Writing Proposals is Part of the Solution. Accepting the Correct One is the Solution.

Marketing and advertising have their own language just like law and medicine. And, like those disciplines, marketing is a practice. A practice is a business that is professionally engaged and offers clients a specific type of professional service, which it works at repeatedly in order to become proficient at it. Many practices write proposals summarizing and outlining the services they feel a prospective client may need. The proposal is usually based on a brief meeting where specific questions are asked by the practitioner, as well as, the prospective client describing why they need the professional assistance.

Marketing isn’t as much a science as medicine is, nor is it as highly regulated as the law. However, it does have it methods and practices and, as Al Ries and Jack Trout described in their (1993) book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! Conveying this sense of structure to clients can sometimes be difficult without first discovering what their perceptions about marketing are and why they feel they need it now. It is sometimes easier sticking yourself in the eye with a pencil. Why?

In many cases, the prospective client believes they know what’s wrong with their business. And, in many cases they are wrong. So, the solution they already envisioned before contacting the marketing practitioner is also wrong. But part of their solution is to find a marketer whose solution matches the problem they believe is the cause of their woes. Why then, are they looking for help with their marketing? Because, they don’t know how to execute the solution they’ve already identified. What a great start to a relationship! If I can survive through this first meeting and be asked for a proposal, that means they expect a plan that matches what they already believe is the solution to their problem. Do doctors and lawyers go through anything similar to this?

I assume they do but their credibility is related to how high up their professions are ranked, the size of their practice and their location of course. Maybe marketers are closer to lawyers. You only call them when you really, really need to. Preparing any client proposal or presentation is time consuming and not profitable since no fees have been paid. Plus, the probability that other marketers will be spending their time on a proposal is almost always certain. Now the issue here is not who has the absolutely correct solution; rather it’s more who has the solution the prospective client feels most likely matches their problem for a fee their willing to pay.

What a great start to a potential relationship! So, here’s what I do. I meet with the prospective client at their place of business and let them talk and then I ask them pointedly specific questions. While I’m there, I observe what is or is not going on and make note of it. I cannot and will not offer any seat of the pants solutions. But, I do walk away with a sense of what is really needed. If I can be invited to offer a proposal, I usually go with what I’ve heard and what I’ve felt based on thirty plus years in the business. And even then, when I’m writing the proposal, I know I may not have the actual solution because more time needs to be spent finding it.

My proposals are short; one or two pages because no one reads. The problem is that many prospects feel that enough thought hasn’t gone into it. Shirley Polycoff the legendary Madison Avenue copywriter who created one of the most famous ad slogans ever Clairol’s – Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hairdresser knows for sure hair dye campaign in a day and age where women who dyed their hair were considered of low moral character. She knew what she was up against. She also knew she was doing more than selling a product. She was changing the public’s perception of women who dyed their hair. The solution was simple but Shirley knew that if you give a client a concept too quickly, especially one as critical as this, they would feel she didn’t work hard enough on it. She came up with her Clairol concept the first time out. She wrote it down and put it in her desk drawer for a couple of weeks before presenting it. Oh, which reminds me, psychology is a practice too.

With all that in mind, my proposals are outlined based on these points: Objective, Reason, Purpose and Direction. What is the actual objective of what the client wants or, more importantly, what they need? If the objective is to eliminate a problem, it makes more sense to make sure the actual or correct problem has been identified. A client’s classic identified problem: Increasing sales. Increasing sales is not an objective. If you could increase sales you would be doing it and obviously it is not happening. What is the objective is; identifying what is preventing sales from being where they should be. A good place to start would be assessing why shopper and buyer traffic is flat or falling. An objective describes a goal. So, increasing sales could be a goal, the question remains, why is it not happening and how to make it happen?

What is the reason for the goal? Increasing sales will do what to the company and why? Increasing sales will do what for the company and why? What is the purpose of the goal? And, what will increasing sales indicate to management? What direction will achieving the goal take the company? Increasing sales will mean what for the company and why?

To some, this seems like babble. To others, it appears to be simple. But, these are hard questions. Some of the answers involve painful or costly changes, eliminating current or, adding new personnel. Moving to another location or expanding. Or, completely reinventing or restating your brand. Assessing and replacing or retooling the products or services currently offered. I’m reminded of the six human faults which are similar to the seven deadly (or, Cardinals) sins and prevent most of these changes from occurring: vanity, impatience and laziness; greed, selfishness and ignorance. They speak for themselves. They are usually at the root of what is preventing the resolution of most problems.

What could possibly be preventing the increase in sales? Look at your POP. How many sales are recorded at different times of the date or week or season and why? How many transactions are for single items? What is the average sales total? How much traffic is generated on a given day? Is there a difference between pedestrian and vehicular traffic? How visible and accessible is your location? How close to your location is the competition? The list goes on. Sometimes the answers are too simple. Henny Youngman’s classic joke: Doctor it hurts when I do this. And the doctor says, don’t do that! My proposal is similar! Next time I’ll put in my two-cents on the 22 Immutable Laws.