Month: November 2017

NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL PROCESS: PART 2 OF 3

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

We’re Going Forward. What Next?

The Go/No-Go meeting was held, and the decision’s been made: Your company is going forward with the proposal.

Now the ball is back in your court. You’ve managed a proposal team before, but the contract was simple and called for far fewer resources. This one will require input from several divisions, and somehow, they all need to coordinate on a single 100-page document in just a few short weeks.

You know the first step is setting up your team, but you’re not sure who should be on it. What resources do you need, and what should they do?

Choosing the Right Team

We asked a series of experts on proposal writing for some tips and best practices on setting up proposal teams. Meet our experts:

  • Stephanie Hashagen – Professional writer who frequently works on clients’ proposal teams
  • Dan Hewitt – Process safety specialist who participates on well-orchestrated proposal teams using a proven approach at a major engineering firm
  • Marion Winsett – Career sales manager in oilfield equipment who has negotiated contracts and written countless proposals

They gave us some time-tested advice, starting with a very important key concept:

Be realistic.

It’s easy to put together a team based on a best-case scenario.  It’s much safer to put together a team based on a real-life scenario.

That is, assume the RFP will take more time than you think, and your team will have less time than they think.

“It’s imperative you choose individuals who are capable of responding quickly to the proposal time constraints,” Hashagen says. “Be sure they don’t have too much on their plate, and consider whether their other responsibilities might require them to address something unexpected that is time critical for another client.”

The size of your team will likely depend on the size of your company and the complexity of the proposal. However, for most proposals, eight key roles must be filled.

  • Proposal manager
  • Sales team representative
  • Contract manager
  • Subject matter experts
  • Estimator
  • Writer
  • Graphic artist (optional)
  • Editor

A few of your team members may wear more than one hat, but Hashagen advises, “Remember to be realistic and be sure there are enough people on the team to meet the deadline.”

Proposal Team Roles

A. Proposal Manager

Who is in charge of getting this proposal to the finish line?

Since you brought the proposal this far, you might be the assumed leader for this proposal project. But keep in mind that you may not be the best choice for the role of proposal manager.

To be fair to yourself and your team, you must consider your strengths and the demands on your time:

1) Are you extremely detail-oriented, comfortable with pestering people, and used to juggling tight schedules on a day-to-day basis?

2) Are you managing other proposal teams, or are there significant demands on your time outside the proposal process such as managing other projects or generating sales?

You must be able to answer yes to the first question and no to the second before you should consider yourself for the role of proposal manager. Failure to consider these questions honestly can result in a proposal that looks and reads like it was hastily put together.

Hashagen goes on to outline the proposal manager’s responsibilities:

  • Managing the schedule to make sure all deadlines are met
  • Tracking the progress of each part of the proposal package
  • Maintaining close communication with everyone, including subcontractors, who will provide information for (or write sections of) the proposal
  • Collecting the information and the draft documents and distributing them to the right parties, or, if documents are to be routed and tracked in a document management system, ensuring that the information is relayed by the deadline and tracked in the system
  • Providing the reviewed and revised input to those who will produce the final version of the proposal
  • Distributing the package to the final review team
  • Ensuring that the final review comments are provided to the proposal writers, the final proposal package undergoes a rigorous proofreading process, and the proposal is delivered on time.

B. Sales Team Representative

Hewitt emphasizes the importance of having someone from your sales force on the team.

“A person involved in external sales can provide important information about the company issuing the RFP. A person in inside sales lends experience in the proposal process and the proper organization, formatting, and template (if any). Either one can review the finished package with an experienced eye.”

 

C. Contract Manager

Not to be confused with proposal manager, this person is the individual designated to manage the project once the contract has been won.

Depending on the demands of his or her current project, the contract manager may or may not be expected to participate on the proposal team.

“In instances when the contract manager is too heavily involved in another project to participate on the team, the proposal manager relays team members’ questions to the contract manager and provides information from the contract manager to the team,” Hashagen says.

D. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

Select an SME from each discipline who will be involved in project delivery if the contract is won.

“The SME may simply provide the necessary information for a particular section or sections of the proposal,” Hashagen explains. “Or the SME may actually write the initial drafts of the sections pertaining to his or her discipline.”

SMEs participate in proposal team meetings so that important questions aren’t overlooked. Interdisciplinary communication improves the consistency and accuracy of the initial drafts.

The combination of the SMEs’ expertise and experience is the reason your company should be chosen above your competitors.

E. Estimator or Proposal Finance Manager

This person is responsible for providing the projected costs that the RFP requires.

If the estimator or proposal financial manager does not participate on the team itself, the person in this role is still responsible for providing the numbers to the proposal writers and for proofing the final proposal to ensure the accuracy of the financial data.

F. Writer

Your proposal package must be cohesive and written in a single voice. Although there are multiple contributors, someone must write the proposal so that it is properly organized, precisely stated, and consistent.

In addition, the writer ensures that the proposal has an executive summary, a table of contents, and a conclusion, as well as a list of tables and figures and a list of related documents when required.

If your business employs a writer or communications specialist, that person may serve as the writer. If not, a writing agency can be contracted for this role. How the writer proceeds will be determined at your first meeting.

On some proposal teams, the proposal manager funnels all the information to the writer in the form of SME-drafted content and financial data.

G. Graphics Artist (optional)

If your template requires custom artwork for each proposal or you are preparing your first response to an RFP, you may need a graphic artist. This team member ensures that logos, illustrations, workflow diagrams, and organizational charts are attractive, consistent, and accurate.

In an article for Entrepreneur called The 10 Things You Need to Know When Responding to RFPs, George Debb, managing partner at Red Rocket Ventures, suggests, “Intersperse the company’s logo and images throughout the presentation so you look like you put customized work into your response, tailored just for your recipient.”

H. Editor

A capable editor carefully proofreads the final package with a fresh set of eyes. Significant errors in the proposal may cause the potential client to question whether your approach to the project itself will be less than fastidious. The editor must carefully double check the entire proposal to ensure that every deliverable requirement and every stipulation in the RFP has been addressed.

Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels

Addressing the Need for Outside Resources

It is likely that you addressed the need for additional resources in your early discussions with key personnel within your company, and also during the Go/No-Go meeting. (See our first blog post in this series, ““To Bid or Not To Bid.”)

If subcontractors are required, a team must be assembled to source and select the contractors. This team is often independent of the team writing the proposal and may be members of your sales force, as they likely have existing relationships with the subcontractors.

This selection team must begin its work as soon as the decision has been made to proceed with the proposal.

When selecting a subcontractor, your selection team should consider how much of the proposal you’ll need the subcontractor to handle.

Winsett stresses the importance of working closely with the subcontractor(s). “The (proposal) team and the subcontractor must agree to the terms in the RFP. Terms stipulated in the RFP that the subcontractor sees as roadblocks must be addressed immediately.”

Depending on the complexity of the contract, the subcontractor selection team or some of its members “may be required to work with the subcontractors throughout the proposal process,” Winsett adds.

 

Providing for Content from Sources Outside Your Company

If the only information from outside sources is the cost of materials or hourly rates for extra resources your employees will be managing, the proposal team’s estimator can furnish that data.

In cases where the subcontractor contributes expertise or unique solution, the subcontractor may need to provide  proposal content. In that case, the proposal manager will transmit their contribution to the appropriate SME for review and to the writer for editing.

Next in this Series: Ensuring a Successful Kickoff  

Now you’re equipped to map out the key roles your proposal team should include and identify the optimum people to fill them. You also have the information you’ll need to help your team members understand exactly what they’ll be expected to do. Now all you have to do is hold a kickoff meeting with your team to get the proposal process in gear. What should you cover? How can you avoid missteps — and the risk of confusion, communication failures and missed deadlines?

