Affiliate Program For Writing and Small Business Sites
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
http://www.klariti.com/clickbank-affiliate-program.shtml
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Klariti now offers an Affiliate Program - 50% commission, which isn't bad, for their MS Word Templates and Business documents.
Details are on the site. http://www.klariti.com/clickbank-affiliate-program.shtml
PS - its products have been sold to over 3000 customers worldwide. Over 35% of our products are sold by affiliates. Many have no websites. Some use newsletters or Google Adwords to create sales.
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White Paper Templates
Fro those involved in Sales or Marketing, Klariti (www.klariti.com) have just updated their White Paper templates.
In the IT industry, white papers and case studies are often produced in tandem, as they are both used as sales collateral. However, white papers, its important to note, are not technical documents per se. From a business viewpoint, a white paper can generate publicity, especially when a company is starting out and trying to get media attention.
These templates includes all the major sections required in a standard White Paper:
- Executive Summary
- Business Challenge
- Solution Description
- Benefits
- Technical Specifications
- Target Market
- Case Studies
- Summary
I think there is a '2 for 1' deal on the site but I just couldn't find the link...
Regards,
Ivan from London
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Mistakes in the Vendor Selection Process
Monday, January 23, 2006
Matthew Gnabasik in his book "Smart Choices: Selecting and Administering A Safe 401(k) Plan" provides some good advice on common mistakes in the vendor selection process.
The 401kHelpCenter.com site have paraphrased some of them.
Not Asking Enough Tough Questions: You decide to ask for help in the search process and turn to a broker or consultant. If you do so, be sure you ask them plenty of tough questions about their qualifications to help you and if they have any conflicts of interest. Do they have their own product that they want to push on you?
Not Shopping Around: The 401k marketplace is very competitive and product offerings vary greatly. It pays to shop around. Remember, selecting your vendor is a serious fiduciary obligation.
Confusing Sales People with Consultants: Most 401k vendors distribute their product through an in-house sales force, and these salespeople are often quite good at their job, which is selling products. Be careful about relying on them too much for objective information.
Reducing the Buying Decision to Only Cost: Cost should never be your primary decision element, even though it is an important part of the buying decision. Basing your selection simply on who has the lowest cost is short-sighted and may have long-lasting negative repercussions.
Ivan
PS read more about proposal writing and RFP templates at www.ivanwalsh.com
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Adobe Acrobat 3D released
Adobe has released Adobe Acrobat 3D, which will offer document-based 3D design collaboration capabilities.
With Acrobat 3D, design engineering, technical publishing and creative professionals can easily convert 3D models from a wide variety of major computer-aided design (CAD) formats and embed them into Adobe PDF files -- regardless of whether they have CAD software.
It will also let you enhance the interactivity of 3D objects in PDF documents by editing lighting, adding textures and materials, and creating animations such as assembly and disassembly instructions.
Honda Racing F1 Team, Bradrock Industries, and Atrus Incorporated are among those testing Acrobat 3D for document-based collaboration processes that require visualization of 3D CAD models.
Barbara Darrow discuss this at http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?articleId=177102540
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Software User Assistance Project Management
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Tamara Ferris takes a look at a methodology for developing and managing a Software User Assistance (UA) System, a way of doing things in a structured manner. It provides a complete walkthrough for managers responsible for designing, developing, and managing a software product’s user assistance system. The software’s UA system could comprise of both paper-based user manuals and online help systems. [Read the full article]
Also in includes a free PDF checklist for capturing your customer requirements in a UA Requirements Specification document.
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11 Techniques to Increase Page Views on Your Blog: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Darren Rowse is a must read for anyone interested in making money from blogging.
"At least one commenter on the previous post noted that they are happy with a low page view count because it could mean people are leaving their blog by clicking on an advertisement and thereby earning them money. While there could be some truth in this observation and I’m not adverse to this happening on my blogs - I’m also interested in building blogs that people find interesting and useful and one of the many measures of this can be page views. Of course to get back to the money thing again - those of you running impression based ads will be interested in increased page views also.
IF you’re interested in increasing the number of pages that your average reader reads, here are a few suggestions that might help: "
Read Darren's 11 techniques here
11 Techniques to Increase Page Views on Your Blog: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
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Technorati
Very interesting (free) service for those involved in serious blogging.
Technorati Profile
Ivan
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Guidelines for PhD Research Proposals
Dr Alison Pullen offers some excellent advise for those involved in writing PhD research proposals.
"A research proposal forms the basis of the initial process in applying to the Department for a place on the MPhil or PhD programme. It is the main way in which the applicant and their research ideas can be assessed. While it is likely (and almost guaranteed) that the research project will change over time as a result of further study and empirical work a well-structured, clear, and focused proposal is still the starting point."
The main article is at:
http://www.york.ac.uk/management/prospective/MPHIL_proposals.html
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How to Write a Great Case Study
Friday, January 20, 2006
Case Studies are one of the most effective tools you can use to promote your products and services, especially if you are on a limited marketing budget.
According to market research, next to White Papers, they are the second most popular device used to advance the benefits of a product or service. In addition to this, they are read mostly by executives and those in the decision-making process.
A recent search on Google.com for the term “case study” showed over 15 million hits. Of those hits, almost 750,000 hits included references to Java, which demonstrates a phenomenal uptake in the IT industry. Like its close cousin the White Paper, case studies appear to be growing in popularity every year.
So, if you’ve been commissioned to write a case study, or are interested in starting a lucrative career as a marketing writer, this tutorial should give you a solid understanding of the fundamentals involved.
What is a Case Study?
A case study discusses a specific business situation which needs to be resolved. In general, it is comprised of four sections: situation; problem; solution; evaluation. These are discussed in more detail later.
“A detailed intensive study of a unit, such as a corporation or a corporate division, that stresses factors contributing to its success or failure.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Let’s take a look at some examples:
1. An international airline may realize that its customer service is very poor, for example following an outburst of negative customer feedback. To remedy this it hires a specialist firm to examine their processes, recommend potential solutions, implement the most appropriate service, and then evaluate the results.
2. Following new Homeland Security legislation, a local government agency needs to update its approach to staff training. To address this its brings in a specialist training firm to scope the project, prepare a comprehensive course syllabus, train its staff and review the success (or failure) of the implementation.
