
Acceptance document
Differentiation aspects – Finally, What makes your proposal different from the 10 others on client’s desk? Is your analysis better? Is your proposal crafted in a manner where the verbiage stands out? Does it more succinctly define the actions you will take? Is your pricing reasonable and fair, based on the work you will do? Is the visual appeal of your proposal the best in terms of quality and format?
Lastly, drafting a winning consulting proposal takes experience. The more you you write them, the more you do better. Look out for our next article on methodologies used in consulting.