Read the third blog in our series to learn how to prepare for your kickoff and what you’ll need to cover to give your proposal the best possible chance of succeeding.

Are You Writing for You or Writing for Them?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

A Tip on How to Balance Good Writing with Good Customer Service

I had spiders in my garage. Lots of them. Probably hundreds, to be honest.

But they were just in my garage — they hadn’t infiltrated my home. Yet. In fact, I hadn’t seen a single spider in the living room, the bedroom, or the bathrooms, and I kept trying to tell that to the lady on the other end of the phone. The problem was, she wasn’t listening.

Pest Control Lady continued to insist her company didn’t sell pest treatments just for the garage. I needed the whole house done. And not only that, I needed a quarterly pest treatment plan. Yeah, OK. So, I called the local guy, who did it my way. And, you know what? It’s half a year later. And still no spider re-infestation.

So, what does that have to do with writing? Well, listening to your clients — I mean truly listening — is hard. And just like Pest Control Lady, copywriters often try to force clients into their own mold.

But, ultimately, trying to convince a client to take on a copy style that they don’t like is not going to work. It certainly won’t work for the client-copywriter relationship, and in many cases, the end copy doesn’t convert well to sales, either.

Why? Your clients may know more about marketing than you give them credit for.

Clients who have been in business for a long time tend to know their customers — and they often attract customers who are very similar to them. So, if, for example, your client is fascinated by the workings of shot peening — their clients may actually be interested in that, too.

The trick is to balance what you know about best practices in writing with what your clients know about their business. Tweet this

Maybe you don’t put the mechanics of shot peening on the home page, or front-and-center in the brochure. But there probably is a good place for it, if your client thinks their clients want to know.

So, tip of the day: avoid copywriter hubris. Find out what marketing approaches have been successful for your client in the past, and leverage them.

Don’t reinvent the wheel, and don’t exterminate the copy angles that are already pest-free.

Reading Between the Lines: Avoiding Communication Breakdowns in the Creative Process

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

If there’s one thing that drives a project forward while keeping everyone working toward the same goals, it’s good communication.

At some point or another, all agencies encounter communication breakdowns.

You think a project is moving along beautifully only for it to hit a sudden stall as you come up against an (occasionally angry) brick wall.

When good projects go bad, it can lead to reduced productivity, duplication of work, costly misunderstandings, and considerable financial damage. Just think about these statistics:

Only 2.5% of companies successfully complete 100% of their projects on time, within budget, and to scope; and 57% of projects fail due to a breakdown in communication.

To sidestep these familiar traps, it is essential for businesses to be sure they are on the same page as their clients.

So how do you avoid these potential difficulties and make sure that open communication channels are maintained?

To find out, we interviewed four experts, each of whom have vast experience in project management and client liaisons.

We discovered the key to great communication is to optimize communication at any point where it has potential to break down: that is the beginning, middle, and end. And yes, that means the whole project.

THE BEGINNING

It’s worth keeping in mind that sometimes, people are just poor at communicating.

We all have our strengths after all – and if you are working with the CTO, his expertise is likely in technology, not conveying creative concepts. Tweet this

In instances where it is difficult for the client to articulate what it is they don’t like about something, remember that “the project” can be an abstract concept for some people until they see it.

Richard Woods, finalist in The Apprentice UK and CEO of Yomp Marketing, says it’s important to ask the right questions, but “usually the reason the client doesn’t like something is because they haven’t given enough thought to what they want. All they know is, when they hear something which doesn’t sound or look like what they are trying to achieve, they don’t like it.”

To work this out, editor Erin Larson says that it’s key to “find out what the client particularly likes AND dislikes. Having them provide concrete examples gives you a good idea of their desired direction.”

Getting the project off on the right foot ensures that the rest of the process runs smoothly.

Four simple yet often-overlooked steps can keep this part of the procedure as solid as possible.

1. Pick up the phone

While email can be an effective communication tool, never underestimate the power of picking up the phone, particularly at the beginning of a project.

