The document discusses how the laws of physics can help win more bids. It summarizes key laws and concepts from physics such as thermodynamics, motion, gases, and evolution and relates them to communication strategies for winning bids. Some of the key messages are that change is inevitable so one must adapt, less information is better than more, and there is always room for improvement.

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The Laws of physics help win
more bids
Hugh Graham, The Bid Coach Ltd
The text boxes on each page are a précis of the spoken words which accompanied the
presentation when it was originally delivered. Their purpose here is to provide you with a
more comprehensive context for each slide.

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Laws of Physics and winning more bids
Winning bids is a scientific process, with rules and regulations to be followed. Winning is
also partly a subjective decision, so the challenge is to persuade the client your proposal is
“better”. In reality the differences between competitor may be marginal.

3. Clickperception is our reality!
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Your clients perception is their reality, so real or otherwise your “better” proposal wins.
Always express yourselves in terms that the client most readily understands, to make it easy
for them to perceive your offer is the best

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• Change is inevitable
• Less is more
• Strive to improve
These are the key messages that you should be receiving
throughout the course of the presentation.
Change has been occurring since the world began, will
continue at an ever increasing rate.
Scientific formulae contain no spurious info
Always room for improvement, and marginal improvements
compounded add up to a significant amount

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Click they make it look so easy?
How / why are some people able to make communication look so effortless?
Bill Clinton is apparently a natural, able to speak on any subject without prep or notes.
Steve Jobs rehearsed and checked every detail meticulously, before every major product
launch

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Communication
What is the basic purpose of communication?
To allow every form of life on earth to survive and pass its genes on to future generations

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Communication
Different tactics used by every life form, to ensure they attract a mate – colour, size, smell etc.
Some forms of life took communication further as they live in social groups, so communication was critical
for sake of good order
Human beings introduced technology. Relative to the earth we have been around no time at all and
relatively our use of technology is the blink of an eye. Our brains are still tuned to the caveman level of fight
or flight and this has an impact on our ability to communicate.
Face to face is the most effective form of communication

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Evolution Master title style
50,00 years of communications, from cave art and grunting, to modern day, when we now back to grunting again (a
reference to how teenagers communicate – with grunts and thumbs only).
Never had so much technology available and yet never was face to face more important

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What is Physics?
“the branch of science concerned
with the nature and properties of
matter & energy”
Oxford English Dictionary
Modern physics (science) developed in 15th century, by the likes of Sir Isaac
Newton, based on ancient traditions developed in Classical Greece and the Far
East

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Energy - Thermodynamics
“energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
transferred from one form to another. The total
amount of energy in a closed system never
changes”
The business, the team and individuals only have so much energy to give. Need to accept
this and that if they are to put the right level of input to any bid then some other
priorities may have to be sacrificed, or they are seconded across to the bid team for the
duration

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Energy Hooke’s Law
Key:
F = force
X = distance
K = stiffness
If stretched too far spring fails and then breaks. Same with people so need to endure
they not too stressed and allowed to rest if you are to get the best out of them

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The Laws of Master title style
“Every action has an equal
and opposite reaction”
Isaac Newton
This is Newton's third law of motion. Question – how much do you consider other
peoples reaction to your communications before you put them out. Do you anticipate
their reaction and phrase the communications to elicit the reaction that you want? If you
don’t then you should! Moral – always view the world from your clients perspective.

13. Stay focused on whattitle style
Click to edit Master is realistic
“Every action has an equal
and opposite reaction”
Isaac Newton
Newton was a brilliant scientist, but allowed himself to
be distracted by alchemy. When he was doing this
other scientists stepped into his position as foremost
scientist.
Moral, focus on what you can realistically achieve and
beware of other trying to take your place of preeminence, if you lose focus

14. Combined Gas Laws (Charles’s Law)
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“The volume of a given mass
of an ideal gas is directly
proportional to its
temperature on the absolute
temperature scale (kelvin) if
pressure and the amount of
gas remain constant”
Key:
V = Volume
T = Temperature
Don’t fill your bids, or other communications with lots of hot air – it detracts from the
key messages that you have

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Combined Gas Laws (Boyles)
“The absolute pressure exerted
by a given mass of an ideal gas is
inversely proportional to the
volume it occupies if the
temperature and amount of gas
remain unchanged within a
closed system”
PV = K
Key:
P = Pressure
V = Volume of the gas
K = Constant
As per previous slide, plus make sure you use the right language and words to be readily
understood by the client – avoid jargon and company phraseology.
Consider all words carefully as once given they cannot be retracted

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The Law of Compensation
Seed must first be
invested in if it is to make
the oak tree.
You reap what you sow, and so need to invest in developing
relationships with key clients all the time, not just when
they have significant projects coming along. Process may
take a long time, but will be worth it in the end.
Always be ready to challenge the situation with clients that
you already know – to make sure nothing has changed.

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Theories of Relativity
“time is not a constant
– it slows down the
faster you travel and is
also slowed by gravity”
Albert Einstein
When completing bids and tenders things often back-loaded. This leads to extra pressure,
so better to set realistic timetable and stick to it – refer back to laws of energy,
thermodynamics and pressure

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Nothing is what it seems
“If quantum mechanics
hasn’t profoundly shocked
you, you haven’t
understood it yet”
Neils Bohr
Visuals are of rock (top) and light (below).
Reality depends upon your frame of reference. Science challenge the accepted norms –
i.e. rock was solid and proved it was more “space” than solid.
Moral is that things can be completely counter-intuitive to what we believe

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“If quantum mechanics
hasn’t profoundly shocked
you, you haven’t
understood it yet”
Neils Bohr
How do you see yourself, and same question for how your clients see themselves.
Remember their perception is their reality.
Would you be shocked if you understood their perception / reality?

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The Principles of Evolution
“It is not the strongest of
the species, but the most
adaptable which survive”
Charles Darwin
How adaptable is your business? Is it able to recognise that even a seemingly
unassailable position can be caught almost over-night.
Need to continuously strive to improve and anticipate your clients changing needs.

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“It is not the strongest of
the species, but the most
adaptable which survive”
Charles Darwin
Who might be about to take your place at the top table?

22. Interpret customers needs!
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“If I had asked people
what they wanted, they
would have said faster
horses”
Henry Ford
Customers are often not able to accurately verbalise their real needs, so it is critical to
not necessarily take them at face value, but to look for ingenious ways of providing
solutions for them

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Change is inevitable
Less is more
Strive to improve
Winning bids is a matter of following the basic rules of
engagement, but also of challenging accepted norms. Accept
change will happen and live with it
Ensure your proposals are lean and communicate only what I
necessary, and from the clients perspective
Continually strive to improve you understanding, and your
solutions. Marginal improvements cumulatively make a
significant difference.
There are no short-cuts to success – and it is not an admission of
failure to seek external resource to help

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Your actions!
Set clear objectives
Take great care
Focus
Make sure you know what you want to achieve and make sure you set everything up to
make this happen – seeing the world from the clients perspective
Make sure all aspects of your communication are checked, a they cannot be withdrawn
once sent.
Focus on trying to get what you can realistically win, deliver and develop

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www.thebidcoach.com
hugh@thebidcoach.com
Office: 01963 240555
uk.linkedin.com/in/hughgrahamthebidcoach

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“The single biggest
problem in
communication is the
illusion that it has
taken place””
George Bernard Shaw