As Chapter 10 points out, proposal writing can be not only a handy skill but also an essential one. Whether you're seeking grant money, trying to land a contract, or requesting approval from your boss, knowing how to put together a convincing, well-written proposal can help both you and your organization succeed. This activity will test your understanding of the types, goals, and main parts of proposals. Read the proposal-writing case and then answer the multiple-choice questions. As office manager of Jack 'n' Jill's Gym, a fitness club in an affluent and growing suburb of your city, you have decided that the time has come for the club to invest in a customer relationship management (CRM) system. You hope to convince your bosses-the owners of the club-to approve the setup fee of $1,500, the $100-per-month service fee, and the $300 for your training on the application you've chosen. The product you have in mind is Customation, by the software developer Vendix. Customation is a cloud-based application. When you purchase a license, you are given a password allowing you to access the product via the Internet. Using its many different fields, you can enter detailed information about your customers. The data you enter are stored in a secure, searchable database on one of Vendix's mainframe computers. The customer-management possibilities offered by Customation are exciting. When you need to find out something about your customers--for example, which ones live in a certain neighborhood, bought a certain kind of membership, or attended a certain event-you can query the database and instantly retrieve the information. You can also have Customation send you "tickle" notices on customers whose memberships are about to expire. And because it's compatible with your email program, you can set up Customation to send customers emails at certain If you want to do a special mailing to particular groups, Customation makes that easy, too. In short, Customation will enable you to keep and retrieve much more information on your customers, and communicate with them much more extensively, than you can with your current system. Plus, it's an integrated approach; rather than having to use a customer database, a website, an accounting program, and an email program to manage, financially track, and communicate with your customers, you can do it all in Customation. For example, customers will be able to purchase memberships and other services at the site, and as they enter their information, it will go directly into the Customation database. It's a modern, integrated approach that enables a company to manage its customers and the overall business efficiently and effectively. special mailing to particular groups, Customation makes that easy, too. In short, Customation will enable you to keep and retrieve much more information on your customers, and communicate with them much more extensively, than you can with your current system. Plus, it's an integrated approach; rather than having to use a customer database, a website, an accounting program, and an email program to manage, financially track, and communicate with your customers, you can do it all in Customation. For example, customers will be able to purchase memberships and other services at the site, and as they enter their information, it will go directly into the Customation database. It's a modern, integrated approach that enables a company to manage its customers and the overall business efficiently and effectively. It comes at a price, however, including a setup fee and a monthly service fee. Buyers also must sign a three-year contract, which is unbreakable after the 90-day trial period expires. And you really need to be trained on the product so you can quickly learn its capabilities and start reaping the benefits. But the owners will be reluctant to take on a new expense. The club's business has expanded so much over the last eight years, as the surrounding community has grown, that the owners are building a new wing for the facility. This giant investment is not likely to make them receptive to a request for money. You have occasionally mentioned a CRM system to your bosses when they drop by, but they seem to listen politely and then move on to more pressing concerns. You don't think that just sharing your proposal orally with them is going to work. Instead, you will carefully lay out your plan and send it to them as an attachment to an email that prepares them to receive the proposal positively. Which of the following would be the best title for this proposal? Multiple Choice Growing Our Business and increasing Customer Loyalty through Customation The Benefits of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Proposal for Purchasing a License to Customation, a CRM Program Sharpening Our Competitive Edge Modernizing Our Office Operations with Customation What type of proposal will this be? Multiple Choice both unsolicited and internal unsolicited solicited internal external The best place to include examples of how Customation can help the company will be the Multiple Choice introduction. benefits section. conclusion. needs section. background section. Which of the following statements is true? Multiple Choice You should not indicate that anything about the company's current operations is negative. Your cover email for the proposal should describe your plan, including its cost, in a nutshell. You can, and should, point out negative features of the current situation in the "Need" section. You should attach your complete rsum to the proposal to indicate your ability to follow through with the plan. You should avoid all personal pronouns in your proposal since proposals are formal documents, Which would be the best way to acknowledge that the owners are currently building an expensive addition to the facility? Multiple Choice Say that the timing is perfect for CRM software so that the additional customers who will be accommodated by the larger club will be managed as profitably as possible. Say that you understand the extra expense being incurred but that the inefficient office operations cannot continue as they are. Say that the cost of the software isn't that high, compared to what's being spent on the addition. It would be best not even to bring up this topic. Say that you realize the timing is not ideal but that the company has needed better customer management for a long time