TArticles tagged with: pipeline development

Bids with No Capture

Why do companies bid work without any capture effort?

I confess. I have bid work without any previous capture effort and no first-hand knowledge of the customer’s requirements. I understand that I just violated every proposal industry best practice and I may have to return my Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) certification. It is clear, bidding without any knowledge of the customer requirements greatly diminishes the chance of winning and increases transition and operational risks. So why do companies bid work without any capture effort when on paper it makes no sense? The root cause stems from how a company manages its pipeline. A company with mature pipeline practices allocates sufficient time and resources for all its capture and proposal efforts. A company with an immature pipeline has gaps between bids, has not effectively allocated capture and proposal resources, and has failed to engage with the customer. So, is it ever OK to submit a proposal on a … Continue reading Bids with No Capture →

5 tips for improving your business pipeline and bottom line

Highly profitable businesses are agile. They devote time to researching new bids and pruning their pipeline to maximize their win rate. Their bid staff keep a challenging workload, yet they have enough time to focus on each bid. Does this sound like a wishful thinking? It doesn’t have to be. Here are five tips that can help re-energize your businesses pipeline and increase your win rate. 1. Devote time to creating a realistic 3-year pipeline Create a realistic 3-year pipeline as a baseline. Expedite your search for potential bids by investing in commercial databases, go-to-market services, and competitive analyses. Weight the pipeline with conservative bids. Allocate a smaller part of the pipeline to more aggressive bids that either need heavy bid and proposal (B&P) investment, minimize your profit potential, or focus on new customers or new lines of business. 2. Implement a status dashboard and an integrated master schedule (IMS) … Continue reading 5 tips for improving your business pipeline and bottom line →

The keys to capture management

Federal News Radio | Off the Shelf with Roger Waldron

Bob Lohfeld, Lisa Pafe, and Beth Wingate discuss the keys to capture management – including market strategies, pipeline development, and proposal preparation – with Roger Waldron on Federal News Radio’s “Off the Shelf”. Click to listen or download the interview The team shares insights on strength-based solutions, proposal quality standards, and visual communications. Bob Lohfeld also provides his unique insights on current market trends, the increase in competition, and the role of multiple award contracts. Finally, the Lohfeld team provides suggestions on how to improve win rates. Hosted by Roger Waldron of the Coalition for Government Procurement, Off the Shelf interviews federal contracting experts from both inside and outside of government on the issues that matter most.

Webinar replay – Top 10 ‘Go-to-Market’ Mistakes Made by Federal Contractors and How to Avoid Them

Lohfeld Business Winning Webinar

There are two proven axioms in Federal Government business development (BD) and capture: “You probably don’t know what you don’t know,” and “If you don’t already know who’s the ‘pigeon’ around the poker table, it’s mostly likely YOU!” Surprisingly, many companies don’t know what they don’t know when it comes to market strategy and Go-to-Market planning, and they make the same mistakes over and over. In this webinar, we discuss the top 10 mistakes and how you can avoid them. You’ll also learn that effective “B-to-G” BD and capture is a direct result of effective Go-to-Market strategy and execution, including: • Government market analysis • Target market identification • Pipeline development • Brand, image, and promotion • Thought leadership • Industry influencers • Marketing campaigns • BD campaigns • Sales support Designed correctly, a good Go-to-Market Plan will accelerate sales and increases market share. Click to watch the webinar and download … Continue reading Webinar replay – Top 10 ‘Go-to-Market’ Mistakes Made by Federal Contractors and How to Avoid Them →