My Journey as a Proposal Pioneer

Spells in the graphics hothouse

2010-12-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

This week I traveled to 24 Hour Company in Falls Church, VA. For those of you who are geographically challenged, that's near Washington in the US. I'm convinced that Colleen Jolly, my travelling companion, is descended from a leprechaun I once knew. I wish she would tell me where he hid his croc of gold.

It started as a pleasant journey to the DC Metro area complete with sites of the Pentagon and Kennedy Center. I was lucky enough to ride in Colleen Jolly’s horse-less carriage to the office. Trees line almost every street in this very green region. I looked up at the building when we arrived. “Are you ready for a productive, busy day, Wendy?” asked Colleen. “Yes!” I exclaimed. While flying up the stairs, however, I heard booms of laughter coming from the office. “How could such a productive office waste time by laughing so much?” I thought as I whizzed up to the fifth floor. I approached the door to see Mike Parkinson telling jokes to the other designers. As I sauntered in he asked me, “Why did the scarecrow win the Nobel prize?” A little confused, I hesitantly asked, “Why?” He replied, “Because he was outstanding in his field!” Everyone laughed but I was taken aback. What was this place and why had I come? Suddenly I saw these odd objects on their desks. They grasped my attention and didn’t let go.

What were these horizontal viewing portals they had? They were using the most interesting cauldron that didn’t need any newt tails or chicken eyelashes! These bottomless drawers were terrifying. Dennis Fitzgerald noticed my curiosity and took me into his office to explain these were computers and mice. Mice! I quickly realized I could use my patented five-mouse-flight spell to escape. Before Dennis could get any further, I put him under a sleep spell and stole his mouse for my escape plan. I went from room to room putting designers to sleep and snatching their mice. With a handful of hairless mice I snuck down the hall and out the door.

“WEEENDY!” Colleen’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “Did I forget my purse?” I thought.

“Why is my staff asleep on the floor with pixie dust on their eyes?” said Colleen,

“First, it’s pulverized unicorn dandruff. Second, this place is too strange. I want to leave.” I said.

“Wendy, I think you need some explanation about what we’re about. Come back in and I’ll show you what we do.”

As I used my emergency bottle of frog sweat to revive everyone, Colleen explained that they were graphic designers making graphics for bids, proposals, and presentations. They needed their mice to work.

After returning the mice, I spent the next few minutes observing the designers creating graphics.

I was mesmerized by their speedy spells and intrigued by their aesthetic accuracy. “These are not mice like you know it.” said Colleen. “These mice control computer programs to help us make pictures. Let me show you.” She opened up Adobe Photoshop and we tinkered with a picture of Terry, my black cat. I was amazed. These are the best cauldrons ever made. I spent the rest of the day learning tips and tricks from the designers. When it was time to go, I apologized for my spells and said goodbye to everyone.

Update: I researched getting a computer for myself, but it wasn’t a good time to renew the mortgage on my broom.

Blink and it's gone

2010-11-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

It's November and 2010 is galloping to a close. For South Africa, this was the year of the soccer world cup. For me, it's been a whirlwind of fun in the sun since April. I had so many things to do and places to see that my poor blog took a back seat. So this bumper edition is my attempt to atone for my sins as I wave goodbye to Africa to embark on my world tour. Happy reading, and why not subscribe? I have good intentions to be a regular writer next year...

Proposal Review at Hiside

In May, I helped nFold train their bid network how to do proposal reviews. I also did one for Hiside. Their proposal had great images of their fun team-building events, but I helped them to become a bit more persuasive. By now, they're using all the tricks in the book such as quantifying payback, client focus and differentiation. What a great bunch of motivated people. I guess they must practice what they preach. I'm the shadow 2nd from left in front of the boss.

In June, my friend Sandy Pullinger made a guest appearance as a cardboard cutout at the annual APMP conference in the US. She was part of the panel discussion arranged by Graham Ablett from Strategic Proposals on virtual bid teams. The panel acted out some typical voice conference scenarios. You know, those telecons that go horribly wrong and lose you the bid? The boss walks in late, rushes out early for a phonecall, misses his deadline and then wonders why no one else meets their promises to win the bid. Sandy enjoyed doing a video recording and writing one of the scenarios based on her experience working on a virtual bid in Africa. I guess you can't get much more virtual than a cardboard cutout. Sandy wishes she could have been at the conference in person because it was at Disneyland. Oh well, better luck next time Sands.

