Client Extension: Friend or Foe?

By Mercedez L. Thompson, MA, CP APMP, Shipley BDC

We’ve all been there. Hustling to get a proposal submission-ready (because after all, a proposal is never really done, just due) and wishing we had just a few more days. And then, like a gift from the skies, an email arrives announcing an extension. Praise to the proposal gods!

Who wouldn’t be excited, relieved, even grateful?

Me.

With 12 years of experience in professional marketing and proposal development, I have seen numerous extensions, but I can count on one hand the times when the extra time was actually used effectively and resulted in a better deliverable. Maybe you’re thinking, well shame on you, but hear me out.

When I entered my career, the average turnaround time for proposals was four to six weeks. Most clients still required physical copies to be mailed to their office, and it was rare for me to have more than three or four collaborators helping me develop the document. That seems like another lifetime.

Now, I’m accustomed to the two-week turnaround in a wholly digital world, where I’m coordinating among 15+ SMEs, project managers, relationship partners, business development managers, principals, you name it. While building consensus on our winning strategy, articulating our unique value proposition, and translating our technical solution onto paper (or screen) have always presented challenges, these obstacles are amplified when you have less time and more cooks in the kitchen.

And so, one might assume a few extra days, or even a week, would be a positive thing. On the contrary, I’ve found the opposite to be true. Here’s why:

MISTAKE #1: The team relaxes, thinking they have all the time they need, and their efficiency decreases. It’s important to remember that even though two or three days may seem like a lot, they are actually quite short extensions. I have often found myself questioning whether I should even inform the authors or contributors about the extension. The last thing I want to see is our sense of urgency dissipate.

MISTAKE #2: The team thinks we need to do more with the time given. Suddenly, we start considering alternative solutions and additional value-adds. We realize we may have overlooked important details like elaborating on our change management team, post-implementation support, or commissioning and startup. We start questioning if there’s enough content in certain sections or if we should price multiple options. Now, I’m not saying these questions are irrelevant, but if they were crucial to our submission, they should have been addressed earlier. Let’s not inflate our page count during the extension – all these extra additions may come across as exactly what they are, afterthoughts.

MISTAKE #3: The team gets new players involved. Recruiting another partner, principal, or executive in the last hours is counterproductive. Without prior involvement in strategy discussions, they will certainly bring different ideas and suggestions, and our precious extension is spent bringing them up to speed and reiterating previous decisions. Additionally, the new team member may feel compelled to make substantial changes or identify gaps, which can disrupt the cohesion and thoughtfulness of the final deliverable. To ensure a cohesive and well-thought-out outcome, it is crucial to have the right people involved from the beginning and avoid last-minute invitations.

MISTAKE #4: Which brings me to the biggest blunder of all: the team rethinks our entire strategy. If you have ever managed a proposal where an extension is used to scrap what we had and start afresh, you know this pain. Extensions can lead to uncertainty, questioning previous decisions, and starting from scratch. This is detrimental as it wastes previous efforts and there is not enough time to reinvent the wheel. It’s likely that an overhaul will confuse authors and contributors and muddy our answer to the client’s issues. Overthinking often results in less coherent deliverables, non-compliant proposals, and lower quality submissions.

So, what is good use of a client extension on your response to an RFP? It’s simple.

A client extension should be utilized to review, refine, and enhance the existing proposal. It allows for a thorough document review and a mock evaluation from the client’s perspective. This time can be used to ensure that the sales message is consistently conveyed throughout the entire document, beyond just the cover letter and “Why Us?” section. It provides an opportunity for subject matter experts to review and ensure smooth flow between sections contributed by different team members. It enables the condensation of repetitive information and the improvement of clarity and conciseness. Additionally, it allows for a comprehensive copy edit to correct spelling, grammar, and mechanical errors.

By using the extension wisely, we can ensure that the final deliverable reflects the quality and attention to detail the client can expect from us on a project.

Effective leadership, particularly from the proposal manager and account lead/sales lead, is crucial to appropriate use of the client extension. While the temptation to make changes may be strong, it is important to consider the implications of such actions. As leaders of the proposal development process, it is our responsibility to instill confidence in our team and focus on sharpening, rather than expanding or revamping, our proposal.