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What makes a Successful Proposal
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- 2. } What makesa Successful Proposal ◦ #1 Imperative: Perform TODAY ◦ Customer Intimacy ◦ Empowerment ◦ Proposal Writing } Q&A
- 3. } Our performanceon our existing contract is a key factor in winning } Delight our customer….daily } Past Performance could be 25-40% of our score ◦ Be Careful!! – Rarely are acquisitions released if the customer wants more of the same. } Use the current opportunity to correct any issues… } Stay “on message” with the customer ◦ Prevent the RFP in the first place. } Watch our customer: All sensors on FULL } Keep our sub-contractors happy: No Defectors
- 4. } Successful CaptureManagers (CM) are passionate about knowing the Customer ◦ Spend every opportunity to meet with or learn from Customer } Leverage Resources: Business Development, Washington Operations, Program Managers, Suppilers, Teammates ◦ Rule of Thumb – calibrate Customer Intel with at least 3 independent, unbiased sources if possible } Understand what the Customer has awarded in past ◦ Including acquisition trends & budget constraints ◦ Wash Ops can be very helpful here } Develop a high-fidelity Source Selection Authority (SSA) list with confirmed hot buttons/motivators ◦ This is HARD ◦ System Engineering / Technical Advisors (SETAs) can be valuable here. } Develop a customer contact plan ◦ Utilize at least 2 people in meetings
- 5. } Start small,Empower People, Forge a Common Bond, Co-locate to extent possible ◦ #1 – Its economical ◦ Team building and cohesion is a must – Proposals strain both personal and professional lives ◦ All players need to gel around a common set of ideas that refine into unified win themes ◦ Churn and change is frequent and fast. } Ask for help when needed
- 6. } Prop executionrequires a combination of creative visualization, precision, and conformance to guidelines; while injecting strategies and innovation to discriminate our offering. } Successful Props aren’t written, they’re illustrated. ◦ Words connect graphics ◦ Designed for the skimming reader ◦ Customer benefits leap out ◦ Conclusion is first, followed by proof – Anecdotal evidence that the customer knows – Verifiable metrics compared to recognizable benchmarks – Customer awards & recognition – Photographic evidence ◦ Persuasive; not tutorial } Best practice: Create a “Capstone” graphic that represents Customer business, vision, goals, and how we are going to help them reach those.
- 7. } What makesa Successful Proposal ◦ #1 Imperative: Perform TODAY ◦ Customer Intimacy ◦ Empowerment ◦ Proposal Writing
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- 9. } Not listeningto the customer } Develop solutions early and expose them to criticism } Failure to communicate, in customers’ terms, our understanding of the customer’s operational environment, and the value of our solution } Proposing an approach, when they wanted a point solution } Bidding the elegant (and expensive) solution rather than meeting the customer’s stated requirements } Failure to maintain firm baselines – minimize churn and rework } Underestimating the competition's passion to win and willingness to take a risk to win } Failure to understand and write to the offer design (win strategy and value proposition) } Failure to price to the market rather than just the program } Not providing objective rationale for compliance } Failure to re-visit your early decisions as needed } Presenting unfounded assertions about performance, cost, etc. } Staffing with the “available” personnel rather than the “best people” } Failure to view the procurement with the customer’s best interest in mind } Failure to respond completely or on time