Jon Williams and Proposal Panda

In July, the APMP committee reviewed its strategy for the year. I started to get excited about the first ever conference planned for October. I was hoping to see the proposal panda again, with his friend Jon Williams, the keynote speaker. When I looked into my crystal ball, I could see that the reunion would be pleasant. I predicted that the future would hold a bottle of red wine (or two) at an African restaurant called Moyo. I could see that there would be a philosophical discussion about serif and san serif fonts. The writing was on the wall in times new roman, bold, italics, 10 points.

Tea break before 2nd SA Sant User Group Meeting

In August, I had a tea break in preparation for the 2nd local Sant user group meeting in South Africa, planned for September. I watched Sandy get excited about telling everyone what snazzy new features were launched with Sant 9. She's such a software junky that I couldn't restrain her from enthusing that the user interface is even easier to use, search is improved, content management is unified, and architecting is now a piece of cake. Talking about which, some cake would have been REALLY nice with my tea.

In September I signed up on Facebook. If you want to be my friend, my profile is here: http://www.facebook.com/wendywordproposal#!/profile.php?id=100001635338520. I also did some Persuasive Proposal training with Sandy and Errol at DHL. Their proposal team came up with some catchy proposal titles. I can't wait to see what the boss thinks. I mean the customer of course.

Persuasive Proposal Training at DHL

First APMP Conference in SA

In October, the big day finally arrived. The first ever local APMP conference was sold out with more than 75 people attending. Our international guest speakers, Colleen Jolly and Jon Williams were both brilliant. Apart from sharing some brilliant graphics and proposal tips, they also managed to drum up the local APMP membership to the target of 50. Chris Rademeyer told us all about how to avoid bid burnout, and a brave panel of procurement specialists shared some insights from the buyer perspective. But Panda and I were the stars of the show. Just look how rapt my audience was.

And now, at last in November, I'm ready for a little break. Or maybe that's a breakdown after all the bid deadlines I've met? 2011 promises to be a fun-filled year too. nFold turns 10. What a great excuse for a party. Bring on the streamers and balloons and I'll be there like a shot. But first, I think I'll hide in Colleen's suitcase. So long for now.

The Average Proposal Junkie

2010-04-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

All sales people are expected to know how to write proposals. Some of us even like it. On 12 May, proposal junkies will gather to learn about a whole new sales profession: proposal manager. It’s official, invitations have gone out to announce the results of the first ever proposal manager survey in South Africa. Be there or be square.

My human, Sandy Pullinger says that in today’s competitive market, it’s tough to win a deal without a killer proposal. Just like selling, writing is an art and a science. At the official launch of the survey results on 12 May, nFold will compare our progress in South Africa to the national salary survey and to the proposal manager survey done in the UK. The salary survey was conducted by proposal consultancy nFold (http://www.nfold.com/) on behalf of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (http://www.apmp.org.za/).

You know what they say, if your head’s in the freezer and your feet are in the oven then on average you’re fine. So is the average proposal manager. On that note, here’s a sneak preview of some of the results. The average proposal manager in South Africa (click on the image to read the profile):

The Art of Being Lazy

2010-03-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

My celebrity status must be growing because I was invited to attend tha UPSA meeting (http://www.upsa.co.za/) as an ambassador for APMP (http://www.apmp.org.za/). Here I am with keynote speaker Alan Versteeg from Huthwaite Africa, and UPSA chairperson Tony Cross.

They were having a quiet word about the future of sales training before Alan did his song and dance routine. It’s lucky he had heaps of stories and analogies to share because the technology failed him for a while. I loved the title of his presentation because I myself am known to be lazy from time to time, about dusting cobwebs and feeding the cat, for example.

Alan shared some brilliant video snippets that made it clear to me that the world is changing in complexity and velocity. One of the gems I took away from his session was R = SNA, which stands for the Results you achieve depending on the Skills you have, the Number of times you use these skills and how you Allocate your efforts. His analogy was that if you want to lose weight, all you need to do is to eat less of the wrong things, eat more of the right things, and exercise. I guess he was hinting that I should eat fewer newts.

