Are you working in a proposal factory?

Are you working in a proposal factory?

Working in consultancy, cold proposals for ITTs and RFPs can feel like a production line when you're:

⇢ Sending out for pizza 🍕
⇢ Writing all through the night 🌙
⇢ Submitting last minute via a portal 🤮

Cold proposals are a soul-crushing, ineffective way to sell. ITTs make stakeholders inaccessible, devalue intellectual horsepower, and favor incumbents. Clients typically buy from those they already know and trust.

To win, you'll need face-to-face conversations to:

⇥ Position your value 💶
⇥ Discuss outcomes and results 🎯
⇥ Understand the decision-makers 👥

Proposals should document agreed outcomes, not serve as a marketing document and your first interaction.

ITTs are packed with administrivia and process-driven requirements. Often, they lack meaningful objectives and are focused on compliance and competitive pricing—treating your expertise like office supplies.

With many vendors in the mix, your long proposal is unlikely to be fully read—just the price and maybe the summary.

If you're stuck working late, eating pizza, and submitting last-minute proposals, ask yourself why.

The odds are against you, and there's a better way. Stop playing the ITT game and learn how to sell to real decision-makers.

===