The Business Acquisition Process “IF YOU ARE NOT GROWING YOU ARE DYING!” - Dr. Jack Kasarda and Others

The Problem Statement Low diversity of revenue Capture process inconsistent Multiple new business paths Alignment of roles & accountability varies and is at times unclear “The Company believes the core strategy of maintaining the quality of existing programs, growing those existing programs and bringing in new programs is sound. What is the most effective way to do those things is the question.” -President 2012 revenue 100% 41%

Successful Business Capture Rate Scale 0-24% - low score 25-49% - mediocre 50-79% - “in the zone” % - extremely good (could indicate overly cautious capture criteria) * % 0-24% % % Current capture rate – 17% Your Rate 10% contract 21% organic *Washington Technology

Types of Company Procurements New Programs 1.Push - Develop new program idea and “sells” to client 2.Pull – Client defines requirement and we submit proposal in response to RFP 3.Sometimes we are prime, other times subcontractor Cheeks in Seats 1.Client responsible for ID and recruitment of all participants 2.Client responsible for some/we are responsible for some 3.We are responsible for ID and recruitment of all participants All follow the same generic process

The Business Acquisition Process Intelligence GatheringCustomer Engagement & Communication Requirements Definition & Refinement Bid & ProposalContract & Keep It Sold Purpose Understand the market Contact potential customers Decision makers Influencers Users Understand product desirability Understand Most Important Requirements – MIR’s Validate decision makers, influencers & users Align product with customer needs Determine gaps & shortfalls Determine partnering & supplier strategy Establish proposal/pricing strategy Submit proposal & pricing Answer Cr’s/Dr’s Negotiate Execute Inquire & refine Actions Align product to potential market Customer Need Create customer contact plan Create key messages – features/benefits/ measures Refine/validate intelligence gathering Define MIR’s Define decision maker, needs and budget Define procurement & contracting approach Align key messaging and MIR’s with proposal strategy Identify & communicate with champion Write & submit proposal Respond to inquiries Adjust to changes Adjust to final SOW & budget Execute go plan Establish & use customer feedback system Attributes Focus on analysis & data mining Alignment of strategy/product/ Messaging Mapping & measuring Focus on the 5 W’s Is it real? Increasing specific communication with champion Provide specific support to champion Fast, specific, precise, internal communication Broad communication with influencers & decision makers Focus on actions incorporated not score Balance customer value & experience (lean towards value) Refine messaging

Messaging Aligns your value to the customer’s requirements in a justifiable way…evaluation criteria or decision maker’s most important requirements All messaging includes: Feature – Benefit - Value Our Log21 students have reduced costs in their organization by an average of $3M within one year after completion of the class

Most Important Requirements A significant driver to the program’s success or failure but most likely not in the evaluation criteria Generally cultural, behavioral, political or budgetary

Champions Users, influencers or decision makers that have personal energy around the success of your program and have the passion to make it happen.

The Business Acquisition Process Intelligence GatheringCustomer Engagement & Communication Requirements Definition & Refinement Bid & ProposalContract & Keep It Sold Purpose Understand the market Contact potential customers Decision makers Influencers Users Understand product desirability Understand Most Important Requirements – MIR’s Validate decision makers, influencers & users Align product with customer needs Determine gaps & shortfalls Determine partnering & supplier strategy Establish proposal/pricing strategy Submit proposal & pricing Answer Cr’s/Dr’s Negotiate Execute Inquire & refine Actions Align product to potential market Customer Need Create customer contact plan Create key messages – features/benefits/ measures Refine/validate intelligence gathering Define MIR’s Define decision maker, needs and budget Define procurement & contracting approach Align key messaging and MIR’s with proposal strategy Identify & communicate with champion Write & submit proposal Respond to inquiries Adjust to changes Adjust to final SOW & budget Execute go plan Establish & use customer feedback system Attributes Focus on analysis & data mining Alignment of strategy/product/ Messaging Mapping & measuring Focus on the 5 W’s Is it real? Increasing specific communication with champion Provide specific support to champion Fast, specific, precise, internal communication Broad communication with influencers & decision makers Focus on actions incorporated not score Balance customer value & experience (lean towards value) Refine messaging Cheeks in Seats Push Pull

Attributes for Success Team focused on the capture of business A clear and repeatable process Results based reporting Defined capture leader Effort does not equal results