If you could find a one-word answer to all of your life’s problems, what would it be? This article is meant to answer this question.
Success can simply be defined as getting up one more time after a fall. Therefore, when it comes to winning and conquering challenges, action is not just one of those things, ACTION is everything! No matter what you know, or how indispensable your plan is or how great the number of opportunities available to you, you can never rise above your readiness to move in the direction of your dreams.
Oftentimes the destiny of individuals or even a nation is hinged on just one action to be taken by a courageous leader. John F. Kennedy empowered American astronauts and scientists in 1960, and nine years later, man landed on the moon for very first time. Rosa Parks initiated a resistance against the stigmatisation of blacks in America and eventually Barack Obama emerged as the first black American president. Elder statesman, Anthony Enahoro moved a motion for the independence of our dear nation and today we are an independent nation.
The effect of your action today may not be as significant, but just as these seemingly small actions changed the destiny of nations, a single action you take today can set you up for greatness. Are you in a job you believe is not paying well enough to meet your financial needs? Then take action by looking inwards. Learn a new skill, read a book or enrol for a degree course. You don’t know how far you can go until you begin to take steps.
If you are struggling with a dangerous habit, take a bold step by speaking to a mentor, spiritual leader or friend. If you have taken enough actions on the five previous steps in this series you should have enough solutions that you can act upon.
In the face of various challenges that I faced during my NYSC year, I took a bold step to run a one-day project. This led me to meet the VIPs in Enugu state and eventually earned me a State Award as the third best corper in the state.
The world is full of dreamers but if you can be courageous enough to take actions towards accomplishing your dreams, no challenge would be strong enough to stop you.
Below are five suggestions that will help you.
1. BELEIVE IN YOURSELF. Most people don’t believe in themselves because they have allowed their past experiences and the opinion of others to define how they see themselves. You don’t need faith when everything seems to be intact. You need to believe when it’s like you are not seeing the kind of results you should be getting. Failure is the drill master for success and success would always test your resolve for greatness. Therefore you must prove to success that you are worthy of accomplishments. The more courageous actions you take, the more colourful your future becomes.
2. BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR TRUE ABILITIES. Although man has an unlimited capacity for greatness, we all have our unique areas of strengths and gifting. So, concentrate more on those areas where you can accomplish things cheaply and you’ll be sure to succeed more frequently than most other people. Know who you are and find out where you fit in. And then allow others to help you in the areas of your weakness.
3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT. It is not all your actions that would yield great results, but if you are afraid of experimenting you may screen out the actions that would lead to your major breakthrough. Trying to avoid failure at all cost is not only a waste of precious time; it is also a waste of effort. Breakthrough ideas sometimes appear as foolish thoughts. So you must not overlook them.
4. VALUE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. There are people who matter most to you in your life. You must respect them, value them and honour them. Your spouse, parents, children, mentors, friends, associates are people you must not ignore when trying to accomplish great feats. They possess the important comments, suggestions and insights that would lead you to your treasures in life. Occasionally you may encounter discouraging remarks from a loved one. Ignore them politely. Listen, but don’t accept everything you hear. Every constructive advice comes with positive suggestions that move you closer to your goals. Let this be your guide.
5. KEEP WINNING. You are only as good as your last victory. Therefore, act like every great boxer; visit the gym the next day after your last victory. That’s the only way to stay relevant and fulfilled.
Till next month. Cheers.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
ELEMENTS OF A WINNING BUSINESS PROPOSAL
There may be times in your small business life when you will have to submit a business proposal to gain business from another firm, corporation or government. It is your ability to present yourself as the best person for the job that puts you ahead of other contenders.
What is A Business Proposal?
Unlike a business plan, which is written to run your company and raise capital, a business proposal is a document you prepare in order to bid for business from another company. There are two types of business proposal that can help you gain more jobs to grow your own business.
Solicited Business Proposal. In this case, a corporation or government body seeks a company to run a project or complete a task for them and allow companies to bid for the project. An open bid is placed on the market with other companies competing for an interview spot. The winning candidate is offered the project. In national newspapers you will see various companies and government parastatals inviting companies to submit bids to run a project for them.
Unsolicited Business Proposal. At some point, your small business may want to do business with a larger company or forge a joint venture. For instance, you may notice a problem in a company, to which you know your business can solve at an affordable rate. The proposal you will write in this case is an unsolicited business proposal. A well-written business proposal can win the hearts and minds of your target audience.
If you need to write a business proposal to win a bid, you will need to know the key winning elements of a successful proposal. Make sure your proposal stands out in the stack of competitor proposals by including the following elements:
7 Elements of Winning Business Proposals
SOLUTIONS: That is the only language that companies understand. If what you are talking about doesn‘t solve their problems, they may not even read it through. After you have written a lead paragraph on the company's needs and problems, follow up with a solid presentation of how your business can provide solutions. The key here is to promise solutions you can deliver.
