Posted by BJ on 20 January, 2010 under Musings | 
I’ve often said to Jon, an expert on wines, that I believed any effect using a certain shape wine glass for a particular wine had on the taste of the wine was all in the drinker’s head. My belief was confirmed in the book Predictably Irrational (Dan Ariely, Harper).
The book states, “If you’re really serious about your wine, you may want to go all out and purchase the glasses that are specific to burgundies, chardonnays, champagnes, etc. Each type of glass is supposed to provide the appropriate environment, which should bring out the best in these wines (even though controlled studies find that the shape of the glass makes no difference at all in an objective blind taste test, that doesn’t stop people from perceiving a significant difference when they are handed the “correct glass”). Moreover, if you forget the shape of the glass really has no effect on the taste of the wine, you yourself may be able to better enjoy the wine you consume in the appropriately shaped fancy glass.”
I think this is similar to the effects of good proposal packaging. That is, though points are not typically awarded for appearance and packaging, when reviewing a proposal which is professional in appearance and packaged in a way that makes it easy to handle and review, the reviewer will be inclined to be less critical of the content and award a higher score.
I wonder if we could get Mr. Ariely to conduct a controlled study to prove this (though I’d guess it wouldn’t work to well having the reviewers blindfolded :-) ).
Posted by Jon on 18 January, 2010 under APMP & accreditation, Processes & best practice |
Whilst presenting an APMP Foundation Level training course to a group before Christmas, I found myself getting frustrated by the negative spin that the examiners take on the “Learning review” process. What’s the point, according to the syllabus, of a lessons learnt process? It’s to “recognize systemic process issues and drive their resolution”; the aim is “to do better next time”.
It struck me that whoever developed this section of APMP’s competency framework must have had some pretty bad personal experiences running proposals. If the learning review is so negative – working from the assumption that so much went on that was wrong, that so many things need to be corrected – then it’s no wonder that it can be hard to secure people’s open, frank participation in the process. The working assumption underlying the “white review” would appear to be that the proposal team has just endured a soul-destroying journey into the valley of despair – and the inevitable risk is that those who do participate in the learning process will approach the exercise feeling defensive, confrontational and negative.
No, a learning review should be framed in a positive way. Look to celebrate what went well on the bid – those things you’d do again; the things that worked; the things you’d want other teams to try on their next proposal effort. And then – without attributing blame – look at what the team would have done differently (with the benefit of hindsight, even), or would want to approach in a different way the next time around. After all, even the most successful bids aren’t all plain sailing – and so many unsuccessful teams do so much cool stuff without quite getting across the finishing line in first place.
Posted by BJ on 14 January, 2010 under Word play & writing |
A book I turn to time and again as a reference is “Error Free Writing” (R. Cormier, Prentice Hall), which unfortunately, has been out of print for some time. While checking on an particular point of editing, I came across the following excerpt from The Editorial Eye. I think it does a great job of driving home the need for “plain language”.
As the story goes, a New York City plumber once wrote to the Bureau of Standards to report the success he had in using hydrochloric acid to clean out clogged drainpipes. Responding in typical government fashion, the bureau wrote, “The efficacy of hydrochloric acid is indisputable, but the corrosive residue is incompatible with metallic permanence.”
When the plumber wrote back to say how pleased he was that the bureau agreed with him, the bureau urgently responded, “We cannot assume responsibility for the production of toxic and noxious residue as a result of using hydrochloric acid and suggest you use an alternative procedure.”
This second letter made the plumber even happier with his discovery, so once again he wrote to say how glad he was that the bureau liked his idea. This time the bureau broke down and used plain language to warn the plumber: “Don’t use hydrochloric acid. It eats the hell out of the pipes.”
Plain language. A novel concept. Goes a long way towards fostering understanding.
Posted by Jon on 11 January, 2010 under Musings, Processes & best practice |
I just love this clip, from the BBC’s weekly round-up of technology news, ‘Click’. In it, reporter Dan Simmons ‘managed to break a mobile phone marketed as “unbreakable”, during a demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas’.
(Click here to watch the video on the BBC site).
Whilst this is merely a case of a product not performing quite to the advertised spec, I think it also serves as a healthy reminder that clients will sometimes check out the statements you make in your proposal. Clearly, proposal writers aim to put a positive spin on their organisation’s capabilities – but your claims do always need to be true, and capable of substantiation if queried or challenged.
