Good morning, BD/Marketing campers! Today's blog is "farm fresh," as they say. I just messed up. The proposal I was working on arrived at our office on time this morning for delivery to the client, but printed double-sided (should have been single-sided), and with one form unsigned. Marketers out there -- is your stomach turning??
These errors could have been prevented with more time for QC and a compliance check on the last day. Instead, we were adding text and new graphics, and receiving edits from multiple reviewers on the same day the proposal was to be printed and sent to another office for delivery. I knew better, and I did it anyway.
I'm sharing my preventative tips. I normally do these, and my proposal process is (usually) smooth, efficient, and relatively painless. This time I did not follow my own process, and mistakes were made. It was an important reminder: no matter how much experience you have with proposals, there are no shortcuts.
Here are your Things You Need to Know (or Remember) about leading a proposal-writing process.
1) Go through the RFP and create your own outline. Include:
- The order and section titles
- What must be in each section
- Page limits for each section (if any)
- Points/value of each section
- Criteria of each section
- Who will write what (by section or item, as appropriate)
- Required forms, who will sign
2) Create the envelope labels/transmittal sheet on the first day and store them in your proposal folder.
3) Write on the front of the folder or RFP in BIG LETTERS the printing instructions, e.g. how many pages, whether it is single or double-sided, bound/unbound, originals/copies. Add this to your outline, too.
4) Prepare a proposal-writing schedule that looks like a typical calendar month. The visual of a calendar page helps the team grasp the deadlines quickly. Include:
- Graphics - sketches due, mock-ups due, edits returned, revisions due
- Quals/resumes - drafts out, edits returned
- Subs' materials due
- Forms signed/added to proposal
- Draft narrative due, who reviews, revisions due
- Final narrative due for proposal compilation
- Draft proposal out - who reviews, revisions due
- 2nd draft proposal out - who reviews, revisions due
- Ample time for a quality control/compliance check (usually by marketing)
- Production, delivery time
- Proposal due date -- who delivers
- Vacations/out-of-office of proposal contributors
5) At the proposal kick-off meeting, review the outline AND schedule. Make adjustments; resend. Follow the schedule. Missed an internal proposal-writing deadline? Follow your company's protocol. At the very least, call the team members involved and hash it out. Exactly as with a project, every missed deadline or piece of information has a ripple effect.
6) Debrief with the proposal-writing team after the proposal goes out, and before a decision has been made. What went well? What didn't work? What can be done next time?
My proposal schedule sample is below. Can you spot the missing information? What would you have done differently, now that you have seen my usual process above?
In case you were wondering, the office is re-printing and hand-delivering the proposal. It should be ok in the end. Although, my stomach is still upside down. As my mentors say, "Breathe deep, accept the situation, change what you can, and move on."
Make it a great week!
K
No comments:
Post a Comment