Decision Maker for a Day…
I’m going to take that as a day in bid time – 24 hours – and pack it full of all the things I could do to enable a bid team to be the powerhouse they should be.
I’d start with a working session with senior management and decision makers – to explain exactly what bid teams do and don’t do and how they can bring maximum value. Getting their buy-in is imperative to the success of the team and the overall value the team can bring to the organisation.
Then I’d gather all the department heads and SMEs. I’d let them know they’re the experts at what they do and we’re the experts at what we do and the best route to winning is to collaborate. Lean on each other to deliver the best answers and solutions to what customers need – instead of trying to go it alone and each side thinking they have all the answers. That’s a sure way to sabotage your bid team and your bid.
I’d have a session working with the sales team and really get to the bottom of understanding the customer – knowing what they need, not want, and what keeps them awake at night. Develop relationships. And if you’re the incumbent it’s even more important to have that depth of understanding and empathy with the customer. Don’t be afraid to own up where you’ve made mistakes on their (or other) projects and explain how you solved the problems and what you’ve learned from them. No one is perfect and no customer is going to trust a team who pretends to be.
The final session of my day would be with my bid team to understand the pain points (tech issues, knowledge management, training, time off, bid/no-bid, stakeholder challenges, personal needs, etc), discuss priorities and set a plan to get the team to the best place individually and together. Bid teams are a diverse group of generally creative people – some thrive in the office and others don’t; some like the adrenalin rush of a deadline, others like structure and slow, consistent momentum. If you find the sweet spot, your team can only go up.
Lastly, I’d ensure the team had the opportunity to have a reciprocal session with me at least once a quarter – away from the office and the day job. I’d build that into a regular session I’d have with each of the other teams I’d spoken to, and make sure the bid powerhouse was recognised across the board for what they do.
With the right fuel your bid team can become a furnace and transform into a powerhouse for success. Without it, you’re heading for disaster.
Kathryn Potter
Kathryn’s experience in bid writing covers sectors as varied as IT outsourcing to financial services, security services to reprographics and construction and rail. She sees content as the cornerstone of proposal development and understands that no matter what, it needs to be relevant and up-to-date.
