Every year in Canada, governments and private companies buy about $30 billion in goods and services in competitive procurements. At any given time, there are thousands of active tenders and requests for proposals (RFPs). How does a small business win contracts? Follow a four-step action plan. Today, Step One.
Step One is finding opportunities. Continue reading“RFP Responses for Small Business: Step One”
Don’t just tell me that you care about safety: Show me your safety awards.
Don’t just tell me that your organization structure is clear: Show me an organization chart I can get at a glance.
Don’t just tell me your design is iconic: Show me a drawing that will knock my socks off.
For anyone who doubts the power of showing, here’s a link to a fly-through of the upcoming-and-we-can-hardly-wait-for-it Calgary Central Library.
And did you notice? They didn’t actually “tell” us anything.
Maybe the hardest job in writing clear RFP responses is mustering the discipline to use one term — and only one term – for every concept. On Leo Tolstoy’s 186th birthday, he still has a lesson for us in this regard, believe it or not. Continue reading“RFP Responses are Not “War and Peace””
Like all sales, winning contracts by responding to RFPs doesn’t happen without significant, sustained effort. First, it takes time to learn the ropes. But even when you know what you’re doing, the hit rate is about that of a successful major league batter: between 1 in 5 and 1 in 3. A lesson I learned from selling my book applies equally well in bidding on contracts. Continue reading“The Fourth P of Selling”
Authors promoting their books often hold launches/parties, complete with readings of enticing excerpts. I’m doing my own version of a book launch, getting a copy of my book into clients’ hands, dropping off review copies with newspaper business editors and bloggers, contacting educational institutions, and doing the meet-&-greet at business and industry associations.
So far, so good.
But I can’t quite resist doing a virtual reading for my readers. Herewith, one excerpt from my book – an anecdote that supports my recommendation to keep the team structure simple . . . Continue reading“Virtual Launch”