Optimism Is Not a Strategy

Quick tips from the head of Strategic Bid Management on leading and closing successful deals. Neill Wilkinson has been in the company’s bid management function for nearly nine years, so he knows all the ins and outs of this process and what it takes. He says it comes down to experienced people, quality content, and the right tools.

We’ve pulled some highlights from the interview:

Early engagement and early visibility are key to maximizing win rates

When it comes to a complex deal, it’s important to quickly become familiar with the buying center, its members, and their roles in order to grasp how the often-extensive decision making process works. “The earlier we understand this process, the better our chances of influencing it in our favor,” Neill said, “optimism is not a strategy.”

Organization and the willingness to ask difficult questions are two skills that bid managers should adopt

Sharing from his own experience, Neill highlighted the importance of being organized and well prepared in a bid management career. He also encourages others following in his footsteps to not be afraid of asking questions, especially the tough ones. After all, if you don’t understand something as a bid manager, he explains, the chances are that the customer won’t either.

New technology developments for global business support are in the pipeline – translation services

Hitachi Vantara has seen a notable return on the investment in Qorus; in the six months from their global launch of Qorus, they have achieved over $2.5M in savings, and the team estimates that this saving should close to triple that before reaching the 12-month mark.

If you missed our recent fireside chat with Hitachi Vantara’s Head of Strategic Bid Management, Neill Wilkinson, and Qorus’ CEO, Ray Meiring, don’t worry! You can catch the 30-minute webinar on demand, below.

In the webinar, Neill shares how Hitachi Vantara organizes its bid management structure; how it functions, who normally engages with the bid team, and what their requirements are; how different deal sizes are managed by the team; and what some of the best practices are that have helped maximize the company’s win rates.

What next?

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