How *not* to win bids
Although a great proposal by itself seldom wins a deal, a bad proposal can definitely lose one.
Tom Sant
During my tenure in government, I was on the receiving end of a lot of proposals. I mean the opening-dozens-of-proposals-almost-monthly kind of a lot. I've also written — no exaggeration — hundreds of B2B proposals: for my then-employers, on behalf of my clients, and in pursuit of (my own) new clients.
Here's the top three things that sink a proposal:
Your proposal is generic.
Having a generic proposal template is a must for efficiency's sake, but it's all in how you use it.
When I help clients craft proposal templates, we identify areas where the sales executive will customize the proposal with the prospect’s particular situation and needs. We also create a whole library of paragraphs — on industries served, client case studies, features & benefits, and services — so the sales executive can pick and choose the most relevant and compelling language and examples for the current prospect.
On the scope part of the proposal, there's a fine line between saying too little and too much. Complicating things, this line varies by industry.
In some industries, such as IT, the proposal is more of a statement of qualifications and approach; proof that you know what you're doing and have the expertise to meet your prospect’s needs. It's basically your business's resume — an entre to the interview and scope negotiations. In others, the proposal needs to include your full MS Project Gantt with every task, deliverable, and the critical path identified.
You better know which your prospect expects.
Your spelling and grammar suck.
Your proposal doesn't need the fanciest design, but you sure better have passed it through spelling and grammar checks — and ideally read it, too — to correct those errors that automatic checks miss.
Your spelling and grammar indicate your attention to detail. While working in government, I once read a proposal that unintentionally omitted the “L" in public repeatedly throughout the document to hilarious / embarrassing effect. Neither spell nor grammar checks caught the mistake because “pubic" is a noun.
It can be hard to see the words once you've spent hours, if not days, crafting your bid. Read it aloud. Give it to a colleague to review. My favorite: read it in reverse. Catching one “pubic" makes it worthwhile.
You don't differentiate yourself.
You may be the greatest whatever in your field, but unless there's a recognized third-party in your field independently dubbing you with that distinction, you need to make your case.
My clients can often rattle off a dozen or more features that differentiate their technology; identifying the things that differentiate the firm is more challenging.
In my experience, the thing that separates competitors working in the same industry are each company's values and how their embodiment works to their prospects' advantage. For example, I am currently working with one nascent energy startup. Yes, their technology is substantially cleaner than others in the mobile power generation market; but, they're differentiating themselves by dedicating their services to being net-zero carbon today — and doing the emissions testing and ESG reporting for every client to prove it. This startup understands that their prospects are facing significant pressure from ESG investors; hiring them kills two birds with one stone — fulfilling both their power generation and ESG reporting needs.
Differentiators can be hard to identify when you're too close to it day-in and day-out; you lose the forest for the trees. An outside perspective can help: contact me for an initial consultation.
