An important part of any business to promote their goods and services to another business is to submit a tender.
This can be done by simply providing a written quote accompanied by a letter about your business. But for more formal tenders that apply to bigger jobs, a far more detailed approach is required.
Even if the work you put in for this initial tender is unsuccessful, the experience you have gained has helped you clarify your businesses aims, strengths and weaknesses which may lead to a successful bid next time.
The written tender includes information such as:
- Detailed outline of your business and services
- Profiles of your staff
- Recommendations from your clients
- Costs involved in the project – you want to provide value for money instead of being the cheapest
- Timelines of the different stages of the project
- Focussing on the client and how your business can solve their problems
But have you considered that one major advantage you could add to your written tender is the use of video.
Video is the perfect way to showcase your business, it’s services/products and introduce your staff. Basically it is an overview of the information contained in the written tender.
The video can be a way to break the ice initially – you could show a short 3-5 minute video with a tailored introduction from the CEO, then delve into the detailed information of the written tender. The client will be impressed that you have gone that extra step to wow them and if there are a few others bidding for their work, this simple video can be an effective and memorable tool for your business to get over the line.
It’s highly unlikely that you can take every team member along with you to the initial tender meeting, so why not interview the team explaining why your business is the right choice for this project. A client wants to know the people they are working with, a short friendly video message is the ideal solution.
The tender video is also extremely cost-effective. The great thing about it is that you can alter the video slightly to use over and over again in future tenders. This can be done simply by changing the title screen at the start of the video and having a different welcome message mentioning the new client and project. The actual main body of the video remains the same – interviews with your staff promoting your business. Each time, the client will think you have gone over and above expectations by creating a personalised video.
So next time you have the opportunity to bid for a tender, just take a moment to consider how valuable a video can be to help win that bid.
Here is an example of digital agency Deepend providing a video as part of their future tenders. It has been a highly effective tool that is able to be used repeatedly for new clients.