> Proposal Automation Overview

ProposalMaster from the Sant Corporation came into being because Tom Sant noticed that in creating proposals, his consulting clients were frequently focused on themselves when they needed to be focused on their client's needs, were using boiler-plate, cut-and-paste techniques that further prevented them from focusing on those needs, and tended to give away the store by including all the technical specifications that the prospect could then use as a shopping list elsewhere.

Sant hit on a formula that was simple to understand but difficult to execute because at its heart it was counter-intuitive: it is hard to put yourself in your prospect's shoes. Fortunately, his software ProposalMaster suite makes it easy.

Sant understood that you have a better chance to win if you can:

• Demonstrate that you understand the clien't problem(s)
• Propose specific, tailored solutions in response to those problems
• Outline the investment required (but not the specific details)
• Present a Return-On-Investment (ROI) strategy or
• Show how the investment will prevent further critical problems
• Explain how your organization has helped in similar situations
• Give a short history of your organization
• Introduce the key players who will work with the client
• Provide a logical sequence of "Next Steps" to get things going.

Logical and practical as this formula is, the tendency for most organizations is to forget about the prospect and just do what is easiest: take a company history, a list of features and benefits, a collection of speeds and feeds and a price list and call it a proposal. This rarely wins.

ProposalMaster is the tool of choice when you have the initiative and can make a pro-active approach to the prospect. Sometimes, however, you must respond to a formal Request for Proposal (RFP). When that happens, your response is guided and controlled by the questions in the RFP that you must answer. Failure to comply disqualifies you, so your ability to respond is critical to your success. For this, Sant has a second tool, RFPMaster, ready for combat.

RFPMaster can "scan" a Request For Proposal and set up question-and-answer pairs, plucking answers from your previously prepared library of responses if it finds a match or near-match. You can edit responses and add new responses for questions that were not previously addressed. Your library of responses grows, improving your chances in the future and making it easier, as you go along, to handle complex RFPs.

Perhaps best of all, RFPMaster creates a complance matrix or table that shows you how you are doing for each question. You can see, as you go forward, how you are doing and where you have to concentrate your efforts in order to deliver a qualified response.

Both ProposalMaster and RFPMaster share the same database of solutions which makes administration that much easier. We help clients create those solution databases. Both Sant products connect directly to ACT! and SalesLogix making an effective sales tool even more powerful.

Beyond Tools: Of nearly equal importance to the success of any project are the use of needs analysis, system implementation, customization to fit your particular needs, and the ability to provide rapid deployment where needed.

• Needs Analysis verifies and confirms that the right choices have been and the solution is the right one. Failing to do some level of needs analysis is a significant part of why so many productivity improvement projects do not live up to expectations or deliver the promised results. So, we strongly recommend that some form of analysis be part of every project, even if it is just a check-list that has been compiled with input from every department that will be impacted by the project.
• System Implementation One of our watch-words since we began in this business and one of the prime reason why so many of our clients have been with us a decade or longer. There are no easy solutions. Only those that are successful and those that fail. An IDC study of the financial impact of operational productivity projects such as SFA/CRM reveals that they are becoming woven into the fabric of corporate culture and garner between 51% and 500% ROI. But the weaving must be done correctly.
• Customization The sofware publishers have no way of knowing what kind of organization is going to install their programs and how they will be used. What is initially available is a generic "best guess" and, while that is sometimes good enough, it is often the case that getting a really significant return on your investment means fine-tuning the product to your specific needs and requirements. And that is where system customization comes in.
• Rapid Deployment Rapid Deployment is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to implement productivity projects. This is a pre-packaged program that includes all of the necessities to get you up and running. Rapid Deployment is appropriate when the installation and use are straight-forward and uncomplicated, when you do not contemplate the need for extensive customization and your organization is relatively compact. If you will need customization, have unique business processes or problems or have far-flung offices and/or users, then you need to consider having us conduct a needs analysis and explain customization as ways to make sure that your installation will be succesful.