Developing and presenting business proposals

2016 Spring Manager Series: Developing and Presenting Business Proposals
Kevin R.Thomas, Manager,Training & Development · Office of Human Resources · kevin.r.thomas@williams.edu · 413-597-3542
March 24, 2016
kevin.r.thomas@williams.edu
413-597-3542
Manager, Training and Development
Office of Human Resources
Presented by Kevin R. Thomas
2016 Spring Managers Series
Developing & Presenting
Business Proposals

• Understand and be able to apply best practices to:
o Develop a business proposal
o Present your business proposal
•
… within a higher ed. context
Objectives

1. Developing a business proposal
2. Presenting your business proposal
3. Exercise
Program Overview

• A concise statement of
your idea that advertises
its value
• May be revised as you
continue to develop your
proposal
Statement of Opportunity
Developing a Business Proposal

Statement of Opportunity:
HR Analytics Project Example
By developing better reports, we can use data to:
• be stronger strategic partners to senior leaders,
• maximize the value we provide to the organization,
and
• make powerful, objective statements about the
nature, volume, and value of our work.

• More on this on Tuesday
• Understand who may be
impacted by your initiative.
• Who else could benefit?
• Who might feel left out?
Build a Coalition

• What’s your boss’s path to
progress?
• What’s the decision
makers path to progress?
• How does this fit in with
Williams path to progress?
Check for Alignment

• Quantify:
– Costs
– Benefits
– Risks
• Use benchmarks
Conduct an Analysis

• Is this the only proposal
that would meet the goal?
• What are the others?
Explore Alternatives

• Best Alternative to a
Negotiated Agreement
• What will you do if you get
a flat out “No”.
Know Your BATNA

• What will you do if you get
an immediate “Yes”?
Prepare for Success

Elements from the Science of
Persuasion
Presenting Your Business Proposal
Reciprocity
Scarcity Authority
LikingConsistency
Consensus

• Who are the people that
can ultimately approve
your proposal?
• How can you strengthen
your relationships with
them?
• How can you improve your
reputation with them?
Building Relationships – directly
– Reciprocity
– Authority
– Liking

• Will someone else be
making the ask on your
behalf?
• How clearly do they
understand your idea?
• How well do they know
your expertise?
• How can they increase
your credibility?
Building Relationships - indirectly
– Authority

• Vivid stories have
a greater impact
than raw data
• Add selected data
points that
reinforce key
messages.
Balance Story with Data

• Hopes
• Fears
Speak to Your Audiences Interests

• Ask directly for all of what
you want
• Be specific
• Ensure your ask is within
the person’s authority to
approve
Make the Call to Action Clear

• Allows decision makers to
get more involved without
making permanent
commitments
• Allows you to learn and
refine your proposal.
• Creates momentum that
can be hard to shake
Propose a Pilot
– Consistency

• Rehearse your
presentation for interested
stakeholders
• Get feedback on:
– Length
– Clarity
– Organization
Rehearse, refine

• Provide an overview
• Use the “rule of threes”
• Appeal to a diverse
audience
Structure Your Presentation

• Concepts learned through
images are more easily
and frequently recalled
than those learned
through words
Use Visuals

• What are some ways you
can involve your
audience?
Create Interactive Moments

• Assigned teams
• By 11:30:
– Brainstorm actual initiatives you
would like to propose
– Select one
– Select one or more presenters
– As a group, prepare a 5-7
minute pitch
– Use techniques from this
presentation, or others we
haven’t talked about.
Your Turn!
Exercise

• Each pitch in turn
• 1-2 minutes for written
feedback
• After all pitches, Kevin will
give a feedback speech on
each one.
Pitches

Contact Kevin Thomas at 413-597-3542
or email kevin.r.thomas@williams.edu
2016 Spring Managers Series
Developing & Presenting Business
Proposals
Questions?

Developing and presenting business proposals

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