PANEL MEMBERS:

- ANITA LEE WRIGHT, NORTHROP GRUMMAN- DIANE WURZER, MAXIMUS- DAVID FOSTER, CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD- DARREN SAVOYE, BOLLINGER SHIPYARD

Proposal Writing: From Good to Great

Panel Discussion Points• EKG of a Proposal Writer• Great proposal traits• Panel input• Audience input and questions• Wrap-Up

3

RFP/RFQ Release

Submit

Peaks and valleys of activity

Avoid This

RFP/RFQ Release

Submit

Get to This

Focus Areas

Compliance

Responsiveness

What’s the difference between being responsive and being compliant?

Strategy• Opportunity and customer intelligence and

knowledge

• Customer issues, motivators, and hot buttons

• Discriminators – Why us!

• Benefits focus – What’s in it for the customer

• Proof – Evidence that we will perform as

promised

9

Competitive FocusWhat “inputs” does a proposal writer need to give a proposal a competitive advantage?

Is this where competitive analysis comes into play?

Are there ideas for gathering/obtaining competitive assessment information?

Visualization• Some suggest that visuals in a proposal,

just for the sake of “breaking up the text” is an accepted best practice.

• Thoughts?

Quality of Writing• Customer Focused• Evaluator Friendly• Clear, concise,

compelling, and correct• Compliant and

consistent

Quality of Writing (Great Writing)Customer Focus Indicators

Is the buyer named before seller?

Is the buyer named more often than seller?

Is the Customer’s Vision Statementevident?

Is the Vision Statement specifically linked to this buy?

Are the Customer’s hot buttons prioritized?

Is hot button ownership explicit?

Are proof statementsdirectly related to Customer’s hot buttons?

Are the benefits of the solutions(s) listed before the features?

Is the content organization announced and followed?

Is the value message summarized, and are next steps clearly defined?

Page and Document Design• Make it easy for the evaluator• Link all visuals to win themes and

benefits• Use effective emphasis techniques• Leverage templates for consistency• Reinforce your brand

Frequently Asked Questions

Focus Areas

Great Proposals: Take-Aways• Great proposals can be a discriminator –

never underestimate the value• All 7 Focus Areas must be addressed• We must hold one another accountable• We must understand best practices and

apply discipline

Panelists

Anita Lee Wright – anita.wright@ngc.comDiane Wurzer - dianewurzer@maximus.comDavid Foster - david.t.foster@outlook.com

Darren Savoye - darrens@bollingershipyards.com

THANK YOU!