When people are trained in the government proposal process (classroom and on a proposal), about 1/3rd take to it like a duck to water, 1/3 get just float and 1/3 sink to the bottom. Just the nature of the beast. Like sales, not everyone is suited for
Read more →Funny thing about new business pipelines — they can look so impressive with all those sales leads in their neat rows. But, if you dig below the surface, you’ll discover you can’t always believe what you read. Here are ten indicators I look for to determine if
Read more →I’ve written the business development (BD) Guide for over 50 companies as part of institutionalizing their process for capturing new business. And while each guide is unique, there are definitely common elements. Here is a generic outline that is easily modified. A guide won’t solve all your
Read more →In the heat of the competitive bidding frenzy, it’s easy to forget that all government contracts are not created equal. Some place a greater financial and performance risk on the client and others on the contractor. It’s extremely important to know the difference. Here is a very
Read more →I usually see both sides of an issue — my way, and why can’t they see my way? But when it comes to making sales calls, there usually is a right and a wrong way. Here are some guidelines based on the many mistakes I’ve seen or
Read more →In general, there are usually four possible outcomes of a bid decision meeting. 1. The first, and for many companies, the most difficult, is to say no to the bid. I’ve had clients tell me one of my major contributions was to help them say no. There
Read more →Key personnel are often one of the top evaluation criteria in a services RFP. They are even more important on bids that require oral presentations such as GSA Alliant task orders. I have had the experience of winning competitive bids at orals after having been number two
Read more →One of the most useful items in a proposal manager’s arsenal is boilerplate material. Boilerplate is text and graphics already created for previous proposals, marketing documents, standard project descriptions, resumes and miscellaneous publications. It can save considerable money and labor. Project managers should be required to write
Read more →The first question that should be considered when deciding whether to pursue an opportunity is if it’s in your company’s strategic envelope. The strategic envelope (see graphic) should designate the services/products and target agencies your organization will concentrate on and the ones you will resist pursuing. This
Read more →Agencies are increasingly relying on past performance as a key evaluation criteria to select contractors as a way to lower their acquisition costs. Here are a few guidelines to help raise your evaluation score. Select projects that are relevant to the current request for proposal. Verify that
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