What will you get from one of our Bid Writing courses?
Bid writing – An Introduction
For most people, bid writing is not a very exciting subject. Bid Writing Training, therefore, sounds even less attractive. It is often perceived as “dry”, “dull” and “tedious”; a necessary task but not an enjoyable one. In most cases, someone in the business has said that they need someone to help write a bid and then someone has volunteered their time. As a result, that person is then involved in writing all the bids for the company. Alternatively, people who are bid writing have been approached with a “can you just” question – “can you just help with this bid. You don’t need to do much…”. Then, much like the volunteer, they inadvertently end up as the bid writer for that company.
In both very real scenarios, we’re often told there has been very little guidance given or on offer, particularly for those companies venturing into the world of bid writing for the first time. Quite quickly, people find themselves juggling their day job alongside bid writing, meaning bids simply cannot be prioritised and end up being left to the last minute. The knock-on effect is a rushed bid with very little chance of success. We’ve often found that when the proper bid processes aren’t applied, bidding can become a hated task, rather than something which is organised, and critical to business growth and development.
Bid Writing Training
If people are not keen on bids, then the prospect of bid writing training can often be far from exciting. Some people are naturally unsure about what to expect with any sort of training; add in a subject matter that is synonymous with late nights, tight deadlines and frantic work and its easy for the enthusiasm to drop further.
Our bid writing training is aimed at reversing that idea and actually making sure people feel energised for their bids at the end.
One of our delegates said:
“As someone who previously found bid writing a task I tried to avoid at all costs, this course has given me the tools I needed to feel more confident going forward. Charles taught in a very relaxed and engaging manner which added to the overall experience being fantastic!”
Building bid writing success
We see this as simple - success through confidence. This is one of the main objectives of the training. For us, the end goal with our bid writing courses is that you feel more confident and better equipped when writing bids. We want you to leave the training feeling that you are ready to take your future bids to the next level. Confidence leads to successful bids, meaning more contract and framework wins! Essentially, you win business as a successful bid writer.
Bid writing training for beginners
Most people who attend our training have somehow found themselves becoming bid writers by default - being asked to get involved in writing bids and, as a result, have had to try and work things out themselves. They may get a bit of guidance from someone else in the business or they may have had some success and want to improve. Those people who have provided them with guidance will often have had to figure things out themselves with no formal training either.
One delegate commented:
“I feel more confident in my ability to improve the bids I'm writing and reach those top marks using the tools provided.”
Another said:
“I've come away from this course feeling confident and full of new ideas and knowledge. It was very interactive and insightful.”
Another delegate commented:
“The training was very interesting, and I learnt many qualities about bid writing as I am new to this.”
What is vital following our bid writing training is that you walk away with the tools, skills, and techniques that you can easily apply to your bids. The bid writing training is delivered in an engaging and non-complex manner, allowing you to build up your skills as well as see how and why they apply.
Bid writing training – what is involved
Bid writing involves quite a number of different elements to help convince the buyer that they should choose you. Our training will include key topics such as:
- Structuring and storyboarding each response before writing
- The tone and correct use of language
- Making your organisation stand out
- Making the bid engaging
As there are several areas to cover, we ensure all delegates/attendees fully understand each concept before moving on. By doing this, we can really make sure you will feel confident in the subject area and how to use it. We deliberately spend time going through each bid writing element, getting everyone involved with active discussions. We use real-life examples to help illustrate each element, demonstrating its importance and how it should be applied.
Bid writing training delivery
We follow a straightforward non-complex approach, involving all delegates throughout to keep the course engaging and insightful. Firstly, we introduce the subject area and ask if anyone is familiar with it. After a brief conversation, we then discuss the topic including what it is, what impact it will have, how to develop it and how to apply it correctly. We will also show an example of it being used in bid writing. We look to involve people as much as possible and, on occasion, a delegate will share their own knowledge and experience with the group, which can be a really beneficial learning tool.
One delegate said:
“An excellent and professionally delivered course full of information that was of use and a good mix of attendees who worked well together. Highly recommended.”
Another said:
“This bid writing training was so beneficial. Charles is a great presenter and mentor, happy to explain things and answer questions. I would fully recommend this training.”
The delegates, when back in the office, can then follow the same process. Some elements will be quick and easy to apply. Others may require a little more thought and/or discussion with colleagues, peers, and managers.
One delegate said:
“Charles was just brilliant and explained things clearly and made sure we understood before moving on to the next step.”
Another said:
“I recently attended the two-day bid writing course and found it informative, engaging and really well structured.”
Online bid writing training
There can be a concern for some people about training online not having the same impact as being face-to-face. We have been delivering online bid writing training since 2020, with great success. We provide the same detail and content in the same way we would in a room. We use break-out rooms to facilitate discussions and only share our screen to show examples of theory in practice. As a result, the training has the same outcome and impact on delegates.
One delegate said:
“My initial concerns about how the 2-day Bid / Tender Masterclass could be effectively facilitated over a Zoom call were soon dispelled. Charles is an upbeat trainer who delivered the course in an engaging manner. He clearly has a lot of expertise on this subject and also imparted plenty of helpful tips. Having little experience in Bid Writing myself, I found the content of the course highly useful and feel certain that this new knowledge will benefit me in future endeavours.”
Bid writing training for experienced writers
Our training is not just for beginners either. Our courses help even experienced bid writers improve what they currently do. We have had people attend our training who are newcomers to bid writing but also some people who have been creating bids and proposals for several years. For some, they have found that they have been writing bids in the same way without much thought and are looking to refresh their knowledge and skills, but they have struggled to find the time. The added benefit is that as well as sharing their own knowledge, they can pick up fresh ideas from less experienced people as well as Charles, our trainer.
One delegate commented:
“It was very insightful, allowing me to reflect on how I write and how my style should change in order to be most successful when submitting bids in the future.”
Another said:
“I really recommend this course to anyone who wants to brush up on their bid writing”
Will bid writing training help?
Yes, it will as long as you apply topics in the right way. The topics covered are not just what we think should be done but also what we know works. They are proven techniques, that when applied, will help increase your bid success rates.
One delegate said:
“I wanted to say again how beneficial the knowledge gained from this course has been. To demonstrate; the last few results we have had from tenders sent since I completed the course are 89%, 90.7%, and 93.9% I could not recommend this course enough!”
You'll find more information on any of our bid writing training courses here
