How do you use storytelling and evidence to persuade and influence the bid decision makers?

Research and communication are essential to telling a story that addresses the client's concerns. I remember a kickoff meeting for a town with a traffic problem. It seems there were a lot of car accidents at an intersection so they put out a bid for a feasibility study to determine if a roundabout would solve the problem. Another company had prepared a traffic report so we had their data, but we had something more powerful - a firsthand experience. One of the engineers lived in the area and traveled that road every day. He knew what people did because they wanted to beat the light or get around a school bus. The affect of the early morning and late afternoon sun in driver's eyes. We used the report and his insights to tell our story.

What is also crucial , in addition to researching your audience is also to research your competitors and do your homework on their offerings .Elaborate on how you are different and how you can offer an edge over the competitor/s and why the client should choose you over other players ! It would also help to club what value adds your product/ solution can offer !

Storytelling is an art which every person requires in his job or profession. Before we start writing story we need to have a clear vision of client's needs and what is important for them. We should have complete grip of who would be the final approvers/Decison Makers, Roles, Preferences, Needs, Aims, Challenges, Tools Affinities and Objectives. Also, what is the crucial pain points which keep the customer awake, Motivations and most important Challenges with the present situation. Highlighting of your own differentiators and Discriminators with customizing/personalizing each statement to the specific needs; addressing any questions with the proofs to solve concerns attached with it.

Before you start spinning your story, get to know the decision-makers. What are their roles, goals, challenges, and preferences? Discover what motivates and concerns them. This knowledge allows you to craft a story that resonates with their specific needs and interests. Address their potential objections and concerns directly. This approach not only personalizes your bid but also significantly increases its persuasive power.

Understanding your audience can be achieved through multiple means. The best way to paint a picture of the reader is to: 1) Do your research - Do some digging into the industry you are applying to. What language do they use? Are they more inclined to accept bids with a stronger visual presentation? Find out as much as you can about the contract you are applying for and mirror the language you have read. Remember that all of your claims must be substantiated with evidence. 2) Consider how you would respond to the bid if you were on the other side - Does it read well? Is it coherent? Do you respond to the story that you are telling throughout the response? If you answer "no" to any of these questions, go back and revisit your work.

Structure of any form and shape is important to get customer hooked to the Story. Like if you watch any movie we expect to follow logical sequence and capture all the main points with proper logic attached to it. We can make use of a framework for Bid Writing called 5 Cs of storytelling- Circumstance, Curiosity, Characters, Conversations, and Conflicts that captivate audiences’ interest. The art of telling a story includes unique concepts, characters, expressions, and visual presentation. Ensure that every element of your story has some value tied up with your client's mission, vision, objective, and offers. However our ultimate goal should be to bring your audiences closer to client.

Structure can be tricky. Many tend to lead with gravitas about how great they are but, empathy builds trust. Start there. Once you can demonstrate you understand a. The problem and b. How it makes them feel You can then move onto the narrative of solutions, always mindful that you are a partner not the commander. Statistics quantifying your capabilities are important for clients who operate from a logical space. However, even they decide based on feelings. Use client quotes and testimonials or - newspaper headlines and photos as appropriate (copyrights matter) to build the narrative. Well positioned graphics illustrating big picture elements of the path forward are essential. Emulate children's books for macro structure.

One of the most powerful ways to use evidence in proposals is through customer stories and quotes. This is a powerful way to prove that you can do what you say you can do - because a customer is providing proof they're happy with what you've done for them. It's always good to use quotes and stories that include data points and/or tangible benefits. If possible, you should use customers in similar industries and are of a similar size.

Third-party sources tend to be seen as more credible due to their independence. For example, if you are a management/tech consulting firm, use analyst data like Gartner's magic quadrant, IDC, and Forrester.

Every consumer wants to look for evidence/data to check authenticity claims of any product/service. Storytelling does the same and it is the most powerful technique where we support our story with credible evidence and facts to show we are best in class in product/service which also become easy with use analyst data firms like Gartner's Magic quadrant, IDC, and Forrester etc. We need to show in our testimonials, case studies, awards, Research, Accreditations etc. Important point is when we customize each evidence/data for each customer, each RFP and our service will make customer stand above the competition. We need to give competitive edge to customer for them to stand out from the other customers by showing pictorial diagrams.

If you want any movie to connect with audiences it is with the Emotions and Values. Connecting with audience emotionally makes a movie convey key message to audiences. In the similar manner in Bids also we need to connect with stakeholders and show that how the solution will have a positive impact on organization. We need to show evoke feelings like Curiosity, Trust etc. We need to illustrate the turnaround/impact and what results we have got after using product/service like Success stories and Testimonials. We should choose one theme which we should resonate with clients namely Productivity, quality, Innovation, Cost reduction, Technology etc.

Try to include testimonials from end users of your product/service as well as technical and economic buyers. If you don't have testimonials, user personas and user stories can be effective.

When you speak in person you engage the audience with gestures and facial expressions to get and keep their attention. On paper it's done with tables, charts and graphics. A word of caution, be natural. Don't shove a table or graphic on the page if it doesn't matter. There should be a flow. Imagine a conversation where someone keeps changing the subject or talks at a frenetic pace. A strong proposal is a good conversation.

While it may be easy to fall into the trap of using hyperbole or going down tangents in your writing, remember that your response to the RFP must be clear and, most importantly, concise. Your reader will recognize immediately when you are using hyperbole to compensate for a weak argument. Consider the following examples: 1) "We commit to supplying ten case workers for each day of the contract." 2) "We are proud to supply ten of our finest case workers to the aforementioned site for each day of the contract's duration". Acknowledging your pride about supplying case workers, calling them your "finest", and using the extra language missing from the first example are all features that are irrelevant and will go against your bid.

In any field once you have to convey any kind of message you need to clear, short and crisp. We need to only share essential information with decision makers for which we want them to remember our brand or organization with. Simple/Jargon Free and less of Technical language /Abbreviations will help reach key messages to the layman decision makers also. Same goes with using Short Sentences, Active Voice, Clear Headings, Subheadings, Bullet Points will help substantiate finer nuances to them. Using a coherent and Consistent style and a single tone throughout RFP response document will tilt the scale towards winning of such response. Basics like proofreading whole document will make you a formidable player in whole schema of things.

Don't be afraid to (respectfully) challenge your client/prospective client. What have they missed? What lessons learned from other clients can you share with your prospective client?

Companies try engaging and Inspiration so that customer buys their product/service same goes well with the Proposal also so that decision makers chose the solution sold by you. Passion and enthusiasm describing the benefits of the solution in response for proposal with proper understanding of their needs and expectations becomes pivotal. A proper hook to grab the attention and interact with story which you are telling them becomes important. Everywhere we should convey to them that we are the best partner for their project/RFP and that we can deliver the results they desire. Work as a strategic partner for further growth and increasing market share. Every step should you do should showcase what your solution can help them achieve.

Make sure storytelling doesn't end with the bid document submission - apply storytelling techniques to your presentation too. If you're a bid professional, this means coaching presentation teams on their delivery and state, as well as preparing content/messaging.

A good storyteller is one that describes what it’s like to deal with challenges as to how we dig deeper, work with scarce resources, make difficult decisions, take action despite risks and ultimately discover the truth for customer. We should position the problems in the foreground and then show how we will overcome them. When you tell the story of your struggles against real antagonists, decision makers will sees you as a Go- to person for any job.