In 2007 I read a fascinating book by Nassim Taleb called The Black Swan. Taleb describes a black swan as a highly improbable event that is unpredictable and has massive impact. The stock market crash of 1987 was a black swan. So it was on 9/11. And so were the extraordinary financial and economic events of 2008.

So here we are in 2009 having to deal with economic circumstances that most of us would never have foreseen a year ago. What can we do to give ourselves an advantage in difficult times when various competitors are fighting for fewer opportunities? When developing proposals, here are four factors you may want to pay special attention to.

1. Recognize customer problems

More than ever we need to know what challenges the customer is facing:

* What is the reality of your current situation?

* What is the status of your specific market?

* What steps are you taking to address the problems in your market? And how can we, by making a proposal, help this client to deal with these problems?

* What competition do you face?

* What advantages or disadvantages do they have over that competition?

Empathy helps. Your ability to take the time and effort to fully understand the current situation, its challenges and issues, is something clients appreciate. Clients do not have time for uninformed or unrealistic assessments of their situation.

2. Do everything possible to help the client achieve their goals

It’s about taking that extra step. Many times we say (and have done) “that’s enough.” Guess what. In this climate that’s just not a good enough reply. You have to go one step further. What is that step? You have to find out when you interact with the customer. Search it. It is:

* Something that solves an immediate problem for the customer?

* Something that will be important to the client six months from now. That is, could you do something today that will make a difference in your business next month or next year?

* Anything that is positive for your bottom line, or at least minimizes the scope of potential damage? That could be under the heading of the least you could do to help the client get the job done.

3. Be prepared and be patient

This is a difficult question for any organization whose business depends on winning proposals. The client trend, and it’s in the news every day, is to postpone planned activities and projects to a more favorable time, when cash flow is better, when sales are up, when it’s summer or whatever.

A client who has had to lay off staff is unlikely to spend funds on a proposal unless they see a payoff. There will be pauses, if and until or if the client decides to move on. What should you do?

If there’s a proposal in the offing, or they say yes, we’ll proceed, but further down the line, what could you do now to get your proposal up and running when the client is ready to go? Or, is there something you can do for the customer at little or no cost to that customer that would put you in a better position when things change?

4. Be proactive

I was at a seminar recently where the attitude among the participants was this: some people may experience a recession, but there’s no reason for me to have one. Optimistic? Insurance. Realistic? Maybe. Are you looking for an opportunity? Essential.

Where are the opportunities in times of recession? Where is the government likely to invest money? Where are companies going to invest money? What companies have money to invest? For example, energy efficiency for both commercial and residential applications is likely to see increased demand as homeowners and businesses look to reduce costs in these areas. We know that infrastructure will be a buzzword in the coming years. What opportunities does the infrastructure present?

What are the opportunities in any area? This is the time to think about opportunities. This is not the time to sit back and wait for things to happen. This is particularly true for those in very small businesses (home-based businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs) who have decided to strike out on their own, or have been laid off from salaried jobs and wondering what it would be like to start their own business. .

This is where the ability to write compelling proposals comes into play. You have to have an advantage. That edge comes from the skills you bring to market, in proposition language, your USP, your unique selling proposition. Very important, it also comes from your ability to encourage the client, through your proposal, to buy your services or your products.

We live in extraordinary and unpredictable times. I suspect that those who are successful, whose proposals will be accepted by clients, will best exhibit the characteristics required by the four factors described above.