Posted by Jon
I’m heading out to Atlanta tomorrow, a few days before the start APMP’s ‘Bid & Proposal Con’. The way flight prices work, it was cheaper to stay in town for the weekend prior to the event – and that was a good excuse for a little time off in a city that I really like.
The hotel in which I’m staying for a few nights before moving across to the conference venue dropped me an email a couple of days back, entitled:
I’m heading out to Atlanta tomorrow, a few days before the start APMP’s ‘Bid & Proposal Con’. The way flight prices work, it was cheaper to stay in town for the weekend prior to the event – and that was a good excuse for a little time off in a city that I really like.
The hotel in which I’m staying for a few nights before moving across to the conference venue dropped me an email a couple of days back, entitled:
“Check out what’s happening while you’re with us.”
I clicked on it with interest: a little insider knowledge about events in town for the weekend sounded great. Theatre? A gig? Baseball, maybe – a sport that, despite being English, I love!
But the actual contents of the note? The usual, boring dull stuff: confirmation of my booking, details of transport options from the airport, advice on how to amend my reservation. Nothing whatsoever on things that are ‘happening’ – other than the rain showers that look ever-so-likely.
It struck me that there was a parallel with many proposals, where the Exec Summary promises so much – and yet seems entirely removed from the content of the remainder of the proposal. If you lure people in with the promise of an interesting and relevant story, but then offer up content that’s bland, mundane, then readers will end up deeply frustrated – and even annoyed.
But the actual contents of the note? The usual, boring dull stuff: confirmation of my booking, details of transport options from the airport, advice on how to amend my reservation. Nothing whatsoever on things that are ‘happening’ – other than the rain showers that look ever-so-likely.
It struck me that there was a parallel with many proposals, where the Exec Summary promises so much – and yet seems entirely removed from the content of the remainder of the proposal. If you lure people in with the promise of an interesting and relevant story, but then offer up content that’s bland, mundane, then readers will end up deeply frustrated – and even annoyed.