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capture management

What Should You Look for in a Capture Management Software?

go url Recently I have seen many different people make comments about how software technology is not very helpful within the worlds of capture management and procurement. And while that may help to explain why so many contractors still rely on Excel spreadsheets and emails for NDA’s, TA’s and SubK’s, avoiding government-focused technological solutions is only committing a disservice to yourself. At a time where there are so many capture management software and procurement software and CRM solutions on the market – all of them claiming to be your ideal solution – you may want to try one out. Just be sure you do your research first. Your capture management process can be made more efficient, more collaborative, and more analytical if you have the right software. You can actively track the involvement of an entire team, instead of just utilizing a piecemeal bi-weekly conversational strategy. You can focus more on the holistic view of your Company/Division’s success, instead of getting bogged down in the day-to-day operational details. In essence, these tools will allow you the possibility to manage your company’s efficiency and effectiveness. The software you look for should have the following features as a minimum requirement: User Flexibility Look for a solution that allows you to define all fields, tables and reports with no limitations; a system that allows for easy growth and change as your company expands and changes size and offerings without any customized programming or paying additional fees for additional features – all features should come included with your software and any new features should be free. This will allow your team to work, report and understand more effectively as the system flexes around their day-to-day activities. Be certain that your system can help you run your business better by providing you with the business information you need on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Proactive Intelligence Most software used for managing Captures are incredibly basic – allowing users to record only basic Name, Address & Serial number type CRM information. What you really need is a software solution that does more for you and your Capture Executives. Look for software that is instructional, intelligent, and offers quick ways to answer productivity questions – one that can be used as a true capture management enablement solution, and not just a reporting solution. Some capture management systems do just that; look for solutions that can actually help your capture executive determine what to ask the government before they actually meet. Not only will this simplify the lives of your Capture Executives, but this feature ensures that their meetings with potential customers are productive and efficient.  Even more importantly, this creates a repeatable sales process (ISO-like), so every Capture Executive that you hire follows exactly the same process and asks the same questions during the information gather process. Collaborative Capabilities (Integration) Unless your capture management team works together at all times, chances are high that they’re going to be inputting information – and making contributing steps – separately. Therefore your capture management software should reflect that separation. Be sure that your solution allows your management team a view of all potential opportunities and progress that is made on each opportunity over time – regardless of who contributes individually. You work, progress and excel as a group – not only should your solution allow you to view your progress collectively, but it should facilitate that togetherness by allowing your employees to work together;  managing, rating and assigning teammates, even reminding everyone about due dates and important requirements for your team. Automated Functionality During the capture process, many procedures and management meetings are prepared for by manually creating “Gate Review” documents, which takes a lot of the Capture Executive’s time away from being in the field.  If all the data is collected on a regular basis and entered in to the system, you should find a system that provides a “One button” solution to update and report to management on each capture being worked. Integration to the Contracts/Procurement team should be an essential part of a good software system.  How many times have you requested NDA’s for a meeting and they have been missed or late?  A fully automated & integrated system provides a seamless way for Capture Executives and Contracts teams to easily request and fulfill the contracting items such as NDA’s, TA’s & SubK’s. Automated integration to sites like FedBizOps is a great time saver as you can simply search, find and update a Capture system right from these types of data gathering sites.  A feature for simple import capabilities helps this process tremendously, but a fully integrated feature is even better. An Executive Focus As an executive, you’re looking for different information to run your Company or Division than the information that your Capture Management team needs. And while that’s expected, you’d be surprised how many capture management solutions offer only information for the sales person. Look for a solution that has been developed from the Executive Management standpoint and offers an easy way to see, manage and update all information being collected by the sales team on a daily basis.  There is nothing worse than having your sales team collect information, then tell you what they have collected – where’s the value in that process?  You want to already have that information available to you, and be able to challenge the sales team on what deals are best for the company to bid and why. While your capture management team may want to hone in on granular information, that may not benefit you. Your time, rather, should be spend on the larger scale – looking at the costs of capture, your competition, financial projections and the progress that all your sales team are making on each deal. In Conclusion Just be sure that the solution you choose offers flexibility, proactive intelligence, collaborative capabilities, repeatable processes, and an executive focus – and you’ll be on your way to an improved capture management process which saves your company

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capture management

What Do You Do When Your Capture Executive (Capture Manager) Leaves?

