TArticles tagged with: BD

Doing more with less is all about strengths

Increase productivity to achieve maximum results for time and effort expended

How to do more with less is an age-old question. The simple answer is that we must increase productivity to achieve maximum results for time and effort expended. In the proposal world, productivity means more than generating more bid activity; it means generating more wins within resource constraints. Typically, as companies in the government marketplace grow, they spend a greater percentage of money on bid and proposal (B&P) costs. This indicator makes sense, as larger companies pursue larger and more complex opportunities. Pre-RFP, the cost of maintaining an adequate pipeline, training personnel, maintaining teaming partners, researching competitors, investing in tools, pursuing capture and solutioning activities, and maintaining databases and repositories all mount. These investments may or may not pay off with wins, so they are good places to seek cost savings. Often, companies keep pouring money into capture activities and tools without also undertaking adequate gate reviews and making informed … Continue reading Doing more with less is all about strengths →

Show me the money! (Part 5) Pipeline development: identifying relevant opportunities for pursuit

A Go-to-Market strategy series

Not to beat the same drum too much, but it is important to remember that research is king! As we reviewed in previous posts, conducting in-depth internal research of who you are, what you do, and how you do it is the first crucial step to uncovering the right target markets, positioning you to determine relevant opportunities, and providing the understanding of where you can make an impact. The second crucial step is the external research that determines where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there—what makes the most sense to your fundamental product and service offerings. For example, if you are a marketing services company that has concentrated in the healthcare field, your focus should not stray from that in your initial goals to expand with current customers and attract new customers. Therefore, it makes sense to focus your opportunities search within HHS, VA, … Continue reading Show me the money! (Part 5) Pipeline development: identifying relevant opportunities for pursuit →

Show me the money! (Part 4) Effective messaging and communications to attract and engage customers

A Go-to-Market strategy series

As any gardener knows, without the proper care, your plants won’t grow and flourish! Well, the same can be said for your business. You must plan, prepare, and implement the proper care for success, such as developing an appropriate brand position, crafting relevant marketing messages, and determining the right media mix to attract, influence, and engage customers. In this part of our GTM strategy, we’ll review the importance of developing a brand position and marketing strategy/messaging campaign, using brand, image and promotion development tactics. Brand positioning Brand positioning is the process of positioning your brand in the mind of your customers. When a company uses a smart, forward-thinking approach, it’s more likely to have a positive influence on its position in the eyes of its target customers. In the effort to position your brand, it’s important to identify and attempt to own a marketing niche for your product or service … Continue reading Show me the money! (Part 4) Effective messaging and communications to attract and engage customers →

Show me the money! (Part 3) Building your Go-to-Market strategy

A Go-to-Market strategy series

As we discussed in our previous posts (What is Go-to-Market? and The data behind a Go-to-Market strategy), in order to build an actionable, comprehensive Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy, you must first conduct the appropriate research to ensure its success. Now that you have the details from your internal and external research (The data behind a Go-to-Market strategy), reviewed and evaluated the data results, and determined your most effective direction, you can build your GTM strategy. This is where you clarify your plan and direction and establish your path for growth. From your research, you should clearly understand your value proposition (your internal research reveals what you have to offer and what’s most attractive to your customers), your key differentiators (as compared to your competitors and the needs of customers), your resources (staff/employees, partners, vendors, SMEs, etc.) and how that defines your target market, and the tools to attract and engage the … Continue reading Show me the money! (Part 3) Building your Go-to-Market strategy →