What is it that makes an event memorable?  What you got out of it, of course.  The more expected and favorable the experience, the more memorable.   Imagine this: you just ran out of cash for lunch.  You need to go to the ATM, but it’s not close by and you’re short on time.  As you walk out to your car considering your options, there beside your driver’s door is a wrinkled $20 bill.  Nice.  Positive?  Yes!  Memorable?  You bet.

So it is for our customers as well.   We all need to look for and capture the positive memorable experiences as they occur.  That means being on your toes and in touch directly and via a 3rd party to better know what your customers are experiencing.  Why?  So you can incorporate it into your proposals and make your customer value, benefits and positive experiences much more vivid and tangible to the proposal read, which would be your prospect!    The better they understand you and like you and desire your benefits, the better your chances in winning the business.  Even if you cost a bit more.

In the above example, you had no control over the money, its placement and no guarantee you would even notice the money on the ground.   That’s great news, as you DO have total control (well, pretty much) over YOUR customers’ experience.  What they like, don’t like about you, your people, your processes,  your company –– it comes from you.  And you are in charge of You.  Right?  Good.

So what?  So you need to get busy laying out “$20 Bills” for your customers to find.  One company I just visited did so very well.  In fact, having evaluated and coached dozens of businesses across many industries, I would say these folks do it pretty well — with one catch.  That’s just fine because Great Service does not mean Zero Defects.  The company?  CarSpa (www.carspa.net).  Read on.

Being somewhat new to the local area, I needed to take one of my cars in for an oil change.  I saw this visually well organized gas station and car wash.   Turns out it’s more of a high-end oil change shop meets Lexus Dealer, which I also have to visit every 90 days.  I know Lexus well.     How did CarSpa give me a memorable experience? Upon arrival, they greeted me (three times).  An individual came out and also told me they would be right with me (three cars ahead of me) and began to examine my windshield.  I learn (and saw for myself) that the car had a few “micro” pits which may become cracks eventually.  CarSpa can fix such things at no cost right there and then.  Within a few minutes, my car is underway and the attendant is asking me if I had been there before.  This was my first time, so he asked my permission to give me a quick overview of their services, which was fine.  I learned a few things  — all the while my car was being processed. Within a few minutes, I am in the waiting room with great space, comfortable attractive leather chairs, and flat panel TV’s in a very clean and well organized area.  Several new magazines were neatly tucked away.  Coffee and sodas were available.  Wow.  A very nice environment.  Upon entry I was again greeted by inside staff.  I composed and sent a quick email to my wife and then my car’s name was called.  Time to pay.  Less than what I’ve paid in the past!  I’m informed my car is now in the wash and I will be notified when it’s ready.  Great.  After sitting for another 5 minutes, the car is ready, and I am escorted out the delivery area where my vehicle is getting pampered with a shammy.  No extra charge.  Again I am greeted and thanked for my business.

So, was it a positive experience for me?  Yes.  Was it not the typical experience?  Very atypical.  Was it memorable?  I’m writing about.  Will I go back?  More than likely.

Now think about your customers.  If they have this sort of experience with you and your company, you should work like crazy to capture it and use in your proposals when describing the values and benefits you typically and consistently bring to your customers.    If you don’t have this sort of experience for your customers, STOP reading ezines/blogs like this one and get started creating them for your customers!   DO keep reading our ezines/blogs.    And continue to look for ways to make your value obvious in your proposals.  Your prospect readers will notice, and your chances of bagging the business just radically improved.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

Ever go into a business and pretty quickly notice they don’t seem to have their act together?  Hesitant responses, delays in locating documents, etc..  You can tell.  Do you suppose your prospects can tell when you are doing it in your proposals and presentations?

Sure they can.  They’re prospects, not stupid.

Every b2b business is especially vulnerable to this.  We are too.  I thought I would share with you our approach to helping our clients Get Their Act Together when it comes to proposals and supporting bid documents.

