How to win more work with your bids and tenders

How to win more work with your bids and tenders 9 ways to win more work with your bids and tenders In sport, there’s often a fine line between being hailed as the champ or dubbed an also-ran. For every Olympic 10,000m gold medallist there were probably dozens of potential champions. But no matter. Whoever crosses the line first, even by a fraction of a second, takes the spoils. Coming out on top is often about good preparation and the little things your competitors failed to take into account. It’s the same when bidding for work. And you probably know from experience that the competition to edge ahead can be as fierce there as on the race track. So here are nine ways you can get your nose in front to consistently be the champ, and not end up an also-ran chump. 1. Write fewer bids Ironically, it’s sometimes easier to win more work by focusing your energies on fewer bids and tenders. Alarm bells should be ringing if you find yourself winging it when answering half a dozen key questions in an invitation to tender (ITT) or pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). Newcomers, especially, can be tempted to bid for contracts that don’t actually suit their capabilities. So concentrate on the bids and tenders where you are most likely to succeed. 2. Get under their skin †¦ †¦ in a good way, of course. When you do identify a suitable opportunity, ask yourself this crucial question: how can I find out what the potential client really wants? Sometimes it’s obvious. A good ITT will make their priorities clear from the outset. Sadly, the reality is that most are poorly written. For example, you may need to read carefully to spot key needs that aren’t even mentioned in a list of ‘essential requirements’. In any case, always broaden your research beyond the ITT to get the bigger picture of what matters to them right now. Check out their website, news stories about them and blog posts by the CEO. And if you are looking to renew ongoing business with a customer, speak to your sales team or client relationship managers. They’re best placed to give you crucial insights into the challenges the client faces, or their preferred method of working. 3. Put your win themes in the spotlight Once you understand your potential client, focus on the factors most likely to win you their business – your ‘win themes’. For example, your prospect might be an eco-friendly organic food producer looking for a supplier of cardboard packaging. Your win theme here may be that you source all your cardboard products via certified sustainable forest management. Use every relevant opportunity to drive home that message, such as in the executive summary, case studies and even in project team CVs. It’s vital to back up win themes with facts, though. In the case above, this might be how many trees you’ve had planted, or how you helped another client achieve their carbon emissions target six months early. 4. Remember it’s not about you Win themes are firmly focused on the client’s needs. And your entire bid or tender should be, too. It’s easy to come out all guns blazing, singing the praises of your own organisation – but doing thats likely to just alienate the reader. Far better to make it clear, early on, that you understand their issues and needs. And when referring to the features of your product or service, make clear the benefits for that particular client at the same time. So, avoid the old-school, in-your-face sales pitch approach. And adopting the right tone can be crucially important in other ways, too. 5. Keep it positive A delegate on one of our bid-writing courses couldn’t understand why so many of their submissions for event-management contracts met with only a lukewarm response, and ultimately a rejection. He told us: ‘We know we can match our competitors on price. We have masses of experience, too, and plenty of good case studies to back us up.’ A review of their ITT responses revealed the root of the problem – a worryingly negative vibe. Statements such as ‘We believe we can deliver the contract to a satisfactory standard’ were unlikely to inspire confidence. Better to use positive phrases such as ‘We will ensure that †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and a stronger adjective than a mere satisfactory. Likewise, they referred to ‘trying to’ or ‘aiming to’ achieve goals, rather than saying there were ‘confident’ of doing so. And when describing a prospective client, avoid being overly deferential in a way that is likely to make them cringe (‘We would be honoured to build a relationship with your prestigious research establishment ’). It can sound like you feel lucky to even be in with a chance of working with them. They’re going to be putting their trust in you. So its far better to position yourself as an equal or high-level adviser. Remember, too, that referring to competitors is generally frowned upon in bid writing as much as in other areas of sales, and with good reason. For one thing, your response should be strong enough to sell itself, without taking potshots at the opposition. (Plus, do you really want to give over valuable space in your bid to name-checking alternative suppliers?) 