Do you really need to do a proposal at this time?
To do a proposal, or not? It may be the perfect time in your burgeoning client relationship to do a proposal to clinch that new business and some paid work. But as one respondent noted in our referrals research study: ‘Personally, I think proposals are an excuse not to have a conversation with our client.’ […]
Continue ReadingEvaluating tender opportunities – is this a client you really want?
Evaluating tender opportunities can be tricky. There’s a real tendency to ‘go for it’ in many organisations at any ‘cost’ once an RFT/P is released. Evaluating tender opportunities – 5 lenses to try This blog shares 5 lenses (or frameworks) to help you think more critically when evaluating tender opportunities. This reduces your organisation’s risk […]
Continue ReadingTender writing tips – Nothing is so complex that it cannot be explained simply
Remember, nothing is so complex that it cannot be explained simply Albert Einstein was spot-on when he said “nothing is so complex that it cannot be explained simply”. Tenders, bids, proposals, and informal pitches for business are not times to show how clever and capable you are by using legalese (I’m looking at you lawyers), […]
Continue Reading3 essential win themes for tenders, bids or proposals to the financial services sector
When it comes to preparing your next tender, bid or proposal to the financial services sector it is a good idea to establish your key “win themes” at the outset. “Win themes” are those key selling arguments and messages that will be repeated, re-spun, and repeated again in several places and in several different ways […]
Continue ReadingCo-opetition: if you can’t beat them, should you join them?
Co-opetition or ‘competitive collaborations’ are alliances formed between direct and sometimes indirect competitors. The term co-opetition is used by management academics and economists to describe the phenomenon of ‘competing without having to kill the opposition and co-operating without having to ignore self-interest’. You can think of co-opetition as a sort of ‘if you can’t beat […]
Continue ReadingBreaking up with a client
Breaking up is hard to do. Especially when you’re considering a break up with a client in the professional services context. Many professionals spend so much time winning or delivering client work that they don’t take time to think about the quality of their service relationships. The arrangement may work for the client, but does […]
Continue ReadingHow easy is it to do business with your professional services firm?
How is easy it for prospective clients to become clients of your professional services firm? Are you or your team inadvertently putting up barriers that are turning off prospective clients? Firms often work long and hard on the marketing and positioning side of business development so the prospective lead or referred client is primed and […]
Continue ReadingStanding out from the crowd
It’s tough to stand out from your competition and keep great clients plus attract new ones. And it doesn’t help when professionals so often put their marketing communication efforts – and dollars – into making themselves part of the crowd rather than standing out. Does your firm stand out? Our recently released benchmarking research found […]
Continue ReadingGET SMART: create an effective client service plan with your next tender
Whether you want to win a new account or grow and retain an existing client, tender preparation is an opportunity to map out how your firm can (and will) deliver first-rate service. In the flurry to submit tenders, bids, or proposals many professional services firms miss the chance to create an effective client service plan. […]
Continue ReadingHow firm policies can give you a competitive edge
If your professional services firm wants to win work with government, insurer, banking, telecommunications, or large corporate clients, it’s increasingly important to have documented firm policies and procedures in place. Requesting copies of your policies and procedures is becoming very common in RFTs. Tenderers want to gauge risk, as well as assess how efficiently and […]
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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. […]