I recently helped a client develop the scope and evaluation criteria for a service related Request for Proposals they want to issue. Even though this was for a client, not a bidder, it emphasized how important it is for you to understand your client’s evaluation matrix when you are bidding and strategically positioning your bid and pricing to benefit from it. Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:35 — 3.1MB)

Using boilerplate material is the easy way to write a proposal, but like everything else, the easy way isn’t usually the path to success.

To win, you need to provide custom writing that speaks to the client and their needs with details, facts and information that matters to them. That means thinking about what needs to be said and saying it, not just using boiler plate material and cutting and pasting what you said in the last proposal.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript. Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:07 — 3.5MB)

When reviewing proposals written by bidders, I can’t stand seeing fluff.

And, I’m not the only one. Someone I recently interviewed about reviewing proposals said that when there’s fluff, it’s glossed over and if there’s something related to the evaluation criteria hidden in the fluff, it’s missed by the evaluators.

Keeping out the fluff when writing isn’t easy, but it’s key to a successful proposal. Read the rest of this entry »

This preamble was in a recent Request for Proposal:

“Please do not include marketing or sales materials in your response. Your company has been pre-qualified and we appreciate it if you will only focus on the information required to satisfy the specific needs of the RFP.”

It’s the best advice I’ve seen yet from a Client. In this case, each company had been selected to bid because they passed a pre-qualification phase, so the typical sales job about the company wasn’t needed – it had already been done.

That left the real sales job for the bidders – differentiating themselves. Read the rest of this entry »