Palm West - How to Write the Value Proposition: A Guide to Winning Government Contracts

How to Write the Value Proposition

A Guide to Winning Government Contracts

West Palm Consulting LLC

Copyright 2016 by West Palm Consulting LLC. All Right Reserved.

Published by West Palm Consulting LLC

West Palm Consulting LLC Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If youre reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This eBook will introduce you to a simple process for developing a VALUE PROPOSITION that helps your company achieve the objective of winning government contracts. It provides proven strategies for creating a VALUE PROPOSITION that crushes the competition every time. This eBook takes the reader step by step through writing a VALUE PROPOSITION that is designed to convince the Government (buying organization) the particular product or service offered by your company adds more value or better solves a problem than other companies in the competition.

Get a winners perspective on writing a VALUE PROPOSITION, always a pressing challenge.

Step back, sort through, think creatively, reflect, re-invent, and experience writing a VALUE PROPOSITION from a whole new perspective.

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A VALUE PROPOSITION should consist of the sum total of Benefits your company promises the Government (buying organization) it will receive in return for the Governments (buying organization) associated payment (or other value-transfer).

A VALUE PROPOSITION should describe why the Government (buying organization) should buy a product or use a service from your company.

A VALUE PROPOSITION should be targeted towards a potential Government (buying organization) customer.

A VALUE PROPOSITION should be a clearly defined statement designed to convince the Government (buying organization) the particular product or service offered by your company adds more value or better solves a problem than other companies in the competition.

A VALUE PROPOSITION should be the responsibility of the CAPTURE LEAD, not the PROPOSAL MANAGER.

A VALUE PROPOSITION SHOULD BE COMPLETED for any opportunity in your companys Pipeline.

The best VALUE PROPOSITIONS are developed collaboratively with the Government (buying organization).

A VALUE PROPOSITION should only be prepared after a solution is chosen.

A VALUE PROPOSITION should establish the value basis for a business relationship between your company and the Government (buying organization).

A VALUE PROPOSITION should describe how your companys solution will improve the Governments (buying organization) business and how that improvement will be measured.

Government buyers (executives or economic, end users, and technical buyers) have different Issues and Values. Always prepare a different VALUE PROPOSITION for each type of Government buyer.

State the total added value of all VALUE PROPOSITIONS in a single VALUE PROPOSITION statement. For Example:

The <Government (buying organization) name> will realize <quantified business improvement> by purchasing <your companys solution> for a total investment of <cost>. Beginning <implementation date>, the improvement in <specific business process or function> will achieve an economic payback in <timeframe>.

Saving time, reducing costs, and having multiple members of a pursuit team (business development, capture, and proposal members) with different levels of expertise working together are common worries that affect proposal managers every day. One method that has proven success is the use of templates.

A template is: A document your company can use to provide visual and cognitive continuity for a compelling VALUE PROPOSITION. A VALUE PROPOSITION template is a framework for content with a standard look and feel.

Creating new VALUE PROPOSITION documents for every opportunity your company approaches can waste valuable time and money. Instead, focus on an original, internal VALUE PROPOSITION template that can be utilized for a variety of pursuits.

The way to ensure a VALUE PROPOSITION is valuable and correct every time is by designing and using a template. A template acts as an outline to follow when developing a VALUE PROPOSITION. A good VALUE PROPOSITION template provides many benefits, such as:

A VALUE PROPOSITION template increases flexibility: Templates actually increase flexibility, theyre easy to update, and they provide consistency across all pursuits. They can be improved regularly to meet technological and Government (buying organization) requirements and needs. Templates are easily tracked and can be updated.

A VALUE PROPOSITION template is easy to use: Having access to a VALUE PROPOSITION template gives team members (business development, capture, and proposal members) the flexibility of being able to choose from a diverse set of preconfigured interactions, without needing to rewrite anything. It gives team members more power, more choices, and much more independence. Basically, it makes it possible for a large number of team members to contribute.

A VALUE PROPOSITION template provides consistency and uniformity to the process: Standardization is a vital part of any pursuit. This helps team members (business development, capture, and proposal members) know how to navigate and provide the correct information. Proposals can differ in how points are presented, leaving every team member to individually decide on the display of critical information. A VALUE PROPOSITION template allows for a constant form. It also keeps language succinct. Often, templates provide limited space for text, which enables team members to trim excessive words. Filling a VALUE PROPOSITION template with content that is to-the-point and crucial to the Government (buying organization) will increase the Governments (buying organization) willingness to work with your company in the future. A VALUE PROPOSITION template ensures the same points and details are related every time. Theres no need to worry about missing information or what was done or not done previously.

A VALUE PROPOSITION template reduces rework time: Having a template ready to go means team members (business development, capture, and proposal members) will not have to waste time building or creating a template from scratch. Team Members will simply use the VALUE PROPOSITION template they need according to the requirements, and use it over and over again!

A VALUE PROPOSITION template speeds-up completion time: A template allows team members (business development, capture, and proposal members) to produce proposals in a small fraction of the time it would take to do traditionally (using a template saves at least 50% on labor costs and up to 75% on milestone schedules, consistently, and so on). A template is the perfect solution when team members need to get a proposal delivered quickly. Instead of rewriting entire documents each time theyre needed, templates enable a document to be created once and then reused over and over again. The only difference from document to document is the specific information being provided. This saves valuable time and money, because team members no longer have to reinvent the wheel when they work. All they have to do is open the VALUE PROPOSITION template and start providing the required information.