1. Presented by Cheryl W. Chandler March 10, 2010 U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District Marketing Mishaps

2. Agenda  Mistakes to avoid  Some pointers to help you get work  Bloopers and Blunders  Q&A

3. How it Really Works

4.  It doesn’t matter how good you know you are— It’s how good the PM thinks you are  You get only 1 chance to make a first impression  KOs stick their necks out for you Door-Opening Tips

5.  It’s really about relationships!  Unless you are really good, let someone else do your marketing  Be willing to sub or team More Door-Opening Tips

6. Door-Opening Strategies The four P’s of Success: The four P’s of Success:  Be Patient  Be Persistent  Be Prepared  Be able to Perform

7. Door-Closing Bloopers & Blunders

8. Big KO Offenders #5 Not paying subcontractors #4 Going over the KO’s head #3 Unannounced visits #2 Misleading comments or lying #1 Poor performance! #1 Poor performance!

9. #5 Lack of communication (missed meetings, no calls or infrequent visits) meetings, no calls or infrequent visits) #4 Missed schedules (late submittals) #3 Unwilling to partner or being inflexible #2 Low opinion of government employees (arrogance) #1 Dishonesty (cutting corners) The PM’s Pet Peeves:

10. My Personal Favorites #5 Telling me what you are before who you are and what you do #4 Incomplete or sloppy capability packages #3 Believing that you are “entitled” to work #2 Not leaving your phone number with your message message #1 Poor performance!

11. How it really works— RELATIONSHIPS! How it really works— RELATIONSHIPS! ► Communication ► Trust ► Performance

12. 10 Tips to Improve Your Proposal Marketing Mishaps

13. Tip #1 Read the RFP thoroughly! Tip #1 Read the RFP thoroughly!  Ask questions early to ensure there is sufficient time to respond  Pay attention to the criteria order and weights – it indicates what is important to us Working for the Corps

14. Tip #2 - Understand the Type of RFP  How will source selection be accomplished? Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Best Value Trade Off Best Value Trade Off

15. Working for the Corps Tip #3 - Address all aspects of the Criteria  Create a matrix of the Scope of Work, by paragraph, with each requirement to use as a checklist to ensure your proposal is complete.  Include your checklist with your proposal.

16. Working for the Corps Tip #4 - Be succinct Tip #4 - Be succinct  Avoid being too wordy  Use bullets, underlines, bolding  When a limited page count is provided – stick to it!

17. Working for the Corps Tip #5 - Your experience should relate to the project in terms of scope, size, $ value, complexity Tip #5 - Your experience should relate to the project in terms of scope, size, $ value, complexity  Should be recent – within the past 5-10 years or as required by RFP  Be clear – is it experience of firm or people? or, is it experience of subcontractor or mentor?

18. Working for the Corps Tip #6 - Make sure qualifications of staff match RFP Tip #6 - Make sure qualifications of staff match RFP  Ensure each team member’s qualifications address EACH ASPECT of the criteria  List relevant experience of team members  Ensure team members are available

19. Working for the Corps Tip #7- Organization Chart – Who’s in Charge? Tip #7- Organization Chart – Who’s in Charge?  Identify one person to be in charge of entire team  Person should be from YOUR company, not a subcontractor or your mentor  Indicate clear lines of communication  Identify person and company (with location) for each role (with location) for each role

20. Working for the Corps Tip # 8 - Address Quality Tip # 8 - Address Quality  Include the quality team on the Organization Chart – even if not required  Quality is important to us – indicate it’s important to you  Show/describe how the quality control team interacts with the execution team team interacts with the execution team

21. Working for the Corps Tip #9 - Address Performance Problems Head-On Head-On  Get copies of your Construction Contractor Appraisal Support System (CCASS) evaluations  Explain any “Marginal” or “Unsatisfactory” items within the evaluation as well as overall ratings  Check out the past performance of your proposed subcontractors

22. Working for the Corps Tip #10 - QC your Proposal Tip #10 - QC your Proposal  Have an independent reviewer ensure all items are addressed (someone not involved in putting the proposal together)  If you copy another proposal, make sure you only refer to the current project  Uze spel cheque!

23. Remember! Marketing Marketing  mishaps,  mistakes,  missteps Will lead to Will lead to  misunderstanding,  misjudgment  Mistrust, missed opportunities and MISERY MISERY

24. Working for the Corps  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website: www.usace.army.mil www.usace.army.milwww.usace.army.mil  Philadelphia District Website: www.nap.usace.army.mil Contact Information: MY Phone 215-656-6867 My e-mail address: cheryl.w.chandler@usace.army.mil

25. Questions?