This is the first in a series of newsletters that will share my personal experiences in the career of business development, capture, and proposals, detailing the most valuable lessons I have learned over more than 20 years in the field. This is a bit of a long story, sharing the journey from my days as Read More
The more novel your solution—the more your risk identification and mitigation strategy must show considerate and detailed analysis Experienced business developers must apply thorough risk burndown analysis to lessen exposures and overcome customer objections to unique solutions that deserve to win. Let’s say your organization can offer a unique solution in your bid for a Read More
Win Themes Are Reasons to Buy—But Are They Your Customer’s Reasons? Experienced proposal managers know that proposal win themes are the key benefits you’re bringing to the customer’s RFP. But as so often happens in the haste of proposal development, win themes can be afterthoughts. You offer them as guidelines for in-house reviewers but not Read More
Proposal managers often get to wear different hats. I am stating the obvious, I know. We do not always get to stand back and orchestrate the overall effort of a winning proposal. Often we have to also get down in the trenches and perform last-minute capture management, fill out pricing and contractual forms, write the technical sections when the Subject Matter Experts are unavailable, and dare I say we even have to edit the proposal after we have written most of it ourselves.
Editing begins early in the proposal writing process and continues throughout the lifecycle, but no matter what stage you are pulled in to edit, it is a distinct task in a proposal’s lifecycle that requires a specific skill set. Editing includes cutting and strengthening text for readability and impact, bringing consistency to diverse materials, achieving a “single voice” in a proposal, and even making your writing sing.
Perhaps the most common complaint of proposal teams – besides never having enough time – is limited availability of talent. Business development managers and program leads must make crucial and often last-minute decisions about how to staff the effort. But an effective approach should be more thoughtful than simply filling gaps in your roster. Should Read More