So you’ve written your bid and now you need to write your executive summary…but should you have written it first as many say you should or last so you know what to put in? What should you say; whom should you impress; and, is it just a contents page or something much more?

Arhhh!

It’s a quandary and you just don’t need the hassle when you’re trying to pull everything else together and get it published and printed and submitted on time. But did you know that,

You have only a very short period in which to grab your potential client’s attention from the time they first open your bid submission?

Decision making is a cognitive process in which your potential client will choose between the various proposals using thinking or feeling depending on their preferences. So you need to make an instant impact with the right impression to stand out from your competitors…and turning your dull and often dreaded Executive Summary into your truly Powerful Introduction connects and engages your potential client from the outset.

A little while ago, I reviewed a bid and started with the executive summary as you might expect…but I found my enthusiasm fading very fast indeed!

The opening statement was a “…thank you for inviting Haniwell Business Solutions…” (boring!) and it then went on to repeatedly say under each section heading “…in section 2.1 we will set out how we…in section 2.2 we will set out how we…” and so on for every section of the bid. Since nothing new or different was being said in the executive summary there was little point in continuing to read it and the first impression was not going to be a good one.

Your Powerful Introduction needs to be your best advertisement of what you do and it’s your opportunity to introduce your bid and what you can offer…when you think like that, it will change the way you approach it forever.

Have you ever watched an impressionist performing, perhaps one that isn’t too good, when they say who they are going to impersonate before they start? We instantly start thinking ‘oh, yes that’s so and so’ when often it doesn’t sound anything like the person they’re trying to be. But the trick is by saying it to you first they’ve already programmed your mind to accept that what they say is right.

So if I wanted to give some bad news and started by saying, ‘you’re not going to like this…’ or I wanted a happier response and said, ‘ oh, a funny thing happened today…’ you would already be in the frame of mind I wanted before I started to tell you my story.

Your Powerful Introduction needs to engage your potential client from the outset, provide clear insight into your understanding of their problems and outline the solutions you’ve devised to achieve their goals.

That ‘thinking or feeling’ process your client uses is the same way in which we decide whether to buy…our decisions are based on emotion and then we use logic to back them up. So what emotional response do you want to produce in your potential client when they read your introduction that will make them want to buy from you?

You only have one chance to make a first impression, so what impression do you want to make?

Our Group is Growing!

Lots of you have already downloaded your free guide, ‘Are You Bidding to Win or Bidding to Lose?’ If you’ve got your copy you’ll have read about the Three Keys that are essential to ensure every bid you write is outstanding time and time again

Good news…you’re already ahead of the game!

So, if you’re a Director or senior manager responsible for managing, writing and winning bids and you want to be more successful don’t miss out…go to www.visiontdm.co.uk and sign up for your free copy now.

When you’ve downloaded your copy you’ll find some Action Steps to help you start to make immediate changes to your bid culture…and when you keep on taking the Action Steps you will keep on improving your approach to bidding and achieve even greater bid success.

You’ll also receive some supporting emails over the next 9 weeks that contain more valuable information, useful free tools and some great offers that will reinforce this strategic approach for even better results…so don’t delay, click here www.visiontdm.co.uk now!

Top Tip
Ditch that dull, tied and boring Executive Summary in favour of a Powerful Introduction that sets the scene for your bid and lifts your potential client’s spirits and shouts…

…yes, we know how to fix your problem and we’ve got the right solutions so you can achieve what you want to…pick us!

Oh, and don’t forget to download your copy of ‘Are You Bidding to Win or Bidding to Lose?’ so you can change your bid culture for the better, today…please share your experiences through us so we can all continue to learn for even greater bidding success.

Until next time…happy bidding!

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