Shipley Tips

Executive summaries, especially when developed early, can: •Build trust, credibility and confidence when shared with clients pre-tender as they are consulted and part of the solution process •Help refine your win strategy pre-tender, when developed in parallel with client conversations incorporating client feedback •Enable faster senior management buy-in to your win strategy •Drive faster, more

Cliches are overused words or phrases that have lost meaning or effectiveness. Many proposals often open with seller-focused cliches such as: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to present” or “Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your RFT.” Is your gratitude the most important concern of the customer? Noticeable cliches distract the

….Know thyself, know thine enemy (competitor) and most importantly know thy client. Discriminators differentiate you from your competitors against criteria your client actually cares about and has acknowledged as important. Consider the following two scenarios: a) renting a car b) buying a car When you rent a car, do you care about the colour of

Industry leading organisations continuously widen the gap between themselves and their competition come RFT phase, by articulating their value proposition within the context of the real world. To successfully compete against such organisations you must: •Identify your strengths •Mitigate your weaknesses •Downplay your competitor’s strengths •Highlight your competitors’ weaknesses (in an ethical manner) AND… articulate

It’s a trait that everyone claims to have but what does it actually take to be Customer Focused? And what benefit is there in adopting such an approach when pursuing an opportunity or client? To be Customer Focused you need to understand: •Your client’s objectives •What is most important to your client about the product

Bid decisions, used effectively, eliminate opportunities you’re unlikely to win, allowing you to spend more time on those you can win.   Industry leading organisations; •split this decision into three distinct milestones; pursuit, bid and bid validation •have a process predicated on their knowledge of their client NOT their own internal commercial and risk considerations

…..working for you and not against you.   Key decision makers and influencers behind buying decisions are: • Time poor • Not involved in the close study and assessment of main body content • Human beings and.. hard-wired to experience information in the following order; graphics, associated captions, headings, sentence call-outs/quotes, high-level summaries   Make

  There are two key risks that will affect the buying organisations decision to purchase, proposal risk and performance risk. Proposal Risk refers to the risks associated with a seller’s proposed approach to meeting the bid request requirements. This will include both the technical and management solution proposed. Performance Risk relates to how the prospective

When pursuing opportunities, many selling organisations actively avoid discussing risk with their clients because they believe this is a negative conversation. When they discuss risk internally, it is typically from their own perspective and about the risks they take on with the contract, rather than considering what risks might affect the buying organisation’s decision to

  Storyboarding, as well as reducing preparation time and costs, will significantly enhance the quality of your bid submissions.   Storyboards help … … writers to plan, develop and review key concepts, and … managers to review and improve writing plans.   Use them in conjunction with your documented win strategy to ensure you eliminate