SPAC 2015 · 2016. 7. 10. · Sponsored by Georgia, Florida, and Carolinas APMP Chapters SPAC 2015...
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Sponsored by Georgia, Florida, and Carolinas APMP Chapters Performing to New Heights Southern Proposal Accents Conference Great To Consistently Great Proposals Or, From Good to Gooder Brad Douglas Shipley Associates October 27, 2015
Transcript of SPAC 2015 · 2016. 7. 10. · Sponsored by Georgia, Florida, and Carolinas APMP Chapters SPAC 2015...
Sponsored by Georgia, Florida, and Carolinas APMP Chapters
SPAC 2015
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Performing to New HeightsSouthern Proposal Accents Conference
Great To Consistently Great ProposalsOr, From Good to Gooder
Brad DouglasShipley Associates
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October 27, 2015
Sponsored by Georgia, Florida, and Carolinas APMP Chapters
SPAC 2015
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The “New Reality” Environment
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Session Overview
Our bidding environment Your proposal pet peeves Getting from good to great The 7 characteristics of great proposals Consistency requires leadership What to avoid Gooder tips and summary
It is better to have a good solution in a superior proposal, than a superior solution in a poor proposal.
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Pet Peeve
Pet Peevenoun informalnoun: pet peeve
something that a particular person finds especially annoying.
Example: “One of my biggest pet peeves is a one-sided buffet table"
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Discussion:
What are your proposal pet peeves?
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Getting Consistently Great
Focusing on 7 Characteristics of Effective Proposals
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Readers are Evaluators/Customers
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7 Characteristics of Effective, Persuasive Proposals
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Compliance
Have all bid request requirements been addressed and all instructions followed?
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Responsiveness
Does the proposal clearly and directly address the customer’s needs?
Vendor must provide 24/7
support.
Omega provides 24/7 support.
OSG benefits from 24/7 support at four locations around the world, in each language required, with a response time of three minutes or less.
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Win Strategy
Is it obvious why this offer should be selected?
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Competitive Focus
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Discriminators
Neutral PositionCustomer Needs ItCompetitor Has ItWe Have It
Irrelevant PositionCustomer Doesn’t Need ItCompetitor Has ItWe Have It
Our WeaknessCustomer Needs ItCompetitor Has ItWe Don’t Have It
Our DiscriminatorsCustomer Needs ItCompetitor Doesn’t Have ItWe Have It
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Quality of Writing
Is the writing customer focused, well organized, clear, and correct?
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10 Indicators of Customer Focus
Customer Focus Customer-
relevant proofs
Summary & Next Steps Link between
vision and this buy
Vision statement
Hot buttons
prioritized
Organization announced
and followed
Buyer named before seller
Buyer named more often than seller
Benefits listed
before features
Hot button ownership
explicit
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Visualization
Do graphics clearly communicate major selling points?
Possible types of visuals to support message.
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Page and Document Design
Is the proposal professional in appearance and easy to evaluate?
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Consistently Applying the 7 Characteristics Requires Leadership
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The Paradox: Why Do Win Rates Vary So Much?
Companies with low win rates lack commitmentCompanies with low win rates lack the commitment to perform
The Paradox Companies know the
activities they should perform All companies have the
ability to perform the activities or can get training
All companies know the metrics of success
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Five key principles for leading
Proposal Leadership
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Avoiding the Pet Peeves
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Ways to Destroy Any Message
01Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail of water.
Use weak verbs:
02Jack and Jill climbed up the hill to fetch a ewer of water
Use Unfamiliar words:
03To fetch a pail of water, Jack and Jill climbed up the hill.
Put introductory phrases at the beginning to push the subject back:
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Ways to Destroy Any Message
04Jack and Jill, to fetch a pail of water, climbed up the hill.
Put the action at the end of the sentence:
05Jack and Jill climbed to fetch a pail of water up the hill.
Keep modifiers as far as possible from the words they modify:
06The hill was climbed by Jack and Jill so that a pail of water could be fetched.
Use passive voice:
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Ways to Destroy Any Message
07To fetch a pail of water, the hill was climbed by Jack and Jill.
Put the doer at the end of the sentence:
08It was Jack and Jill that climbed up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
Introduce false subjects:
09Jack and Jill ascended the acclivity to retrieve a vessel of Adam’s ale.
Pile on the gobbledygook:
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Ways to Destroy Any Message
10Jack and Jill did the hill climb for purpose of water retrieval.
Turn verbs into nouns:
11Jack and Jill traversed the gradient to fetch an alembic vessel of H20
Use unnecessary technical jargon:
12Jack in the company of Jill climbed their way up the hill for the purpose of fetching water in the approximate amount of a pail’s full.
Add wordy phrases:
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Ways to Destroy Any Message
13Both Jack and Jill climbed all the way up to the top of the hill’s summit to fetch a pail filled to its capacity with water
Multiple redundant repeating words:
14Jack and Jill, who need no introduction, climbed up the hill by leaps and bounds to fetch through their good offices a pail of water by hook or by crook.
Throw in clichés indiscriminately:
15Jack and Jill water retrieval hill ascent was achieved.
String lots of nouns together to form the subject:
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Ways to Destroy Any Message
Put them all together:
It was the Jack and Jill—who need no introduction—H20 retrieval in an alembic vessel that was achieved through their good offices via the ascent of the acclivity up to tis summit in leaps and bounds.
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Writing Gooder (not Greater) Proposals
Do not use no double negatives. Avoid commas, that are not necessary. Verbs has to agree with their subjects. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. Never, ever use repetitive redundancies. Avoid clichés like the plague. Address the pet peeves
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Basic Proposal Rules of Thumb
Use short, coherent, logical paragraphs Use lists Organize as directed Keep sentences < 20 words Write with active voice Avoid “word salad”
Before: "I utilized a multi-tined tool to process a starch resource."
After: "I used my fork to eat a potato."
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Summary and Questions
What represents being consistently great to you? How do we replicate this? Questions
Contact:Brad Douglas
