Consistent winners are not the ones with the snappiest writers or the best graphics (though those help). Nope, the winners are those who have a well-thought out capture and proposal process that positions them above the rest for intelligence gathering and being the most efficient in getting the product out the door. Based on my 20+ years of doing this proposal thang, here are my 5 “Top Tips” for making the "W" happen. You can listen to the webinar on this as well.
Read MoreNobody likes to have rules imposed on them. Such was my feeling about the Federal Acquisition Regulations that govern all purchases by Uncle Sam. Yet over time, I have come to appreciate how these rules are put together and the value in understanding them fully.
Read More2 weeks out from the submission date and everyone on the team sends you their draft sections.
You put them together and it is a hot mess.
Why is it such a struggle to get a good first draft out of talented people?
One of the toughest moments in proposal development comes when the proposal you’ve been working for 2 weeks suddenly is a “No-Bid.” Under what circumstances should you ABANDON SHIP!!
Read MoreFiguring out what an RFP is asking for can be daunting. There are internal inconsistencies, puzzling requests and downright errors in the typical solicitation. When should you ask a question and how should you do it to get the best answer?
Read MoreProposal writing is not about coming up with the most impressive and clever writing. Rather it is about racking up points on the evaluators’ score sheet, and thereby winning. Pretty prose impresses English teachers, but data rack up those winning points.
Read MoreSuccessful football teams have a strong organizational structure where various squads (offense, defense, special teams) know the game plan and their part in executing on it. Likewise, proposal teams have groups of experts, writers and pricers that all need to understand the win plan and their part. This plan is usually communicated through a proposal kick-off meeting. Our guest blogger, David Christovich, lays out some of the critical aspects of a successful proposal kick-off.
Read MoreTurning out excellent proposals can stress out the staff a resources of small businesses. Let ZK Development Solutions take on some of your proposal tasks to make better use of scarce staff time and provide you with an expert outside perspective. We can up your win rate with
Read MoreProposal managers—how do you keep from losing your mind during the fourth quarter procurement madness? How do you keep from getting buried beneath the edits, conflicting reviewer feedback while keeping your writers from the window ledge after the review meeting?
Read MoreWhat is a reasonable proposal percentage win rate (pwin)? If you tell your boss that you can equal Bryce Harper’s best year (31%) would that make her happy?
Read MoreAnyone who has been in this business awhile has a horror story about a small compliance error that sunk an otherwise valiant effort.
Don’t let an excellent solution go to waste because of compliance issues.
Read MoreWhile there are no magic bullets in capture management and strategic proposal planning, the consistent winners all have one thing in common. The story starts with the U.S. Army looking for a new strategic bomber more than 80 years ago.
Read MoreIs there a way to reduce the angst of a first draft that falls short? Well yes, there is. But it takes a bunch of work at the front end to provide the team strong direction based on clear and relevant win themes.
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