Product Description

This proposal guide has three aims: 1) Help individuals and organizations win competitive business more effectively, efficiently, and consistently; 2) Offer clear guidance to business development professionals that is practical and easy to find and, 3) Record best-practice guidelines.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122548 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-30
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 346 pages

About the Author
Mr. Newman authored the Shipley Associates Proposal Guide for Business Development Professionals, published in 2001, and 2nd Ed., published in 2003, and a 3rd Ed., published in 2006. This unique 346-page reference presents clear, concise guidelines on 62 business development topics, and includes 17 model documents. Mr. Newman has won two STC “Excellence” awards for the Proposal Guide.

Customer Reviews

A standard reference book for proposal writers
If you respond to RFPs or have any part in the proposal writing process, this book will be worth every penny of the $60 you pay for it (Amazon price as of September 2006.)

It is not a tutorial or a "how to" guide; rather, it's a reference book that contains articles (like encyclopedia entries) on topics of interest to proposal writers, and also captures industry-consensus best practices for proposal preparation.

The certification exams for the Association of Proposal Management Professionals use this book as one of the basic texts, and there's a good reason for that. Shipley Associates, the consulting firm, has taught organizations all over the world how to win business by writing better proposals and RFP responses, and a lot of their knowledge and experience is condensed and present in these pages.

I've been writing proposals for years now, and while I don't agree with every single statement in this book, I also have to admit that, with all of my experience, I picked up some good pointers and am rethinking my approach in certain areas.

The approach is geared towards the production of large, multimillion-dollar proposals, but even if you're not writing proposals of that complexity, you'll still get a lot out of it.

Highly recommended.

The Mystery of How to Win More Business at Lower Cost, Deciphered
Shipley Associates has hit another grand slam! The third edition is a must-own, must-read, must-keep-on-your-desk, one-stop-general-and-specific resource for any serious business development, capture management or proposal professional who wants to "kick it up another notch!" The clearly stated messages are underscored by textual and graphic examples that reinforce the written word. It is very easy to use because it is organized alphabetically, printed on quality heavy-duty paper, and bound with spirals that ensure the book remains open at your page of interest. Use the principles in this book and tailor them to your enterprise and you will win/capture more business at lower cost, reduce your risks, and increase your profits.

The BEST Proposal Guide Available Today
I recently joined the small business world, having left Northrop Grumman after 25 years and joining my wife's woman-owned, 8(a) small business doing consulting and training in project management and systems engineering. As a result, I now write proposals (among other efforts), and The Shipley Associates Proposal Guide is without question THE BEST proposal guide I have found thus far. I first bought Tom Sant's "Persuasive Business Proposals", and I liked it, but it doesn't come close to the value this book brings (I also have a couple of others as well, which I have used for comparison purposes).

The layout of the material is excellent, making it a ready-reference for casual use also. There are many different examples, best practices, and suggestions that are very helpful, even for small businesses. I also like the way the book is bound - it's a plastic spiral-bound hard cover, which makes it so that you can easily lay the book open (flatter) on a desk.

The interesting thing is, I liked the book enough that if I get the chance, I may take the class they offer (especially if they ever bring it to Hampton Roads, VA). If the book is this good, the class surely must be of value as well.