Final Team Project

A new medical clinic is opening up in your hometown and a mutual friend has recommended your services to the administrator of the clinic. You have received a letter asking you to provide information that would support their retaining your services rather than hiring employees for the same purposes. Assume that this letter may have gone out to other local firms as well.

Working as a team, you will do the following two things:

(a) After discussing and choosing a small business with your team, you will prepare a letter (in effect, an informal proposal) in response, offering your services to the clinic.

(b) Follow up with an oral presentation before the administration of the clinic to discuss and further sell your services to them.

On the date scheduled for the final presentation, each student will be responsible for evaluating one team, as assigned by the instructor, on their written and oral presentation. To help you prepare, a copy of the student team evaluation form has been provided. Additionally, students will evaluate the contribution of their fellow team members and themselves in developing the presentation. Evaluations will be taken into consideration in determining grades for the project.

In preparing your written presentations, consider the following:

• What business services will you choose to provide to the clinic? Billing, secretarial, computer, health, landscaping?

• Who will present the letter to the clinic administrators? Who will give the oral presentation–one person? The entire team? (Class will play the role of administration.)

• Who is your audience? How will you appeal to them? Will you use rational or emotional appeal? Are they familiar with the subject or will you need to be teaching as well as relaying information? Does that mean giving more or less information? At what level will you need to present information? Basic level, for audiences with little or no prior experience who require teaching? Moderate level, for audiences with limited knowledge who require some explanation? Expert level, for an audience who knows as much as you do and requires minimal explanation?

• Are you anticipating resistance at all? Is persuasion needed?

• What information about your company is most important to know and will be most effective as a selling point?

• What information will be most effectively relayed in written form? In oral form?

Elements to consider including in your letter: • Specific services that your business can provide, tailored to fit the needs of the client • Procedures that will be followed • Why you are particularly well-qualified and suitable for their purposes (and other selling points) • Costs • Benefits of hiring your small business as opposed to their hiring employees, i.e. comparative costs, convenience, time concerns, reliability, availability, staffing problems, insurance, etc. • Conclude by summarizing, then suggesting a time when representatives of your firm can meet with administration to discuss your services further.

Writing Plan for Informal Proposals

Introduction: Begin by explaining the reason for the proposal and catch the reader's attention with some of the following techniques:

• Hint at the outstanding results that your company can accomplish, if hired,

• Promise cost breaks and/or quick turnaround.

• Mention some special feature that only your company has, such as particularly qualified staff, experience, up-to-the-minute computers, round-the-clock staffing, etc.

• Promise a solution to potential business problems.

Explanation: Discuss background, details of the business, and potential problems to demonstrate your professional expertise.

Proposal: Discuss how you can handle the business. Take care not to tell so much that they can live without you. Include timetable, methods of management and quality control, etc.

Staffing: Describe credentials and expertise of staff, including the management, i.e. education, experience, bonding, insurance, etc.

Budget: List charges, perhaps mentioning competitive pricing or costs for a specific package. Use caution! You can't raise costs if the job proves to be more than you bargained for.

Conclusion: End with closing thoughts, reselling the idea of hiring your company, etc. and telling them you'll get back with them for an appointment to discuss the matter further.

Final Project Session #1

Name of your small business: __________________________________________

Type of service offered: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Team members: _____________________ ____________________

_____________________ ____________________

_____________________ ____________________
__________________________________________________________________
Final Project Session #2

Now that you have studied persuasive writing, consider and list points of persuasion you may use to sell your services:

1) _____________________________________________________________

2) _____________________________________________________________

3) _____________________________________________________________

Consider and list handouts that you may use during your presentation, i.e. budget/savings charts, pamphlets, samples appropriate to your service, price lists, business cards, etc:

1) _____________________________________________________________

2) _____________________________________________________________

3) _____________________________________________________________