Marketing

Let’s face it: “Lessons Learned” is a bit of a misnomer. At the end of the…

People often hold "lessons learned" meetings after a proposal submission. In my experience, the most positive thing that comes from these is providing people a chance to vent and clear the air.

A wise old proposal writer, Tom Amrhein, once told me, “The best way to improve your win ratio is to stop bidding on stuff you can’t win.”

Whether pursuing business in the commercial or government marketplace, businesses are constantly seeking a “competitive edge”. Often this involves a pursuit of technology, and other times it involves hiring someone from the government who can “open doors”.

As a proposal services vendor, I have been in a position to see how hundreds of companies select their business development targets over the past 15 years. This has included everything from small disadvantaged business to Fortune 50. It has amazed me to see that many companies, small and large, have pursued contracts with a shotgun rather than a rifle.

During the past 15 years, I have assisted not only Fortune companies, but also scores of small businesses in preparing their contract proposals. This work has included both hands-on service and providing other consultants / teams to assist small and small disadvantaged businesses, mostly in the $10- $40 million size range.

I wanted to share some comments regarding winning government contracts that I hope will be helpful in your quest to break in to USPS work. It is received wisdom in our business that the proposal is only the end stage in a marketing plan that has transpired long before the RFP was ever released.