We’re taking everyone to Fiji!
How one professional services firm changed their culture and had their most profitable year yet. Recently, JMA visited a regional professional services firm success story, Hunter Financial Planning Group, and spoke with CEO and Director, Brian Kennaugh. In five short years Brian, business partner Phil Smith, and the HFP team have reshaped what was a typical, […]
Continue ReadingScoping work simply
Scoping and estimating professional services can be hard work. It’s an important skill for professionals to cultivate, as clients are increasingly demanding alternatives to the billable hour. And alternative pricing options are tricky to work through and develop if you don’t have a good understanding of your real costs to begin with. We see many firms, when asked […]
Continue ReadingWinning 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 ReadingCan a full service law firm survive in a digital age?
Our guest blogger is Jim Thompson, digital marketing expert and Director of One Rabbit. Imagine that you are a full service law firm offering the standard gamut of services to a broad spectrum of market segments and industries. You are made up of a number of partners and people who are experts in their particular fields. You […]
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 […]
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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. […]