Well, the audience loved Alan Versteeg. Naturally they enjoyed me and my human Sandy Pullinger, chair person of APMP and MD of nFold (http://www.nfold.com/). But they lapped up in big chunks Douglas Kruger’s examples of how to use stories to present an idea in a more powerful way than facts. I can see why he won the SA Public Speaking championship 5 times. Watch him in action at http://www.douglaskruger.co.za/.

Guerillas in the Midst

2010-02-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

I was keen to see what Bill Graham, Bid veteran for more than 30 years, had to say at the last APMP event in Joburg. His first slide showed a female guerilla, of the gorgeous variety, with battle regalia. This is when I knew we were in for an entertaining treat. He drew examples from sources as diverse as reality TV and World War 2. Here I am with Bill at the event.

Bill shared many pearls of wisdom with us, but my favourite pearl was his advice to find the need and fill it, which reminded me of that inventor character from the kiddie’s movie ‘Robots’. My favourite anecdote was his story about a speaker who said “I’m as sweet as sugar” but the client heard “I’m a Swedish hooker”. Just another reminder, I guess, to keep your messages clear and communicate them well.

You can see the audience paid close attention to Bill’s tips, including:

1) New business is won on purpose, not by accident – reinforce a winning culture in your company.

2) Get a sponsor – if you executive buy-in, your success will soar.

3) Make a plan – keep an active account plan and proposal plan

4) Follow a process – use continuous learning to tweak your process.

5) Know your client’s shoe size – their strategy and supply base, your relationship, and more.

6) People buy people – match your people to theirs and have meaningful conversations.

7) Beware the guerillas – don’t let big egos in your team take over and derail your efforts.

8) To bid or not to bid – spend more time on the bids you can win and say ‘no’ if you can’t.

9) Keep your enemies close – know the competition and make them irrelevant.

10) Find the power – remember who signs the cheque and who influences them.

I was curious to see Bill in action as a consultant. He works with several companies including Gateway Communications (rebranding to Vodacom Business Africa) in Woodmead. He says they’re known as street-wise strategic thinkers. I met Geoff Hardwick, Managing Director for the Southern Region, who has warm hands and a warm heart. I overheard Bill telling Geoff that he can help them to turn their street-wise strategy into reality by helping the Gateway team comply with best practice bid process. This is where it all happens. Go Bill!

The die is cast

2010-01-27T01:07:00.000-08:00

We all know that bid management is both an art and a science. But did you know it can also be an exercise in contortion? If you don’t believe me, try managing a major bid from your bed – with your leg in a cast! Which is precisely what M-IT Mthombo's bid manager Izane Cloete had to do when I visited her. A simple fall down two teensy weensy steps resulted in an operation, leaving her with a metal plate and five screws permanently implanted in her fibula and more pain than any living human being should ever be subjected to. Oh yes, and an unfinished bid response.

At risk review meetings it is often (flippantly) discussed what one would do when the proverbial Putco bus - or any other large lethal vehicle, for that matter - runs over a key member of a bid team. The conclusion is usually that “We will make it work, if it happens.” And now, I can unequivocally state that they did make it work. From the chief solution architect making house calls to the MD’s Executive Assistant stepping in as bid administrator – they made it work. One bid response packed, wrapped and delivered on time. Now, of course, they wait for the super-fast wheels of government to turn out a decision.

Now that you know that risks to a bid team are real; especially if your bid resources are limited, what can you do about mitigating them? Here’s what worked for M-IT:

Policies and procedures: Follow strict but user-friendly policies and procedures for bid management. Keep bids centrally stored on a secure server where they are accessible to all the bid team members. Make daily offline backups part of the success formula. Teach the team the filing conventions so that they can easily access what they are looking for.
Culture: Don't keep progress (or problems) to yourselves – share with the team to encourage creative solutions. Trust each other to step in when needed. Know that you can rely on each other as you have a common goal.
Into the deep end: And of course, there is the fire test. You will never know what your team is capable of until you put them to the test.