4-Pass Comprehensive Proposal Assessment

Our methodology is based upon 10 years+ sales, marketing and consulting experience across dozens of industries.  Over the years we have evaluated, edited and produced hundreds of bid and bid-related documents.   So our approach is one based on actual experience.  That means we can quickly guide our clients with what does work and avoid what doesn’t work.   We call it a 4-Pass Comprehensive Proposal Assessment.  Here are the highlights:

Pass #1  Competitive Distinctions

Evaluates the entire proposal document and attachements.  Specifically looks at how well and in what way your competitive distinctions are mentioned, cited, justified and quantified.  Provides customer-unique recommendations on what to add, how to develop and how to cite.

Pass #2  Value Distinctions

Evaluates the entire proposal document and attachements.  Specifically looks at how well and in what way, your value distinctions are mentioned, cited, justified and quantified.  Moreover, we look for the “Value bridge” regarding how well and how clearly you connected your potential products, services and personnel to the client’s business objectives and priorities.  Provides customer-unique recommendations on what to add, how to develop and how to cite.

Pass #3  Organizational Flow

Evaluates the entire proposal document and attachements.  Specifically looks at how well and in what way the proposal document and support material is organized, its readability, its flow and section appropriateness for the customer type. Provides customer-unique recommendations on what to add, how to develop and how to cite.

Pass #4  Visual and Copy

Evaluates the entire proposal document and attachements.  Specifically looks at how well and in what way the copy is written, vocabulary usage, technical terms cited, acronyms used and clarity of copy.  Also includes grammar and spell check.  Assesses visual elements in graphs, charts, tables, screen shots and photos.    Provides customer-unique recommendations on what to add/change, and how to cite.

Is it 100% fool proof? Nope.  But when applied correctly, and with our experience and insights, the result will likely be significantly better than what your competitors’ in-house team or sales folks crank out.  With most of your competitors, proposals are an additional (and often dreaded) duty.  With us, it’s how we pay the bills.

When it comes to getting your proposal act together, bringing in the pro’s is usually the best and most cost effective way to bid.   Not always, but usually.  Especially if the bid is vital to your company’s future.  It’s really that simple.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

When Apple’s Steve Jobs rolled out the iPad, well, a few heads turned.  Some kept turning!  Not everyone was convinced Uncle Steve, who could certainly sell shaving cream to a werewolf, had closed the deal.

At the very heart of his presentation, which you can still view at apple.com, Steve presented an excellent argument regarding the role and necessity of a 3^rd category mobile device beyond laptops and smart phones.  In his opinion, net books had failed to do anything particularly well other than be a cheap way to get connected to the net.  As for productivity, forget it.  Steve skillfully weaved his justification for the 3^rd category, the attributes needed to fulfill the category and the failure of net books to satisfy.

Queue the demo.

He had us there …. All the way to the live demo. Then it happened.  50% of us said “WOW GREAT!” and 50% yawned.

Steve bombs?  Sort of.

The way Jobs presented his case, and backed it up with logic – not to mention Steve Jobs himself is making the argument – won over many.  But note quite everyone.

Isn’t this just an iPod Touch on steroids?

So it seemed. Until we observed the way the iPad was used – a new type of hand gesturing interface – beyond but similar to the iPhone interface – was solid.  Then it began to sink in.  “Perhaps.”  And then Steve rolled out the companies collaborating with Apple and some of the major game makers on the planet.  And of course their demos.

90% of us became sold right there and then.

The point?  Jobs had to make tangible his proof to back up his logic.  He had to present something meaningful and practical to show us the iPad wasn’t just another version of iPod.  And so he did.  Since then, many high visibility tech and business analysts have gone on record saying Apple more than likely has done it again and will have millions lusting for the new iPad.  Right now, the focus has quickly shifted to: Which network?  Will AT&T be able to handle it? Etc..

