Welcome to Advantage Consulting

If you need help designing and executing your capture program or proposal to win this procurement contact Doug Allston, at 703-642-5153.

The Lions Club of Annandale is one of the oldest service organizations in Northern Virginia. The organization is a diverse group of men and women who serve their community. The club is proud of its past 60 years of community service. Lions Clubs International is typified by the motto, "We Serve.� The Annandale Club provides services in the areas of sight and hearing conservation, support of youth organizations and other community projects. Advantage Consulting, Inc. both supports the club financially and actively participates.

Please visit Sid Jaffe at the next Lions Club Florida Citrus Fruit Sale on January 16th at the white trailer parked next to Wendy�s at 7530 Little River Turnpike in Annandale between 9 AM and 2 PM.

To learn more about the mission of the Annandale Lions Club contact Sid Jaffe at sjaffe@acibiz.com.

Renew Your Contacts During The Holidays
By Sid Jaffe, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

The holiday season is a great time to renew old contacts and keep in touch with friends and clients. Follow up the contacts you make at holiday gatherings with phone calls and greeting cards. Take a minute to generate a visit, a phone call, or a note to an old friend. A quick e-mail with your thoughts for the holidays will be appreciated. Contact Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com at 703-642-5153.

Starting Off the New Year Right
By Mike Berger, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

During a recent discussion with the President of a new client company we discussed how he wished to grow his firm and the actions for him to consider as he brought new people on board. I suggested he might wish to begin by exposing all new hires to a structured business development process, such as the one we describe in our Business Development and Capture workshops.

I noted that we believe the key to an effective BD program is, of course, "finding" winnable work -- but that needs to be followed by a solid Capture process and a well-written Proposal that leads to a win. Getting new staff members on the BD "same sheet of music" as they come on board in terms of "listening" for customer needs, wants and requirements can significantly impact a company's future.

I provided some material to supplement what he heard here regarding various aspects of the BD process, and gave him a copy of my favorite PowerPoint slide of the seven "magic" questions we believe a firm must ask itself before it bids anything. If a company can't answer "yes" to each question, and back up those answers with solid evidence (opinions and "feelings" don't count), I believe the next question must be, "Why are we bidding?"

We look forward to working with this company to help the leadership formulate a BD program for new staff members, as well as helping them build a long-term Strategic Planning process and a structured Capture methodology.

We look forward to working with all our clients on all aspects of BD as we proceed into 2010. Please call or email if we may be of assistance to you. Mike Berger, mberger@acibiz.com, 703-642-5153, cell 703-861-0726.

Tongue in Cheek Proposal Terms
By J.P. Richard, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

Chuck Keller, author of "Proposal Writing," the book we recommend in our proposal classes and cofounder of ProposalCafe.com recently created a glossary of terms for the APM Journal. With his permission, we will publish some of the more humorous ones in the upcoming weeks.

Alternate Proposal - A proposal submitted when you cannot meet the RFP requirements; a proposal that shows you think you have a better solution than the prospective customers have requested in their RFP and/or your belief that they really do not know what they want.

Black and Blue Team Review - A proposal review that inflicts emotional and physical pain on the proposal team.

Blue Team Review - A proposal review that inflicts emotional pain on the proposal team.

Value-based Contacts Build Value-based Business
By Bill Hamilton, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

We have spoken often about relationship building and the positive results that can be realized from it. Sometimes a company or a person is so involved in building a relationship that they overlook the glue that builds the relationship. A business relationship must provide a benefit to the customer for it to happen. The best relationships are those where all parties benefit from the relationship.

"Relationship" implies that there is a connection or link between two or more people. In order for that connection to exist there has to be a benefit that exists from the connection that does not exist without the connection. The connected situation must be more valuable to the customer than not having the connection. In other words, there has to be value added by the relationship.

One way to ensure that you are building a value-based relationship is by ensuring that every contact with the customer is value-based. There should be a purpose for every contact and every contact should provide a benefit to the person you are contacting. They should not be casual or frivolous. Every contact should be leading to the next step or contact that will enable you to strengthen the bonds of your relationships.

An outline for a contact plan should be structured to address the following questions: Is the timing right for contact? What is the theme of the contact? (What are we trying to do?) What value will this contact bring? How do we determine success? And, what is the next step following the contact?

By using a structured contact plan you will be able to develop a sound value-based approach to your relationship-building process. Remember, you are seeking to build a position as a respected and trusted advisor and business friend. This takes time to build and is based on consistent credibility and reliability. The highest praise you can get from your customer is their total trust in what you say and do.

A value-based approach can build and strengthen your relationship to evolve from a vendor, to a solution provider, to trusted advisor and finally to partner. Many business friendships have evolved into personal friendships as well, providing another benefit to all parties.

Want to discuss relationship building or ways to add value to your contacts call me at 703-405-8912 or send an e mail to bhamilton@acibiz.com and let's talk.