After participating in this course you will be able to do the following:
• evaluate which proposal requests to answer
• organize the proposal request process
• understand client needs, issues, and decision processes
• develop a winning proposal strategy
• craft solutions to fit the client’s needs
• decide whether to submit and what to submit
• follow up on proposals
Description
Business development and contract solicitation are often accomplished through service proposals, also known as bids. These bids are the culmination of an arduous sales process to prospective clients.
Proposals represent a substantial business cost for professional service organizations, and they are also a sample of the professionalism and service quality of a prospective supplier. This course provides the valuable tools needed to create successful proposals that communicate effectively and present distinct competitive advantages.
Objective
To give participants the tools and strategies needed to plan, create, organize, polish, and deliver winning proposals.
Qualifying an Opportunity
• Collecting and evaluating preliminary information
• Opportunity qualification
• Identifying key players and the decision-making process
• Identifying the client’s requirements and concerns
• Preliminary risk and financial evaluation
• Conformity analysis; evaluating success probability
• Identifying the “red flags”
• The go/no-go decision
Crafting a Winning Proposal Strategy
• Building the proposal team
• Competitive analysis
• Determining the differentiating factors
• Advantages and benefits
• Selecting strategic actions
• The four elements of a winnings strategy
Writing a Clear, Compact, and Complete (3C) Proposal
• Strategy review
• Project scoping: clarifications, qualifications, and exceptions
• Clarifying project management and billing options
• Developing cost and schedule estimates
• Evaluating risks and profitability
• Creating the document
• Architecture
• First draft
• Graphics
• Editing and polishing
• Executive summary and cover letter
• Feasibility and marketability reviews
• Pricing strategy
• Final go decision
• Production and delivery
Following Up
• Delivery/presentation
• Negotiations, revisions, and contracts
• Post-mortem
- Bid managers
- Account managers
- Project managers
- Engineers and technicians participating in the planning, management, or preparation of proposals
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