So it goes for proposals.  Documents tell a story.  A narrative.  Perhaps while answering questions.  Perhaps with graphs and charts.  But  to be successful and improve the chances of closing the deal, one must go far beyond the standard proposal tool set and incorporate things which make the “value bridge” obvious – and desired – even lustful.  That is what is needed to close the deal.  Not in a “make it sexy” kind of way, but make it compelling, persuasive.  That means doing the home work, collecting data and leveraging that data in ways which make your value and benefits for the customer relevant and sought out.   Otherwise, you’re just another demo.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

Great speech is a gift from God.  It can surge emotion in its listeners and bring about real change.   President Obama clearly has this gift and deftly yields it as a tool for his goals and priorities.  And he has enjoyed many successes since becoming President.

Except Healthcare.  He never closed the deal with the public.  Some would say the President crashed in his proposal to the public.

That’s not to say Healthcare is dead, or not needed; far from it.  However, as much air time as the President has enjoyed, and with his charisma and persuasive tone, still, healthcare reform has not been completed by the congress.

This story is a little bit reminiscent of the smooth sales guy (or gal) who got her face time with the decision maker, brought along all the brochures, charts and graphs to seal the deal – even making multiple assaults – and still the customer bulked.

Ever get the feeling the person is trying too hard and doesn’t realize it?  That’s the President with healthcare reform and the symbolic sales person I just mentioned.

How does this happen?  Everything seems to be working well but they just can’t close the deal.

In a word: content.  Content that my grandmother could understand.  Clear.  Rationale.  Thoughtful.  Personal.

We in the proposal business can fall to the same trap: our proposals look great, read well and have spiffy charts, tables and photos.   Great.

But ….

Without compelling and persuasive content, we won’t get very far.  It’s just that simple.

What to do?  Ensure your proposal content (assuming everything being equal) is leveraging the best and highest value benefits you bring to your customers every day.  That’s huge.  Few businesses developing proposals will do this.  Why?  Because they don’t know!  I laugh every time I say it.  Ironically many businesses just don’t know how well (or poorly) they are doing — and why.  Which is great for those of you who will know and leverage it.

President Obama is such a remarkable leader on several levels; it’s frustrating for many (and including the President as well I’m sure) that he was not able to make healthcare reform happen.  But he will live to fight another day.  Ditto for the sales person.  But to maximize each opportunity, one can’t take the approach, “Well, it’s a numbers’ game” and just keep throwing out your old and tired proposals to your prospects.  Take some time to unplug from the office grind and consider how you can revise /tune up your proposals to bag more cash and less crash.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

“In all  things, take a balanced approach.”   That’s an old saying with application in just about everything and for everyone.   That also includes business RFP/Proposal development.     Balance is everything.

Developing a compelling proposal  is a balance between the SME (Subject Matter Expert) commentary and business spin.   It’s true.  You can’t have spin without technical competency or technical competency without honking your horn – and expect to win.  Yet, where do you suppose many businesses put their emphasis?  Depends.   Read on.

In my experience, businesses get myopic with their SME /technical responses and often want to go on and on about how great they are while barely (if at all) mentioning the client.  Big mistake.

A few clients fancy themselves as graphic artists (who also couldn’t spell InDesign if their life depended on it never mind use InDesign) and get obsessed with look, feel, paper selection (resume vs. copier paper), binding, page layout, etc..

Now, I’m not saying these things don’t matter.  To the contrary, they do.  Yet we know when the RFP client gets all the proposals from all the vendors bidding on the job, look/feel will play a small small small part.  It’s sort of like when you revised your resume and applied for a position; many employers say up front on their website to STRIP OUT all bullets, formatting as they weigh the resume on the value it represents – not how pretty it is.   All things being equal, a very nice look/feel will give you the edge but otherwise, it won’t beat solid content and value from a competitor.  That’s just how it is.  It’s really that simple.

