PART 1
Proposal Logics

As your potential client, one thing that amazes and even at times upsets me about your proposals is that, although you are obviously well educated, intelligent, and thoughtful, your documents and presentations often do not convey your ideas logically. I cannot comprehend a well-thought-out logical argument about my situation and how you might help me improve it if you don’t present that argument.

At the beginning of Part 1, I provide the framework to help you do so. Then I share my desire for your having and communicating in your proposal document or presentation an orientation toward measurable substantive results in whatever type of support you propose to me and my organization. Finally, I discuss how to construct a logical methodology that will answer my key questions, achieve my objectives, and therefore move me and my organization from one condition to another, from our less-than-ideal current situation to a better place, our desired results. You are writing your proposal because we have this gap, and your methodology must clearly and logically explain how you propose to bridge it. You have the knowledge and expertise to help us bridge that gap, but based on the hundreds of proposals I’ve evaluated, I can only conclude that you don’t know how to communicate that knowledge to me clearly and logically. You will by the end of Part 1.