Of Interest...
Organic Growth, Filling Up Your Existing Contracts
Many companies include Client Communications as an integral part of their Program Management Plans (PMPs). Leveraging these contacts for business growth can reduce marketing time and cost, positively affecting margins. However, often, managers and technical staff view the task of building relationships, generating information, making introductions, reporting opportunities and just plain listening to the client as "someone else's" job. These aforementioned tasks are termed by Advantage Consulting as "nibbling." Nibbling is organic growth-one relationship, one task, one opportunity, one conversation, and one meeting at a time. The emphasis is to foster the growth in a manner that becomes a part of everyone's job.
Advantage Consulting encourages a systematic approach to help Project Managers and Technical staff predictably grow and maintain business on current contracts. All firms face the challenge of maximizing revenue and margins with clients where the work is often task order based and each task order is competed. Successful companies have learned that business developers must work in tandem with the technical staff to grow the work and ultimately ensure a successful recompete in the future. Project and Task Managers, along with their staff, do not always possess the skills in interpersonal relationship development and business development to be successful at growing business. Advantage Consulting provides a process and training to foster the growth in a predictable manner.
Over 16,000 people from more than 500 companies have attended Advantage Consulting activity-based workshops, designed to help clients solve business development problems. The flagship workshop, Business Development for Technical Staff and Line Managers, deals with the entire life cycle of the business development process. Many of the workshops include modules that take the student from theory to actually building their plan. The workshops are presented by consultants who actively work in their field of expertise. Workshops are presented at client locations during the day, non-billable evening hours, or on weekends.
To learn more about workshop solutions contact Sid Jaffe at sjaffe@acibiz.com.
Business Opportunity
Advisory & Assistant Service and Systems Engineering Technical Assistance for the InterCont. Ballistic Missile Sys. Prgm Office-Guidance Subsystem
If you want the free full summary of this target go to: http://login.epipeline.com/limitedDisplay?ID=FOSRDUSA18931&FLAG=SUMMARY. This target is only available for a short period of time.
If you need help designing and executing your capture program or proposals to win this procurement contact Sid Jaffe, at 703-642-5153.
Networking Opportunity
Articles
The Art of The Proposal - What is a Proposal? (one in this series)
By J.P. Richard, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
Advantage Consulting uses a very concise definition of what a proposal is in our discussions on Proposal Management. It goes like this: "A clear document that responds to a Government request for goods or services that:
Shows you understand the problem and presents your solution as the best
Meets all Government needs
Presents material exactly as the Government reviewer wants to see it."
This all-encompassing definition needs a lot of parsing to understand it properly, as discussed below.
Clearly show understanding. Your proposals must demonstrate both a thorough understanding of the problems the Government is trying to solve and your solution in terms anyone can understand. I'm sure you can easily describe your product or service well; but it's just as important to clearly describe what the Government's needs or problems are that it satisfies. Don't assume that it is implied. Show them "you feel their pain." That is often the most challenging part of writing a winning proposal.
Present your solution as the best and distinguish between features and benefits. Tell evaluators why your solution is so good. Articulate its benefits. Don't get enamored by the great features you can give them, but show them how wonderful life will be if they choose your solution. If you must brag about your solution, give examples of past successes-substantiate your claims. Then you will be credible.
Clearly address all of the Government's needs and speak their language. If you demonstrate that "you feel their pain" (as mentioned above), you probably have done a good job of analyzing their needs and can write intelligently about it. Make sure you use their terminology and have the same emphasis as they did in the RFP or task order. They have to recognize their problem in your response.
Present the material in exactly the order the Government reviewer wants to see it. As you will learn later in this series, evaluators have many proposals to review and are often rushed. They will use shortcuts to get through your proposal fast, such as a checklist to measure your compliance. If they don't find the material in the right place, they will not spend the time hunting for it. How do you know what the right order is? The short answer is that Section L and M in a full-blown RFP will tell you how to organize your material.
One last point, remember that the proposal is first and foremost a marketing document, no matter how technical it may seem. You have to sell your solution, your company and your reputation-all this while keeping within the page count limit!
Want more proposal tips? Contact J. P Richard by e-mail at jprichard@acibiz.com.
Strategic Planning
By Sid Jaffe, President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
Our firm has supported many Government contractors in developing and facilitating their strategic marketing meetings and off-site planning sessions. With Agency priorities and funding in flux, this is an opportune time to evaluate your firm's focus-including reviewing and evaluating your Contracts, Customer Relationships, BD Pipeline and Internal Systems. It is always important to do this, but now is more important than in years past where there was less change in the marketplace.
Strategic planning sessions typically include both executive leadership and senior managers; the process generally can be accomplished in a day, to a day and a half, with staff doing some preparatory work for presentation as well as take-away work based on group inputs. The sessions that we develop and facilitate go beyond high-level strategies and are focused on having tactical actions for the group and their staffs. As a direct takeaway from the session, you will achieve a tactical plan that has buy-in from your team and is in close alignment with your business goals with clear activities to be managed and tracked during the coming year.
For more information on our facilitation support and a straw man look at the process contact Sid Jaffe at sjaffe@acibiz.com or 703-642-5153.
Spending Plans for Business Development Tools!
By John Bender, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
When was the last time you assessed how well your BD process was working? Now may be the time to correct deficiencies and find a BD tool to reinforce the processes you want. The best of intentions and even training won't help if you make BD too hard or time-consuming for the folks who do it.
We continue to see a significant shift toward buying packaged, Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) applications because the real cost of creating your own tools is becoming more apparent. Homegrown administrative systems often get in the way rather than assist the BD process.
Advantage Consulting works closely with clients to implement just the right tools to enhance your competitiveness and grow your business. Contact John Bender at 703-642-5153 or jbender@acibiz.com for details on what is available and what might work best for you and your company.
Fun Humor/Wisdom
TThe Ultimate Carol Quiz
(Some of the answers are carols names; other answers relate to the carol.)
On the eighth day, what did "my true love send me"? Answer: 8 maids a milking
In this carol, the "stars are brightly shining.” Answer: O Holy Night
Who will "go down in history"? Answer: Rudolph
What men rejoice? Answer: Good Christian Men
When do we don our "gay apparel"? Answer: Now
In what Christmas song is "Beverley Hills, L.A." mentioned? Answer: I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
What is "merry measure"? Answer: beat and rhythm—a bar
Who came down "while the shepherds watched their flocks"? Answer: Angels
Good King Wenceslas looked out on what feast? Answer: Feast of Stephen
In what carol is Jesus "laid to rest on Mary's lap"? Answer: What Child is This?
What kind of tree did the partridge sit in? Answer: A pear tree
Name the kings in "We Three Kings." Answer: Melchior, Gaspar, Baltiazar
Who slept in "Heavenly Peace"? Answer: Holy infant
Who played "their old familiar carols"? Answer: The Bells of Christmas
In this carol, "cattle are lowing." Answer: Away in A Manger
In what Christmas song does "love and joy come to you"? Answer: Now We Go Awasslling
The world sends back the song which "now the angels sing." Answer: Peace on earth, good-will to men From
heav'n's all-gracious King.
The "sounding joy" is repeated in this carol. Answer: Joy To The World
In what carol is "St. Agnes' Fountain"? Answer: Good King Wenceslas
More next week...
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