Welcome to the proposal presentation insight series. On LinkedIn, over a fortnight of daily posts, Kat drew on various pieces of research that Strategic proposals has undertaken in the last couple of years to turn the spotlight onto proposal presentations and offer insights on this important topic. The proposal presentation (meaning the point where a client asks you to go in to talk to them about your proposal) can be called many things. The results from our little survey will be shared very soon! The other posts are attached in this paper!
The proposal ‘slightly’ ‘not important’ ‘critical’ ‘important’ presentation is a make or break stage Proposal in your campaign. You’ve already told 79% your story in the written proposal; this is about bringing it to life with the presentations evaluators and key decision makers. Crucially, it’s also about projecting that are you are the team to deliver what they need and that yours is an organisation 21% that they can trust. So… are you ready? critical “ In our research, we asked buyers how We’ve lost bids at important the proposal presentation the presentation In professional was to their decision-making. because the team services, the that went didn’t presenters are also We love helping clients with their proposal match the bid in the product; if they presentations. See how we can help, here: www.strategicproposals.com/pitch-services/ “ terms of enthusiasm don’t do a good job, 0% 0% and understanding. they won’t win.
When we draw on our research into proposal presentations over the last couple of years, we see that Evaluators – be they procurement or business stakeholders – are more sophisticated in their evaluation and expect more. You need to give proper thought to your approach and your offer so that you do yourselves justice at this important stage.
Our Proposal Benchmarker results The back story: the powerful tale of who you are as people from over 500 and as an organisation, told through every aspect of your organisations, tells us demeanour and conduct from handshakes to team dynamics. that the best 50% of bidding organisations have a sophisticated The big story: is the story of value that you tell the client about approach to the pitch. your proposition - why you and not the competition - and how well The way, we see it, a you tell it. Having the right story elements is critical, as is structure. Alongside this it’s vital to understand the impact of your choice of brilliant pitch tells a great words and how those words interact with any visuals that you use. story… here’s the Strategic Proposals approach to delivering compelling pitches. The stories within the story: are essential in first class pitching. They may be anecdotes that bring context, meaning and personal connection, or analogies that make a complex subject matter memorable and accessible. We love helping clients with their proposal presentations. See how we can help, here: www.strategicproposals.com/pitch-services/
Getting the stories right requires a whole host of skills. Our Proposal Benchmarker data tells us that pitches that are “death by PowerPoint” are more likely to lose. You really need to think about a broader perspective. These are some of the areas of research that have gone into our view of proposal presentations. These are the secret ingredients to delivering a great pitch. You need to think about them all – and tell your story well. (See the previous slide about story- telling, for more information!)
Procurement is becoming more prescriptive and restrictive (Arial 10.5 in an .xls that needs to be uploaded to a barely-functioning portal, anyone?!). So, the pitch is often the first chance for a bidder to really show why they should be selected. And frequently only a select group get to the pitch (those preferred/shortlisted). The results from our Proposal Benchmarker corroborate this. They show a remarkable 61% positive correlation between the pitch being aligned to the proposal and the likelihood of winning. We love helping clients with their proposal presentations. See how we can help, here: www.strategicproposals.com/pitch-services/
A surprisingly 46% After large number proposal submission of leading organisations leave it until late in the day before starting on the presentation. The When do you presentation is important normally start – very important. preparing the presentation? Do you give it your best shot? We love helping clients with their proposal 54% presentations. See how we can help, here: Before www.strategicproposals.com/pitch-services/ proposal submission
When we present at a big internal 15% event, we invariably rehearse. Unimportant Yet in a proposal presentation, the rehearsal stage is often overlooked. If you look at last week’s post it could be because there’s no time for this. If your team have never practiced 34% together, you won’t come across as well as you should. “ “ “ Important We talk The culture is not Rehearsals are about it but embedded to run full only critical on rarely factor rehearsals or, more “must win” “ in the time importantly, to adapt deals but it the presentation should probably “ “ based on feedback be always 51% Critical Make time to rehearse. Offer constructive feedback. Be your best!
If you need help sharpening your act, Strategic Proposals offers the following menu of proposal presentation services. These can be tailored for any of your upcoming bids, or to help improve your pitch capabilities overall. If this has given you some inspiration, see more here: www.strategicproposals.com/pitch-services/ If this has given you some inspiration, see more here: www.strategicproposals.com/pitch-services/
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