Are You Committed to Proposal Success?

Martina Navratilova, considered by many to be the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived, once uttered this memorable line:

The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.

Navratilova’s perspective on what’s required to be a professional athlete has relevance in the world of proposals as well. As part of your Go/No Go decision-making process, you need to think about what commitment means in the world of proposals

So, before committing your firm’s time and money to chasing its next pursuit, determine whether you and your team are just involved or fully committed to winning.

Is your firm willing to dedicate enough of the right resources to effectively compete and win the pursuit? Will this pursuit sit on the ‘side of someone’s desk,’ or will it be their primary responsibility? Do you have someone to lead or champion the pursuit with the capacity necessary to customize every facet of the proposal? Do you have the marketing and support skills available to produce a professional-looking proposal?

Completing a winning submission is a time-consuming endeavour. To have a chance at success, everyone involved must be given the opportunity to invest all of their time and energy.

Demonstrating absolute commitment was Martina’s competitive advantage, on and off the court. You can make it your competitive advantage as well in the world of proposals. A rigorous Proposal Go/No Go Process will help you pick and choose the most promising opportunity to pursue and afford you the opportunity to fully commit to those projects you choose to chase.

The reality is that if you are not ‘all-in,’ you don’t stand a chance against competitors who are giving their all to winning the same pursuit. Game. Set. Match.