Business Development for Professional Services (Summit Presentation to Queen's University)

Business Development
for Professional Services
Queen’s University, School of Business
09-20-2013
Peggy Steele
Principal, Summit Proposal Group Inc.
© Summit Proposal Group Inc. ("Summit") 2013. All Rights Reserved. 1

Agenda
• Round‐Table Introductions
• Business Development Lifecycle – Theory, Best Practices
1. Market Research
2. Capture Management
3. Proposal Management
4. Relationship Management
• Case Studies – Your Project Proposals

Profile – Peggy Steele
• 14 years of consulting experience:
• Market Research and Strategy
• Capture and Proposal Management
• Procurement Advisory
• Business Planning and Strategy
• Business Process Reengineering
• IM/IT Strategy
• Industries:  Public Sector (Specialization);
Financial Services; Technology; and Life
Sciences
• Global:  Canada (Specialization); US;
Australia; and European Union
• Queen’s University B.Com 1999
Experience

Overview: Business Development Lifecycle
Market Research Capture Management Proposal Management
RFP Release
Project Delivery
BP3‐2: Manage Proposals
Like a Project
BP3‐3: Thoroughly Plan
Content
BP3‐4: Run Structured
Reviews
BP3‐5: Use a Structured
Proposal Process
BP2‐1: Assess
Opportunities
BP3‐1: Plan for RFx
BP2‐2: Develop Capture
Strategies
Plans
BP1‐1: Conduct Historical
Market Research
BP1‐2: Conduct Forward‐
Looking Market Research
Relationship Management
BP1‐3: Conduct Market
Research Annually
 Regularly Identify, Monitor Opportunities
 Business Development is a Cross‐Practice
Responsibility

Part 1: Market Research

Market Research
Not This… But This…
• Pick what to win
• Typically includes:
• Historical Market
Research
• Forward‐Looking Market
Research

Market Research – Key Best Practices
• BP1‐1: Conduct Historical Market Research
• Top Vendors / Incumbents Matter – Do you really know who your
competitors are?
• Buying Patterns Matter – Do you really know what your clients’
preferences are?
• BP1‐2: Conduct Forward‐Looking Market Research
• Follow the Money – What are your clients’ key issues, priorities, and
opportunities?
• BP1‐3: Conduct Market Research Annually
• Findings change from year to year
• Multi‐year patterns are important

Part 2: Capture Management

Capture Management
• Position to win
• Opportunity Assessment
• Capture Strategy
• Capture Plan

Capture Management – Key Best Practices
• BP2‐1:  Assess Opportunities
• Combine market research (external analysis) with internal market
intelligence (staff) to define pipeline
• Make a “go / no‐go” decision:
• Can we win this? (Capability, Capacity, Client Relationship)
• Should we win this?  (Strategic Fit)
• BP2‐2: Develop Capture Strategies
• For each opportunity, identify the win strategy
• What discriminators and/or differentiators will you highlight?
• What competitor discriminators and/or differentiators will you downplay?

Capture Management – Key Best Practices
• BP 2‐3: Develop Capture Plans
• For each opportunity, identify the activities to build the client
relationship and position for the opportunity
• For example: client calls, presentations, and demos; establish vendor
partnerships; competitor acquisition(s); build or hire expertise; etc.

Part 3: Proposal Management

Proposal Management
• Plan to win
• Proposal Win Strategy
• Proposal Outline
• Proposal Writing
• Proposal Review
• Proposal Production &
Delivery
• Proposal Management

Proposal Management
• Consulting proposals vary significantly:
• Complexity – Corporate, Methodology, Business, Functional,
Technical, and/or Resource Requirements
• Size – Multiple Pages to Multiple Boxes
• Formats – PPT, Word, Multimedia

Proposal Management – Small Firm
Typically letter proposals, including:
• Who Describe the resources advising, managing, and/or
delivering the project (e.g. experience summaries, profiles,
and/or resumes).
• What Describe the in‐scope consulting services.
• When Describe the key project activities and milestones (e.g.
calendar, Gantt Chart).
• Where Describe the project location (e.g. client site, off‐site).
• Why Describe the key client issues and objectives behind the
project.
• How Describe any approaches and methodologies to be used
(e.g. SDLC).
• Cost Describe the cost (e.g. rate x LOE estimate), including any
assumptions.

Proposal Management – Big Firm
• BP3‐1: Prepare for RFx
• Typically ~80% RFX requirements are “common”
• If we have no insights into what the client will ask for, we should
question our win probability
• BP3‐2: Manage Proposals Like a Project
• Proposals = time‐compressed projects
• So, manage proposals like you would a project:
• Develop a Proposal Management Plan
• Communicate, Implement and Monitor Plan

Proposal Management – Big Firm
• BP3‐3: Thoroughly Plan Content
• Consider developing a section outline prior to drafting content
• Plan out sections (e.g. target page range, win themes, boilerplates vs.
net‐new content, visuals, relevant experience, external proof points
such as client quotations and industry rankings, etc.)
• BP3‐4: Run Structured Reviews
• Mandatory – Validates mandatory requirements are met
• Rated – Validates rated requirements are addressed to maximize score
• BP3‐5: Use a Structured Proposal Process
• Establish a CMM appropriate to your firm
• Aim to move from “compliant” to “high scoring” to “efficient” and,
finally, “consistently efficient”

Proposal Management – All Firms
Key Characteristics of Winning Proposals
Client Focussed Demonstrates understanding of ...
• Opportunity requirements
• Client current state issues
• Client future state objectives
Value Packed • Clearly communicate benefits of selecting vendor
Succinct • Clear, concise proposal
Visually
Appealing
• Well formatted
• Rich in visuals (e.g. figures, tables)
• Consistent look‐and‐feel
A proposal is an opportunity to build relationship, brand.

Part 4: Relationship Management

• Become a trusted
advisor
• Pre‐Delivery Relationship
Development
• Delivery Relationship
Development
• Post‐Delivery Relationship
Development

• BP4‐1: Proactively build, maintain strong relationships with
existing and target clients
• Clients buy based on who they trust to deliver
• “Trusted Advisor” relationships can help firms:
• Avoid business development lifecycle (e.g. directed)
• Shorten business development lifecycle (e.g. project extensions,
amendments)
• Influence business development lifecycle (e.g. shape RFP requirements)
• There are no shortcuts; trust can only be fostered over time, with
effort (e.g. being in the trenches with clients)
• Even after delivery, keep in contact with the clients – stay top‐of‐mind
(e.g. catch‐up emails, helpful articles)

Recap: Business Development Lifecycle
Market Research Capture Management Proposal Management
RFP Release
Project Delivery
BP3‐2: Manage Proposals
Like a Project
BP3‐3: Thoroughly Plan
Content
BP3‐4: Run Structured
Reviews
BP3‐5: Use a Structured
Proposal Process
BP2‐1: Assess
Opportunities
BP3‐1: Plan for RFx
Strategies
Plans
BP1‐1: Conduct Historical
Market Research
BP1‐2: Conduct Forward‐
Looking Market Research
BP1‐3: Conduct Market
Research Annually
 Regularly Identify, Monitor Opportunities
 Business Development is a Cross‐Practice
Responsibility

Case Studies and Discussion

Contact Information
Peggy Steele
Principal, Summit Proposal Group Inc.
peggy.steele@summitproposalgroup.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/peggysteele
@peggy_steele | @SummitWins
© Summit Proposal Group Inc. ("Summit") 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the
prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions
Coordinator,” at: publications@summitproposalgroup.com.

Business Development for Professional Services (Summit Presentation to Queen's University)

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