6. Favour simple over waffle It can be tempting to include everything you can think of when responding to a question in an ITT, in the vain hope that your singularly comprehensive answer will impress the reader. That’s rarely the best idea. Let’s look at two potential responses from a reader’s point of view. Question: ‘What are your proposed delivery timescales?’ Answer 1: ‘Four months.’ Answer 2: ‘Given the emphasis you have placed on achieving your ambitions within a relatively short timeframe, we have carried out an in-depth assessment of the global effects of leveraging the synergies we can achieve through our involvement in this project. This substantive evaluation has given us the confidence to predict a delivery period of 16 weeks, in line with your expectations.’ The first answer is straightforward and its lack of waffle makes the writer sound more confident. Only give detail that’s helpful to the reader, using clear, concise language that avoids unnecessary jargon. Remember, though, that it can sometimes help to mirror some of the language the prospective client appears comfortable with – they may refer to ‘service users’ rather than ‘customers’, for example. In which case, you should too. 7. Help them to help you Where the bidding process allows it, do communicate with prospective clients. It can help you build a rapport with them. And don’t be afraid to seek clarification on important points, such as budget. Doing so, far from being a sign of weakness, will show your dedication to genuinely fulfilling their needs. It will also give you a chance to build your working relationship even before they hire you. (Note though that in formal tender processes, both questions and responses from the client may well be made public to all suppliers tendering.) 8. Beware of ‘the stupids’ Your submission is finished ahead of the deadline. You’ve even double-checked it against a compliance matrix to make sure you’ve included a solution for everything the ITT asked for. Almost time then to breathe a sigh of relief and get on with all those everyday tasks you’ve had to put off. But not so fast. It’s so easy to blow it in the final stages. First, watch out for silly mistakes that undermine your credibility. Years ago, we were working closely with a key decision-maker whose role at the time was to award contracts to run entire rail franchises. As you can imagine, such decisions are far from simple and involve assessing a huge amount of technical detail. Yet he told us that his first action when assessing any bid was to quickly leaf through it and circle silly mistakes, which he called the ‘stupids’. These could include, say, instances where the writer had made a common spelling mistake in the name of a station. (For example, writing ‘Bridgewater’ instead of ‘Bridgwater’, when referring to the town in Somerset, UK.) Though these might seem trivial, collectively they call into question just how well the supplier knows the area. He and his colleagues would take the total number of silly mistakes into account when weighing up competing bids. In fact, his non-orthodox technique has a sound basis in social psychology. That’s because we are all hard-wired to look for cues that suggest we would be wise not to put all our trust in what we’re reading. The cues we rely on most (even if we do so unconsciously) include those that are easy for the people we’re assessing to get wrong if they don’t know what they’re doing. Failing to spell key place names correctly is a good example. The impact of stupids may be far greater than you think, as they can lead decision-makers to quickly lose confidence in your document and, by default, you and your organisation. So, ensure your document has been edited carefully and then proofread properly. Pay particularly close attention to the executive summary – a stupid mistake there really can make all the hard work of putting a bid together utterly futile. 9. Don’t fall at the final hurdle Finally, presentation. It’s more important than you may think. Your document needs to look approachable and professional – and be sure to check for any specific requirements such as the number of copies they need and whether the bid or proposal should be bound. And if you submit your bid electronically, do make sure it’s been safely received. After all, it’s impossible to win a new piece of business if you actually fail to deliver your bid at all. Try these 9 steps to finish first Its a competitive world out there, and in sales – unlike in sport – theres no prize for coming second. But apply these nine steps to all your bids and tenders, and you will be odds-on for a win every time. hbspt.cta.load(2645537, 'bcc87e53-f3f4-4632-9e9d-ecd393514f70', {}); Image credit: Halfpoint / Shutterstock

