Or your firm? Or the team members with you here today at the presentation?

Because you all have these great credentials, client logos. Real references!

But, in the end, it’s NOT really ABOUT YOU, right? This is one of THE BIGGEST proposal sins.

It should not be all about you.

So, what can you do?

Perhaps become a painter? And paint a picture of the client’s future?

YOU’RE VERY PROUD AND YOU LIKE TO POINT IT OUT

Yes, that’s how it is. You’re proud and like to let your client know.

However, it costs you that project win and more.

I’ve seen it again and again. Somehow, it’s inevitable.

You’ve accumulated tons of client logos and you like to show them. I totally get it. I liked to show them myself. There comes that nice comfort with it: I’ve been serving relevant clients. I am relevant!”

But look, your client knows you’ve done similar work and that you’re a real big boy.

You probably wouldn’t be there otherwise.

They get it. But that doesn’t mean they care.

CLIENTS DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU

In the end, it’s not about you. It’s about them, the client. They want to look good.

In the eyes of their stakeholders and, dare I write it, their bosses.

So, let’s step back for a moment and think it through. How can you make your clients look good?

IT’S ABOUT MAKING YOUR CLIENT LOOK GOOD

There are various options. One springs to mind immediately.

Paint a picture of the client’s future in which they look like heroes.

A future that is so exciting that they would be foolish not selecting you as their guide to get there.

A future in which they can play the part of the smart ones who brought you in to fix the problem.

So, how do you say to your client, “we make you look great!”

Think about it! Become that painter!

And make sure you’re not committing proposal sin #2…