A few tips regarding practical look/feel-related issues:

1. Do use a contemporary page layout and organization for your proposal.   Don’t get married to your template.  Be flexible on a case by case basis.  Some proposals necessitate a custom approach.  Custom = more time and effort but also likely differentiation.

2. Don’t go photo crazy and put one on every page (you think I’m joking …).  Instead, use lots of white space to communicate a clear message.  DO use meaningful simple colorful clear charts/graphs/tables to convey your message for a page or a section.   If you do use a chart/graph/table, consider reducing the copy on that page/section and let the visual speak for you.  Readers will greatly appreciate that.

3. Do include a table of contents.  Mega themes only.  You don’t have to take to the 2nd or 3rd level.  “KISS”

4. Do include a list of visuals (charts/graphs/tables) if you have more than five in your document

5. Do include a list of references (links, 3rd parties) in the back appendix of your proposal if you cite more than three

6. Do use a consistent font/color/size for section headings, block copy, visual notes, etc..  Do not mix more than two fonts on a single page.

7. Do ensure your value and competitive distinctions are clearly cited in a meaningful and compelling way.  Sounds easy.  It’s not.

8. Do cite a copyright notice if you have to but do it only once.  There is no need to cite your copyright and logo on every page.  It looks like your insecure and need to stamp everything with your mark otherwise.  Less is more.  Typically the RFP will  cite that all documents submitted will become property of the client, so unless you have an NDA with the RFP client, copyrighting everything won’t do much for you that’s positive.

9. Do execute an NDA with the RFP client to enforce/ensure confidentiality

10. Spiral bound proposals are fine.  Binder proposals are fine.  PDF proposals are fine.  You can spend the extra bucks to have it professionally bound, but I refer you to my earlier comments on this sort of regarding look/feel.

11. Do spell/grammar check the entire document including all attachments and exhibits.   Best Tactic:  Then have 3-5 people separately read the proposal out loud as they proof/correct it.  Use your mom, neighbors or your spouse and not just employees or coworkers.   The more “foreign” they are to your workplace, the better chance they will question things.   Ask them to scribble/write on the draft you provided.  Then collect their notes and see what changes /corrections you need to make.  Then in the final, YOU read it out loud and see if it still reads well, etc..

12. Commit to being flexible with the proposal format and organization.  Each proposal is the most important marcom (marketing communications) piece you will produce for that specific account/opportunity.  Content is KING.

It’s really about balance.  And priorities.  Some may say focusing on the proposal’s look/feel is too touchy-feely and instead one should focus on content content content.  I tend to agree, but cite the exception look/feel topics above.    Stay balanced and you’re chances of securing the bid just improved exponentially.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

]]> http://proposalinc.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/proposal-look-feel-touchy-freely/feed/ 0 Proposal Inc Picture 1 http://proposalinc.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/proposals-by-committee/ http://proposalinc.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/proposals-by-committee/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:08:19 +0000 proposalinc http://proposalinc.wordpress.com/?p=55 ]]>

Hillary Clinton was right: Sometimes it does take a village.   A “village” or committee to develop a compelling, persuasive and highly competitive proposal document and supporting materials. No doubt senior management should be involved if the deal is going to directly impact the entire company and have broad implications (i.e. doubling capacity/demand, etc.).

How should committees work?     Well, first I should say not every proposal needs a committee, but larger projects and their RFPs may hint at many players from your team needing to get involved.   Many RFPs/proposals will have several components and ask questions such as what is your:

· IT/MIS Migration, Backup and Data Recovery Plan?

· Employee Hiring Standards and Competency Management?

· Certification for E&O (Errors and Omissions) Insurance?

· Is there any pending legal action?

· Is there any pending M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)?

· Can your product to this?

· Can your service do that?

You get the idea.  Unless you are a one-man-band, you will have to engage your legal, operations, finance, IT and executive team to provide complete and accurate responses on several occasions.  That’s where the rationale for the committee comes in – a sort  of “short gun marriage”.   Leadership and attitude determine if this approach will ultimately be successful.  This is when the real fun beings.  Read on.