Health promotion in physical activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health promotion in physical activity - Essay Example This essay "Health promotion in physical activity" outlines how the modern lifestyle affects the level of obesity and the significance of the physical activity for the good health. The World Health Organization in 2004 implemented the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS) which calls on member states, the private sector and public sector to implement policies that help in reducing and preventing chronic disease. The European Charter on Countering Obesity was also formed by WHO member states in the region on 16 November, 2006. However, even with the combined efforts of states in Europe, obesity is still on a continuous rise with alarming predictions of its prevalence in the future. Policies implemented to curb the pandemic need to focus on making the healthy choices easy, natural and desirable to the target groups. Four main sectors are tasked with the responsibility of incorporating physical activity in the lives of the citizens as much as possible. They are health, transport, urban planning and environment and occupation sectors.The health sector can start by promoting and engaging in inter-sectorial work at all levels, ensuring that health practitioners are motivated to promote physical activity to the public and also to lead by example. The transport sector needs to address the safety needs of cyclists and pedestrians, link with the health sector to harmonize their policies and to communicate the benefits of physically active transport as compared to using cars.

Name three industries that are currently red oceans Where do blue Essay

Name three industries that are currently red oceans Where do blue ocean opportunities exist - Essay Example Some of them have gained competitive advantage through cutting production costs, while others gain competitive advantage through offering better features. Companies operating in textile industry as well as sports good manufacturing industry are competing while following the red ocean strategy. Blue ocean opportunities exist in tourism industry. In tourism industry there is an opportunity of travelling to the moon and exploring the world over there. A successful even of a tour to the moon can help in creating demand amongst people who want to travel to the moon (Wadhwa, 2015). Furthermore, blue ocean opportunities even exist in automobile manufacturing industry. Companies in this industry can develop a car that can fly from one end to another end. Right now, no company has been able to develop such a car. Developing such a car can helping creating new demand for a car that can fly and help people move between geographical locations in a speedy fashion. China Android Phone Manufacturers Enter Smartphone Market With Own Brands. (2015, February 27). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from

