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

Games and applications for the Ipod Touch and Iphone have now become extremely popular. And not without reasons. The games and applications available on these two devices are exceptional, when compared to other media players, and other mobile phones.At least in terms of entertainment. This makes advanced game graphics, gameplay etc possible. In other words: the advanced technologies used in the Ipod Touch and Iphone opens for "better" games.Will we soon be seeing Apples' version of a PSP in the stores? On the other hand, I myself play and use many of the games and applications on my Ipod Touch, and I like it. However, that was not why I bought it, and it is effecting me using it as the great media player it is.Today, the fact is that these devices are becoming so popular - not because of the concept that they are great media players or mobile phones, but rather because of the games and applications available on them. Ipods and Iphones are allmost becoming simple "toys", rather than being the great media players they are supposed to be.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Outsourcing for Dummies

In order to do this, a company must be able to stay solvent and will consider all economic conditions in order to decide upon whether or not to outsource to another country or stay in the home country. They will take into consideration the economic repercussions of making such a move and compare them with the advantages of outsourcing to another place. Oftentimes it is a financial decision that must be made in order to ensure the company will survive through rough economic times and come out on the other side financially. With the tough economic times that are upon us, there are many companies that are choosing to outsource to other countries due to the country in question and several financial decisions in regards to that particular country in question. So there are many different ways that a company can be lured away from their home country to do business in their country. There are many different things that a country can offer to a company in order to draw their business. There are also other advantages to having jobs overseas from a financial prospect. The cost for labor can be much less than in the original country. Materials may be cheaper as well so that can be another powerful incentive to move their operations to a country different than the point of origin. They can also have different laws as far as labor goes as well as who can and who can't work at the company in question. There are also other countries that will offer financial incentives to a company that will outsource their company to their country. This can be a powerful draw for companies that are relocating to their shores. There may also be other types of incentives that a country can offer to a foreign company in order to attract their business.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Improving Your Business Image With A Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants can help with support in such areas as presentation creation, e-mail filtering, transcription, database creation and more. Bookkeeping - Virtual assistants can take this task off the shoulders of clients. Bookkeeping services may include such things as payroll, credit control, invoicing and VAT returns. Event planning - When special events are a part of doing business, planning them out can be quite tedious. Cost reduction - Virtual assistants might not work for free, but they tend to be much more affordable than full-time employees. When a virtual assistant is hired, there is no need to worry about such things as payroll taxes, vacation pay and other benefits. Basically, companies get the benefits of business support without the "hidden costs" of hiring workers. There are virtual assistants who specialise in taking on this task and making sure the resulting function shines. Virtual assistants can bring a lot of benefits to companies they work for. Making the choice to outsource certain tasks to an assistant rather than hiring in-house help can be very wise for a number of reasons. Basic office administration - A virtual assistant can improve a company's image almost instantly by lending a hand with basic administrative duties. Some assisting firms are skilled at helping in such areas as appointment setting, organisation and more. Business support - Virtual assistants exist to take on tasks that others within a company do not have the time or the skills to tackle. When they take on important, but often time consuming, jobs, on-staff employees are freed up to handle other, more pressing business. The end result is better performance all the way around and a more professional image. Virtual assistants can help with support in such areas as presentation creation, e-mail filtering, transcription, database creation and more. Bookkeeping - Virtual assistants can take this task off the shoulders of clients. Bookkeeping services may include such things as payroll, credit control, invoicing and VAT returns.

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.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Advantages to Outsourcing Your Telecommerce

Alternatively, they perk up the customers' concern, and make leads for your organisation to pursue up on. As they are a dissimilar party completely, they know that there is a demand to conclude deals but are not resolved to do so at the hazard of hurting possible clients with tenacity. Telecommerce has really compiled a terrible reputation over the years and a respectable teleselling business has visualized out how to duck the no-good and move around clients around to realise their faith. As well, telecommerce enterprises are heedful of all the legal conditions and outcomes that have turned out with regards to telecommunications. To bring in an in-house telecommerce section in your enterprise, you will require to install a total deal of telephone sets and coordinate the telephone channels, and utilize applied sciences that call centers use to attain calls and records more effective. You will also in all probability demand to extend your business office area and hire traninees that will even so ask to be coached. They will also have records of the numbers of clients who are interested in like-minded wares and may place them for your commercial enterprise first. Nevertheless, arranging up your own telemarketing section can be too pricey, especially if your business has yet to lead off, or if you mean on keeping it all on a average, viable scale. The most advantageous course to take then would be outsourcing your telemarketing. At the present moment, there are several teleselling business organisations that can be outsourced by various companies, and as this is the essence of their work, the best telemarketing organisations are at present quite effective and adaptable to merchandising any variety of function or production. As Well, outsourced telecommerce companies at present have a systematized process of working on that you may find tricky to facilitate into if you determine to practice it yourself. Therefore, they will discover possibleclients in a much quicker time than you can redirect all the phone wires in your business office.

Ideas For Starting An Internet Marketing Affiliate Program

One of the most popular is CJ and Associate Programs. Here you can join a limitless number of affiliate programs with products you can sell that matches your hobby or passion. nother thing you can do is go to affiliate directories and visit some of the categories to find programs to join. They can offer your experiences that other cannot. One of the most popular is CJ and Associate Programs. Here you can join a limitless number of affiliate programs with products you can sell that matches your hobby or passion. One other Internet marketing affiliate program to join that is free is Clickbank. There you will find thousands of digital products you can sell and make money right away which is very helpful to a new person. Before you begin to promote the product it will help if you buy it first. This will allow you to create a pre sell page based on your personal experiences with that product. This is a very powerful concept because 99% of all affiliates never purchased the product that they sell. that way you can offer your experiences that other cannot.One of the most popular is CJ and Associate Programs.This will allow you to create a pre sell page based on your personal experiences with that product. A lot of people base their first affiliate business around their passion or hobby. This is a good idea because initially you may not be making a lot of money, but you can still have fun building your business.