3. In response to competitive threats, a high-street retailer may acknowledge that their distribution channels are out-dated and need replacing. It contacts a recognized consulting firm to discuss the business issues, impact on staff and customers, and the potential negative impact of NOT taking new measures. Following these discussions it approaches an international specialist firm to rollout an upgraded end-to-end system. Once this project is completed the marketing department is tasked with drawing media and public attention to this strategic project. Part of the media plan includes preparing white papers and case studies as collateral for editors, journalists, and technology writers.
These three scenarios all offer potential case study material; in each situation, there is a specific problem that needs immediate attention.
IDEA: Include a benefit in the title of your Case Study. Rather than simply say, 'Aerospace Case Study', add a little punch: ‘Case Study on How Product X Improved Performance by 300% in 30 Days’.
Why write a Case Study?
There are several reasons for a company to publish a case study, for example to:
Raise its market profile following the deployment of a major system for a prestigious client.
Following an alliance with a strategic partner, with whom its wants to cross-sell products and services, a case study(s) can serve as an essential part of the promotional drive and media kits.
Boost staff morale by demonstrating a commitment to advancing its new products. This may occur when a company has worked intensively for months to launch its flagship product and now want to ‘bang the drum’ about breakthrough features or radical new designs.
Generate media interest by illustrating how it resolves a major business issue for a high-profile client.
Provide journalists and technology writers with high-quality collateral to assist them when developing articles, special features and profiles pieces. Without white papers and case studies, even the most enthusiastic journalist will struggle to find material to build an interesting story.
The responsibility of writing the document is usually left to the solution provider as, for the most part, it stands to benefit most from the exposure, although the client will also receive due recognition for its role.
The benefit to the case study’s authors is that it:
- Positions them as a credible solutions provider.
- Highlights their expertise and deep industry-specific knowledge.
- Allows them to introduce products and services to potential clients by sharing lessons learned from previous deployments.
Progressive organization that has proactively addressed critical business needs.
Successfully embraced a trustworthy solutions partner.
Responded positively to potential business threats and by listening to customer feedback.
Length, Format and Presentation
Most case studies are between two-or-three pages and in the range of 500-900 words, although some tend to run longer. Try to aim for three pages, and include one large graphic per page.
Anything more than this and it begins to feel like ‘hard sell’ advertising; case studies adopt a more subtle ‘soft-sell’ approach.
Most case studies tend to follow the structure as outlined in the next section. There are situations where you can adjust this format, but for writers starting out in this area it’s best to use this format until you are comfortable with it and then experiment accordingly.
As case studies are often printed out to be read offline, it’s recommended that you choose an easy-to-read font, such as Arial or Times Roman, and allow a generous font size.
Allow yourself plenty of white space.
You can put yourself at a considerable disadvantage if you use an obscure font, which makes it hard to read or by choosing color schemes that strain the reader’s eye, such as violet text on a white background.
The classic black text on a white background is hard to fault. Although white text on black has its supporters, if you choose this you may find that many readers will not print out your document as the printing costs will be excessive, e.g. for black ink toners.
How to Structure your Case Study
Most case studies have four parts:
1. Situation — the opening section describes the rationale for the case study, including the client’s background, its current market position, and the areas of expertise that your company has contributed. You may also mention why the client selected you this project, e.g. previous deployments, awards, industry recognition.
2. Problem — the following section states the main problem which needs to be resolved, such as system performance, market expansion requirements, or new government legislation.
3. Solution — this is heart of the document. It describes the solution in detail, how it was
implemented, the impact on users, methodologies, and other factors that contributed to the overall deployment. Many case studies include sidebars, charts and graphs to highlight key points.
4. Evaluation — in the final section, conclude the document by evaluating the solution’s impact (usually positive), discuss lessons learned, and the next steps to be taken.
Areas to Highlight
As mentioned earlier, a case study is a ‘soft-sell’ sales document. Its role is to highlight your abilities without resorting to ‘market-speak’ and sales clichés.
An effective approach to catch the reader’s attention (who is frequently a potential client) is to explore how the solution helped end-users and the target group.
Support your argument with direct quotes (with their names, if possible) from personnel who've adopted your system or use your services.
To make this work, concentrate on how the solution resolved one very specific issue and then build the case study around this.
Warning: don’t complicate the case study by addressing multiple issues – stick to one subject and explain how you solved the problem in measurable and quantifiable terms.
Support your case study with statistics, figures and tables. Areas to focus on include:
Return on Investments — how did the investment in your product pay for itself. For example, it increased productivity by 50% within 2 months. Explain how you can substantiate this; otherwise, your argument loses credibility.
Cost Containment – how does the solution help companies contain costs? This area is very important as budgets are always a sensitive issue. If you can illustrate how another company who adopted your solution saved money then you’ll keep the reader’s interest.
Reducing Barriers — explain how your solution improves internal operations and assists management planning. For example, how does it fit into a system’s workflow and business procedures? Alternately, mention how your system integrates with other applications and business critical applications.
When compiling the final draft avoid making it too dry and overwhelming the reader with excessive figures. Rather, keep the tone light, easy-to-read while highlighting the key points.
Remember: case studies that oversell themselves by proposing to ‘solve all problems to all people’ aren’t read. No-one believes such claims.
Last Words
Perfecting your case study takes hard work. But, once you refine the words and polish the edges, you have a very powerful marketing tool.
Indeed, those who download your Case Study will keep it on file and use it as a reference.
Once this occurs, the reader sees you as a credible, trustworthy and reliable source of information — the type of company people want to do business with.
Ivan
PS: Case Study Template Pack Strengthen your marketing toolkit with this Case Study Template Pack and quickly prepare professional and stylish case studies.
Click over here to look at the 3 very stylish templates, a case study tutorial, information gathering form and case study checklist.
http://www.klariti.com/templates/Case-Study-Template.shtml
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Proposal Development Gold-dust
I’ve been spending a lot of time recently on Bud Porter-Roth’s site. It’s hard to find anything better when it comes to offering practical and informative proposal writing techniques. Unlike many pretenders, when you read Bud’s material, you know that this man definitely knows what he’s talking about. Worth book-marking!
http://www.erms.com/resource.htm
And while I’ve read---and re-read---several of his books since starting as a Proposal Consultant, my favorite is still Proposal Development: How to Respond & Win the Bid.
