Before you start writing the bid, draft the press release your client will issue after they select you as the winning bidder. Print it out on business card-sized ‘aide memoires’. Circulate these to your bid writers, sales team, senior stakeholders and supply chain partners.
“Why on earth would I do a strange thing like that?”, I hear you say.
This is why:
- Announcing your win before starting to write creates anticipation and excitement amongst stakeholders.
Much of winning is mindset. Confidence shines through a great proposal. A shared understanding of ‘Why’ you will win among your proposal, sales and commercial teams is a unifying factor – building confidence and ensuring message alignment throughout what is often a lengthy and high-pressure process. - Preparing the press release early clarifies key messages and benefits.
Developing your client’s press release ahead of time provides you with an opportunity to identify and lock down your key messages. Press releases are relatively short. No time for waffle. This is your opportunity to simplify, clarify and synthesise your core proposal. It’s the answer to the ‘Why Us?’ question. - Crafting this press release forces you to deeply understand your client’s needs and objectives, improving the quality of your tender.
This is not your press release. It’s your client’s press release. You are drafting it from their perspective. This forces you to consider what is most important to the client and their stakeholders. Do you know how the product/service you are bidding for fits into their wider business strategy? Do you know their senior stakeholder? You are putting yourself into your client’s shoes. You need crystal clarity – and that will only happen if you deeply understand your client’s drivers for this procurement. - It forces you to do your homework.
The research needed to create this press release enhances your understanding of your client’s needs, which directly improves your ability to meet those needs. The research doesn’t just form the basis of the press release, it informs your entire tender.
Press releases often use certain terminology or language reflecting the client’s specific industry or company culture. Incorporating this language into your tender can demonstrate that your company ‘speaks the same language’ and is more capable of fulfilling the client’s needs.
And then, when you do win the bid, it’s great fun to compare the press release that your client issues with the one you crafted all those months ago…
This article was written by Tricia Blatherwick in collaboration with AutogenAI’s General Language Engine 1.
This article was written by Tricia Blatherwick.
Tricia is the Chief Commercial Officer at AutogenAI and she has spent over 30 years working for some of the UK’s largest IT and Outsourcing companies, generating sales of more than £4 billion. She holds a degree in English Literature and an MBA in Strategic Discourse – and is passionate about the power of language – including business language – to motivate, inspire and create change in the world.