If you find yourself in such a situation, the following should quickly be asserted:

· Get official charter from the most senior person you can; this will give you credibility for the following tasks you need to quickly implement

· This opportunity has an owner (typically a sales person) but the proposal team will be completely responsible for pulling the team together, providing the project management and ensuring a high quality and timely production.  No exceptions.  Why? Because left to themselves, sales, SMEs and stakeholders will take until the last few hours before deadline to do their thing.  And given the competition, you can’t afford it.

· When assignments are made, persons are expected to show up, be prepared and complete their task while asking any necessary questions for clarity, guidance, etc..  No one can claim “we’re too busy” or “The dog ate my proposal section.”   This message must be sent early  and repeated each week as the team works through the process.

No doubt the official proposal team cannot always pull off a proposal without support from adjacent business units, staff personnel and the leadership team.  It does sometimes take a village – but the village has Mayor!  Put him or her to work in heading up the project and hold him or her account for performance and results.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

Did you know that only 5% (or less) of a typical sales team will rise to the top?

If these are the people writing your proposals, you probably have a good thing going on and should stay the course.  In fact, clone their methods and distribute to the rest of your team!

But what about the remaining 95%?  Do you really want them writing your proposals?  Hmmmm.  Probably not.   You want to engage the A Team which has extensive experience in business writing, sales, marketing and the  customer experience to design, develop and produce your proposal.

That’s not to say Sales People just can’t create a compelling and highly effective proposal.  Some can.  But the skills needed to design, develop and produce such a proposal usually fall outside of the sales team core competencies.

Having said that ….

Sales people can (and should) be involved in the following:

· Be the Sales SME (Subject Matter Expert) who looks over the entire document and provides feedback

· Heavily involved in the pricing and value proposition (they have to represent it to the client!)

· Confirming intentional talking points in the proposal to keep the client moving and agreeing to the deal as the close approaches; that means the Sales person needs to feel comfortable with how the document is organized and the talking point built into the document

· If a presentation/PowerPoint/PPT is needed, the Sales person should be heavily involved in developing the subtle pitches and close in the PPT, ideally

I have a saying: “You can tell me what kind of proposal you want, how you will use, the audience you will be targeting, etc., BUT I will design, develop and produce the proposal for you.”  Because that’s one of my core competencies.  It’s important to let the pro’s breathe and do their thing without a lot of over the top control.

That applies to the sales team and to the proposal team as well.  It’s also a professional etiquette thing. The results are just better when everyone respects the tremendous competency of the team.  It’s really that simple.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

Your sales probably go something like this:  If you’re like most businesses, you have a template for your proposals.  Maybe you replace a few keywords and update the pricing for each new opportunity.  Create the PDF and ship via email.  Done!    The process is pretty quick, takes little effort but sadly probably doesn’t close much business.   Then it occurs to you: we need proposal software!

There are so many to choose from, and many are quite good.  They ask many of the right questions and can help you produce a pretty good proposal and even export the copy, graphs and charts to your publishing software or word processor.

What the software doesn’t do is be the expert at reading what you wrote.  It can tell you what you should write, provide you with examples, help you keep track of what has already been written.  But it probably can’t come back to you and say, “Hey, I’ve highlighted seven areas which are not as compelling as they should be.  Oh, and I did some research for you and here are three additional service benefits your customers enjoy today, but for some reason you did not include them.”

Does that mean Don’t Use Proposal Software?  Nooooooo.  You can use it.  It may be very helpful in getting yourself /your company organized.  But for the best chance at closing new business, you ought to bring in a professional to vet your copy, help you bring out more of what’s unique and beneficial about you and for your clients.

In other words folks, there’s a lot more to creating an effective proposal than just writing and tossing in a few charts and graphs.