PS: you can download the Bid/No Bid Checklist.pdf for free.
Ivan
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Ron Sheer Interview – Plain English Writing Techniques
Hi Folks,
I had the good pleasure to interview Ron Sheer, who raises some very interesting points about the benefits of using plain English (aka plain language) techniques when preparing business correspondence. His own site also has some terrific material.His keep-it-simple approach is based on two user-centered principles:
- Make information easy to find.
- Then make it easy to understand and use.
Ivan
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Proposal Writing Course - Lesson 5 Writing a Request For Proposal
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Writing a Request for Proposal (also called an Invitation To Tender) is hard work.
After you have polished the final draft and sent it out, the next step is to wait for the proposals to come back in. If you're working on a large tender, you can sometimes expect 20,30, 50 or even hundreds of bids to arrive on your desk.
One approach to evaluate these bids quickly is to include a “Format of Tender” section at the end of the Request for Proposal.
Remind the bidders that they must follow the “Format of Tender” criteria as otherwise they risk disqualification. In general, the criteria will mirror the main sections of the RFP itself.
The following section provides a suggested “Format of Tender” outline:
- General Information
- Name
- Address
- Telephone
- Fax
- Terms and Conditions
Confirmation that the bidder understands the requirements and scope of the project and that the bidder should provide any other information that may be relevant to the proposal.
Required Format
Proposals should respond under the headings set out in “Section X” of the main RFP:
- Details of Tendering Company
- Details of Key Personnel
- Overview of Solution
- Understanding of requirements
o Scalability & Performance
o Deliverables
o Audit Requirements
o Testing
o Skills Transfer
o User Training
- Reporting Requirements
- Development Environment
- Testing Environments
- Maintainability
- Development Support
- Project Management
- Quality Management
The costs section should provide the following:
- Total Costs
- Consulting costs
- Software costs
- Training costs
- Implementation costs
- Indicative costs (e.g. hardware)
- Schedule of costs (costs associated with deliverables)
- Validity period of costs
Ivan (ivan at klariti.com)
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Proposal Writing Course - Lesson 4 Understanding the Tender Opening Process
Government contracting is big business.
Companies invest considerable resources into their bids and depend on winning contracts to support their business.
To keep the tendering process more transparent, there is now formal tender opening procedures where the tenders are officially opened.
For Europe Union contracts, this process often occurs in public to ensure that all is above board.
The opening of tenders, and their subsequent examination, is essentially to check that they:
- Contain all the mandatory submission forms.
- Contain the requisite tender guarantee e.g. 2% of the tender value.
- Bidder have signed and dated all the documents.
At the tender opening, the committee also announce the following:
- Bidder’s names
- Tender prices
- Discount offered
- Written notifications of modification or withdrawal
- Requisite tender guarantee
- Other information considered appropriate
However, in the interests of transparency, bidders can provide written clarifications within 48 hours.
Needless to say, any attempt by the bidder to influence an evaluation committee member, results in immediate disqualification.
Tenders are also disqualified if they do not make the submission deadline.
What has been your experience of tendering opening procedures? What type of issues have you seen arise at these sessions? How could they be improved?
Bye,
Ivan
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Proposal Writing Course - Lesson 3 Golden Rules Before Starting Your Proposal
Proposal writers often write at high-speed, under intense pressure to complete the bid on time, while ensuring the all aspects of the response are in agreement with the mandatory RFP guidelines. Not an easy task!
In such situations, mistakes are bound to happen. Even more significantly, such working conditions compromise the quality of the bid.
PS: there's a Proposal Manager's Toolkit at: http://www.klariti.com/Proposal-Manager-Toolkit/
Nonetheless, with this said, proposal writers can improve their position by considering the following questions before starting:
1. What issues are most important to the proposal evaluators?
From the evaluator’s point of view, they’ll be looking to see if you have identified their main problem, such as articulating what issues needs to be solved (besides the most obvious reasons); what goals need to be accomplished; what issues have the highest priority; and what recommendations you are making.
As covered elsewhere on the Klariti.com site, proposals need to be client-centric. Such proposals pinpoint the client’s specific issues (stated and unstated) which ultimately produce a very personalized bid.
2. How do the evaluators perceive your company?
Before bidding, your sales team should have prepared the groundwork with the prospective client. Pre-sales activities will ensure that the client has an idea of who you are—though maybe not as well as you would like—so that you are not submitting a ‘cold’ bid.
A ‘cold’ bid is sent from a company who has had no previous contact with the government agency. Like their telephone equivalent, the ‘cold call’, they tend to have low success rates.
However, if you are bidding to an agency for the first time, you can rectify this by submitting high-quality product brochures, cases studies and white papers.
In addition, you can ‘get-to-know’ the evaluators during the clarification questions, briefing sessions and during the presentations.
3. Will the evaluator’s preconceptions about your company affect the final scoring?
As mentioned previously, if you are new to them then they will generally remain neutral until proved otherwise. Opinions about your credibility, and potential as a winning candidate, will arise when they question your references, meet you in person, and examine the finer details of your bid, such as the terms and conditions.
Evaluators know that references (e.g. referees) are unlikely to speak poorly about the bidding company and may not give much importance to this area—but they will contact the references anyway, as this is part of the formal evaluation procedure.
To make sure you’re represented in the best light, speak to the references in advance and remind them of key areas to emphasize, such as how you delivered on budget, your reliability, and other value-ads.
4. Do competitors hold a preferred position with the evaluators?
When you know that a competitor is in a preferential position with the evaluators, you need to consider if you can:
· Outbid them, both in execution and on price
· Offer a more convincing solution, i.e. technically superior solution
· Explore the competitor’s perceived weaknesses i.e. where you can score points.
If you cannot find solid arguments to dislodge the preferred competitors, you might want to re-consider the bid/no bid strategy.
A typical area where competitors have an advantage is when the incumbent is bidding for an extension of an existing project. In this situation, the incumbent can identify certain areas where you cannot compete, e.g. knowledge of the existing systems.
But, you can counteract this by stressing that your rates, flexibility, competitive bid, SLA, and value-ad make you a worthwhile candidate.
