Shipley Associates

03/07/2023

Business Winning Tip: International Proposals

The global economy encourages international competitive bidding and often a more structured evaluation and decision-making process.
Every country has different acquisition systems. International proposals take on many forms and variations. Bidders must be acutely tuned to specific business practices, customs, standards, and laws.
Political considerations, socioeconomic arrangements and investments, protectionism, and teaming with local organizations all play larger roles when acquisition rules are not tightly defined.

Read the full article here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/international-proposals/

11/11/2022

11/08/2022

Recently, my brother-in-law, who runs his own company, has been broadening his clientele and dipped his toe into the government sector. I was thrilled to talk with him about his first proposal for a local government opportunity. I went through a few best practices that have been engrained in me for so long I hardly even notice them anymore, and I was shocked by the number of times he murmured “oh, that makes sense” or “that’s really good advice.” It got me thinking about what I would say to someone just entering the world of government proposals.

What are the most critical things to know on your first proposal submission?

Read the full blog post here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/dear-newbie/

10/11/2022

While the ultimate decision of who wins an opportunity belongs to the customer, are you adding the right ingredients to win?

Chocolate chip cookies are classic. Nearly everyone knows the basic ingredients for this cookie. I know you’ve already conjured the perfect version of this baked good in your mind, even among the dozens of existing variations: crispy, cakey, chewy, doughy, buttery, gluten free, vegan, sugar free, lots of chips, fewer chips, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, big, small, store-bought, homemade. The varieties are endless, and no doubt you can argue the best version for hours.

Everyone has preferences. Your customer is no different. Despite the variations, proposals win because they contain a few simple ingredients.

Read the full article here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/ingredients-of-a-winning-proposal/

09/20/2022

Our industry loves heroes. We’ve all noticed them because they always seem to be perpetually in the middle of a crisis, “putting out fires” or “wrestling alligators”. They regularly work late into the night and may even show their superior dedication by sleeping in the office as not to waste valuable time going home to see their family.

How could we survive without them? In my experience, however, it’s often a minor miracle that the places where these heroes work actually survive at all.

Read the rest of Paul Deighton's article here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/dont-hold-out-for-a-hero/

09/06/2022

Problem: Every pursuit is stressful and disorganized, and we are losing most of them.

When you have lost the past few proposals and new opportunities feels chaotic and rushed, you are not losing out of bad luck. You are losing because your business process needs reforming. Companies that win the most have a mature, successful, repeatable business development model integrated across all aspects of the business.

Read the solution here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/problem-solution-stessful-disorganized-pursuits/

08/23/2022

A capture manager’s work is a lot like golf. Golfers must consider factors like wind, distance, club selection, and course obstacles as they make their way through a course hole. There are so many swings a golfer must carefully make before they are on the green, lining up the final shot. And then in the procurement world, you essentially hand your putter to a whole new person, trusting them to sink that shot.

What’s the best way to make sure this new person will actually make the final shot on a golf course? Ensuring they are already positioned close enough to that hole. Capture managers do this in a business opportunity by performing vital checks into competitors, customer hot buttons, and other key information. Then, the proposal team has all they need to sink that winning shot.

Read the full post here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/prepping-proposal-teams-for-the-winning-shot/

08/16/2022

Problem: Our team members don't trust each other.

The difficulties of managing a proposal team are compounded when these conditions exist: large team, virtual team, part-time members, members from different organizations, untrained or inexperienced members. While these factors don’t mean the team will fall apart, it can compound any issues that arise.

Solution : Start with Daily Team Management.

Daily proposal team management is focused on efficiently executing the proposal management plan. Agility in monitoring progress and identifying problems or challenges early minimizes the cost of corrective action and builds trust. Daily reviews and stand-up sessions allow for tasks to be reviewed in parallel while working toward more formal proposal reviews.

Read more here:https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/problem-solution-team-members-dont-trust-each-other/

07/19/2022

Shipley’s free webinar series started eight years ago to share industry insights, tricks of the trade, and give back to the industry. Over the years we’ve had inspiring panelists from many different companies join us in sharing tools and techniques that have expanded their careers and made them successful. And the best part? These webinars are free!
Register now!
https://www.shipleywins.com/webinars/

07/07/2022

Problem: We claim we’re customer focused, but how do we prove that to the customer?

Everyone claims that they are customer focused. But there is a difference between words and actions. How do you show the customer you listen and value their needs? When you respond to a customer RFP, demonstrate customer focus by weaving benefits throughout your proposal.

Read the solution here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/problem-solution-prove-customer-focus/

06/21/2022

Customer Focus in Presentations
by Spencer Humm, NLPt PHDc

"What's the number one change teams can make to their oral presentation that will help them win?" This is a question I've been asked repeatedly over my 25 years as an orals coach. After coaching more than 200 teams during that time, I'm very clear on the answer. "Pay the price of admission." You wouldn't try to tell a movie theater usher, "I'll pay after I see the movie," and we're not allowed to wait to pay for our plane ticket until after we've arrived at our destination. The world just doesn't work like that. I like to think of customer-focus as the price we must pay first to influence a customer.
Read more here: https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/pay-the-price-of-admission-the-power-of-customer-focus-in-presentations/

05/10/2022

Some roles in business may get all the credit, receiving top billing for their performance, and their name in the by line. Because of this, others may feel like their job is small or unimportant. But when it comes to preparing a sales document, there are no small parts. Every role, every task, every person is necessary and important when crafting a winning proposal.

Read the full blog post here:
https://www.shipleywins.com/blogs/no-small-parts/