Management mistakes
1. Do not switch to project mode
The classic error:
Think that you can manage a call for tenders like a usual commercial request, without organizing the management of the project.
Consequences:
A response strategy that is not well established, a lack of coordination to collaborate effectively, and an increased risk of missing deadlines.
Solution:
- Organize a kickoff meeting to build the team and define roles. You need a manager, assisted by expert contributors.
- Plan in a calendar all follow-up meetings and milestones, for Follow the progress and avoid overtaking.
2. Entrusting it to the wrong person
The classic error:
Entrust the responsibility of the project to a salesperson who is not the most competent or to a competent salesperson who does not have enough time or is not motivated by the challenge.
Consequences:
The quality of the response will necessarily be impacted, with a great risk of error. In the long run, this can have a negative impact on your image with the customer. If the salesperson is not motivated or lacks time, the quality will suffer.
Solution:
To answer for the sake of answering is to have every chance of losing. Form the response team based on their motivation for the project. Select the team based on their skills precise about the client's project.
💡 Tip: a bonus for winning can make a difference.
3. Wait until the last moment to apply
The classic error:
Send your application At the last minute and get eliminated before even participating.
Consequences:
Stress can lead to mistakes or simply make you forget a key piece of the case. For example, a poor Internet connection at the last minute may prevent your offer from being submitted. Not to mention that a late submission can also give the impression of a lack of organization and preparation.
Solutions:
Apply as soon as possible to impress the customer, and avoid a last-minute mistake. Set an internal deadline at least 48 hours prior to the official submission date This makes it possible to manage the unexpected and to review the offer in a serene manner.
4. Do not communicate with the customer
The classic error:
Do not call or exchange messages with the buyer, before or during tenders.
Consequences:
Your company will not be well identified in the mind of the buyer. Your competitors who have done this work will leave with a positive assumption.
Solutions:
- Call the buyer upon receipt of the file to present yourself.
- Ask relevant questions on the specifications to show your expertise. It's a great opportunity to create a relationship.
- Also call the buyer after submitting your application or of the final file to confirm its good reception.
5. Underestimating internal response times
The classic error:
Think that your legal department or technical experts will be available in a few hours to give you their opinion on the case.
Consequences:
One Disorganization of the schedule and critical points that may be detected too late.
Solutions:
- Solicit the interlocutors earliest,
- Block the calendarsWell in advance
- Integrate safety margins in your schedule.
6. Do not anticipate the submission time on the platforms
The classic error:
Believe that sending a file on a submission platform will only take a few minutes. Not to mention the electronic signature that may be required.
Consequences:
You can simply miss the bid submission deadline. Platforms are sometimes complex, and technically fickle (browsers not compatible, electronic signature problems,...)
Solutions:
Create your account on the submission platform as soon as possible. Ensure that all of your electronic signature certificates are up to date by testing.
7. Forgetting to send a document
The classic error:
After days of work, ideas are not always clear. A response document is quickly forgotten.
Consequences:
Your offer may be automatically rejected for non-compliance.
Solutions:
Use a detailed checklist of all required documents. Proceed with a double check by two separate persons before submitting the offer.
Substantive errors in tenders
Do not standardize the analysis of specifications
The classic error:
Make a parses subjective nature of the call for tenders, without precise and invariable criteria.
Consequences:
You may miss critical points, making your answer incomplete, or irrelevant.
Solutions:
Create a permanent reading grid to identify all critical points and requirements. Define the blocking criteria well, and above all, stick to them.
2. Ignoring the rules of the game, including the selection criteria
The classic error:
Do not adapt your offer to the selection criteria
Consequences:
If you don't clearly meet the criteria, it's a waste of time.
Solutions:
The selection criteria are fundamental and should be the guiding principle of your response. Your answer should be constructed according to these criteria.
3. Mispositioning your price on the market
The classic error:
Set a price that is too high - or too low - in relation to market expectations.
Consequences:
In public tenders, price is always an important criterion. A price that is too high will cause you to lose points.
For private tenders, a price that is too low can devalue your offer. For example, offering a lower than average price can be scary.
Solution:
- Try to know the positioning of your competitors.
- Be in sync with the expectations and standards of the sector
- especially Justify your prices, including explicitly: why are you cheaper? Why are you more expensive?
4. Respond to the questionnaires hastily
The classic error:
Neglecting the quality of answers to the questionnaires and associated comments.
Consequences:
The client may perceive a lack of motivation or competence. For example, vague or generic answers will make a bad impression in preparation for a defense.
Solution:
- Take care of your answers and demonstrate your expertise.
- Personalize each answer based on specific questions
- Rely on concrete examples of previous projects.
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5. Use a generic response plan
The classic error:
Do not structure your response in such a way as to cover the customer's requirements point by point.
Consequences:
You give the customer a hard time analyzing your offer, which will inevitably penalize you. Annoying the customer is never good!