Smaller companies can emphasis their speed, nimbleness and flexibility when competing against vast IT powerhouses.
5. How to position your solution?
When IT personnel write proposals, they often get sidetracked into detailing the system innards. If this is required, then fine. But otherwise, you need to keep these sections in check as they deviate from the proposal’s main objectives.
Likewise, when Sales executives write proposals they can be guilty of adopting a writing style often referred to as ‘marketese.’ Most evaluators are not impressed with this, especially when the copy is snowed under with outlandish claims to product superiority etc.
Essentially, you need to position your solution so that it is aligned exactly with their requirements. To be fair, you sometimes have to work very hard to unearth these requirements as not all Request for Proposal’s are well formulated—but that’s part of your job.
Once you understand this, write the solution description ‘point-by-point’ inline with their submission form. Don’t deviate one iota from the submission form as otherwise you will be disqualified.
Note: be very careful when suggesting a solution that goes above or beyond the requirements. Most evaluators will interpret this as an attempt to out-wit the client.
6. How will be proposals be evaluated?
For most large-scale projects, the evaluators will compile an evaluation grid against which they will score the bids. On EU projects, the evaluation grid is often included with the Request for Proposal.
If the Evaluation Grid is not included with the RFP, you can assume that is will be based on the tender submission format. It is for this reason that you need to prepare your response exactly as per the submission format.
An evaluation grid is a matrix with the key criteria on one side and the weighted scores on the other.
Criteria Weight Score
Understanding of Requirements
Technical Capability
Proposed Solution
Project Management
Fixed Price Cost
Other Factors etc
Total
7. What weight does each criterion get?
The evaluation team generally allocate the weight according to each respective criterion, e.g. the fixed-price costs.
However, in European Union contracts, the RFP may stipulate that most economically advantageous tender (M.E.A.T) will win the contract.
Conversely, they can also state that they are NOT bound to accept the lowest bid.
Nonetheless, you need to get the cost right. Pre-sales and business development functions should assist you in ‘guess/estimating’ where to pitch your bid.
When bidding, this should be the very first activity to undertake. Do not leave costing to the end!
Evaluators use different formulas to determine financial criteria, such as Value-For-Money, hidden costs and change control.
For this reason, you need to outline your costs very clearly. Any attempt to disguise costs, e.g. bury them inside the terms and conditions, will raise suspicions and erode any trust between the bidder and the evaluators.
Let us know if we have missed anything here. ivan/klariti/com
Ivan
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Proposal Writing Course - Lesson 2 Are you proposing a Solution or a Product?
Successful proposals place the emphasis on the client’s needs rather than on your abilities, technology, or experience, regardless of their technical merit.
Novice proposal writers tend to hype their own products/services and relegate the client’s needs to second place.
For example, a proposal for a Content Management system would list must-have technology features and new bleeding-edge technology.
A more seasoned writer would discuss *why* the agency needs a Content Management system in the first place, and then articulate the business benefits that their proposed system would offer.
In other words, the second approach discusses a solution to a problem—rather than a wonderful new product. Government agencies buy solutions not products.
To keep our proposal client-centric, we need to consider the following:
1. What are the proposal’s main weaknesses?
This can be a very tricky area, as the sheer audacity to suggest that the proposal has weaknesses will often be dismissed with derision by the grievously offended bid team.
Nonetheless, if you are the Bid Manager, it is your responsibility to raise this issue. Otherwise, you are working with your ‘head in the sand’ oblivious to the bid’s shortcomings. Refinement is what you are after here. By examining the proposal with an impartial eye, you can see its weakness and then work to resolve these.
For example:
- What is your unique selling point or key differentiator?
- What is the weakest section in the bid?
- On what grounds could it be rejected?
- Have you explained the benefits clearly?
- Would you buy it?
These are some of the most critical issues when submitting a proposal.
Other things for consideration include:
- Any assumptions you make need clear explanations.
- Any recommended course of action (and the consequences of inaction) needs to be discussed.
- Human resource issues such as mobilizing staff, scheduling, and contingency plans.
2. How to demonstrate improvements to productivity and profitability?
Every bid boasts of value-for-money. The proposal evaluator’s eyes glaze over when they read this—as would yours, no doubt.
Instead, of hyping your proposal, demonstrate your ability to:
- Show how you can improve productivity.
- Discuss other projects where you have achieved this.
- Outline the potential costs savings.
In many respects, there will be some guesswork here, but at least it shows that you are making a serious effort to understand their business needs. Most of your competitors will not be so industrious.
3. How to build trust with the client?
Building trust takes time in most everyday situations. In the contracting world, government agencies are often under intense pressure to award contracts very swiftly in order to accelerate large-scale projects.
Regardless of the quality of your bid, trust and reliability will always be an issue; the awarding agency needs to trust the bidder. After all, if they hand you the contract and you under-perform (i.e. screw-up badly), it will reflect very poorly on them.
However, during the tendering process you will get several opportunities to build bridges with the government team. Examples of these include:
Clarifications — always send in clarifications as this demonstrates that you are examining the finer details and have examined the proposals in detail. When preparing Request for Proposal, RFIs and EOIs mistakes can creep in; if you find these, ask for clarification.
In addition, if your own team does not raise any clarification questions—and your competitors do—you may need to consider your team’s commitment to the bid.
Presentations — if you succeed in getting shortlisted, use the session to *listen* to what they are saying. Ask open-ended questions.
Take notes. Use the meeting to illustrate that you are presenting to them---not just walking through another PowerPoint presentation. They have seen endless presentations and most all look the same. Again, ask open-ended questions and take notes.
4. What key recommendations have you made?
Most proposals include a set of recommendations. These serve as the foundation of your solution and emphasize the key criteria for consideration. Support your recommendations with references, endorsements, statistics, benchmarks—whatever gives your recommendations more substance.
If you cannot support your recommendations, your words will be dismissed as mere sales hype.
And, have you suggested (however subtly) what could happen if they do not take your recommendations on board?
Remember FUD – Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Most experienced sales writers will weave one of these three into their sales proposal; it is an indirect call-to-action as it implies that if you do not take some action there could be negative repercussions.
