20 Questions: Play to Win
Proposals are expensive. Writing losing proposals is more expensive than gambling in a casino.
As Richard White of FedMarket.com says, “Don’t write it if you haven’t sold it.” He’s a man after my own heart.
They just posted their 20 Questions game on-line, and you don’t need to stop at the window first to buy chips to play!
Richard White is the author of “Rolling the Dice in DC” and the firm offers training courses to help firms write proposals to federal agencies, especially GSA procurements. For firms needing a foothold, they also offer federal information: decision-maker lists, historical information on agencies and individuals, purchase histories. A Hoover’s
Richard and I had a nice chat about their firm and he said, “My staff get sick of hearing me say it, but the biggest improvement any firm can have instantly is to make better choices about which proposals they write.”
When Richard started his career at Booz-Allen, he was assigned to a partner of the firm. He was taught never to respond to an RFP without pre-sale activity. That advice was a big help when he founded his own firm. He didn’t waste money writing losers.
After he sold that firm, he entertained his love of fly fishing…for three years. The boredom set in and he decided the greatest good he could offer was to help businesses trying to navigate the federal goverment casino, learn the odds, and spend their chips where they had better odds.
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