An excellent half-day session on writing winning proposals for government.The session was facilitated by Michael Asner and was sponsored by NATI (Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries). Walked away with some key points that can be applied to my responses to RFPs for both government and commercial ventures. In no particular order:
- Always include an executive summary. Consider the executive summary as the elevator pitch and the place where you set the theme. This is where one describes how they will respond to the RFP and why the client should chose your company over any other respondent. Be specific. The rest of the proposal should refer to and address each of the points covered in the executive summary.
- Always address risk and risk mitigation. Include a risk management plan. It might be the differentiator.
- Avoid technical language wherever possible.
- Top areas of interest for an RFP reviewer: risk, value and lastly money. If one can demonstrate how you will eliminate risk and increase value, then the reviewer will be more likely to champion the need to increase budget if necessary to pay for it.
- If you can't hide it...feature it. I will leave it to you to figure that one out. Call me if you want to discuss.
- Don't dis the competition. Use generic weaknesses or threats, then use the critical success factors you bring to the table to demonstrate how you will eliminate these threats.
- Proof of concept... offer it up!
- Don't regurgitate the RFP. It will get you thrown out of the review pile every time.
- And for the last point, which happens to be my point... go on-line to www.gitomer.com for some excellent additional advice and support. His sales philosophy is in line with all of the above.
I'm going try out the tips I learned right now... and to you, good luck on your next proposal!