Posted by Jon on 6 January, 2010 under Musings |
So, how do folks find their way here to the Proposal Guys? I guess most of you learn about the site from hearing us present at conferences or on courses, when you work with us in your organisations, or by word of mouth from your fellow proposal professionals.
Some arrive here from search engines, too. Here are a few of the terms that we’ve seen recently that we’d *expect* to have led people to us: “red team review”, “building strategic proposals”, “proposal training”, “writing bids”, “proposal bid management”, “bid qualification”, “best practice proposal” and ” blog about proposal writing”.
And then there are the slightly stranger ones. I’m guessing a few of the following explorers were a little disappointed when they ended up on our site – or just plain confused:
- “why guys propose”
- “forget lunch” (sadly far too common when deadlines loom)
- “what guys really mean”
- ” shoemaker tools of the trade” (?)
- “brevity is the essence of wit”
- “any unattended child will be given an espresso” (!!!)
- “married couple seeks same. woman must be pretty and sensual.”
- and my overall favourite: “should guys propose over Christmas” (I so hope there’s a recent happy story there!)
However you found us, a happy new year to you from both BJ and myself – and we hope you keep enjoying our little labour of love throughout the coming year!
Posted by Jon and BJ on 21 December, 2009 under Proposal Guys news, Proposal Panda, Word play & writing |
You know, it’s a very small step from “Impossible” to “I’m possible“. Here’s wishing you every happiness for the festive season, and hoping that you achieve every “possible” success in 2010.
We’ll be taking a seasonal break from posting for the next couple of weeks. See you back here at the very start of the new decade…
With very best wishes to all of our many readers
Jon and BJ – and Proposal Panda!
Posted by Proposal Panda on 18 December, 2009 under Proposal Panda |
When the Proposal Panda arrived in our Chicago headquarters, he was ready to work, but after a long, successful year of completing more than 500 proposal requests, our proposal team was looking for a little downtime to work on special projects that had put on the “back burner” all year long. The Proposal Panda debated that we must stay focused and find ways to learn from our experiences and conduct proposal debriefs during this time. We asked the Proposal Panda to pick a proposal so we could follow his lead. As you can see, he had a lot to choose from, and these are only the proposals that requested a hard copy binder!
After we conducted our proposal debrief, we could tell that the Proposal Panda was a bit tired and needed a break. One of the advantages of visiting this time of year is that Proposal staff can actually step away from their desk and have lunch! While determining where to head out for a bite to eat, Proposal Panda rested and enjoyed or magnificent views of the Chicago skyline.
While taking in the sites from up high, Proposal Panda immediately became intrigued by the “bean-like” sculpture in Millennium Park. Proposal staff quickly shared some history that the sculpture is really called the “Cloud Gate” and was created by British artist Anish Kapoor. The Proposal Panda was so excited and was ready to take a break and start seeing what the City of Chicago was all about!
The Proposal Panda showed his strength by getting a little crazy and lifted the 110-ton elliptical sculpture forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city’s famous skyline and the clouds above. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high; however, the weight and size is no match for the power of the Panda!
After we left the Millennium Park, the Proposal Panda was interested in seeing more architecture and sites of the City. We headed over to the Richard J. Daley Center which is Chicago’s premier civic center and features a massive sculpture by Pablo Picasso. Known by locals simply as “The Picasso,” this renowned sculpture was one of the first of many public art installations throughout Chicago.
During the holidays, the Daley Center features the Christkindlemarket. It is a popular exhibit and many Chicagoans will tell you they could not imagine the holidays in the city without it. The market features a unique shopping experience that includes German food and drinks and holiday entertainment.
The Panda’s favorite part of the market was the Christmas tree. In the past, the tree was made from 100 trees compiled together to make one massive tree. This year, a family in Palos Park, a suburb of Chicago, donated a tree from their backyard. The Proposal Panda was amazed by its size and magnitude. He got a little too excited and tried to pull some ornaments, but you can see the rope that is holding it up…primarily tied to the tree to avoid it from falling over from the Panda’s antics!
Proposal Panda reported that he thoroughly enjoyed his trip to Chicago and looks forward to visiting again when the weather is a bit warmer and he could maybe take in a Cubs game.
Proposal Panda travels the world visiting proposal professionals. Click here for more details. If you’d like Panda to visit you, just email us at panda@theproposalguys.com
