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A Good Proposal is Not Enough |
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In every competitive procurement, someone knows about the opportunity before the Request for Proposal (RFP) comes out. And that someone is the winner.
That bears repeating. In every competitive procurement, someone knows about the opportunity before the RFP comes out. The winner knows something the losers didn't know. They know how to be a winner. They have a system to make sure they are running after the "right stuff," and they don't waste resources on low probability wins. They preserve their resources so they can be lavish with their time and attention on the best opportunities.
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A group of engineers heard about an outstanding proposal another group in their firm produced that won a huge award from a customer just like theirs. They were very anxious to capitalize on the success of this other group, so to save themselves some time, they took that proposal, replaced the customer's names, and submitted it. They then waited patiently to hear about their magical proposal winning yet another award. Weeks went by with no word, so finally, they called to inquire. "Yes," the customer said, "an award was made. And the consultant is already on the job." "What?! That can't be! What happened?!"
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What happened was that there was no magic in the second version of the winning proposal. The magic was in the first version because the magic is in knowing the customer. Knowing your customers' wants and desires (not just what they need) and having a marketing plan in place to capitalize on your knowledge works every time. Your winning proposal is simply the proof that the customer was right to select your organization.
Next page in the Magic of Winning Proposals | Marketing Manager | Proposal Manager | Marketing Team | Proposal Writers | Proposal Coordinator
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