As a proposal professional, I’ve learned that there’s definitely an art to asking a question. We have so many people we have to ask questions of – the sales person who can tell us about the client; the subject matter expert who can tell us about what our products can or cannot do; and the potential client who can provide clarifications about their RFP. Often times a “yes” or a “no” is just the beginning. What we really need to know is why or how. Here’s an example of a question you might ask a SME. Which question do you think will be more effective in getting the information you need to write your proposal?

A: “Can we provide the client with online appointment scheduling?”

B: “Can we provide the client with online appointment scheduling? If so, please explain how it works and what makes our solution better than the competition. Graphics, process flows, or pictures would be great if you have them.  If we can’t provide this capability, please explain why we don’t do this today, what our preferred approach to scheduling is instead, and if there is any planned development of this capability.

Context is everything and knowledge is power. Mastering the art of asking questions gets you the results you need faster. 

• Misspellings, typos and errors are noticed. On the second page of one proposal, to my horror, was another client’s name where our name was supposed to be! And there were three typos in the first paragraph of the cover letter.  Right away, I lost respect for the vendor.  I dreaded what I was going to find as I read through the rest of the proposal and was completely distracted by the errors.  I also felt that they didn’t care about this opportunity and spent very little time responding to our RFI. I was offended and disappointed.  It gave me shivers to think that perhaps I had, at some point in my career, made an evaluator feel the same way.
• Tone is everything.  The same proposal was written in a defensive, almost passive/aggressive tone. They declined to share details about their system because it is “proprietary”.  I get that, but at least tell me what makes it differentiating and special and tell me why I should care about that. Be forthright, honest and inclusive. Show that you are open and transparent – it is so key to building trust. People want to do business with people/companies that are honest and trustworthy. It’s more than what you say; it’s how you say it. You are not only being evaluated on your capabilities, but also how you do business every day.
• Proposals ARE a good indicator of what you get in person. The three proposals I read all made me feel differently. They emphasized different strengths, and weaknesses were evident. I looked forward to the presentations from those companies that wrote good proposals that focused on our needs, and they didn’t disappoint us in person.  I dreaded the presentation from the company that submitted a poorly written proposal, and they DID disappoint – again – confirming what we already suspected.  I’ve always told my teams that a proposal won’t necessarily win you the deal, but it can certainly lose you a deal.  The company with the poorly-written proposal already had several strikes against them coming in the door, setting them up for failure.  And fail they did.

Being a consultant means that I get to experience a lot of new and different things. I’m continuously learning how to be a better proposal writer. If you ever get the chance to read a few proposals from other companies, DO IT.  We often get caught up in our own world and drink our own Kool-Aid, assuming that we’re doing our best work. But remember to be open to learning from others and apply what you learn in your own work.

One of my favorite Todd Snider lyrics is: “I went to see this therapist. She said, ‘just do the best you can do’. I was hoping for something more specific.”

How often do we write a proposal that just gives pages and pages of details about our products or services but doesn’t offer a recommended solution? Unlike therapy where the point is self-exploration, a RFP typically tells you what the prospect is looking for or describes their problem and goals. And, if your sales person or capture planning team has done their job, you know what the hot buttons of the decision makers are. If you have none of this information, by the way, ask!  In most cases, you have the opportunity to ask questions.  The more information you have on the prospect and their needs, the better your proposal can be – IF you write to those specific issues. 

Bottom line – be specific and customer focused. Instead of throwing in everything AND the kitchen sink, write about what is important to the prospect and recommend a solution.  Afterall, that’s why they sent YOU the RFP – to help them make a buying decision. You don’t want the reviewer to read your proposal and conclude, “I was hoping for something more specific.”

 The goal of a proposal, in most cases, is to win the business. In order to reach that goal, you have to have an efficient and effective proposal process, dedicated and talented resources, tools, support of senior leadership, cooperation from SMEs, strategic vision, etc.  We know there’s a LOT that goes into making a proposal project successful.  But that’s not what I want to talk about today.

