Friday, April 16, 2010
Writing technique for RFP (Request for Proposal)
A while back, a potential client provided me with some general details of the writing work he wanted me to do for his firm. Then he asked me to send him a proposal.
Proposal?! I panicked as I tried to confirm with him what he meant by that since I had never done one before, at least not as a freelancer.
I must've not really wanted to pursue this opportunity since I didn't bother to do research or follow up with the company after submitting a contract instead of a proposal. A little time passed, I came across an article on writing RFPs (Request for Proposal). Ding! The light bulb went on. This guy verbally gave me his RFP and wanted a written response.
When a firm requires a project to be completed by a contractor or outside source, they write a RFP. This is a formal document describing the project, how the contract companies should respond, how the proposals will be reviewed, and contact information. Often, the company documents the submission guidelines to make it easier for them to compare responses. There are no specific standards or guidelines for creating the RFP, but government agencies usually strict standards they follow when conducting the proposal process.
Outside companies read the RFP and write a proposal (a bid) explaining how they can best offers and meet those needs. When writing the proposal, the company should closely follow the guidelines established in the RFP to avoid being removed from consideration for the potential project.
A typical proposal contains:
• Executive summary - summary of the entire proposal
• Statement of need - why project is necessary
• Project description - How project will be implemented and evaluated
• Organization information
• Project schedule
• Budget
• Conclusion
My situation was an informal version of all this. The client gave me a high level overview of what I might do for him. If I knew then what I know now, I would've written up a description of the client's needs and how I would complete the work in meeting those needs.
Small businesses would likely do a proposal in between the one I got and the complex government required ones. Most small businesses will be prompted to write a proposal when approaching a client. The client may ask you to submit a proposal outlining what you can do for them. In this case, write a proposal including the elements of a typical proposal and keep it short and to the point especially if the client is not a large company.
There are examples of RFPs and responses peppered throughout the Web, but which one you can learn from depends on the type of work involved. A proposal can be two pages or as big as a book. Rely on your favorite search engine and do the research to create an unbeatable proposal.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Controversy Around Ipod Touch and Iphone Games and Applications
Monday, March 2, 2009
Outsourcing for Dummies
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Improving Your Business Image With A Virtual Assistant
Friday, February 20, 2009
Successful SEO: Four Reasons Why Your Search Engine Optimization Firm Should Know Web Development
Simply put, most ad agencies that offer SEO lack the SEO resources to do your job right. It is important to ask who makes up the SEO team: is it one person trying to do everything, or a team of individuals each offering different skills and areas of expertise? SEO consultants and SEO-only firms, on the other hand, usually have a firm grasp on SEO but either outsource development or provide recommendations to pass on to your development team. If you have ever tried to pass along suggestions from a consultant, you know this can be a challenge. Without fail, unforeseen issues crop up and certain items get misinterpreted between the consultant and the development team. SEO is about more than just getting or manipulating the search engines to get - high rankings. Its about implementing strategies that create an outstanding user experience, resulting in increased traffic, leads, and, most importantly, sales. After all, why go to the trouble and expense of obtaining high rankings if it doesnt increase your bottom line? 2. Get an SEO team who understands how sites are built. Understanding the development side of a site is especially important if you have a dynamic or e-commerce site, but still important if you have a static site. SEO-only shops, consultants, and ad agencies without a firm grasp on development may not understand the full impact of the site changes they request or, in some cases, even know how to make the right kinds of requests. A team that understands development can ask for - and implement - the right things, the right way. In recent years, SEO has gained immense popularity and acceptance as a formidable marketing technique, so it should come as no surprise that SEO firms are popping up in various shapes and sizes: one-person SEO consultancies, SEO-only firms, combined SEO/Development firms, traditional ad agencies offering SEO, and even offshore SEO enterprises. Sometimes the search engines need a little help seeing your site, especially if you have a dynamic or e-commerce site. Search-friendly sites have properly written URLs which avoid characters like a question mark, ampersand or equals sign in the URL since these can create roadblocks for search engine spiders.
