5 visuals to improve your tender answers

As a tender writing organisation one of the most common questions we get is: “How do you stand out when it’s an online submission – don’t they all look the same?”

There a multitude of ways to distinguish your response from your competitors, one of which we share here is the use of visuals.

1. Flow charts
Some people are very visual and don’t like reading long passages of text. A flow chart can demonstrate a process very clearly and quickly. With word limits and page limits this can have a great impact on the reader in a very small space. It is particularly powerful when two charts are used in comparison – demonstrate the improvements you have made.

2. Photographs
As we all know sales are built on relationships, we buy from those we ‘know, like and trust’, and as the old cliché goes; ‘people buy from people’. Adding photographs of the management team, showing your offices or places of work, images of your products or services being delivered is a transparent way to communicate. Photos say ‘here we are, come and have a look at our business’ - that is a positive message to get over.

3. Video clips
As on websites, video clips in tender responses are often encouraged and welcomed. You need to check the rules of the specific tender, but a short clip showing your company in action can have a dramatic effect. The first point is that you have taken the time to make the clip – which shows you are committed. The second point is that it explains with clarity what can be complex to put across in words.

4. Colour charts
If you can imagine shutting yourself in a room to wade through 50 tender responses over days you can gauge how tough it can be for procurement professionals sometimes. A chart can show numbers with a contrast in a way that language can often lack. Putting KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) in to a pie chart or bar graph not only shows how you improve year on year – ‘in colour’ it also breaks up the text and makes life easier for those marking your tender. Is your business one that makes life easier for your clients?

5. Screen shots
One of the easiest ways to be remembered is to put in an image. ‘Ctrl and PrtScr’ is a way of showing what you do in the office. You can take a dry subject and bring it to life with a screen shot of you at work. When you are being evaluated you want to stand out in people’s minds, so try showing what you do instead of just talking about it.

For more information visit www.ways2win.co.uk