Monday, August 16, 2010

Presentation Power

What you've written in your submission has got you on the shortlist, but your task is only just beginning when there is a presentation involved.
I was reminded of this when talking to a purchaser recently. After evaluating written responses in a particular tender there was one clear leader, however a presentation formed a significant part of the final score. In this case the person giving the presentation was the company's CEO who obviously decided that his credibility and experience would win the day.
Unfortunately for him, things came unstuck pretty quickly when the first question asked related to a technical component of the bid – and he was unable to give an answer!
The tender was awarded to a smaller competitor.
If a presentation forms a part of an evaluation you can usually assume that it will have a fair influence on the outcome. Make sure you prepare accordingly and not just rely on a Powerpoint version of your written submission.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

It's not all about me

I'm often asked to review people's Executive Summaries. To me these are very important in "selling the sizzle" to your potential client, yet often they read like the are "all about me"!

"We are a large company..." "We offer a quality service..." "We have a good reputation..."

All this says to the reader is that you are more concerned about yourself than them. Try to rephrase those statements so they don't start with "we" and then also add a benefit to each so the client gets a good idea of what it means to THEM.

For example: "With a staff of 25 qualified technicians, we guarantee to be onsite within 60 minutes, which means you will be operational again quickly with minimal downtime."

Take a look at your last Executive Summary and have a go at changing all your "we" statements into strong selling points.