Adopting the mindset here will substantially improving the quality of any company’s bids, tenders and proposals.
While most of this advice will appear basic, you’d be stunned by the percentage of organisations that don’t follow these simple tenets of effective submission production.
(NB: To a very large degree, the ability to implement these tips is contingent upon having first formulated a solid bid strategy . . . and having undertaken all the necessary thinking and research involved in producing such a blueprint.)
Tip No. 1 – Clarity of Strategy
A clear strategy paves the way for clear articulation.
As in strategy, so in articulation.
Never put pen to paper on an important, high-value submission without first producing a documented blueprint of your substance and intended content.
Tip No. 2 – Benefits vs Features
Think and write in terms of benefits, more so than features.
Be cognisant, therefore, of the distinction between benefits and features i.e. the benefit results from the feature.
Join the dots for the client organisation and its evaluation team members; don’t leave them to extrapolate the benefit from the feature for themselves.
(A rider here: If you’re selling to engineers or other “technical” buyers, don’t omit features – but do make sure you explain their benefits in the context of the project or procurement in question.)
Tip No. 3 – Straight Answers
Answer the question.
Don’t devolve into evasive writing because you don’t know how to answer a question, or because you have insufficient material to address it with substance.
Have the integrity to correct the problem at its source, seeking out the information you need, or going back into the planning room if your content is lacking as a result of an incomplete or incoherent strategy.
Tip No. 4 – Substantiate Your Claims
Don’t let a lack of substantiation erode your credibility.
One of the most common flaws in EOI and RFP responses is the proliferation of “empty” claims – claims made with no attempt to provide specific points of proof or any other form of substantiation.
Being guided by a formal, written strategy is the first step in ensuring against an empty, substance-less submission.
Tip No. 5 – Process, Don’t Parrot
Think for yourself.
You’ve heard the adage, “A consultant is someone who asks for your watch, tells you the time and charges you for it.”
A similar concept underlies the common tendency to either repeat verbatim, or to minimally re-phrase, large tracts of the client’s own EOI or RFP documentation. That demonstrates neither any conduct of your own research, nor employment of your own thought processes.