If however your new business efforts aren’t that important to you, or for whatever reason you don’t take it “that” seriously, then skip the pro and go solo with the software or just use your own writing and business skills.  Right.

My advice (of course, I am a little bit biased, but only because of years of experience in trying what doesn’t work…) is to just bring in a pro to help you get organized with your documents, exhibits, business processes, metrics, and positioning.  All of these things go hand in hand with each other.  To ignore this vital reality is to put your new business efforts at great risk.

Or as they say, there’s a reason by 50% of marketing efforts fail and another reason many businesses only close 5% – 35% with their proposals.  Oh, and another saying: 3 out of 5 new businesses fail within their first 5 years.    You get what you pay for.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

One thing I’ve learned over the years is to always be friendly and respectful to everyone, but never ever let myself slide into “free consulting”.  Okay, there were a few times but generally, I do try to avoid it.  Why?  Because I deserve to be paid for my time and expertise.  Just like you do.

However, when constructing compelling and differentiating proposals for our clients, I’ll sometimes hear what many are thinking: “Isn’t this becoming ‘free consulting’ for the client?”.

Sometimes detailing a proposal response can feel a bit like giving away the farm for free, but really, when replying to an RFP, you can’t help but comply with the RFP else risk being disqualified.

So what to do?  Just give up and reveal all your competitive secrets?  Or may be let RFP-paranoia sneak into your head such that, “Well, they won’t award this contract to anyone new — they’re just using the RFP to put pressure on their current vendor.”  Maybe.  But it’s sort of like dating: “If I ask her out, she may tell me to get lost!”  Yes, but if you never ask her, you will certainly never know for sure!  And what if she says YES?  So, detailing responses for RFPs is what it takes to have a shot at the business.  And you can’t really change that.

However, here are Vital Defenses you can use to address the “free consulting” or “waste of time” notions that we can sometimes feel while developing proposals for an RFP:

Vital Defense #1: Tell What, Not How.   Writing proposal responses is part art as one needs to know how far one can go.  That means you have to know what are the true competitive distinctions to your product, service or solution and NOT reveal its inner workings.  You can (and should) describe your approach, detail how it matches/exceeds the RFP Clients goals and explain how your current customers have benefited, but NO MORE.  The trick is to continually remember that your job is to tell “what” not “how” and do so in a compelling, persuasive way.

Vital Defense #2: Use Visuals for Big Picture.   A great way to avoid going into details which could otherwise convey your competitive advantage is to use visuals — charts, graphs, tables, and photos.  By doing so, you can nearly avoid using text to detail how something works and instead use the visual to convey what your approach would be but not how you do it.

Vital Defense #3: Let Customers Testify.  By leveraging customer testimonial videos, audio and case studies, you can convey what you did, how it impacted the customer and how the customer benefited while correlating the entire testimony to the RFP Client’s stated desires, goals and priorities –– but without revealing how in detail.

Vital Defense #4: “If Selected As A Finalist…” The oldest trick in the book (after, ‘Upon executing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) we will be glad to discuss this with you”…) is to invoke the “If selected ….” phrase; but beware: doing so too much can convey a sense of difficulty, or that you don’t trust the RFP Client or that you really don’t have a good answer for the question.  When used carefully and with the right conditions, this phrase can be a valid answer which keeps the onus off you while ensuring your trade secrets, methods and competitive tactics are concealed.

Vital Defense #5: “We Look Forward to Discussing A Go-Forward Strategy With You”   This is a nice way of saying “We’ll work it out together.”  There is nothing wrong with using such a tactic selectively, but certainly one should not slap this in every other response for the same reasons given in #4 above.  Instead, use this when it is genuinely in the RFP Client’s best interest (and yours) to develop a detailed and collaborative detailed approach.  And tell the RFP Client exactly that.  Spell it out if you have to.  Used correctly this approach can actually score you points with the RFP Client rather than try to appear as the corporate SuperMan and to have all the answers when the RFP Client probably knows otherwise.