Second only to projecting sales, your capture management tool of choice is a key indicator of your capture management team’s performance and is also what keeps accumulated data about each prospect in one place. Its active monitoring begins the day your Capture Executive (also known as a Capture Manager or Capture Executive Manager) starts work. At that moment you with understand that your capture management team will change over time, and thus you may be faced with extreme difficulties when your Capture Executive leaves for other opportunities. Second only to projecting sales, your capture management tool of choice is a key indicator of your capture management team’s performance and is also what keeps accumulated data about each prospect in one place. Its active monitoring begins the day your Capture Executive (also known as a Capture Manager or Capture Executive Manager) starts work. At that moment you with understand that your capture management team will change over time, and thus you may be faced with extreme difficulties when your Capture Executive leaves for other opportunities. The Importance of Your Capture Executive Most experienced Capture Executive Managers gather the following types of data throughout the capture managment: Most experienced Capture Executive Managers gather the following types of data throughout the capture managment: Answers to any and all questions they ask the Government Answers to any and all questions they ask the Government Answers to any and all questions they ask the Government Information collected from competitors and teammates Information collected from competitors and teammates Information collected from competitors and teammates Industry day topics and data Industry day topics and data Industry day topics and data Information from countless emails, phone calls, meetings and gatherings Information from countless emails, phone calls, meetings and gatherings Information from countless emails, phone calls, meetings and gatherings During all this time, they keep most all their questions, answers, information they gather in their head, on their mobile phones, or in emails and personal documents they store on their computers.  Very little ever gets put in a place where the next Capture Manager can easily access and bring themselves up to speed on the status of the capture management process.  So, the time to develop a succession plan is long before they leave. During all this time, they keep most all their questions, answers, information they gather in their head, on their mobile phones, or in emails and personal documents they store on their computers.  Very little ever gets put in a place where the next Capture Manager can easily access and bring themselves up to speed on the status of the capture management process.  So, the time to develop a succession plan is long before they leave. next How Can You Prepare for Your Capture Manager Leaving? How Can You Prepare for Your Capture Manager Leaving? There are many ways to anticipate a vacancy that could save you from business intelligence gaps: Performance agreements based on the firm’s strategic goals Performance agreements based on the firm’s strategic goals Performance agreements based on the firm’s strategic goals Weekly team meetings to discuss contacts and intelligence gathered during the week website here Weekly team meetings to discuss contacts and intelligence gathered during the week Weekly team meetings to discuss contacts and intelligence gathered during the week Maintaining reference contacts through support and general contact follow-up Maintaining reference contacts through support and general contact follow-up Maintaining reference contacts through support and general contact follow-up Documenting all activities in your CRM to retain information gathered. Documenting all activities in your CRM to retain information gathered. Documenting all activities in your CRM to retain information gathered. But, as your company grows, it becomes impossible for a manager to retain all of the information that their Capture Executives’ have gathered for all of their potential opportunities.  The only real solution is to have a capture management system that retains that information for you – including all management tools that measure and ensure that your capture management team is updating the system on a regular basis with the information required. But, as your company grows, it becomes impossible for a manager to retain all of the information that their Capture Executives’ have gathered for all of their potential opportunities.  The only real solution is to have a capture management system that retains that information for you – including all management tools that measure and ensure that your capture management team is updating the system on a regular basis with the information required. retains that information for you Benefits of a Capture Management System Benefits of a Capture Management System By actively managing these activities, you avoid the all too common situtation of your Capture Manager giving notice, and your only option is to meet with that person and discuss every single client — whether existing, active deals, qualified potential, potential, and yes, even fails. By actively managing these activities, you avoid the all too common situtation of your Capture Manager giving notice, and your only option is to meet with that person and discuss every single client — whether existing, active deals, qualified potential, potential, and yes, even fails. process now without fail; Once Your Capture Executive Manager Leaves Once Your Capture Executive Manager Leaves Regardless of your current business capture management process, the first step when your capture executive manager leaves — if not before—is to contact each client to provide updated contact information and assurances of a seamless transition. Regardless of your current business capture management process, the first step when your capture executive manager leaves — if not before—is to contact each client to provide updated contact information and assurances of a seamless transition. Whether you use a spreadsheet tool or a specific capture management software to monitor progress and collect information, the critical point is to do it. Without a process in place to anticipate the loss of a valuable Capture Executive’s knowledge, your forecast will become vulnerable. Businesses that manage a formal capture documentation process that anticipates intelligence

