Simplifying Win Themes for your Proposal

With proposal management, knowing what to do to develop winning themes is A MUST. One of those things is to do your homework and research to understand your owner’s struggles and needs.

Do you know your owner’s top priorities? What would make your firm an easy decision in a competitive market? If you are looking to boost the odds of being shortlisted and win more work, then do the following: 

• ​Your win themes must be concise without forgetting to emphasize your strengths and put you one step ahead. 

• ​Research your owner and competitors. Get to know a firm that knows who you are and competing against. What makes THEM stand out from the other competitors?

• ​Helping your owner visualize how you can make things happen for them. Use evidence from your past experiences. If you reduced construction costs by 30% because you finished a project seven months early – say that in a win theme!  

Now, one last piece of advice. When developing the themes and sales messages in your proposal, do the following analysis: 

• ​Your win themes must be concise without forgetting to emphasize your strengths and put you one step ahead of the rest. 

• ​Research your owner and competitors. Get to know a firm that knows who you are and competing against. What makes THEM stand out from the other competitors?

• Problem  

• ​Solution

• ​Outcome

• ​Evidence

Understand what else is out there, identify your firm’s strengths over the competition, and ensure you deliver the message effectively and efficiently.  And there you go, the recipe for winning more work.