Development Assistance Essay Example for Free

Development Assistance Essay The best way for international donors to quicken development in poor Asian countries is to maximize overseas developmental assistance. ODA should be provided both to governments directly and to international and local NGOs. † Development can be considered as one of the most omnipresent concepts today. This term had been a commonplace in governments and non-governmental organizations alike (Nault, 2008). Overseas developmental assistance also referred to as official overseas assistance (ODA), had been a vital part of world economies especially to those who belong to the third world. As early as 1960s, underdeveloped and developing countries have seen the importance of receiving grants in forms of ODA from more developed countries (Berlage and Stokke, 1992) It is now given that most of the countries, which are underdeveloped, or those who are still in the process of developing are indeed in great need of ODAs coming from their more developed counterparts. The lack of resources on the part of the poor countries makes them suffer the opportunity cost of not attending to other pressing issues in within their territories. This paper will present arguments in two fold. First, it will make a point on how international donors can quicken development in poor Asian countries by maximizing the amount it gives through ODAs. Second, it will argue on why is there a necessity to give funds directly to international and local NGOs rather than just giving it to the government; it having the sole discretion on the funds’ disbursement. Similar to the case in developed countries, rising and relentless budget deficits had become one of the major causes for concern in developing countries. Asian countries have been suffering from massive budget deficits for the past recent years (Gupta, 1992). Given that most of the developing and underdeveloped countries are suffering from budget deficit, there really is a need that ODAs should be intensified in order to address other social concerns that are being neglected by the governments due to lack of budget. These social concerns, which deals with welfare and other public issues are often taken for granted by governments despite their noble ideas because they lack resources in financing these programs. If resources will be provided through ODA, the local government will be better equipped of bringing service to their people. Aside from mere economic progress, development must also entail improvements with regard to life expectancy, education levels, literacy, and access to resources (Nault, 2008). With more funds, which are easily available to finance social programs of the government, people may easily reap the benefits of ODAs coming from developed countries. The funds coming from the ODA can be allocated to programs aimed at empowering the grassroots and improving the living conditions of the people. With regard to economic progress, there is also a great need for the funds, which are given by more developed countries. Given the lack of resources of underdeveloped countries, they have no enough assets to stimulate their respective economies. Nowadays, government-initiated economic policies are necessary to save the worsening condition of the global economy. The world economy is being threatened by massive recessions. Hence, there is a necessity for state intervention in stimulating the economy. ODAs can be used by the government to back up state-initiated economic programs aimed at ameliorating the country’s economy. ODAs may be used as capital by the government and also as investment so that it would yield to higher profits in the future. ODAs can also be used by the government in coming up with schemes that will help protect the economy from the global trend of economic downturns by implementing regulations, which will somehow put safety nets to the national economy. ODAs may be used in employment training and job creation in order to assure that the citizens of the country are equipped with appropriate knowledge, which they may use in finding employment. Having established the necessity of increasing the amount of ODAs being transferred by developed countries to their poorer and less fortunate counterparts of Asia, the argumentation will shift towards the necessity of diverting funds not only to state governments but to non-governmental organizations as well. First, the author of this paper acknowledges the vital role being played by the government with regard to managing ODAs. Much substance have been given earlier in this paper and it is beyond argumentation that state-government acceptance of ODAs is indeed necessary. However, a new concept is being realized and offered which relates to the offering of ODAs from developed nations directly to international and local NGOs in the country. Perhaps one of the reasons to such proposition is the lessening trust of developed nations to their underdeveloped counterparts in Asia when it comes with governance. Many Asian countries, especially those who are financially-burdened, are often described in the international arena as engaging in the process of corruption. Documented evidence is being studied to support such claim (Lindsey and Dick, 2002). Good governance within the public sphere is indeed crucial in creating an environment, which will help mobilize resources, both domestically and internationally as well (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2002). Grantors of ODAs take into consideration the political climate within the country, which will receive their grant. They give premium to those who are practicing good governance. However, most countries in Asia had been involved in cases related to corruption. Hence, they do not appear as flawless to those who are sending them their ODAs. On the other hand, NGOs send a message of altruism to the international community. These NGOs project an image that they are indeed concerned in bringing progress to the countries where they have offices in. They appear as the good guys, whose business is to promote the welfare of the oppressed. NGOs are also offering programs that are aimed at bringing progress and development to their host countries. Sometimes, such programs from the NGOs are not being offered by state-governments. Another point is the fact that since grantors of aids are losing trust to corrupt governments, they are finding alternative channels to send their ODAs to residents of the receiving countries. Most NGOs in the international levels have earned themselves of the reputation to help others due to their noble causes. In spite of the manner as to how developed countries will be sending in their grants, what matters most is the fact that these grants are indeed helpful in bring progress and development to underdeveloped countries. References Berlage L. and Stokke, O. (1992). Evaluating Development Assistance: Approaches and Method. London: Routledge Publishing. Gupta, K. L. (1992). Budget Deficits and Economic Activity in Asia. London, Routledge Publishing. Lindsey, T. and Dick, H. W. (2002). Corruption in Asia: rethinking the governance paradigm. Annandale: NSW Federation Press. Nault D. M. (2008). Development in Asia: Interdisciplinary, Post-Neoliberal, and Transnational Perspectives. Boca Raton: Brown Walker Press. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2002). Official development assistance and private finance: attracting finance and investment to developing countries. Paris: OECD Publishing.

Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay -- Uncle Toms Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811. Her father was Lyman Beecher, pastor of the Congregational Church in Harriet’s hometown of Litchfield, Connecticut. Harriet’s brother was Henry Ward Beecher who became pastor of Brooklyn’s Plymouth Church. The religious background of Harriet’s family and of New England taught Harriet several traits typical of a New Englander: theological insight, piety, and a desire to improve humanity (Columbia Electronic Library; â€Å"Biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe†). Harriet studied and assisted as a teacher at the Western Female Institute, a school in Hartford, Connecticut, that her sister Catherine had founded. Harriet moved with her father to Cincinnati, Ohio, as a result of her father’s religious appointment. Harriet’s career as a teacher ended when she married widower Calvin Stowe. Across the river from Cincinnati was Kentucky, where Calvin Stowe’s home was located. Kentucky was a slave state, and Harriet was able to experience firsthand the horrors of slavery. Also, Harriet’s new home with Stowe was a â€Å"station† along the â€Å"underground railroad†, and Harriet had even more experience and interaction with the slaves. Harriet had always been creative as a child, and she loved to write. Her anger toward slavery in addition with encouragement from her sister-in-law to â€Å"use her skills to aid the cause of abolition† (Wells) inspired Harriet to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Well s; University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee). Harriet began to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin as a serial, or an episodic story. These episodes were published in the National Era, a national newspaper in which Harriet had previously published several abolitionist serials. Harr... .../nj.essortment.com/biographyharrie_rthp.htm>. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. â€Å"Stowe, Harriet Beecher†. Date of Last Revision Unknown. 6 Jan 2002. . Mark, Mary. â€Å"Harriet Beecher Stowe†. Date of Last Revision Unknown. 5 Jan 2002. . Thornton, Tracey. â€Å"Between Rhetoric of Abolition and Feminism: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin†. 1998. 8 Jan 2002. . University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. â€Å"The Classic Text: Harriet Beecher Stowe†. 19 Nov 2001. 5 Jan 2002. . Wells, Kim. â€Å"Harriet Beecher Stowe†. 28 Aug 1999. 6 Jan 2002. .

Notes on arrays

To signify absence of information oid fo // function fo does not return a value void *pv; // pointer to object of unknown type enumeration (enum): To represent specific set of values. Named integer constants can be defined as members of an enumeration. enum keyword {ASM, AUTO, BREAK}; keyword key; 2 Derived Data Types Address Types References Pointers Powerful, but difficult to master Simulate pass-by-reference Close relationship with arrays and strings Aggregate Types Arrays and strings Structures and Unions 3Reference is another name (alias) for a variable It is a pointer but a constant one – once declared it cannot be made alias of another variable A reference declaration must have initialization and it can be initialized toa variable, not a literal constant. A variable can have several references (aliases) – all references hold the same address Reference is not a separate variable like a pointer – it does not occupy space in memory 4 ? References All operatio ns supposedly performed on he alias (i. . , the reference) are actually performed on the original variable Example int count = int &cRef = count; Increments count through alias cRef 5 ? References (example) // Reference Types: Example // References must be initialized. #include using std::cout; using std::endl; 7 8 9 int main() intx=3; Creating a reference as an alias to another variable in the function.

Effects of Loneliness and Isolation in the Short Stories...

Effects of loneliness and isolation in the short stories â€Å"Metamorphosis† and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† In Franz Kafka’s â€Å"Metamorphosis† and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† the reader can easily see demonstrated the effects of the alienation and loneliness both of the main characters experience. The feeling of loneliness and the state of alienation leave the characters changed from who they were and manages to completely alter their lives in almost every imaginable way. Each main character is faced with certain circumstances that inevitably lead them to a point in their lives where they are completely alone and left dealing with extreme situations pretty†¦show more content†¦The young mother is locked away in a room in their rented summer house, where she is told to do nothing except relax. The young mother’s passion for journaling leads her to secretly document her time in solitary confinement. The journaling is her only outlet from her current situation and she nervously protects it from being known by her husband and the house keeper. The young mother does say, (pg473) â€Å"I did Chapman3 write for a while in spite of them; but it does exhaust me a great deal- having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition.† The young mother while in solitary begins to slowly experience delusions about her surroundings. She becomes obsessed with the wallpaper in her room, believing it has a secret life of its own or that there is a life inside its pattern. The young mother exclaims, (pg481) â€Å"I really have discovered something at last. Through watching it so much at night, when it changes so, I have finally found out. The front pattern of the wallpaper does move- and no wonder! The woman behind it shakes it!† The young mother’s delusions are fueled by her limited exposure to real people. She is left to herself in that room with the yellow wallpaper, and slowly goes mad. The effects of loneliness and alienation are severely damaging to the young mothers psyche. The young mother has hallucinations of an imaginary woman who is a prisoner, which closely relates to