Spending time getting to know the client – and particularly what they are hoping to achieve – will steer the project away from potential surprises.

“Our kick-off calls are integral to getting our projects off to a solid start” says copywriter Barbara Adams. “We can make sure we understand the client’s goals and expectations, get a grasp on how much research we’ll have to do, and get to know each other’s personalities and style. It’s a low-risk, high-reward introduction to working together.”

Woods says there are three equally essential ingredients for good client management:

  1. Communication
  2. Relationship
  3. Getting the work done

Having these three components in place ensures that your project runs as smoothly as possible. All parties are on the same page from the beginning, which helps to avoid any communication breakdowns further along the line.

Woods actively encourages staff to pick up the phone to clients, as regular calls throughout the project solidify these three elements, helping to build trust and develop rapport vital for a smooth process.

“If you do the work but you don’t have a relationship with the client, they will find it very hard to see your vision,” says Woods. “The process will also fail if you have a relationship but you are not communicating, similarly if you are communicating but not getting the work done.”

2. Send a summary

Following up phone calls with an email summarizing your understanding of the conversation is a good way to reiterate the points raised and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Always remember to check the tone of the email to make sure it is aligned with the conversation and goals of the project.

It’s also a good idea to send your email to everyone involved in the project to keep all team members up to date. Larson says, “Many clients don’t CC – which means that if it’s a team-based project, only one member of the editorial team hears from the client. Pay close attention that everyone on the team gets all the correspondence.”

Many agencies send creative briefs to their clients as a way of summarizing their understanding of the initial stage.

These briefs usually contain an overview of the project, which identifies the marketing problem, the goal of the campaign, the target audience, and a detailed schedule for completion of the various stages.

Creative briefs allow you to delve deeper into the project at the initial stage by undertaking preliminary research to assist you and your team further down the line.

3. Teach them how to work with you.

Working with writers is often a new experience for clients.

When they see something they don’t like, they are often unsure how to provide the very thing the project needs most to succeed: constructive feedback.

Remember that any feeling of uncertainly on the client side can quickly turn to frustration and project-related stress.

Preempt this situation by clearly laying out what to expect on your first call.

  • First, tell your client that edits are normal and part of the writing process.
  • Second, explain how to give feedback. Larson suggests small feedback be provided on the document, using track changes. When it comes to larger feedback, she has a different process, “When a client has major changes, it’s very hard for them to clearly express what is wrong in an email or on-document. Strongly encourage them to call you and explain any big-picture comments.”
  • Third, it can be a good idea to let your client know that proofreading is completed on the final Some clients can get overly concerned if they see a typo on document, but it’s inefficient to do a thorough proofing on every version. A small preparatory comment can help put an occasional mid-draft typo in perspective.
  • Finally, walk them through the next steps. Every writer will likely have their own processes. Let the client know what those are. For example, Woods outlines an 11-step process that precisely details how the project will be managed at each stage. This gives the client something to refer to if they are unsure of what is going to happen next, as well and provides a solid foundation for the management of the project.

4. Plan around your client’s schedule

Having a good understanding of your client’s schedule means you can be smart about keeping to deadlines and schedules.

Does your client have any regular commitments which could obstruct your planned weekly check-ins?

Will there be specific times of the day which are not suitable for contacting the client due to school runs or meetings?

Are there any planned absences you need to take into consideration, such as extended vacations?

Woods says his company learned the importance of knowing schedules the hard way after one client went away for a month without undertaking any of the necessary sign-offs before they left.

“We had no choice but to make presumptions about what the client wanted, some of which turned out to be wrong; this in turn created a strain on the relationship. We’ve learned that having foresight of client trips is essential in managing the process and ensuring everything is done before they go.”

THE MIDDLE

Getting a solid foundation in place at the very beginning will get the relationship off to good start, but communication can still break down halfway through if you don’t work proactively to keep everyone on the same page.

