ch 4: finding your unique selling point 14 january 2014 lectured by: or vitou
TRANSCRIPT
CH 4: Finding Your Unique Selling Point
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
To enable the students to effectively analyze the RFP, assign tasks and set schedule for the proposal development process in order to present your proposal in a unique way.
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Step III: Detailed RFP Analysis and Your USP
Step IV: Preparation ScheduleStep V: Assignment of Tasks
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Done to find out the your unique selling point (USP)
USP is how you stand out from the competition, and your analysis of the RFP, secondary and primary data on the focused areas of your project will help you formulate this strategy, which in turn, will drive the detailed plans for each part of the program design
To effectively analyze the detailed RFP and find out your unique selling points, you might need to pull in staff from several departments and also create a RFP analysis checklist
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Three purpose of the RFP analysis Define problems and requirements to be
addressed Determine what resources and
information you will need to write the proposal
Generate the specific tasks that the team groups will be assigned
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
RFP analysis checklist might include... Client’s problems or requirements RFP page number The work you team need to do Who is assigned the task Date input is due Date it is actually delivered Page number of your final proposal that responds to
the client’s original problem or requirementYour RFP analysis checklist can help you to identify gaps
in your knowledge or database(For more details, see page 50)
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Once you have developed a checklist form, the RFP can be analyzed in two stages: an initial quick evaluation and a more detailed analysis
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Initial quick Evaluation: might take around five or
ten minutes to complete, and is one way to obtain
an overview of the client’s requirements and what
resources you are likely to need to complete the work The client’s main problems or requirements What special resources the contractor requires What restrictions are placed on who may bid for
the contract How much time you have to complete the work
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Detailed Analysis: Key questions What is the customer’s real versus stated
problems? What does the client believe is the solution? What experience do you have to handle the
client’s problems or requirement? Who is your principal competition? How are
they likely to respond to the RFP?
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Detailed Analysis: Key questions (Con’t) Will the preparation effort require any demonstrations
benchmark tests, or other preliminary work? Who in the client’s organization is likely to support or
oppose your proposal? What is your unique selling point likely to be? Who will form the project team? What are your company's experience and
qualifications for the job? How much will the proposal effort cost your firm?
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Asking the client for information Not all information you need will be in the
RFP; the writer may have been unclear about certain specifications or conditions, or there may be gaps in the RFP you need to fill in
Asking client if all bidders will see each other questions
If so, asking client for a private meeting
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
A question of value (make your proposal unique and off-value to the client)
Show that you understand the client’s problems better than the client does
Present a detailed, achievable plan showing how you will solve the client’s problem within the constraints of the RFP
Show evidence that your firm is highly qualified to implement the plan
Meet all RFP requirements, including delivering the proposal to the client before the state deadline
Sell the client on the credibility of your plan and your firm. Your proposal must create absolute confidence that your firm can deliver the promised service or product
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
A question of value (make your proposal unique and off-value to the client) could be proved in the background research which might cover:
The topic of the RFP, background of the project, and the client’s history, organization and the budget for the project
The competition’s strengths and weaknesses regarding the RFP topic and compared with your firm
The target market for the RFP product
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Client’s needs and wantsUsing background research, the
proposal team should be able to generate a prioritized list of the client’s needs and wants
See page 59 of the client’s needs/wants analysis form
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Value Added Elements While developing your USP strategy, keep
in mind that you may be able to add features as you go along.
This value-added approach enables you to respond to information you gain from the client or from additional research
See Value-Added Elements Form on page 63
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
Establish specific due dates for each task as well as for the first drafts of the technical, management, and time/cost sections of the proposal, the front matter, and the executive summary
Everyone on the proposal-writing team should know the deadlines for their sections of the proposal, the date the first draft of the complete document is to be assembled, and the date the document is to be turned over to management for review.
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
To effectively assign tasks, the manager needs to know what tasks to delegate to which people
In some cases, the person who has an ideas is not the best person to develop it or write about it
Making due dates very clear, it’s a good idea to require routine progress reports from your proposal-writing staff
Routine progress reports can allow you to detect quickly if things are going on track and prevents people from the delay on their assignments
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou
END OF CHAPTER 4…
April 10, 2023 Lectured by: OR Vitou