5. Getting the right balance between topics and sections
Open-ended proposals allow the bidder to submit as much content as they wish. Other proposals will specifically request that you stay under x number of pages.
In either case, when reviewing the first major draft, you need to consider:
- Inclusiveness — Revise all major sections to ensure that you have included the major themes, selling points, and recommendations around which your proposal is structured.
- Focus — Note the weaker sections and re-write them with more focus. You don’t need to edit (i.e. reduce the word count) of the entire document, but any sections that appears to be ambiguous, vague or rambling need refinement.
- Expansions — sections that appear to be incomplete, underwritten, or lack persuasiveness need further expansion. Using tables and graphs is a nice way to counterbalance pages of text.
6. Use Plain Language
Many proposal writers use a dense, convoluted style of writing in the assumption that it will impress the evaluators. Proposals choked with multiple adjectives, lengthy sub-clauses and hundred-word paragraphs make life very hard for the evaluators.
Remember, on large projects, the evaluators will read several thousands of pages when reviewing the bids. It is in your interest to write in clear, concise prose which can be easily understood.
In IT proposals, writers often indiscriminately throw in new terms, acronyms and expressions. For example, I read a proposal recently that referred to a ‘corporate dash-board.’ Even the proposal writers did not know what it meant; but they thought it sounded good!
With that said, you have to explain the business/software terminology in language appropriate for the reader. Remove all cryptic IT references, sales waffle, and unexplained TLA’s (three-name-acronyms, such as B2B).
7. Your Bid versus the Competition
Most government contractors know the competition before they even bid. For example, in Ireland, under the Freedom of Information Act, you can request the names of those who bid for a previous project; the size of the contract award is also published.
Before bidding, you should identify your single most likely competitor. If you don’t know this, it will make certain parts of your bid very hard to complete, such as the costs, daily rates and discounts.
There are a few ground rules here. In your bid, never directly insult your competitors by name. This will make you look petty and will lower the tone of your bid. It is a cheap shot and will always backfire.
Instead, explore how you can positively pitch your proposal against the competition.
Once you have worked out your respective strengths, weave them into the response where they are most appropriate, such as in the Executive Summary and the Understanding of Requirements.
By taking these points into consideration, you will begin to shift from writing ‘product orientated proposals’ and start delivering proposals that put the customer right at the heart of your response.
The first few attempts to make this shift will require a slight learning curve, but once your mastered it, your target customers will start responding in a much more positive light.
Tell us what you think about writing proposals. Have we missed something obvious? What’s the best tip you can give to someone writing a client-centric proposal for the first time?
I'm at ivan at klariti dot com
PS: you can find Proposal Templates at: http://www.klariti.com/templates/Request-For-Proposal-RFP-Template.shtml
Ivan
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Proposal Writing Course - Lesson 1 Customer-centric proposals
Seven Steps toward a customer-centric proposal
For proposal writers, the task of responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) can be quite daunting. In addition to the pressure of getting the best proposal in on time, defining an effective approach to the response poses several dilemmas.
For example, the various proposal team members may argue that their respective contribution is worth the most attention; the IT specialist will argue that the ‘solution’ is the heart of the response, while the Sales manager will wade in with a sharp sales pitch. Of course, they all have a valid point; but you need to assimilate each contribution into the final document from the customer’s perspective.
With the previous considerations in mind, you need to avoid a situation whereby the final proposal is bidder-centric, In other words, you have placed your solution at the heart of the bid.
From the customer’s perspective, these bids tend to come across as ME-ME-ME.
A more successful approach is to place the customer ‘smack dab in the middle’ of your response. Everything has to revolve around their needs, which, of course, is the way it should be.
Customer-centric proposals make you (i.e. the government contractor) feel that this is written for you in person; not written down at you.
Let’s see how we can write proposals that put the client at the center of the response.
To do this, you need to answer the following seven questions.
1. What is the main problem?
State their problem in one sentence. If you can’t do this, you haven’t understood their problem. There is no point writing anything until you get this clarified. Read the proposal again.
2. Why does this issue need to be resolved?
You need to look beyond the obvious, and ask yourself: what are the unstated reasons that are not covered in this proposal?
Every bidder will see the most obvious business drivers; they are in the RFP’s executive summary. Instead, dig a little deeper. Work out what are the three most likely reasons that they have produced this bid? For example, the proposal may be in response to new government legislation or a perceived competitive threat.
3. What goal needs to be accomplished?
In reality, the client will have several goals they need to accomplish.
One suggestion is to visit their website and download the most recent annual report. This will often outline the long-term objectives that they wish to achieve, e.g. business expansions, new product lines, references to competitive threats. Knowing this can give you an inside track into their strategic business drivers.
Once you understand these goals, you are responding from a position of strength which gives you an immense advantage over your competitors.
In general, there are three different goals to address:
- Business goals – These discuss how to increase productivity, become more efficient, streamline operations, automate business process, leverage product lines etc.
- Technical goals – Such as aligning business and technical processes, improving quality, product enhancements, utilizing emerging technologies.
- Strategic goals – These include issues such as HR strategies, building brand recognition, mandatory government legislation, marketing drives, and responding to public perception about the agencies product/services.
4. What has the highest priority?
Capture all the client’s issues and goals. Distill these goals down to the top five. You will probably notice that you can condense many smaller goals under one over-riding goal.
Rank the top five in order of priority; write your response based on that order.
5. What products or services can achieve these goals?
Once you know your top five goals, it is much easily to structure your response around these objectives.
Imagine writing a response without knowing what the top five goals were!
The challenge now is to blend their goals with your proposal. However, as you have a firm grasp of their true business needs, you should be in a much better position than your competitors.
6. What results could follow each of your recommendations?
Most proposals contain a series of recommendation that demonstrate an understanding of the client’s business requirements.
As well as making the recommendations (the easy part), you need to back them up with collateral that puts them into context, such as market research, survey, government statements.
Be very careful not to use absolute statements in your bid unless you’re certain you can stand over them. A proposal is a legally binding document!
Some areas worth covering include:
- The personnel who will implement the recommendations --- why they are best qualified.
- How the recommendation(s) help the client attain their most important goals.
- Barriers to implementing the recommendations.
- Where you have successfully achieved this before.
