Landing great business starts before you even put your pen to paper. It starts with your first contact with the government agency or business.

What can you do to create a favorable experience? How can you demonstrate from day one that you are great to do business with, reliable, thorough and professional?

When you first call or email for the specifications for the business proposal or you first contact a prospect - how can you show your warmth and professionalism?

Don't call or email for information if you are not feeling confident and strong, or if you are in a rush - this comes through with your email and tone of voice. Take a moment to gather your thoughts and emotions before you call or type.

Be friendly to the people who answer the phone - I know of situations where Managing Directors have answered ringing phones and where the person on the end of the call was abrupt or rude. That person had no hope of getting their proposal accepted by that company after that first impression.

If you have the opportunity to have points clarified - take the offer. Call and ask for clarification about points - but do it in a way that you show you "know your stuff".

So if the proposal is for rock walls - ring and clarify if the company is looking for bush-rock or high lime content sandstone which is 1.3 times harder than other sandstones on the market.

By demonstrating you have the knowledge as well as clarifying the information you need to deliver in the proposal, you are also building your professional reputation and increasing the likelihood of your proposal success.

Not every opportunity that comes your way is one you should accept. So before you spend hours writing a business proposal - stop and ask yourself these questions.

1. Does this opportunity match my business direction and my areas of interest?


2. What would be the impact on my business if I won this business?


3. What would be the risks to my business if I won this proposal?


4. Will this contract lead to other work?


5. Do I have the resources, staff and time to deliver this contract?


6. What would be the impact be on the rest of the business if I won this contract?


7. Do we have the time to commit to putting a great proposal together?


8. Do we meet all of the essential selection criteria?


9. Do I have the cashflow to manage this project?


10. Is this contract going to be profitable to the business?


11. Do I really want to work with this company? Can I trust them?

Government is one of the major groups requesting business proposals. They also are some of the easiest to satisfy (if you know what there are looking for). Here are some of the key things Government buyers look for in successful business proposals.

Credibility & Proven Track Record
Can the company deliver what it says it will deliver in the required timeframes? What proof is included to demonstrate credibility?

Quality
What level of quality will be delivered? How is the quality of the goods or service monitored and maintained to ensure consisency?

Price
Contrary to popular belief tenders don't automatically go to the lowest price. After 15 working in government I can tell you that price is only one of the factors. If everything else is equal then price is the thing that decides the winner - but everything else must be equal.

Life cycle costs
Government buyers more than any other buyer look at the full life cycle cost of the item. That means they look at the cost to maintain and repair, estimated useful life and replacement costs.

Environment
Most governments are concerned about the environment. They want to know how a particular good or service will help (or at least not harm) the environment, and how any potential impacts on the environment will be managed.

Compliance
Specifications are written for a reason. Proposals are assessed strictly against those specifications. You must answer every criteria - missing none. If you have left information out, forgotten attachments or just ignored criteria your business proposal will head towards the bin faster than you can say "where did it go".

Timeliness
Government is a strange beast. You often get unreasonable deadlines, rush to put a tender in and then hear nothing for months. What happens behind the scene is the deadline is needed to meet particular internal budget deadlines or major meetings where total departmental funding gets thrashed out. If they miss the deadline it may be a year before they get another chance to get funding (if at all). You need to help them keep to their deadlines by meeting all requirements.

Standing out from other business proposals is an art form.

Your Words
It is not just what you say - but how you say it that is important.You may need a copywriter to help you polish your words for maximum results.

Remember to focus on benefits not features, highlight what makes your company better that your competitors and handle potential objections in advance.

Research
Well researched proposals stand out from the standard cookie cutter proposals submitted. Research the company, their needs and their priorities and tailor your business proposal to meet those needs.

Proof
Saying you can do something is one thing - being able to prove it with testimonials or other proof is another. Business proposals with proof stand out more than those without.

Layout and design
Clean, easy to follow layout and design makes reading a proposal easier. Selection panels appreciate that (after sitting on panels and reading through hundreds of business proposals I can tell you clean layout makes a difference!)

The basics
It is surprising how many people don't run a spell check over their business proposals (or have someone read over them before submitting them).If you can't pay attention to small details - what will you do the contract if you win it?

A note on gimmicks
Just a quick note - DON'T unless you are bidding for a gimmick contract. Gimmicks and gimmicky bindings don't fit into tender boxes, can't be copied so all members of the panel can see them and take up space.