Monday, December 29, 2014

Turning Targets into Sales


Nothing impresses a potential customer (“target”) more in a proposal than being able to see that the firm proposing clearly understands the target’s organization, operations, and goals.  Without this information, it is difficult to write a winning proposal.  The challenge for most firms is getting to know their targets well enough to gain this understanding BEFORE they write a proposal.  This is particularly true about Federal Government agencies.

Getting started…
Getting to know the representatives of a Federal Government agency prior to submitting a proposal can be especially challenging for several reasons:

  • Once a solicitation is posted, the solicitation’s representatives are restricted by law regarding the information they can share about the opportunity.
  • Most agencies have several groups of representatives that handle solicitations.  Finding the right people within the agency for your business interests may require several contacts.
  • Representatives may change or leave the agency, leaving cold trails for those attempting to contact them.
  • Occasionally a contact will be unwilling to talk about their agency and/or a future solicitation.  This could be for any number of reasons, including the possibility that they don’t know the answers!

I try not to get discouraged or take it personal when someone will not talk with me.  I try to remember that no one person represents an entire organization, so if I’ve contacted a person who is unwilling to talk with me or who does not have the knowledge to tell me what I need to know, I probably have not met a person who will part of the decision-making process.  This is my target – to talk to a decision-maker or someone close to the decision-makers.

If I call a representative at a bad time (I always ask at the beginning of a call), I immediately ask if there is another time when they might be able to speak with me for a few minutes.  This usually works.  I just have to be sure to call back at the established time.

Asking someone for “help” usually works like magic to get a conversation started.  I have found that most people will not turn down a request for help, such as, “Can you help me?  I would like to know more about your organization [or specific solicitation].”

I’ve also learned that the closer the contacts are to the top of the organization, the less complex decision-making becomes; therefore, top managers do not need permission from others to talk with me when I call them.

However, starting from the first call to learning all I need to know about an agency to learning all I need to know in order enhance my future proposals takes time!  So where should I start?

There are two types of targets:  a decision-maker, and someone close to a decision-maker who can serve as your ally.  Allies can be valuable in helping you reach and build relationships with decision-makers.  In both cases, the closer your contact is to the top of the organization, the better.

Think about what it takes to build a relationship with a target:

First you have to establish a respectful rapport with the individual; then you must build trust.

  • What are the things you can do to show respect and build a rapport?
  • What does it take for you to trust someone?
  • How do you know when someone trusts you?
  • What can you do to work toward a relationship based on trust?

To establish trust, you must first build rapport through personal contact.  Next, you have to gain the individual’s respect.  When you have both, you have the basis of trust on which to build a business relationship.  At the point when you have a trusted relationship, you have a genuine opportunity to sell your services/products to the other person.

So how do you get there?

Time is the main ingredient necessary for getting to know someone well enough to build trust and respect.  Few friendships happen quickly.  In fact, a lot of friendships happen over so much time that the friends might not remember when they began to think of themselves as friends.  It works the same way in building business relationships:
  • Start by making several calls a day to identify potential targets within the organizations of interest to your company. 
  • Once you have identified the decision-makers or possible allies, begin by contacting them and asking for help to get to know their organizations.  If possible, ask for a face-to-face meeting. 
  • Learn all you can about the organization ahead of a call or meeting through online research or talking to others who have worked with the organization, so you can ask relevant questions.
  • At the first meeting, do not talk as much as you listen!  Ask questions about the person’s role and responsibilities in the organization, ask about the types of contracts the organization awards, ask how the contracts are funded and awarded – and any other questions you can within the allotted time.  Ask the contact how your firm could help them with their biggest challenges.  In short, spend more time learning all you can about the organization and that person’s challenges and goals, so that you know what is important to address in your next proposal!
  • Ask for a second face-to-face meeting (if it is geographically and financially possible for you) so you can share information about your company with them and their associates.  Ask specifically about inviting any technical representatives and/or their Small Business Administration (SBA) representative (if appropriate for your business).
  • After each meeting, send the contacts something that will be of interest to them, based on what you learned while talking with them.  If, for example, you learn that they have an interest in antique cars, find a recent article on the topic, and send it with a note – the purpose of which is to establish a relationship based on more than YOUR desire to sell your company.  If you are offered an opportunity to provide a presentation in person, be sure that all presenters are rehearsed and polished.  This will be the best opportunity you could have to establish your company professionally with the representatives of the organization.
  • When you meet new people within the organization, follow up with a note of thanks or something of interest to them.
  • Stay in touch with each individual you meet. Don’t bombard them with contacts, but an occasional note to remind them of your interest in doing business with them can be a valuable tool, and a good way to start building a relationship.
In time, you will build a network of valuable relationships in decision-makers and allies, and you will have plenty of information about their organizations to help you write intelligent, relevant proposals.


Along the way, you might even make some friends – and there is no more valuable contact in any organization than a friend!