Our experts shared a few tips on how to keep information flowing and clients informed:

1.Use a collaborative project management system

Whether you use Googledocs, Excel spreadsheets, Wrike, or internal software, joint project management systems not only help promote productivity and task ownership among team members, but also enable everyone to keep track of the progress of a project. They also come with the additional bonus of allowing colleagues to pick up a project in your absence.

2. Schedule recurring meetings

Pre-booking a standing monthly, or weekly, check-in with your client is a great way for both of you to keep track of the project.

While emails and phone calls are good for keeping in touch, face-to-face meetings instill a sense of control in the client and provide them with a solid opportunity to speak up if they are unsure of where the project is heading.

This also gives you the chance to demonstrate your commitment to the project by really listening to what the client says. After all, they are the ones with the information you need to do the job effectively.

Take comprehensive notes of the meeting, including not just what was said and agreed, but also what was implied.

After each meeting, remember to share these notes with all internal and client teams. This will give both parties something to fall back on in the event of a breakdown in communication.

3. Think like a client

While it can be frustrating to play the waiting game with clients, it’s important to remember that, most of the time, they have delegated something to you because they are busy.

Your project may be one of many other projects, so try to have empathy and avoid jumping to assumptions when a client doesn’t respond.

Adams says, “There’s a fine line, I think, between excellent customer service and being an outright pest. I’ve had clients take weeks to respond to an email or call, and I’ve had to keep gently reminding them I’m out here, waiting (and waiting and waiting). It helps that I was on the client side for many years. I realize that radio silence doesn’t mean the project is off or the client is unhappy. Sometimes priorities change.”

Channeling your inner client or drawing on your own previous experiences as a client, if possible – will form your approach to the management of the project, but keep in mind that you may need to look at re-negotiating deadlines so you can complete the work to the client’s standard.

THE END

Sometimes, even with every management system and scheduled meeting in place, issues that compromise the completion of a project can still arise.

Sometimes clients are managing multiple priorities at work, meaning that although you may have spent three hours elegantly reporting a vital sign-off stage, they had no more than five minutes to review it.

Things you thought they approved, they simply didn’t look at, or maybe you didn’t explain your work product well enough.

Whatever the reason, finding out at the last minute that the client is unhappy with the final product can be a tricky situation to manage.

Planning ahead for this by setting aside a “buffer zone” of time toward the end of the project is a great way to manage any surprises.

Referring to the three main ingredients for good management of a project, Woods says that, at this point, it’s good to bring the relationship aspect forward and think about making concessions, while also bringing their attention to the importance of staying informed about the project in future, as “this type of scenario really tests how good your relationship is with the client.”

If you do end up with an irate client, says Larson, do not attempt to address the situation via email. Get them on the phone – no matter how uncomfortable you may feel with the situation.

A few tips for that conversation:

  • Do not get defensive.
  • Do not try too hard to explain how you ended up where you did. Deal with the current situation and the solution. Don’t dredge up the project history, which can lead to useless finger pointing, and will not lead to a positive outcome.
  • Explain that you both want the same thing, and that you will help make that happen.
  • No matter how large the rewrite (or how frustrating), listen to what the client is saying with an open-mind, so you can clearly ascertain what exactly the client is looking for.
  • If a rewrite is in order, suck it up, and rewrite it. Don’t try to salvage your favorite lines. Start with a fresh sheet of paper.

Finally, Be Yourself

Ultimately, your client’s perception of you can impact on how they feel about your work.

While great communication can always be learned, it is the fundamental authenticity of your character which builds your client’s trust in you and generates repeat business.

Equestrian journalist and HorseHour podcaster Amy Stevenson, says that maintaining professionalism is vital, but it’s also worth letting your personality come through if you want to continue working together. “Engaging and connecting with your client is the best way to build a solid foundation for keeping them in the future.”

Open up a little and get to know your client on a personal level. Who knows, it could mean the start of a long and happy collaboration.

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