Winning more commercial service bids starts before the proposal

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Better qualification, timing and relationship-building can help commercial service contractors address bid losses before a proposal reaches the customer. 

A carefully prepared proposal cannot overcome every obstacle standing between a commercial service contractor and a new contract. Convex emphasizes that, in many cases, the factors shaping the decision emerge well before pricing, scope and presentation enter the conversation. The company illustrates the frustration that can follow that disconnect, recounting how a contractor can invest significant time in a bid only to receive an email stating, “We decided to go another direction.” 

Rather than treating the proposal itself as the primary problem, contractors can examine how opportunities are selected and developed. Convex summarizes that idea directly, stating, “Most commercial service bids are lost before the proposal is written. The five most common reasons are all upstream sales-motion failures, not document failures.” 

One of those decisions involves determining which prospects are worth pursuing. Building type, geography, service needs and other factors can help teams narrow their focus before committing hours to a proposal. Kyleigh Moreno, director of sales, marketing and development for Moreno and Associates, explained her approach, saying, “I prefer to not cast such a wide net because I might get contacts I don't need as opposed to finding and working with smaller groups that are more in line with our target customer profile.” 

Timing and relationships also shape the opportunity. Contractors can research when an incumbent agreement may be approaching renewal and whether a building is actively evaluating alternatives. They can also look beyond a single operational contact to understand who influences the decision and who controls the budget. 

Value framing is another consideration. Instead of relying solely on line-item pricing, proposals can address total cost of ownership, including scope coverage, response commitments, risk exposure, parts and labor terms and escalation procedures. 

Taken together, these practices shift more of the sales effort ahead of the proposal. Careful filtering, better timing, broader stakeholder engagement and a clearer value discussion can help contractors concentrate their resources on opportunities where they have a stronger basis to compete. 

Learn more about the five upstream factors that can influence why commercial service bids are won or lost!