Posted by Jon
An email popped up in my inbox a little while back:
An email popped up in my inbox a little while back:
“Jon, how reliable is your computer?”
“You know,” I thought to myself, “the damned machine’s been a complete nuisance, almost since the day I bought it.” (Technology and me? Not a good combination).
Presumably, the vendor who sent me the mailshot hoped that my train of thought would go something like this:
Presumably, the vendor who sent me the mailshot hoped that my train of thought would go something like this:
“It’d be so much better to have a reliable PC. I really should do something about it. Oh look, they’ve got a special offer. That’s good value. But it’s only valid until the end of the month. I should buy one. Now, where’s my credit card?”
Instead, the flow went along these lines:
“Hold on. This email’s from the same company who manufactured this dreadful machine. I really should replace it soon. But, you know, they’re right: I really would like a machine that’s reliable next time. I must make sure to choose a different supplier when I buy the new box.”
It set me thinking about the challenge of writing proposals as the incumbent. Done wrong, the evaluators are left with questions such as:
Why have we had to force them through a tendering process, with the threat of losing the contract, for them to offer us this cool stuff?
They seem to think that everything’s been perfect over the past few years. It hasn’t. If it had, why would we be looking at their competitors? These folks aren’t realistic, and don’t really understand what “good” looks like.
They keep telling us how much better things will be. Are they admitting that what they do for us at the moment isn’t as good as it could – or should – be?
This is generic. But they should know what we do now, and be using that knowledge to present something really tailored to our needs.
In the next post I will offer you a dozen tips for with developing a proposal for a client where you’re the incumbent.