Tinder

   If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @HousingITguy
  or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy

We are often used in everyday life being sold a dream, or over-sold to. Whether its in a glossy brochure, a fancy webpage, or a slogan on the side of a big red bus, mostly these things come out in the wash. We are familiar with cars offering 68mpg and them delivering 56mpg instead.

Perhaps we make the problem worse when some of us use that 20 year old image as our thumbnail on Linkedin and Twitter, cropped from our wedding images. I was pulled up the other week and reminded that my Twitter image looked different to me in real life. In opening it up and expanding it, I asked what the difference was? They said, “We usually see you wearing glasses”. I get the point, although I only generally only wear them if reading at work or using a screen. (So I thought that a little harsh).

Sometimes in the procurements I get involved in, some sales staff seem to see every name in the CRM system is a potential prospect and every tender must be responded to. This is not good for the organisations selling, nor the contracting bodies looking for the right solutions. The qualification stage is an important one and crucial for saving time for sales and also in the inevitable evaluation, if a full ITT response is returned. Spending too much time on bad prospects means sales losing precious moments for engaging qualified leads instead.

Occasionally, I see ITT responses which occasionally are ‘borderline delusional’.

Weasel words, references to ‘see above’ or other information elsewhere, all ring alarm bells for me. While I often provide my clients, some first time evaluating ITT’s to defined ways we have declared they should be scored, with a custom crib-sheet to help make a fair judgment. Even then, some of the conversations often move when evaluating to “why are they saying subject to requirements” or “needs scoping”, following four weeks of clarification period, provided to allow them to clarify what the scope would be.

The best way I described it recently, is that the contracting body can evaluate the ITT answers submitted as best we can, on face value. This is a bit like reading a biog on Tinder, without being able to swipe left or right on our tenderer. However, the demonstration event is like going on the actual Tinder date. That’s when you find the system (like a date) is 20 years older than it seemed, slow/clunky or its just not living up to its biog!

There are plenty of tips on getting the most from demonstrations on this blog (as regular readers will know). One of the best I find is being able to issue an advance version of the required demo scenario. At least then it’s not a surprise when your ‘Tenderer date’ is asked to back up their many claims and be moderated based on the performance. I am no longer surprised when the odd supplier finishes an hour or more early, as there is a lack of overall finished product to show. A sure sign of something being oversold.

On the odd occasion I have had the surreal experience, of a supplier telling us that they are not going to follow the issued scenario and will be showing us something else. I love the look on their face(s) when they are told we will only be scoring them on what we have asked, as per the tender. As all tenderers then have a level playing field. 

At a recent demonstration I attended, the suppliers came with incompatible kit to demo, did not have an up to date version of the remote access software loaded and could not access the open wifi either, starting 25 minutes late. Not my, or my clients problem. During the 4 hour demo they often asked, "Do we want a 15 or 30 minute break?". On the second one, I reminded them that they were burning into their own time. "Are we?" they said. I had to say, "Yes afraid so. If you are not done by 2pm, we are all out of here and you will only be scored on what you managed to show". They wisely opted for a 5 minute comfort break.

Related Post: Don't insult anyone's intelligence by telling them your Excel Spreadsheet, is a 'database'

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I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.

Hipsway – Tinder.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


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