BENEFITS: All winning business proposals clearly outline for the company the benefits to be gained from doing business with you. Solutions can be provided by anyone but what peculiar benefits will they derive from doing business with you? Your proposal must answer this question. If your small business can offer complete confidentiality and meet tight deadlines state it in your benefits section.
CREDIBILITY: This is often the overlooked portion of a business proposal but all winning proposals glow with credibility. If you have worked with clients in the same field or have an award-winning business, then attach such evidences to gain credibility.
SAMPLES: A business proposal with samples and evidence of your ability to deliver is vital to gaining the winning bid. A small sample of your work can show your ability to do the job. You may also attach pictures as proof of what you have done in the past.
TECHNICALITY: A winning business proposal is all about communication. Speak in a language spoken by your intended audience. If the proposal evaluators are from an engineering background or financial department, use the appropriate jargon.
QUALITY: Let the quality of your paper, envelope and letterhead design reflect quality and professionalism. You may not be there when the proposal gets read and therefore you are likely to be judged by the quality of the materials in which your proposal was packaged. Therefore use the best materials and expertise available.
BREVITY: Avoid writing long proposals. Go straight to the point and go into details only when you need to prove your expertise. And as much as possible, make every written word in your proposal count. If yours is a relatively small business, a 3-5 page proposal is ideal for you.
Ultimately, the best business proposal is none. When your company is well-positioned and unique in the marketplace then it is only you who can meet the needs of the company requesting the bids. If a private school is looking for a web designer and your company specializes in web creation for the education industry you might be able to circumvent the proposal process.
In the end, you may not win all bids, but will win jobs that best match your business to the prospective business.
What is A Business Proposal?
Unlike a business plan, which is written to run your company and raise capital, a business proposal is a document you prepare in order to bid for business from another company. There are two types of business proposal that can help you gain more jobs to grow your own business.
Solicited Business Proposal. In this case, a corporation or government body seeks a company to run a project or complete a task for them and allow companies to bid for the project. An open bid is placed on the market with other companies competing for an interview spot. The winning candidate is offered the project. In national newspapers you will see various companies and government parastatals inviting companies to submit bids to run a project for them.
Unsolicited Business Proposal. At some point, your small business may want to do business with a larger company or forge a joint venture. For instance, you may notice a problem in a company, to which you know your business can solve at an affordable rate. The proposal you will write in this case is an unsolicited business proposal. A well-written business proposal can win the hearts and minds of your target audience.
If you need to write a business proposal to win a bid, you will need to know the key winning elements of a successful proposal. Make sure your proposal stands out in the stack of competitor proposals by including the following elements:
7 Elements of Winning Business Proposals
SOLUTIONS: That is the only language that companies understand. If what you are talking about doesn‘t solve their problems, they may not even read it through. After you have written a lead paragraph on the company's needs and problems, follow up with a solid presentation of how your business can provide solutions. The key here is to promise solutions you can deliver.
BENEFITS: All winning business proposals clearly outline for the company the benefits to be gained from doing business with you. Solutions can be provided by anyone but what peculiar benefits will they derive from doing business with you? Your proposal must answer this question. If your small business can offer complete confidentiality and meet tight deadlines state it in your benefits section.
CREDIBILITY: This is often the overlooked portion of a business proposal but all winning proposals glow with credibility. If you have worked with clients in the same field or have an award-winning business, then attach such evidences to gain credibility.
SAMPLES: A business proposal with samples and evidence of your ability to deliver is vital to gaining the winning bid. A small sample of your work can show your ability to do the job. You may also attach pictures as proof of what you have done in the past.
TECHNICALITY: A winning business proposal is all about communication. Speak in a language spoken by your intended audience. If the proposal evaluators are from an engineering background or financial department, use the appropriate jargon.
QUALITY: Let the quality of your paper, envelope and letterhead design reflect quality and professionalism. You may not be there when the proposal gets read and therefore you are likely to be judged by the quality of the materials in which your proposal was packaged. Therefore use the best materials and expertise available.
BREVITY: Avoid writing long proposals. Go straight to the point and go into details only when you need to prove your expertise. And as much as possible, make every written word in your proposal count. If yours is a relatively small business, a 3-5 page proposal is ideal for you.
Ultimately, the best business proposal is none. When your company is well-positioned and unique in the marketplace then it is only you who can meet the needs of the company requesting the bids. If a private school is looking for a web designer and your company specializes in web creation for the education industry you might be able to circumvent the proposal process.
In the end, you may not win all bids, but will win jobs that best match your business to the prospective business.
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