Monday, December 22, 2014

The “Boring Transmittal Letter” Made Not-So-Boring


Should a proposal transmittal letter say anything other than “here’s my proposal…thank you very much” in a few sentences?
The challenge one of my clients presented was to revise their usual Transmittal Letter wording: “Company X is pleased to present our proposal and pricing in response to your RFP, [insert the name of the solicitation]. Thank you for this opportunity and consideration of our proposal.”

“This is boring,” they told me. “What can we do to make this letter more interesting?  How can we make it say something meaningful?”
I’ve been part of more than a few debates about the use and contents of a Transmittal Letter.  A Transmittal Letter may or may not serve simply as a cover letter.  Sometimes it can take the place of an Executive Summary, in this case explaining (concisely) the main reason(s) why the proposing company should be chosen to provide the services or products they are offering in their proposal.

Its true function is to acknowledge that a document – your proposal – is enclosed in response to and in accordance with the requirements and Evaluation Criteria as stated in the client’s Solicitation.
So, how can you make the Transmittal Letter less boring?

I tried a variation of the elevator pitch – where you summarize in one or two sentences your main selling point: “With over 25 years of experience in providing X and personnel available at short notice to assist you, we are pleased to respond to your Solicitation for X.” – OR – “Having recently completed a project that is similar in size and scope to your project, X, we are pleased to be able to offer the same personnel for your project.”
This was not as boring as the standard Transmittal Letter opening, and it got one main selling point across right at the top.

The result was a happy client, and a series of their customers who, I like to think, liked the new start of their proposal reading experience and rewarded us with a number of contracts.
Until one day…my client said, “This customer doesn’t want us to put any ‘sales’ information in the Transmittal Letter.  What should we say in the letter?”

The answer was obvious:  We went back to a simple Transmittal Letter format.  The customer had spoken, and (as we all know) the customer is always right. But without such a restriction, I always suggest a less boring Transmittal Letter for the more receptive customers… and I’ve continued to win contracts.   
Who knows whether a less boring Transmittal Letter makes a real difference in the customer’s selection process?  I like to think that it does!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Writing a Winning Proposal Starts with a Winning Outline

Anyone who has written a proposal for a federal government agency can tell you about some of the challenges involved in writing a proposal that has the potential to win a contract.

Just as an architect creates detailed plans when designing a new building, so should a proposal writer have a plan for developing a proposal.  Architects' drawings provide the details needed for the construction of a complete building - the exterior, interior, and infrastructure - all needed by the builder to construct a completely finished, attractive building.  In order to write an effective proposal, the proposal writer must also have a detailed plan; however, a proposal plan must be based entirely on the instructions and Evaluation Criteria as presented in the Request for Proposal (RFP).

Writing proposals for federal agencies often involve a multitude of challenges that are unique to other types of proposals:
  • EVERY detail of the RFP's instructions must be addressed exactly as described
  • Particular attention must be paid to the Evaluation Criteria upon which the proposal will be scored
  • Stringent guidelines must be met regarding page limits, placement of certain materials within sections, and even the size/type of font and document margins
  • There are likely to be multiple forms to be completed and signed
  • Special packaging of materials is often required – including detailed tables of contents, indexes, electronic copies, cataloging of files, and shipping instructions
  • Failure to respond correctly and adequately to EVERY detail of the RFP's requirements can result in a total rejection of the proposal.
Every proposal is UNIQUE – while many RFPs request similar information, a winning proposal must not only mirror the proposal instructions, but reflect the intent of the Evaluation Criteria and the customer's needs.

So what must a proposal writer do to ensure that the final proposal contains all required information - in the required format - and that it appropriately reflects the customer's needs?
 
The answer is in the development of a detailed Outline of the RFP that not only contains the RFP's instructions and Evaluation Criteria, but that mirrors exactly the requirements of the RFP, down to the smallest detail.

MarkeTrainer has created a process to help every proposal writer - no matter how experienced - to develop a better proposal Outline that functions as a "road map" to writing the proposal. The SIP Process© is comprised of three (3) main steps that are the basis of its name:  

1. Separate the contents of the RFP

2. Interpret (and integrate) the RFP's instructions and Evaluation Criteria

3. Prepare the outline to mirror the RFP's requirements.

When these three steps are correctly applied, the result is a detailed proposal Outline that not only lists the critical items to be addressed in the proposal, but also includes instructions for proposal author(s) regarding how to present materials in the proposal to match  the RFP's Evaluation Criteria. A thorough, detailed Outline is the first step to writing a complete and responsive proposal with the greatest potential to win a contract!

The SIP Process also teaches how to produce a checklist of all of the items the RFP considers mandatory or essential in the preparation of the proposal, and ensures that every important technical issue is addressed in every section of the proposal.

Use this tool every time you prepare to write a proposal – and you will learn how to write a better proposal to ultimately increase your win rate!

Visit www.MarkeTrainer.com for "Analyzing & Outlining the RFP" in our Training Center.