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capture management

Greatest Hits: Top Government Sales Insights for Your Business

find more info Capturing and winning government contracts is a way to ensure a stable source of income for years to come. During lean economic times, government contracts can help keep the doors open, and during boom times, these contracts can fund expansion. But what do you need to know to make sure your government sales processes are top notch? What can you do to make sure you win your bids, and what should you do if you lose? Read on to learn more. (more…)

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capture management

Can an Automated Capture Solution Improve My Capture Management?

In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. full article In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. In today’s hyper-competitive, 24/7 global economy, automated capture solutions can help your business adopt and maintain a competitive edge by creating repeatable processes, eliminating inefficiencies, building a solid customer data bank and closely tracking sales metrics within your organization. (more…)

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CRM

CRM vs Capture Executive Software

useful reference Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are available in an assortment of platforms, serving a variety of needs for government contractors. The process of Capture Management – both planning and management – requires a complex mix of data collecting, customer intimacy and understanding of their requirements, teaming, competitive analysis, pricing, communication, reminders and continuous internal management reporting and updates. (more…)

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capture management

4 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Capture Executive

Identifying an appropriate candidate to manage your capture process can be a challenge. It isn’t that the capability and experience doesn’t exist, but rather the necessity that individual’s expertise must align well with your internal strategic business goals as an organization. What Experience Should a Capture Executive Have? What Experience Should a Capture Executive Have? click here It probably goes without saying, but a potential capture executive have recent and relevant experience in how the capture process works. This capability reaches beyond a high-level understanding of capture. You should be looking for someone who can demonstrate how the process works, and how they have utilized the process successfully in the past. recent and relevant how This includes defining areas in which they’ve seen the process work, as well as areas they’ve found that need improvement based on specific business strategies. Anyone can spout off industry-standard capture processes, but a demonstrated understanding of the steps utilized in the capture process provides insight into their true breadth of experience. Do They Have a Record of Complex Captures? Do They Have a Record of Complex Captures? In addition to gauging their level of understanding of the capture process, does the potential capture executive have a successful past record of complex captures under their belt? If so, what was the outcome of those captures? Gauge the win/loss ratio of captures conducted, and have them explain why they believe certain captures to be more successful than others. Was there a key component that was different in a win vs. a loss? What did they do with the outcome information? How were they able to implement lessons learned moving forward? What Is Their Understanding of the Full BD Lifecycle? What Is Their Understanding of the Full BD Lifecycle? As capture is only one component of the business development lifecycle, it cannot successfully operate in an environment propped up by silos. Thus, a successful capture executive must have a demonstrated visibility into the full BD lifecycle, understanding all of the moving parts of capture through proposal development. Business intelligence gained during a capture process feeds win themes incorporated into a winning proposal, and provides valuable insight into the specific needs of the government customer. Do They Know the Customer? Do They Know the Customer? With all other facets being the same, the rolodex of one candidate could potentially shape your hiring decision if it will provide an overall benefit to your business strategy.

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