Posted on 05-04-2011 at 07:30
Tender Writers
Tender Writing Techniques
Tender writing is often seen as a more upmarket version of selling. In fact many people often fail to see the similarities between good tender writing and good salesmanship, despite being involved in both. Whilst you don’t need the shiny brogues, the Ford Mondeo or an industrial sized pot of hair gel, you still need to know when to harness powerful selling skills to give your tender a winning edge.
Good salesmen are a rare breed. These are people who have thick skin, the gift of the gab, who can force themselves to believe in potato trees if it results in a signature on the dotted line. Whilst tender writing doesn’t require you to become quite so slick, stealing a few tips of the sales trade and applying them to your tenders will make a visible difference. After all, tenders are marketing documents. They are your route to customer and one of the few chances you have to convince a potential buyer that your company is up to the job. So what skills do good salesmen have that you can ‘borrow’ to give your tender that extra ‘gleam’?
Confidence – whilst Salesmen need to be confident in person, tender writers need to be confident in writing. Long, overly verbose sentences sound confused and weak whereas short, snappy and direct sentences betray confidence and knowledge. The latter is always better now that we have fully moved out of the Romantic era of writing.
You sell features, they buy benefits – it sounds cheesy and really, it is cheesy but ‘selling the sizzle, not the steak’ is an established, successful method of persuading your buyer that they need your product or service. Whilst RFP documentation usually presents the problem, and your tender should present the solution, emphasising how your product or service solves those problems and adds value rather than focusing on what your product or service is or does is certain to appeal to your buyer.
Differentiate to accumulate - Your product or service is likely to be similar to those of your closest competitors in the tender process. After all, that is why you are bidding for the same work. Yet good salesmen know how to differentiate their offering in the way they sell it. People buy from people, that’s a given. And whilst your client can’t buy from you because they like you, or you bought them something to eat at the golf course, they can perceive your company as more open, reliable, honest, trustworthy and of course, lower risk. This will increase your appeal to potential buyers without ‘buying’ them.
There are hundreds of tried and tested selling techniques and skills that can help to boost the quality of your tender. Always bear in mind your client, what they want and what they need and tailor your tender accordingly. And always remember that you are selling, no matter how far away from that writing tenders sometimes seems.
Good salesmen are a rare breed. These are people who have thick skin, the gift of the gab, who can force themselves to believe in potato trees if it results in a signature on the dotted line. Whilst tender writing doesn’t require you to become quite so slick, stealing a few tips of the sales trade and applying them to your tenders will make a visible difference. After all, tenders are marketing documents. They are your route to customer and one of the few chances you have to convince a potential buyer that your company is up to the job. So what skills do good salesmen have that you can ‘borrow’ to give your tender that extra ‘gleam’?
Confidence – whilst Salesmen need to be confident in person, tender writers need to be confident in writing. Long, overly verbose sentences sound confused and weak whereas short, snappy and direct sentences betray confidence and knowledge. The latter is always better now that we have fully moved out of the Romantic era of writing.
You sell features, they buy benefits – it sounds cheesy and really, it is cheesy but ‘selling the sizzle, not the steak’ is an established, successful method of persuading your buyer that they need your product or service. Whilst RFP documentation usually presents the problem, and your tender should present the solution, emphasising how your product or service solves those problems and adds value rather than focusing on what your product or service is or does is certain to appeal to your buyer.
Differentiate to accumulate - Your product or service is likely to be similar to those of your closest competitors in the tender process. After all, that is why you are bidding for the same work. Yet good salesmen know how to differentiate their offering in the way they sell it. People buy from people, that’s a given. And whilst your client can’t buy from you because they like you, or you bought them something to eat at the golf course, they can perceive your company as more open, reliable, honest, trustworthy and of course, lower risk. This will increase your appeal to potential buyers without ‘buying’ them.
There are hundreds of tried and tested selling techniques and skills that can help to boost the quality of your tender. Always bear in mind your client, what they want and what they need and tailor your tender accordingly. And always remember that you are selling, no matter how far away from that writing tenders sometimes seems.
