Winning government tenders – 5 factors you must address
If your firm has decided to pursue public sector clients as part of your business development strategy, you’ll need to understand and address some common concerns in order to win government tenders. All levels of government (Commonwealth, state, and local) have overriding interests and concerns about appointment of their external professional advisors and service providers, […]
Continue ReadingNail the sale – doing your best in tender shortlisting interviews
If your bid or proposal documents have done the job, you may find yourself with the happy problem of having to prepare for a tender shortlisting interview. Also known as “beauty parades”, such interviews are de rigueur in many procurement processes – competitive or otherwise. What’s really going on in tender shortlisting interviews? Areas of […]
Continue ReadingWinning government clients: key tender issues and trends
Australian government at any level is an attractive client for professional services firms. Commonwealth, State and Local Government agencies and departments are increasingly astute buyers, so to be successful in winning government clients, you need to be aware of key issues and trends which reflect the power, accountability, and cultural set of the public sector. […]
Continue ReadingRock, scissors, paper – the power of three tender reviews
Deadline-driven tenders, proposals and pitches are not usually ideal environments for producing high quality writing. Many firms are flat out getting together a first draft for hand-in time and the chance to review and revise tender responses can be rare. In my experience, best practice means at least three tender reviews and drafts are necessary […]
Continue ReadingThree simple tender writing tips for success
When a client asks how I can help them with a tender, my brain instantly flips through the hundreds of things you need to do (and do well) to write a winning bid. Where do you start? Ultimately, each situation is unique, but there are three key things for tender writing success you need to […]
Continue ReadingDigital marketing: are you still stuck in a material world?
In 1984, Madonna sang about living in a material world, but some thirty years later we’re well and truly living in a digital world. When it comes to marketing, you may still be clinging to that material world. If your firm has neglected or underinvested in digital marketing, 2015 is the year to get real. […]
Continue ReadingWhen is a tender not a tender? When it’s a “competitive evaluation process”
With the recent political kerfuffle around Defence Minister Kevin Andrews’ “competitive evaluation process” to procure new submarines, I thought it was a good time to review the different types of professional services tenders. According to Andrews, “Tender has a very specific meaning. We have to evaluate a whole range of issues … I’m not going […]
Continue ReadingWin more clients with a better tender strategy in 2015
With the four big Australian banks due to call for legal services tenders this year, several insurance tenders long overdue and the Victorian Whole of Government Tender for legal services imminent, not to mention Defence Minister Kevin Andrews “competitive evaluation process” (not a tender) afoot, there’s certainly lots on for 2015. Here are some of […]
Continue Reading7 marketing and business development musts for law firm prosperity in 2015
Our recent Taking the Pulse research with ALPMA found that firms with “well-developed” or “sophisticated” marketing and business development (BD) functions were generally more successful and had a better financial outlook (51% reported fee revenues of $10M + a year, and 43% expected more than 10% revenue growth) than firms with less sophisticated, or “under-developed” […]
Continue ReadingJust another undifferentiated fish in the sea: What you don’t want your firm to be!
In our recent research study into the state of business development and marketing in Australasian law firms, we invited respondents to describe the biggest marketing or business development challenge faced by their firm. Many respondents identified the struggle to positively differentiate from competitors as their biggest challenge. Several respondents elaborated: “we are undifferentiated generalists in […]
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Feature article
Tender readability – tips to improve your tender presentation and some tender presentation no-nos
Tender readability remains a problem for some in the 21st century. I still see submission documents that cling to a handful of really old hat tender presentation and formatting techniques. I suspect this is because some of these ‘rules’ are viewed as being more appropriate to a ‘formal’ style of document such as a tender. […]
