Capture and Proposal Development Courses

(click on a course for a detailed description)

• PROP 100: Bid and Propsal Process Development

  • Course Description: A must for proposal development professionals. This one-day session details the major components of a proven internal B&P process for Government procurements and acquisitions. Topics include: market sector segmentation criteria; opportunity identification and tracking; opportunity screening and target selection; accurate competition monitoring and assessment; bid-no bid procedures; strategic teaming; RFP analysis techniques; site visit and pre-proposal conference protocols; proposal development planning and process (execution); proposal organization and required resources and assets; review teams; graphics development and final production. Extensive Q&A.
  
  

• PROP 101: Proposal Training

  • Course Description: This two-day session provides hands-on application of real time techniques and simulations using actual RFP to include: RFP requirements definition; compliant summary and annotated outlines; development of compliance matrices; preparation of RFP Evaluation Factors Scoring Tree; theme and discriminator development; development of proposal organization and assignments; preparation of draft storyboards and RFP work packages; moving from outlines to proposal text; development of graphics; and application of proven proposal management tools and techniques. Opportunities for one-on-one mentoring.
    Prerequisite(s): PROP 100 (required)
  
  

• PROP 102: Preparing a Winning Executive Summary

  • Course Description: This one-day session trains your most talented writer(s) on how to research, prepare, draft and publish a compelling Executive Summary. Topics include: summarizing the most powerful features and benefits of your proposal; developing the story line, conveying the Value Proposition; articulating your company's Offer Design and major selling points; displaying selection rationale; and setting forth promises and commitments that will resonate with evaluators. We also offer helpful hints on page layout and design for the Executive Summary.
    Prerequisite(s): PROP 101 (required)
  
  

• PROP 103: Creating "Killer Graphics" for Government Proposals

  • Course Description: This one-day session examines the elements of key "killer graphics" to illustrate your technical and management approach and deliver your sales message home. Compelling formats and templates are reviewed and suggestions made for matrices, tables, process flows, diagrams, sidebars, theme boxes, major selling points, resumes, experience/past performance, tabs, and covers.
    Prerequisite(s): PROP 101 (required)
  
  

• PROP 110: Briefing Seminar—Major Government Procurement Lessons-Learned

  • Course Description: This two-hour session highlights lessons learned on major government procurements over the past 20 years. KSI reviews the good, bad and ugly of important government proposal efforts both successful and unsuccessful. Particular emphasis is placed on what went wrong—and what your company can do to avoid the mistakes of the past. We review elements of both "good" and "bad" RFPs. We highlight both best practices and common mistakes made in getting organized, making bid decisions, teaming, strategy development, customer relations, compliance, packaging, and proposal production. We review a range of potential "red flags" and offer some practical suggestions for recognizing when your company has already been "out-marketed" by your competition. We give sound, real-world tips on what to do, and what not to do, in order to be successful in the government marketplace.
  
  

• PROP 201: Capture Management Training

  • Course Description: This one-day session is a must for business development and marketing professionals maintaining leadership positions in pursuit of Government business. Topics include: duties and responsibilities of capture managers; selling to the Government; procurement integrity guidelines and range of permissible contacts with Government personnel; profiling Government decisionmakers; Government requirements definition; pros and cons of competing business models; development of the "Profile of the Notional Winner," constructing a compelling "Offer Design to Win," articulating your company's "value proposition" and selection rationale; conducting "gap analyses" to determine competitive strengths and vulnerabilities; forming strategic alliances with industry partners; promoting goodwill and enhancing the visibility of your bid; developing win strategies and capture plans; performing risk analysis; preparing the internal business case; developing coalitions of support within your company; assessing realistic win probabilities; preparing for negotiations; and sealing the deal. Extensive Q&A.
    Prerequisite(s): PROP 101 (recommended); PROP 201 (recommended)
  
  

• PROP 210: Briefing Seminar—Twenty Most Common Mistakes Made by Incumbent Contractors

  • Course Description: This two-hour session examines the reasons for why many companies fail at "must-win" opportunities where they are the performing incumbent contractor. KSI examines the root causes that underlie common shortfalls in operations, corporate support, customer relations and customer service, business development and proposal development. We examine major factors contributing to so-called complacency, overconfidence, myopic thinking, technical arrogance, and inertia. We provide typical warning signs that all is not well and offer practical tips to prevent falling prey to these pitfalls. Also, KSI tells you what to look out for when considering forming a strategic alliance with an incumbent contractor.
  
  

• PROP 220: The Win Team Concept for Proposal Reviews

  • Course Description: This one-hour session sets forth an entirely new paradigm for proposal reviews, including Pink and Red Teams. Too often, typical proposal reviews lack rigor, fail to provide meaningful guidance, occur too late in the process, and leave the proposal team dispirited and disorganized. KSI's Win Team Concepts provides the necessary independent review, but without the emotionalism and destruction that often accompany traditional reviews. We offer concrete hints and tools to conduct a thorough review of the document while inspiring the proposal team on to victory. Forms and detailed procedures accompany the seminar.
  
  

Business Development Courses

(click on a course for a detailed description)

• BZDV 100: How to Gain & Retain Clients—Establishing Trust, Respect & Likability Fast

  • Course Description: No one ever chooses to do business with someone they dislike or don't trust and respect. During this session attendees learn how to build and manage relationships resulting in business growth due to quickly establishing trust, respect and likability. This is critical to achieve as in all technical fields such as finance, engineering, architecture, IT, law and accounting, only about 15% of financial success is due to technical knowledge, while 85% is due to these human engineering skills. Takeaways include learning about case studies from over 25 years working with professional service firms successfully growing their businesses, tactical tips to build lasting and beneficial relationships, and human relationship truths to apply when trying to gain and retain clients and employees in any situation.
  
  

• BZDV 101: New Business Presentations—Wooing Prospects & Winning Business

  • Course Description: In all orals presentation situations ask why one professional service firm was selected over another and the typical refrain is: "They were our kind of people. They understood our business. We knew we could work with them. In a nutshell, they spoke our language!" This session has resulted in large wins for KSI Institute clients. We work with the presentation team from start to finish as an oral coach or at any juncture during the process to secure new business. Takeaways include learning how to determine audience hot buttons so they select your firm, how to evaluate needs and understanding what drives decision makers, tailoring the presentation to fit culture and circumstances, and demonstrating team solutions and coming together as a team to build camaraderie.
  
  

• BZDV 102: Business Golf Basics or "The Golden Rules"—Avoiding Business Golf Blunders

  • Course Description: These sessions demonstrate that golf is one of the most powerful business development and career advancing tools. Golf levels the playing field, brings in new business and creates alliances to deepen existing client relationships. Takeaways include: learning how to leverage golf to gain and retain clients, how to balance golf and family life while winning clients, playing career advantages, and hosting tournaments and maximizing sponsorships.