How To Write Tenders And Proposals That Win

Acquire the necessary skills to win business through proposals, bids, tenders, and presentations—this hands-on guide is your partner for success You have in your hands the collected knowledge and skills of the professional proposal writer. Proposal writing is a profession — a growing and increasingly important one and an essential part of a broader group of business development professionals who plan and execute strategies for businesses who want to obtain new customers. Proposal writers have a professional organization — the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) — and their best practices are the foundation for this book. Proposal writing is a skill you can learn, practice, and master; you can even go through a professional certification process to prove your mastery. Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies is your no-nonsense guide to finding out what professional proposal writers know and for applying it to your own business. If you're a small- to medium-size business owner, a first-time proposal writer in a medium-size company, or a sales representative, you know that a written proposal (printed or electronic) is still a common, personal, and effective way to win business. Written in plain English, Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies will help you to: Know the difference between reactive proposals (the RFP or request for proposal) and proactive proposals Focus on the customer by going beyond their requirements to address their true needs Know your competition through research and analysis Write persuasively to develop a winning business proposal Plan and use a repeatable proposal process Incorporate a lessons learned aspect to your proposal process Use tools and templates to accelerate your proposals Motivate and lead your proposal team to ensure they're on the same page Use graphics to enhance your proposals Learn ways to automate your proposal development process And a whole lot more Additionally, you'll gain access to ten templates for building a proposal, find out ten common misconceptions about bids and proposals, and add a compiled list of online resources to your toolset. Grab a copy of Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies to start sharpening your proposal writing skillset.

What would it mean to your business if you won an extra contract a year? What if you could win an extra 100% more work? What would that be worth to you?So many companies submit bids with the expectation that they will win around 3 out of every 10 bids.What if I told you that you could easily increase that win rate to 6 out of 10, even 8 out of 10? If you are only winning 3 out of 10, then there is definite room for improvement!Understanding the corporate buying process can be a 'lightbulb moment' for many who are tasked with the responsibility of submitting proposals and bidding for work. More is definitely not better. By selecting your targets strategically, and understanding the buyers' needs intimately, you can skyrocket your success rate instantly! This book is the definitive guide for anybody from small business to large corporations who have to submit written bids, tenders and/or proposals to companies letting work contracts out by tender.Bids and proposals are rarely lost on price. However, it is true that in the absence of value, the decision is always based on the price you submitted.This book will give you the information you need to consistently submit winning bids by providing:-a detailed, step by step description of the Buyer's process-a way to prioritise your sales effort on real opportunities that exist, and stop chasing hope-an insider's description of how your bids are actually evaluated. It's not what you would think!-expert assistance in making your bids simpler, less stressful, and less work-help with how to best position your value-Bonus Chapter: sample text you can copy and adapt when writing your responses to some of the more common evaluation criteria.This book will save you from continuing to submit stressful tenders/bids/proposals that you didn't know you had no hope of winning. Further, if you follow the tips in this book it can repay you hundreds of times over by helping you strategically target your opportunities and write compelling, persuasive bids that allow you to compete more effectively.About the Author:As a former Director in the Department of Treasury and Finance Sue led the procurement of whole of government IT&T services before retiring from the public service in 2003. Since then she has worked as a free-lance bid manager and management consultant. Sue has developed and run a range of public and private workshops assisting companies develop meaningful requirements specifications and successful tender responses. In addition she has lectured MBA students for many years in Marketing Management, Strategic Procurement and Business Performance.A former Senior Supply Chain Consultant, Sue began her own business "BidBuddy" in August, 2010. The ultimate goal of BidBuddy is to enable organisations to consistently and successfully compete in any economy. We do this by providing tender readiness consulting and advice, training, web copy writing, and tender writing services.In addition to certificates in Supply Chain Management and Project Management, Sue holds a Masters in Leadership & Management (majoring in Strategic Procurement and Marketing), and is a certified Master in Neurolinguistic Programming.

Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals shows suppliers and vendors how they can gain competitive advantage by being more effective and productive when pursuing sales opportunities and competing to win new contracts. Suppliers and vendors can also learn how to identify and reduce delivery risk and commercial risk. Responding to requests-for-tenders (RFTs) and requests-for-proposals (RFPs) is frequently a challenging time for the supplier and vendor bid teams. Within tight timeframes, they must finalise their win strategy, determine their delivery plans and create compelling documentation that responds to the customer's questions and requirements. This essential reference work explores what needs to happen when responding to RFTs and RFPs and explains the essential knowledge needed by the bid teams. In clearly written and well-structured chapters, Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals addresses everything a bid manager or bid team member needs to know. Understanding profit, pricing, value and risk are essential for competitive pricing and profitable business. How customers manage their procurement programmes drives the lifecycle of a sales opportunity. Sales governance based on objective criteria identifies the right opportunities to pursue. Knowing what to look for in RFPs and RFTs helps to structure powerful bid responses. Understanding contracts, finance and business cases protects the commercial position of the supplier or vendor. Mastering these topics makes bid management a complete discipline that places a premium on leadership and managerial skills. Not only are the fundamentals of bid management captured simply and concisely, Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals also explains how to plan and manage a bid response. Additional chapters define what makes a bid response compelling, as well as how to write and review bid documents to best position your bid, tender or proposal. Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals introduces the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework, a new and unique approach for responding to sales opportunities. In 16 procedural steps, the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework guides bid teams through the development process from identifying a sales opportunity to developing a compelling and competitive bid response. Any supplier or vendor in any industry that submits bids, proposals and tenders will benefit from adopting the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework. The framework provides a clear roadmap for implementing best-practice bid management at suppliers and vendors in any industry or market. The Bid.Win.Deliver Framework equips any professional with the skills to lead and manage a bid response. For experienced bid managers, the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework provides a common reference for discussion, reflection and professional development.

Develop a winning business proposal Plan and use a repeatable proposal process Use tools and templates to accelerate your proposals Get the intel on bids and proposals Congratulations! You have in your hands the collected knowledge and skills of the professional proposal writer – without having to be one! Inside, you'll find out how to unlock what these professionals know and apply it to your own business to improve the way you capture new customers and communicate with existing ones! Inside... Develop a great proposal Focus on the customer Know your competition Plan your approach Use tools and templates Write persuasively Overcome misconceptions Expand your skills Avoid proposal killers

* Huge scope - covers all aspects of tender writing for public sector, private sector and research funding * Expert guidance from a specialist who has written over 200 successful tenders and proposals * Highly practical approach - based on examples drawn from actual bids and tenders With more and more corporations opting for "preferred supplier" lists, bids and tenders have become a fact of business life. For the small or medium sized corporation without a specialist bids-and-tenders team, the research unit, or the university team, bid preparation can take great amounts of senior management time. Here's where this book comes in: practical and written in an accessible style, it uses examples and checklists to explain how to create bids that are outstanding in both technical quality and value for money, bids that stand a good chance of being successful. Lewis provides "best-practice" advice on every step in the process, including: Bidding for public sector contracts; tendering for the private sector and for research projects; analyzing client requirements; managing, resourcing and researching the bid; developing and writing the bid; defining outputs and deliverables; communicating added value; describing professional experience; producing and submitting tenders; stating the price; understanding tender evaluation; and making presentations.

Use the latest technology and techniques to craft winning proposals.

This book is a must-have for anyone producing bids and proposals ranging from short covering letters through to tenders for major corporate or government procurement. Sales, marketing, project and technical staff will all benefit from reading the book and keeping a copy on their shelves for reference. It is also useful for business students at all levels. Contents include: The Art of Proposal Writing; The Proposal Lifecycle; Presentation and Format; Corporate and Client Culture.

Winning proposals that turn prospects into clients Based on the proposal-writing system used at A.T. Kearney and KPMG Peat Marwick, Writing Winning Business Proposals features proven strategies, along with worksheets and other tools that clearly show clients what they want and will easily seal the deal. Thoroughly updated, the third edition offers general guidelines that apply to all business proposals making this the must-have proposal-writing book to have on hand. Writing Winning Business Proposals features: Winning formula from top consultants proven to work for any proposal Complete step-by-step process, walking you through all the difficulties Up-to-date, user-friendly redesign with new worksheets and charts Updates on fees and collaboration If you're seeking approval for projects, or want a client to buy, invest or do something, Writing Winning Business Proposals is the reference you need to get you to get them to do what you want.

Finally! The Ultimate Bid and Proposal Compendium is the most comprehensive guide to winning bids, tenders and proposals. It's packed with lots of hands-on examples and best practice guidance. It is designed as a practical reference book for everyone involved in proposal development. It is for new hires as well as for experienced professionals.

Takes the mystery out of the tendering processes the government favours and shows how any business with suitable products or services can successfully bid for government contracts. The information will help any business improve its tendering capabilities, whether for government or private contracts.