Each bid team is different. Some have massive resources and capacity, others don’t. Whatever your size and capabilities, I hope you have the right measures in place to handle a potentially disastrous situation with the same finesse that they did. Well done M-IT!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2009-12-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

While all of you were responding to those last minute tender requests that hit your desk just as you were packing for your Christmas holidays, I went shopping in London and got snowed in. My broomstick was a bit frozen and temperamental, so I wasn't able to pop in to see the Proposal Panda for a hot toddy. Maybe next time.

All dressed up and no place to go

2009-11-25T00:35:00.000-08:00

I got a brand new home in November. I can now travel in style, surveying the world from the comfort of my transparent box. It gets a bit drafty on my broom. Unfortunately, no one took me out of the box in November. So it got a bit stuffy. Still, I thought up some fantastic proposal tips, tricks, potions and spells to try out. So I guess the time wasn't completely wasted. Have you heard my tip about quantifying the payback?

Just as you want to see the coins come flying out of that slot machine when you see 3 cherries, your customer wants to know the payback of investing in your solution. A good proposal shows the decision maker how much she will save, how much more productive the organization will be, or how her social goals will be realized. A convincing calculation of their return on investment is more compelling than a slogan or cliché. And a picture paints a thousand words, so show the payback in a picture or a graph if possible, rather than only showing facts and figures. Ultimately, your customer is weighing up the value less the cost of your solution. And this must exceed the value less the cost of doing nothing or choosing your competitor. Payback time for your customer, means winning the deal for you.

Panda Eats Shoots and Leaves

2009-10-02T02:23:00.000-07:00

I recently entertained an international proposal ambassador. His mission to South Africa was to attend the first ever AGM of the local APMP chapter. We both have certificates to prove it. For those of you who don’t understand cryptic TLA’s, too bad – refer to the table of abbreviations on page 999 of the proposal I forgot to attach. Here I am greeting Proposal Panda. He eats shoots but he hasn’t left yet. Proposal Panda inspired me to continue the work he started. He shared with me some secrets on how to motivate bid teams in the dead of night and discouraged me from making potions for them to drink. Instead he showed me how to make a mean cup of coffee and explained what Red Bull does.

Sporting his new cap, he took some time off to go on safari to the local zoo. This elephant tickled his ear – how rude! Unfortunately his hectic globe-trotting schedule didn’t allow for a trip to the Kruger Park game reserve to see the rest of the animals known as the Big 5. And he’ll have to save Cape Town for next time. We told him that Table Mountain and the wine-lands are amazing. And the garden route is worth exploring. He fancies a pony trek in the Drakensberg and a beach holiday on the wild coast to unleash the wild panda within. He says he’ll be back for our first APMP conference!

We got chatting about the NOSE I use for persuasive proposals, and the 10 tips I train nFold customers to use. He thought I meant my own pointy nose. He’d forgotten all about Need Outcome Solution and Evidence to make my proposals more client-focused and differentiated.

It never hurts to re-visit the basics, so I decided helped him brush up on Tom Sant’s persuasive methodology by recommending Panda should read his classic and his latest books. I liked his concept of avoiding the pseudo-languages: fluff, guff, geek and weasel, in “The Language of Success” and found it an easy read. Even my emails have improved. His best practice theories are expounded in “Persuasive Business Proposals” - a great reference for proposal teams.

It’s great to have a new friend in proposals, even if he is a bear. And I guess that’s why the South Africans started the local chapter of APMP. There’s nothing like moral support to cheer one up. It’s nice to know you’re not the only witch trying to meet a proposal deadline – doing the impossible, with the unwilling, for the ungrateful. Here we are with our fellow proposal pioneers at the first ever annual general meeting of the local Association of Proposal Management Professionals. What a mouth-full!

Welcome Wendy Word

2009-09-16T03:37:00.000-07:00

I’m a proposal pioneer and the official mascot of nFold in South Africa. My name is Wendy Word and I apply my magic skills to proposals that win you business. Join me on my journey in search of proposal excellence. My best friend is Sandy Pullinger and you can contact her at sandy@nfold.com if you want me to visit you, or if I get lost on my journey. I can’t wait to meet you and your team. Here you see how excited I am by the speed at which I’m flying around the room. There was no full moon available.