Solution:
Follow scrupulously the plan and the requirements of the specifications. Use titles and subtitles corresponding to the sections of the specifications for facilitate reading and the evaluation of your offer.
6. Provide irrelevant customer references
The classic error:
Use generic customer references, in remote business sectors.
Consequences:
The customer may have doubts about your ability to complete the project. Non-specific references will necessarily be less credible and relevant.
Solutions:
Use relevant references, on projects similar in terms of size, complexity and sector of activity, which demonstrate your know-how.
7. Do not explain your competitive advantages
The classic error:
Think that your competitive advantages are obvious.
Consequences:
The customer may not perceive the added value of your offer, reducing your chances of success.
Solutions:
- Write black on white your competitive advantages
- Connect them according to customer needs.
- Emphasize your know-how specific or innovative technologies, with concrete examples of success.
8. Answer “yes” to everything
The classic error:
Accept all customer terms and requirements without challenging the specifications, or propose alternatives and improvements.
Consequences:
The customer may have doubts about your expertise. Saying yes to an unrealistic requirement can compromise the quality of the project, especially if all of your competitors have refused or commented.
Solution:
Be critical about the expression of customer needs, Suggest alternatives or improvements explaining why they would be beneficial.
9. Neglecting long-term follow-up
The classic error:
Think that it is enough to meet the need at the moment without projecting into the future on a long-term collaboration.
Consequences:
The customer may have doubts about your commitment. The lack of follow-up may suggest that you are opportunistic and disinterested in long-term results.
Solutions:
Detail the measures and resources allocated to ensure the long-term success of the project. Suggest regular steering committees and performance monitoring indicators.
10. Play it safe when you're not a favorite
The classic error:
Give a stereotypical, overly academic answer.
Consequences:
Your offer may seem trivial and not very innovative, and will not leave a lasting impression on the customer. If your competitors have a better reputation, you will not be retained, unless you have cut prices.
Solutions:
- Take calculated risks by offering innovative or daring solutions when you are not the favorite.
- Innovate on the solutions proposed,
- Suggest free additional services,
- Put forward new technologies.
Form errors in tenders
1. Neglecting the visual impact of your proposal
The classic error:
Use dull colors, dated fonts, outdated layouts.
Consequences:
A lousy presentation is almost eliminating. Remember that 50% of a customer's decision is based on form and other subjective criteria.
Solutions:
Invest time in a polished visual presentation, with a clear graphic charter and quality visuals. If necessary, use a marketing agency for this.
2. Wanting to say too much without distinguishing the essential
The classic error:
Writing a dissertation that is too long and indigestible.
Consequences:
A document that is too verbose is boring. The customer won't remember the key points, which will dilute the impact of your proposal.
Solutions:
- Put yourself in the buyer's shoes.
- Use summaries And Bullet Points to facilitate quick comprehension.
- If you have 100 pages of content, Summarize in 20 pages with your strengths, and put everything else in an appendix.
3. Give the impression of an anonymous and impersonal team
The classic error:
Don't personify the answer by forgetting to mention the key people on your team.
Consequences:
Regardless of the technical quality, the customer must have guarantees on the professionalism of those who will wear it. The absence of biographies of key contacts (business manager, project manager, operational manager, etc.) can give the impression of an unstable or inexperienced team.
Solutions:
Always include a presentation of key team members, with their experiences and roles in the project. Make mini biographies with photos.
4. Do not follow the buyer's imposed response format
The classic error:
Do not follow the formatting specifications requested by the purchaser. Often this is not voluntary, but a simple omission can be costly.
Consequences:
99% elimination, especially in the public sector. Exceeding the page limit or using the wrong file format may result in immediate disqualification.
Solutions:
Strictly comply with format requirements response (page limit and format). Note carefully on your memory - in red, bold, underlined - the expected limitations.
5. Copy and paste an old tender
The classic error:
The good old lazy copy and paste, which all salespeople know by heart.
Consequences:
If the customer realizes it, your image will necessarily be degraded. Not to mention the classic and infinitely embarrassing hit of the name of a former client who is left lying around...
Solutions:
Frankly, apart from using Tenderbolt AI, you can't see.
6. Do a technical dissertation that is too long
The classic error:
Write an excessively long technical brief, thinking that an exhaustive answer will impress the customer.
Consequences:
The buyer, pressed for time, will not read your entire memory. The important points will be drowned out in the mass of information. It also gives the feeling that you are not able to synthesize.
Solutions:
Aim for conciseness. 30 to 50 pages maximum.
- Use appendicess for technical details,
- Give preference to diagrams, tables and infographics.
7. Forget the executive summary
Error detail:
Force the buyer to read your entire proposal, without offering them a global and summarized vision.
Consequences:
The customer is not going to quickly grasp the strengths. Again, you're diluting the impact of your speech and minimizing your chances of winning.
Solutions:
Insert a summary on page 1 to illustrate the strengths of your proposal on one page. As a bonus: also include a cover letter signed by your CEO that will show your commitment.