Vital Defense #5.5: Have Some Guts.  Sometimes you just have to say NO to the RFP Client.   Don’t get me wrong, most RFPs are legitimate and only want a sincere response from potential vendors.  However, some RFPs are after you to reveal as much as you are willing.  So, some savvy is needed here and the idea of taking each on a case by case basis is a wise approach.  Reasons to say no?   If it involves committing to terms you know you can’t or if it requires revealing confidential competitive information without an NDA in place.  It’s sort of the RFP equivalent of asking a job candidate how much they want for salary on the job application.  A wise job seeker will skip that question all together but an inexperienced one will fill it in and likely low ball themselves in the process.  The old saying “Who ever mentions price first loses” is true.  If you need to, just say NO and say why, with love and respect.

Although it may seem you are doing some free consulting at times, by following the above Vital Defenses, you can provide complete answers while not revealing all things and yet convey a clear sense that you desire to collaborate and partner with the RFP Client in flushing out the details.  By not providing a seemingly infinite level of detail, you actually leave something to talk about when invited to present in person and tour the RFP Client’s facilities.  And that means more opportunity for you.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

™® 2010 Proposal Inc    contact@proposalsandrfps.com

Any salesperson worth their salt knows that closing new business is all about two things: value and relationship.  So the proposal document doesn’t matter?  Or the relationship overshadows the proposal?  Not quite.  Read on.

If I had a dime for each time a client and myself discussed the role (importance, influence) of the proposal document vs. the salesperson’s relationship with the client.    Often clients are unclear about this and may hesitate in giving their proposal the “full treatment” and investment because the salesperson is really personally in touch with the client.  And after all, the salesperson owns the account and relationship with the client, right?

Not sooooo fast.

First, yes the salesperson should own the relationship with the client.  This is a great tactic as it helps the client to focus and access one person for services, information, etc. and by doing so will only receive the information/response from one person.  So, this is a good thing.

Secondly, sadly salespeople too often over rate their relationship with the client or connections to the client.    This is a common mistake.  The client is not dumb.  The client knows everyone and their brother is trying to get to him or her.   Their shields are up!   Their firewall is on!

Just because the client knows or knows of the salesperson does not necessarily equate to “quality relationship”.   Or just because the salesperson has dropped by the client’s office occasionally or chatted over lunch does not necessarily equate to “quality relationship” either.   Sitting with someone while you both eat does not create a wonderful relationship any more than sitting in your garage for 30 days will turn you into a car!  So, be cautious when sales people cite their deep relationship with the client.   This is especially true with new business, but take note may apply somewhat with an existing account (current client) and a very good account manager).

Third, regardless of how “tight” the client and the salesperson may be, at the end of the day, the salesperson has to make tangible his or her position on the value and benefits the company can bring the client.  That’s the role of the proposal.

You see, the proposal works Best when the salesperson actually has a meaningful relationship with the client AND has a well organized proposal making tangible the values and benefits specific solutions can deliver to the client.  This is the preferred and optimum position in order to bag more new business.  Taking an either/or approach is a bad idea.

The salesperson brings the personal part of the equation — “I like you” is what a good salesperson will hear once the client signs and the salesperson asks, “But why did you decide to sign with me — you had many options?”.   The proposal gives these two “friends” something to discuss in a meaningful, colorful, concise, organized way that a simple chat, flip chart or PowerPoint can’t deliver.  Take note.  Those who put all their hope on their smooth talk, low prices and snazzy presentation are not thinking about all the dynamics which can make/break a deal.

Want more ideas about how to make your proposals and other sales and marketing efforts more effective?  Contact us at contact@proposalsandrfps.com.    Proposal Inc is a Dallas based professional services company providing bid management services, document development and business consulting services solutions.   We serve clients nationally and welcome the opportunity to speak with you.  Free initial consultation.

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