What makes a good proposal
truly good?
My doctoral research explores the quality of proposal situations in the sale of management consulting services. Behind the academic title lies a practical question: how can a complex proposal process be organised effectively for the provider and perceived as convincing by the client?
The provider
How should proposal processes be managed, who needs to be involved and how can an effective bid team be formed?
The client
Who participates in the selection process, which criteria shape the decision and what does that mean for the proposal?
Quality
Which characteristics shape perceived proposal quality and how can they be identified empirically?
Proposals are investments.
And marketing at the same time.
Professional proposals require time, people and coordination. That investment usually pays off only when the project is won. At the same time, the proposal is an opportunity to position the provider for a specific project and communicate relevant differentiators in the client’s language.
How do you measure proposal quality?
A qualitative preliminary study developed a catalogue of potential selection and quality criteria. The main study then examined these criteria using multivariate analysis, resulting in an empirically grounded model of perceived proposal quality.
Proposals are marketing tools.
They position a provider for a specific project and communicate relevant differentiators.
Analyse the client side.
Stakeholders and decision criteria should shape the proposal.
Use the client’s language.
Clear communication is stronger than internal jargon.
A good proposal needs a good process.
Bid management coordinates different functions into a coherent result.
Bid management is risk management.
Proposals consume resources without guaranteeing a win.
Today my work focuses on data, analytics and marketing technology. One central idea from my doctoral research remains highly relevant: complex decisions improve when perspectives are structured clearly, relevant criteria are understood and business requirements are translated into a coherent process.