13 ways to improve your chances of winning a tender

I’ve written extensively on this topic in two of my books and cover it frequently at workshops, but thought I’d do a quick round up – in no particular order - on some of the top tips to get you off to a good start for the year…

1. To pitch or not to pitch? If you aren’t clear on your strategy and positioning about which clients and work you should be pitching for then back to the drawing board you go. With professional firms spending so much time on each pitch, there’s no way you want to waste effort on an unlikely punt.

2. Money Money Money? It might look like a lot of work – and therefore lots of fees – but is it profitable? And if you succeed in winning the work, and more profitable clients/work turn up – what’s it gonna cost you then?

3. Why me? Whilst you might think you know the answer to “Why have they asked me to tender?” (“I am the best lawyer/accountant/surveyor etc for the job”) think carefully (and research) why the client has put you on the list. Is it an even playing field?

4. Any previous? One of the best indicators of your likely success is the extent of your prior relationship with the client organisation. Ideally, your marketing and business development strategy will ensure that you have made contact with the majority of those you are likely to get a tender from long before it hits your desk.

5. Look before you leap? Before you accept the invitation, before you start counting your chickens, before you pick up that phone to make contact - do your research. Use your internal systems to find out which of your colleagues might have relevant insight and get creative with your external researching prowess to find out everything you can about the client’s industry, market, organisation, people and issues.

6. Lone wolf? Whilst it is true that proposals don’t sell but people do, it is rare that pitches are won because of a lone star. Make sure that you assemble the right team (for the brainstorming, bid strategy, research, documentation, estimating, presentation, actually doing the work etc).

7. Getting started? Selling starts the minute you type an accepting email or make a call to ask questions or book an appointment to explore the brief. Make every interaction count. Build rapport and value from the very first exchange.

8. Why us? Hopefully, your marketing strategy will make it clear why clients should choose your firm and/or team for each type of work – so you can tailor these messages to the particular needs of each client. If you cannot confidently explain in non-jargon terms the three or so key reasons why the client should pick you then don’t expect them to do so.

9. Ready or not? Tenders and pitches take time to prepare. Lots and lots of time. Clients usually dictate tight timescales. Don’t leave things to the last minute – you are unlikely to do the best you can if it’s all at the 11th hour. Look at the timescales, prepare a project plan, allocate time to do the various tasks in a timely manner – and stick to it. And yes, I am perfectly aware that lawyers/accountants/surveyors are busy people - but today's tender is tomorrow's billable time mate!

10. Judge a book by its cover? If you have to produce a document, of course you need to consider how it is designed, packaged and presented. But as well as making the document appear to be professional, engaging and succinct – and in your house style - you need to consider the quality of the content too. Consider signposting, diagrams/illustrations and different media types.

11. Déjà vu? Reworking standard materials can save time, but each document – and the message – must be tailored to the precise needs of each client and task.

12. The price is right? If you are pitching in with a top-of-the-market price, then you had better ensure that your differentiation and/or extra added value is clear and justified. Otherwise, you need super market intelligence, some nifty software, lots of past data and some creativity to help you work out the best possible deal.

13. Can you feel it? You may be the most expert lawyers/accountants/surveyors in the known universe with more track record than Linford Christie but if you don’t manage to generate rapport with every one of the people on the decision making team then you ain’t gonna get the job. When will the professions learn that EQ is just as important as IQ?

Happy tendering!

New Year’s Resolution: Doing more – or doing different?

It’s that time again when we face a New Year with lots of good intentions and resolve that we will achieve those things that we have been meaning to get round to for so long. Work changing, life changing, health changing resolutions…

But we often inadvertently commit ourselves to failure because we forget one fundamental problem: We are already so busy that adding further activities is unlikely to bring us success unless we let go of some of the unimportant things that clutter up our lives. So don’t just think about doing more – think about doing things differently…

For example, if you plan to go to the gym regularly, think about what you will have to give up in order to make time for those visits. Hopefully, you will decide to forego some rubbish television and not quality time with your family. If you plan to diet, think about how you need to shop differently and how your fridge and cupboards will need to look in future – and also at the social habits of your family and friends. In between meetings, rather than skulk in the coffee shop with a caramel latte, go for a 20 minute power walk.

If, like me, you plan to learn more stuff (and we should all be learning all the time anyway) – what will you no longer do to make space for study? Exchange half an hour of mindless daily chit-chat on Facebook for 30 minutes of on-line learning? Agree to only read the newspapers three times a week rather than every day (you can use RSS feeds or Twitter to keep you up to date with the headlines instead).

On the other hand, if you have got into the habit of allowing the weekends to become lost in a blur of catch up work – commit to only spending three hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning with priority work stuff and get into the office earlier on a Monday instead. Then be ruthless in planning how better to use that weekend time (on an outing with the family, in pursuit of a new hobby or at the gym).

And if you have promised yourself that you will spend more time getting close to existing clients or making the necessary follow up calls to those new contacts, then remember that something’s got to give to free up the time. Look at your daily schedule and see what can be delegated, done without for now or deleted.

The other reason we may not make progress with those New Year’s resolutions that keep appearing on the list is procrastination. Allocate an hour to exploring WHY these important activities never quite get to the top of the list…. other things are more comfortable or fun, you don’t know where to start, you are afraid of failure, you are a perfectionist, it’s an overwhelming task or the rewards aren’t motivating enough? Then find a way to get over it - for example: create your own rewards, ask someone else to check on you, think about unpleasant results of NOT doing it, calculate the cost of time to do it – and cost of not doing it, break the project into smaller “bite sized” pieces or start with some small, quick tasks.

And remember that it takes 21 days to break an old habit – or start a new one. So be kind to yourself!