 Let’s talk about something more controversial.  Should the writers, editors, graphic artists, and managers that make up your proposal team earn proposal bonuses?  If so, how should those bonuses work?  If the sales person owns the sale and the proposal team can’t impact the final outcome, are paying bonuses for “wins” (or measuring your success/failures by wins, for that matter) the right approach?  What about the level of effort it took the team to support the proposal project?  There are a gazillion reasons that a buyer may choose somebody else over you that has NOTHING to do with the proposal.  I used to joke with my sales people when they would tell me we lost on price. My response was, “oh, so they didn’t like you.” :)  But I digress.

 Those are some of the questions I asked myself when I proposed a bonus structure for my team.  What I came up with (and got approved) was paying my team bonuses on proposals that made it to the next stage of the sales process, generally, the finalist meeting.  That is what we could impact.  That is what we had some control over. And it worked well. Regardless of the dollar amount (it wasn’t a lot), it not only incentivized the individual to do their best work and eased the pain of the late nights, but it also gave them a sense of empowerment, accountability and respect. 

What other bonus structures have you seen or experienced? I’d love to hear what others have found to be successful.

As a proposal professional, it’s expected that you’ll meet your deadlines, do your best work, work with many different personalities, and deal with the day-to-day pressures of managing a large project.  But you should also expect that your role will be defined, you’ll understand the strategy and the client’s needs, and you’ll know what is expected of you so that you can plan your life accordingly. We joke about all-nighters and we all have war stories about working 7 days a week for 30 days straight to deliver a first class proposal.  But if that’s what is expected of you, it’s no joke.  It is your responsibility to set the expectations.

Setting boundaries and guidelines around what you are willing and not willing to do is not only healthy, but empowering. Having the information you need to do your best work isn’t a privilege, it’s a right. If your boss or your client asks you to do a job without also providing the context you need to do your best work, ask for it.  This will not only let them know that you are interested in meeting their needs, but that you want to provide them with your best work.  You’ll minimize your stress, maximize your performance, and earn their respect.

It reminds me of proposals. I know that many RFPs out there ask the same question over again in a slightly different way and we are forced to provide the answer again. In those cases, and if given the opportunity, ask the sender of the RFP for some clarification. Try to understand what information they are really after – especially if the same question is asked in two different sections – i.e. Company History and Experience.  I’ve found that in about half of the cases, they were actually seeking different information but they didn’t ask the right question.  It helps them get what they really want and shows that you are really focused on providing them the information they need to make an informed decision.

On the flip side, another place I often see repeated information is in the writer’s answer. Nothing annoys a reader more than reading through 3 paragraphs that all say the same thing – even if slightly different.  You do NOT win points for the length of your answer. If you can answer the question, make it relevant to the reader, and explain why it is important or differentiating in 1 paragraph, DO IT. Repeating yourself loses you credibility with the reader. Check in with your subject matter expert (SME) if you feel like the answer you have isn’t enough. Ask the SME for more details or really help them focus on what the buyer is looking for to get their creative juices flowing. But for the love of Pete, don’t repeat the same thing over and over just to make it look more “robust”.  It doesn’t work.

But, I am a writer, after all, it should come easily and take me no time at all. Right? Well, yes. But it doesn’t. I write proposals – I’m a salesperson on paper. Sure it calls for creativity and must be error free, grammatically correct, tell a story, etc. But I’m selling somebody else, I’m not selling me. That’s a whole different ball game.

Selling me is scary. I have the same issue when I write songs….I have to dig down deep, go to places where the feelings live and are protected and coax them out of their safe place, wallow around in them, and put it all out on paper. For people to read. To comment on. To, well, connect with.  Ah ha. That’s it!  Connecting. That’s all I want to do.  Connect with people, share learnings, hear what you have to say in return so the learning continues. 

Today, I open not only my blog, but also my eyes, ears and heart. Here I come, cyberspace, to mingle amongst you social media gurus and take a chance that what I think and write matters and might be of use to somebody else. Welcome to my “living room”, as I’ve heard others call it. I look forward to blogging with you.