Buyers Are People Too
Your reader is human. Remember this when producing a bid that speaks not only to the readers logic but to their values, their beliefs.
It’s all too easy to imagine procurement teams as faceless corporate monstrosities, hell-bent on making your tendering life a misery (unless of course, they award you the contract, in which case they are highly intelligent and evolved beings).
It’s important to remember that buyers are human with real emotions and feelings. This insight is critical when producing a bid that speaks not only to the readers logic but to their values, their beliefs.
There are several ‘indirect’ factors that influence buying decisions, these are:
BIAS & INFLUENCE
1. Cognitive bias (patterns of thinking that sway decision making)
2. Assumptions (an idea believed to be true)
3. External influences (someone else’s opinion)
SELF-INTEREST
Buyers may ask themselves:
1. Which decision will please my boss?
2. Which supplier will make my job easy?
3. Which supplier will make me look good?
When planning your tender response be sure to identify the indirect factors your client might be influenced by, then weave your solution around those.
Can’t be bothered? Oki dokie. But this is how tenders win when there are lower-priced bids on the table.
Happy bidding!