- Costs involved in achieving these goals and the estimated project timeframes.
- What could happen if they avoid to act on these recommendations
7. How well does the proposal read?
Once you have finished the first draft put it aside for 24 hours. Then read it again—and aloud in a private room—from the perspective of the government agency.
If you stumble over sections when reading, note the location and plan a re-write.
When you are reading the proposal—from the agency perspective—ask yourself:
- Does their solution cover my long-term needs?
- Does it force something upon me that I don’t want?
- Does it ignore, or fudge, specific questions that we asked in the proposal?
- Is this a generic response or is it specific to my needs?
Always give yourself 24-48 hours to digest your response. You’d be amazed how different the proposal reads after getting some distance from it.
If you cringe when you read certain sections, then you are probably on the right track. At least you now have a chance to modify it before it hits the client’s desk.
PS: it’s always good practice to call the client after the contract award and ask them what they thought of your bid.
Though they can’t discuss confidential areas, they may made suggestions where your bid was weak or strong. Try to take this onboard in the best spirit and remember it for your next bid.
PS: you can get the Proposal Manager's Toolkit at: http://www.klariti.com/Proposal-Manager-Toolkit/Ivan
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Mailing Lists for Writers
We've compiled a list of mailing lists for those involved in Writing, Editing, Content Development, Information Architecture, and Usabilty.
It's over here at: http://www.klariti.com/mailing-lists-writing/index.shtml
Ivan
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Recommended Reading on Content Development
You might want to look at Ron Scheer's approach based on two user-based principles: 1) Making information easy to find, and then 2) Easy to understand and use. Also, take a look at his newsletter. saywhatyoumean.com
Heather Martin provides top-notch online copy, print and ezine articles, web search engine optimization content, corporate communications, and much more. Subscribe to their newsletter Rank Write Roundtable http://www.rankwrite.com
[More Articles on Content Development including links to Elements of User Experience, Jared Spool presentation, Information Integration, Standards for distributed information architecture, and Gerry McGovern on Learning how to classify]
Elements of User Experience at http://www.amazon.com
Meet the Elements at http://www.newriders.com and 0735712026/samplechapter 200 kb PDF.
Jared Spool's presentation "Scent of a Web Page" http://yahoo.com
Curt Cloninger's Case for Story Telling http://www.alistapart.com makes the case for considering the narrative possibilities when designing for the web as a communications medium.
Grokdotcom.com discusses Persuasive Architecture www.grokdotcom.com
Persuasive Architecture ... [is] the aesthetically appealing and functional structure you create to marry the organization of the buying and selling processes with the organization of information. It’s the only way your Web site is actively going to influence, the only way you will pull (never push!) your visitors along the paths they need to walk to accomplish their goals - and yours.
Enterprise Information Integration
InfoWorld article about Information Aggregation http://www.infoworld.com as the middleware that can cull data from multiple systems and repackage as XML.
Standards for distributed information architecture
Digital Web Magazine on creating standards for distributed information architecture http://www.digital-web.com to allow for easier and more effective combination of content, resources, and metadata across sites.
Gerry McGovern on Learning how to classify
http://www.gerrymcgovern.com "Design classification like it will be 'written in stone.' You don't want to be changing your classification every six months. This will mean a lot of work and will create confusion."
Controlled vocabulariesInterview http://www.digital-web.com with Jeffrey Veen and Jesse James Garrett
Creating a Website Index
Fred Liese's article in B&A http://www.boxesandarrows.com using indexes (the alphanumeric kind) on websites.
The Experts Opinion - articles on content development and design.
Writing for the Web - how to write your articles specifically for the web from Gerry McGovern
Let me know if you'd like to add any links to this list.
Thanks
Ivan
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Copyright free articles for your website
Hi Folks,
I've has a few requests to reprint articles on my www.klariti.com and www.ivanwalsh.com sites.
FWIW: You can print, publish, distribute, and post all articles on these sites providing you include the byline with each article.
These free articles are available for you, providing you follow these guidelines.
1. Author's credits are left intact.
2. Links back to our site.
3. Each article must be published in full. However, you can make minor edits, where necessary.
We hope that you enjoy these copyright free reprints, as they are an ideal way to boost the content of your website, educate your staff, and increase the quality of your products and services.
Let us know if you have any questions!
Regards,
Ivan at klariti dot com
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Is Information Architecture worth it?
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Let's start out and define Information Architecture.
One definition of Information Architecture is "the organization, labelling and structuring of data for content-based applications such as websites."
This emerging field has become more prominent in recent years as websites have grown increasing complex and users demand more friendly navigation systems.
Information Architects organize content, such as text, labels, graphics, and shopping carts, so that users can understand the site’s content and do things faster on the site.
Have you ever asked yourself: “How do I find that page again?”
Well, that site could probably have used a spoonful of Information Architecture medicine.
The role of the ‘Information Architect’ is similar to a traditional Architect. For example, before building a house an Architect will create a blue-print, work with the builders, plasters, and electricians and oversee the construction.
Lack of ‘architectural planning’ in web development is very expensive as large portions of the site may need to be improved (i.e. totally re-written) to correct areas that were overlooked in the haste just to ‘get something out there’.
An Information Architect also gives the Financial Controllers a better grasp of costs and contingency figures; improvised site designs frequently run over budget.
Defining Sites Goals
Companies that wish to develop a commercial website have specific business goals in mind. The Information Architect captures these areas (not unlike the business requirements phase) and circulates them to all team leaders.
Large-scale websites often use Market Research and Focus Group testing, the results of which become incorporated into the site development plan.
Analysis and Requirments Gathering
Tools such as Visio, Word, and PowerPoint are used to prepare the site structure, labels the content sections, and defining content into hierarchical groups.
To achieve all this, the Information Architects will:
• Interview the client and note their business priorities.
• Organize Focus Group tests.
• Make Competitive Analysis.
• Benchmark competitor sites.
• Examine functional requirements.
A Design Document is then prepared which highlights critical risks and success factors. This also involves mapping the site structure, organizing the content on pages, and designing navigation systems.
Project Management
During the development process, the Information Architect establishes key deliverables and milestones — usually in conjunction with the Project Manager — to assist the client and team leaders in keeping the project on track.
