BY: Randy Richter
We live in a world of logic.  Cause creates effect, action spurs reaction.  Thanks to hundreds of years of trial and error and the scientific method, we can often make educated decisions to predict the end result of a process.  Unfortunately our world is often one of reacting—rarely do we address problems before they actually occur.  Budget issues are affecting federal opportunities in drastic ways; why not be proactive in addressing the problem?

Competitive Analysis and Price to Compete efforts are two of the most effective tools in creating a viable, credible solution before the jury weighs in with the final requirements of a solicitation document.  Since a shrinking budget and shifted risk to the contractor are definite trends within the federal government, build a solution that addresses cost to the customer and how risk will be mitigated.

BY: Colleen Jolly
Many companies tell me that they simply cannot afford time in their schedules to create graphics. Creating graphics from scratch is a daunting task. Here are some metrics to get you started.

o  Assume an average of 1-2 hours/graphic for a simple graphic
(includes revisions)

BY: Wendy Frieman
When I was working in a proposal center in a large company, RFP delays often resulted in downtime for me. The time between proposals varied from several weeks to several months. Inevitably, during one of these lulls, one of the senior managers would suggest that I help out on another proposal while waiting for my RFP to be released. This sounded perfectly logical, and yet it never worked. It was always difficult to find a way to add value without asking many questions of people who were incredibly busy, and even when I got answers, I still found it difficult to contribute. Conversely, when people were deployed to my proposals to “help,” it was frustrating to me, rather than helpful. It took a while to figure out why, but the answer is now clear to me. This arrangement doesn’t work for three reasons. First, it’s almost impossible to effective and be only partially engaged in a proposal. Things move too fast. Someone who is not part of the team at the beginning, and engaged on daily basis, misses key decisions, and then doesn’t understand the logic behind the proposal strategy. Everyone else has to educate the “helper.” Second, the “helper” usually doesn’t feel an obligation to read the RFP carefully and understand all the background. After all, they have no defined role. They are only “helping.” Yet it is almost impossible to provide effective proposal advice without fully understanding the context. I recently saw a senior executive stand in the doorway of a room where a solution meeting had been going on for two hours. This executive started offering “help” on the solution graphics with no knowledge of what had been discussed in the previous two hours or the previous three meetings. Third, a proposal should run smoothly according to a plan agreed on by the capture and proposal manager at the outset. Someone who comes in to “help” is often tempted to suggest changes to the schedule, activities, and rhythm of the proposal, all of which were probably established before the “helper’s” arrival. This is disruptive to the team, not only because it disrupts an established routine, but also because it creates confusion about roles and responsibilities. These are only a few of the things that can go wrong—the appearance of the “helper” can undermine the authority of the proposal manager and, in a worst-case scenario, the “helper” can make suggestions that actually decrease the win probability. (In an even worse scenario, the team implements those suggestions.)

The remedy for this is simple, but not easy. Now, when someone is sent to “help” on one of my proposals, I have a conversation about that person’s role as soon as the individual shows up. Everyone on my proposal team has to add value, and each person’s role has to have three attributes. First, there must be a deliverable. It could be comments on a section, a page of text, a graphic, a training session. There has to be something. Second, there is a suspense date for that deliverable. Third, the person has a budget allocation, and not a carte blanche. A defined role with a deliverable separates those who really want to contribute from those who want to provide advice without doing the necessary work (yes, some “helpers” do disappear after that initial conversation). And it creates an obligation to study the documentation and pay attention to the details. It’s a win for both the “helper” and the team.

BY: Laura O'Connor / Alex Brown
Over the years it has been asked, how does a business developer fit into the proposal life cycle? The answer is simple, it depends on if you have a BD’no or if you have a BD’pro.

BY: Alex Brown
Two days ago. we lost a man whom some say was a visionary when Steve Jobs passed away. In my mind, the word “visionary” means future-thinking, which he was. But I believe he was very grounded in today; his marketing strategies combined how to sell today and keep an eye open for tomorrow. In essence, he ran his business the way capture managers run proposals.
 
Think of it this way: Jobs created a market strategy that is so solid that it can easily translate into any field, including ours. Here are a few things we can learn from Jobs:
 

1. Ignore Your Critics. Get past those who say it cannot be done. Today we often look for the “no risk” opportunity. But remember what the famous philosopher Mr. T said to Rocky Balboa …”PAIN.” I believe he was stating, in some minimalist way, there is no reward without some risk. Another not-so-famous thinker, Albert Einstein, said, “Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
2. Turn the Ordinary into Something Beautiful. We can think of graphics, but truthfully the words that surround those amazing graphics will keep the reviewer’s attention and drive him or her. Be persuasive in your writing.
3. Justify Your Price. We do this every single time we submit a proposal. Look at that! we as an industry are thinking like Steve Jobs.
4. Communicate in the Language of Your Audience. This is as clear as glass; speak to the reviewer in a way they can fully understand.
5. Extend the Experience. This applies to the whole experience – everything you do before, during and after the proposal effort can persuade or dissuade the customer. Make them WANT to work with you.
6. Build a Tribe. Apple calls them a fan base, we call them loyal customers. They are one and the same. Customers buy from companies they trust to deliver.
7. Become “the name.” No one has done this better then Jobs. We do not use our MP3 player – we use our iPods. We don’t get our smartphone – we grab our iPhone, And who doesn’t use iTunes?
   

 Thank you, Steve Jobs, for proving a blueprint that we all can use.
 
"You can't just ask the customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." --Steve Jobs
 

BY: Louise Fisher

BY: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor
I often get this question: “What do you do when you have no time for capture?” These situations happen more often than we prefer: our management tells us we have to bid on something, NOW; or we are in a situation like a fast and furious task order environment and the window of communication with the government has long been shut. “Blue bird” opportunities look oh-so-tasty, but we just found out about them and the timeline to submit is oh-so-close.

The answer is simple: do as much as you can in the circumstances you have by running a “mini-capture.” Mini-capture means that some “normal” elements of capture will fall away naturally. Obviously, you are unlikely to have a key element of capture, customer interface, unless you have an existing relationship with the customer and you can “back door” it.

BY: Bryant Freeland
As we all know an image is worth a thousand words, utilizing Tables and Figures gives proposals the ability to convey a lot of information in a small area while grabbing the reviewers attention. Throughout the Proposal review process these tables and figures get moved or even eliminated by reviewers and this can cause a chance for citing incorrectly. The last thing that you want is for a reference to go to an incorrect location thus giving the evaluator a perception that your company didn’t bother to review your own proposal before submitting.

BY: Chris Johnston, AM.APMP
Sometimes during my research of various journals and blogs they can reveal some new tool or process. What emerges, most of the time is a consistent theme,” It’s not about you.”