Laura's Winning Ideas

By Chris Simmons, founder and principal member of Rainmakerz Consulting

This is the first in a multi-part series of articles on how to create great proposal themes. Part 1 explores the definition of a theme and the benefits of theme development in the proposal process.

When you think about it, proposal writing is really about telling a story. A story about how your solutions to problems are better than your competitors’ in ways that really matter to your customers. All too often, the story is written by authors who are responsible for different chapters with no clear idea of the setting, the characters, the ending, or even the moral of the story. When the proposal manager puts all of the chapters together for the first time (Pink Team) it’s no wonder that the feedback is all too predictable – “solutions not clearly articulated”, “claims are unsubstantiated”, “compelling themes and discriminators are either hidden or missing”.

Most proposal teams understand the value of developing themes as the basis for telling their story. But very few teams take the time to develop the central features, benefits and supporting proof in sufficient detail to achieve the happy (winning) ending they desire.

To read the rest of this article, go here:
http://www.24hrco.com/images/articles/html/WinThemesPart1.html

What are they thinking?

Isn’t this the question on everyone’s mind when they are putting the finishing touches on a proposal you hope will win that big contract?

There are three types of people on the selection panel for your proposal (this applies to private sector proposal submissions as well as government selection panels).

• Lead People -  A portion of the selection panel who will be involved with project. These folks will be working with your firm when you win the project. They have a strong vested interest in the outcome of the selection. One or more of the panel will be lead people. Hopefully your contract officer will be one of these. They may or may not be technically familiar with your expertise, but they are the people you should have met when you were marketing yourself to the agency for this opportunity.
• Specialists – These folks are on the selection panel because they are reviewing the proposals for specific issues, unique to their department. They may or may not be technically proficient in the topics in your proposal. Risk Assessment, Logistics, Legal and other departments may be on the selection panel. You will be unlikely to have met with these people during your business development phase.
• Appointees – Believe it or not, there will be a few people on the panel who were recruited to review proposals for political reasons. They may or may not be technically proficient in the subject area. They may have been recruited simply as an extra set of eyes. In some cases, the project leader will have recruited like-minded folks to help out. In other cases, appointees are on the panel to appease a political situation having nothing to do with your proposal (“Be sure we have Western Division represented and someone from the Dirigible Command.”)

The majority of the players will not be working on the project once awarded. The majority of the players may have only a passing familiarity with your technology. However, they all have something in common. They know and understand the stated and unstated needs and issues of their own organization.

This is why it is critical to know the issues of the key decision-makers (BUGS) and their organization before you write your proposal.

One more point. Notice that these three types bear little or no resemblance to your own managers. Be sure to cover your bases on White Team and Red Team reviews with parties who can help you identify gaps of logic and failure to communicate to someone who is less than expert in your technology.

Call me so I can help you with your proposal review. (414) 807-3669.

I’ve been using wireless headsets for several years, and I would urge you to get a wireless headset if you aren’t already wireless.

I started working with a wired headset many years ago. You can’t type and hold a phone, so I set up the entire team with headsets.

Wireless has a range between 50 and 300 feet from your desk, depending on the set you purchase and your environment. Being able to walk around while on the phone has been a big help, especially when I’m on deadline. I can run to another office to fetch something, get a cup of coffee, or finish a call while I’m putting on my coat and packing my case to leave.

Previously, most wireless headsets were a problem for office telecom networks, but there are several ways now to be wireless and not suffer interference. I’ve bought several and had some problems and successes. However, there is a common thread to my success, and that has been the vendor, Hello Direct.

Hello Direct specializes in headsets and business phones. The customer service is great. They’ve agreed to replace problem headsets, walked me through debugging phone problems, and been helpful whether I’ve ordered a $1,000 duplex speaker phone or $100 desk phone and headset.

On my last purchase, I called the manufacturer with some questions about how to get set up, and wasted several hours in aggravation. I didn’t think Hello Direct would be willing to mess with this inexpensive set, but I was wrong.

(I don’t get anything from Hello Direct. I’m just passing on my lessons learned the hard way.)

I also use headsets with my cell phone. I can look pretty foolish with each ear hosting a different line! Good thing we don’t allow cameras in the proposal area.

Here’s a neat tool to make free cover art for your next proposal. You simply paste the words in and a word cloud is created. Then you can edit the words, rearrange things, change colors and otherwise make it presentable for a quick and custom proposal cover. Offered free at wordle.net, so long as you provide attribution. Features my two favorite attributes for a proposal tool, Free and Fast!