At each major stage, the client is sent mock-ups of the work in progress. It’s also essential to brief the client as the site develops to help them understand what they are paying for and what areas are in development.
Any presentations should be in line with the client's level of understanding. Most prefer to see diagrams on both paper and PC’s to see how the site will function.
Sites Layout
In defining the site layout, the following areas need to be covered:
1. Site Maps — flowchart the navigation and main content sections to illustrate how users navigate, e.g. from the Catalogue to the Shopping Cart.
2. Content Maps — identify the content appears for each page and how it cross-references other groups.
3. Page Schematics — the Graphic Designer illustrates the page layout and categorize the links, content, advertising space, and navigation on each page. Schematics also highlight priority and hierarchies.
4. Storyboarding and Prototyping — prepare mock-ups to demonstrate how the site will perform.
When clients fail to grasp the long-term value of planning, the Information Architect will explain the benefits of concentrating on this area before any coding begins—and the potential risks that may occur by avoiding such steps.
Website Evaluation
Before evaluating a website, you need to examine the following:
• Target audience — who will use the site
• Business goals — what are the site’s objectives and critical success factors
• Technical constraints — what technical requirement need to be examined
• Future plans — considerations for future expansion and scalability
The Information Architect is responsible for exploring the project’s goals and objectives — it's the client's responsibility to ask about costs, timeframes and contingency plans.
Information Gathering
Content needs to be gathered quickly. And as it could be stored in different file formats and media formats, it needs to be made ‘web compatible’ and also formatted for other web channels, such as WAP and DTV.
Information Organization
After designing the site structure and navigation system, you can map content to different sections. You also need to label content for cross-referencing in databases and file sharing. Well-organized content enables the user to find things quickly and encourage them to stay on your site.
Use the 3 Click Test — if it takes more than 3 clicks to find something, design your navigation paths again.
Communicate Goals
Once you have gathered the content—or at least sufficient content to start—begin refining the content groups.
Every section requires specific content. Each of these groups needs to have the correct content and cross-references to other relevant groups. Refine the groups to get an equal distribution of content across all sections, so that the site is not over-populated in some sections and ‘under construction’ in others.
Divide large content groups into sub-groups. In this way, users can retrieve data swiftly and will not get lost is a sea of links!
Combining Visual Design and Content
Remember, visitors want three things on your site:
• Fast downloads
• High-quality content
• Ease of use
Your content should drive the site. Graphics enhance the content, not replace it. The exception is probably entertainment sites where content and imagery are very closely tied together.
During the design phase, keep returning to these Big Three mentioned above. Successful websites provide as much information as possible with the least clicks. Select the color schemes in accordance with the company’s branding guidelines and business goals.
Future of Information Architecture
Information Architecture will play an increasingly important role in the success of large-scale websites, intranets and e-libraries. As more content gets produced, it needs to be labelled correctly, and structured for rapid access by users with different levels of experience.
Take care,
Ivan
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Creating User-Focused Site Designs
For your site to succeed, arrange the content around the user’s needs.
Many novice web designers underestimate the difficulty in designing an effective site structure, especially one that will be appreciated by novice and experienced users.
We are trained in childhood to retrieve data in certain ways. For example, in libraries we refer to chronological orders, subject categories, and alphabetical listings. We also use these methods to retrieve data on the Internet.
Thus, before any coding starts, gather, sort and organize your content. The more time spent on this, the more success visitors will have on your site.
Card Sorting
Card sorting is a popular ways to organize groups of information. Get a set of blank cards and do as follows:
- Create cards for all topics on the site. For example, on a sport site, create cards for Football, Basketball, and Hockey etc.
- Sub-divide these categories into Leagues, Players, and Venues and so forth.
- Label these and cross-reference cards that overlap.
- Create the optimum navigation structure based on your cards.
Flowcharts
Use these to outline the site structure, identify pages, navigation paths and content labels. Flowcharts offer an advantage in that everyone in the development process can see the site’s structure and make suggestions to alter or delete sections where necessary.
Breakdown Each Page
For each section, prepare an itemized list of contents. Include all text, images, sounds, video clips, audio clips, applets and downloadable items. List all links and their destination pages.
Separate links which appear on all pages from those appearing on specific pages only. Use Excel or Word to create this list as you can use color-codes for reference.
By breaking down each page, you also clarify each pages objectives and role.
Design for Breadth
Usability research shows that users get disorientated after the third level of depth on a site.
Therefore, help users find content within three clicks. If you can’t achieve this with the current design, start again — the rewards will be worth the efforts.
Ivan
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Is there a difference between Difference between Usability and Information Architecture?
Though the terms Usability and Information Architecture are often understood to be the same thing, this is not true.
Usability
This tends to study a person's ability to do (i.e. use) something, such as reading text on a webpage. Usability is not restricted to the web and is used across many industry sectors. For example, car designers perform usability tests to examine how a driver understands new design modifications.
Information Architecture
This focuses on how to design information. On the web, this involves reading text, labelling items, creating navigation systems, searching for data, using content and so forth.
Web Usability Tests
Usability engineers test websites to see how they suit the user’s needs. To do this, they may test the following:
- Ability to read text.
- Ability to use site navigation.
- Effect of colors and site palette.
- Ability to use Feedback and Help sections.
- Length of time to find an article.
- Locating key contact information.
- Navigation cues and icons/graphics to see if they assist or hinder the user*.
- Reaction to ‘innovative’ design elements, such as floating windows.
- Reaction when lost.
Focus Groups
Focus Group tests are often carried out in one-on-one sessions. Sometimes testing is performed on several test subjects at the same time. However, you need to monitor these sessions as the most active people will influence the more passive participants.
During a test, the moderator asks users to perform certain tasks, gauges their ability to carry out them, and note where/why they encountered any difficulties.
They ask open-ended questions on what was useful, intuitive, difficult, and how to improve things. Large scale focus groups consist of 10 or more individuals. The Usability Engineer may show prototypes in order to isolate specific issues in navigation, process, and usability.
Rules for Usability Testing
When performing usability testing, try to avoid Yes/No questions when interviewing your subjects. These responses will provide little depth and avoid them discussing their experience.
Use open-ended questions, such as, "Why do you like this site?" as this is more productive that the more blunt: “Do you like this site?”
