Читать книгу Winning Proposals - Hans Tammemagi - Страница 9

The majority of proposals present as much information as possible in the hopes that the reader will find something he or she likes and respond positively. The problem, though, is that this approach isn’t very effective. The purpose of a proposal should be to present a solution or recommendation, and to persuade the reader that it is a better proposal than those presented by others. A proposal is a waste of effort unless it wins.

But how do you create a winning proposal? The key is persuasion. Persuasion can be defined as the process by which a person’s attitudes or behavior are, without duress, influenced by communication from other people. In Chapter 3, the principles underlying effective persuasion are discussed. These principles can be applied to make your proposal more persuasive than that of your competitor.

Persuasion is powerful and mysterious. It requires a knowledge of the human thinking process and a compassionate understanding of our fellow human beings. What motivates people? How do we look inside another person’s mind and bring his or her train of thought onto our track?

One thing is clear: Successful people are invariably good communicators. They might not always have a greater command of grammar or vocabulary than others, but their written and oral communications have punch; they compel others to take action. The reason people listen when others are speaking is likely because they are using the magic of persuasion.