Use chart and diagrams to share feedback with the Graphic Designers—many of whom will be overly enamoured with their own creations.
Objective data may encourage them to improve their design without crushing their feelings. Management also tend to favour charts which show the results and enables them to digest the key points quickly.
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What does an Information Architect really do?
An Information Architect organizes a website so that users have a better online experience. In general, their main responsibilities are to:
- Assign tasks to team members. The Information Architect often doubles up as the Project Manager.
- Capture the site’s design goals.
- Communicate the business objectives, such as the site’s sales targets, audience, and language requirements.
- Create access points to content from different in-coming pages.
- Design the navigation system, menus, sitemaps etc.
- Label and organize data.
- Map content to the appropriate section.
- Protect users from getting lost on the site.
Before any coding begins, the Information Architect meets the client and defines the project's scope, objectives and target audience.
Documentation of Success Criteria
The meeting minutes are then returned to the client for confirmation. Once confirmed, they’re circulated to all members involved in the development process.
When the project enters the production stage, the Information Architect works with the web designers to develop the interface, icons and ensure the navigation systems are integrated correctly with the overall site architecture.
For very complicated sections, the Information Architect and Software Engineers work together to ensure that each site component make sense so that the user can easily achieve their goals.
Note: Users abandon two-thirds of all Shopping Carts as they become confused, lost or frustrated with missing data. Gartner
The Information Architect communicates with the team during all key stages in the development cycle. On small projects the Information Architect may perform Project Management duties as these two areas frequently overlap. It is imperative to record client feedback at all stages and circulate it accordingly.
Effective Communication
Lack of planning at the kickoff phase often results in untold disasters at later stages - often with serious financial repercussions.
This may occur when, for example, the person delegated to lead the project lacks sufficient technical understanding to extract relevant information from the client. The Information Architect has this knowledge and can ask key questions that others will have overlooked.
Finally, the Information Architect also works with the Quality Control team to ensure that the site is performing correctly and, for example, by analyzing the log files, identify areas where users are struggling to locate date or getting lost.
Ivan
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Macromedia Flash Design Guidelines
Developing web-based multimedia poses a significant challenge for web designers as it requires an in-depth understanding of various aspects of Internet technologies, such as user requirements, hypertext navigation, bandwidth considerations, usability, and browser settings.
EMMUS, the European MultiMedia Usability Services, highlight that, “designers often state that guidelines are too general to be useful in their specific environment... specific Web guidelines are still relatively rare because there has been insufficient expertise, experimentation and hypothesis testing carried out so far to clarify web specific design issues. Even the best of those who have attempted to offer guidance can provide only broad recommendations for web design that may leave designers with too many uncertainties.” http://www.ucc.ie/hfrg/emmus/MCGDoc/guidelines.html
Jakob Nielsen also cautions web designers on the perils of using multimedia on the web. He suggests: “These new media provide more design options but also require design discipline. Unconstrained use of multimedia results in user interfaces that confuse users and make it harder for them to understand the information. Not every webpage needs to bombard the user with the equivalent of Times Square in impressions and movement.” http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9512.html
Nonetheless, people now expect sophisticated websites with multimedia playing a central role in their online experience.
Macromedia Flash lets you design very stylish interfaces quite easily. However, the absence of guidelines referred to above, can lead to poorly designed presentations and confusing navigation systems.
Let’s look at some areas that need consideration when developing multimedia, especially Macromedia Flash, for the web.
Users Goals
Users have very specific aims when they visit your site. They want ‘to do’ things. Therefore, as a web designer, you need to:
- Design your site with their goals foremost in mind.
- Avoid forcing them to view ‘Flash only’ websites. Maybe they just don’t like Flash!
- Ensure that each link, Flash and non-Flash, supports them in meeting their goals. Keep the main navigation links visible at all times.
- Make sure the user doesn’t get lost within your ‘creative’ design.
- Avoid locking the user out of the main site entirely.
- Never leave them stranded in a pop-up window with no returning link to the main site.
- Never use Flash simply to show off that you can use it!
When to Use Flash
Flash is ideal for developing rich, eye-catching content, such as skyscraper adverts, banner ads, and promotions.
Use Flash sparingly or when it offers an advantage over other media. If you can achieve the same results with an animated GIF or style sheets, then use them and save the Flash for another section.
Remember that Flash creates obstacles, such as requiring plug-ins to be downloaded, which takes visitors away from your site — and once they leave, there is no guarantee that they will return...
Remove Vanity Intros
Many sites force Flash upon viewers. Some even make you go back to Macromedia.com just to download the latest plug-in — before you can even enter their site!
Imagine this situation happening in the High Street.
This is like visiting Tower Records and being told that you have to walk five miles to get a special key before you can even enter—most visitors will take their trade elsewhere and vow never to return.
Before you adopt such intros, consider what 'value added service' it really offers.
If you insist on using a Flash-driven homepage, you might want to include the following on it as well:
Put a Skip button on all pages to skip past the intro. If you don’t do this, you’re guaranteed to lose business as you have successfully locked out your potential customers!
When users [potential customers] return to your site, automatically redirect them to the inside page so that they don’t have to view the intro again.
Provide optional links to ‘Flash Site’ and ‘HTML Site’. This device can be interesting as it will record the number of users who choose to view/ignore the Flash-driven site.
Many developers, especially those who have not worked in a commercial environment, believe that ‘kick-ass’ intros impress viewers. I’ve seen thousands of ‘Flash Intro’ screens over the past five years — and so have you.
Be honest! When you visit a new site and it says “10% downloaded, please wait...” do you really wait for the next 90 percent?
Why should you? The people behind this website have little or no interest in your needs. And, if there is no option for a HTML site, you’ll go elsewhere.
But, Flash does have its place. It’s excellent for demonstrating how a product works or creating very exciting banner ads. However, consider your viewer at all times. Lengthy introductions with a ‘Loading…’ message fail to impress even the most loyal fans.Intuitive Navigation
There are several ways you can improve the navigation system:
- Provide a consistent navigation menu. Avoid using different menu bars throughout the site if possible.
- Include visuals cues and tips, where appropriate.
- Provide Back buttons or links, except when it is a database-driven query as the session may not understand the go-back activity.
- Use informative