Once the decision to present credentials is made, the firm has the responsibility to put its best effort into the presentation process. Invitations to present capabilities are often the result of the firm's reputation - one that may have taken years or perhaps decades to establish. To approach presentations without proper thought and planning is a disservice to your firm. Proper planning includes:

· Developing a winning strategy, which would likely include:

          - specific technical experience matched with the needs of the client;

          - elements that distinguish your practice from to competition;

          - cost advantages;

          - service advantages;

          - relevant geographical advantages.

· Understanding the audience.

· Identifying if visual aids will be used.

· Preparing adequately for questions and answers.

Determine specifically what the client is looking for. Go beyond the written and the verbal information given by the requesting party. A formal request for proposal is only as effective in communicating the specific needs of the client as is the proposal producer's ability to write the original request. Some proposal creators are competent; some are not. The more effectively you can target your credentials to match the specific needs of the client, the better your chances of winning the work

Your presentation should include four or five points you want the prospective client to remember about your capabilities. One approach to selecting these key points is to ask this question: "Of all the important statements we can make about our practice, what are the four or five most significant to this specific prospect?" An overriding objective of the presentation should be to effectively demonstrate the practice area's abilities to minimise any uncertainties the client may have about your technical and service delivery capabilities. While the client's expressed need may be the handling of a one-time matter, the effecitve presentation is one that addresses the client's "inner needs" - those not overtly expressed or found in the Request For Proposal. To be truly effective, your presentation must demonstrate that your practice is more capable than that of the competition in communicating more certainty in both the needed technical area and the quality of service delivery. Your objective is to reduce, if not eliminate, the prospective client's uncertainty.

At the heart of this uncertainty is the question: "Have you done this type of work before?" To answer this question, a case history becomes an important element of your presentation. The closer the match between work that fee earners have performed, the greater the reduction of uncertainty. Case histories should include the following:

· The name of the client (used only with their approval);

· A description of the type of project;

· A description of services rendered;

· A description of any unique issues involved (usually three or four paragraphs in length);

· A statement communicating the importance to the client of the work performed.

In addition, you should include four or five statements you want the client to remember about your capabilities. Biographies of fee earners, edited specifically for the needs of the prospective client, should also be included.

If properly planned, a significant amount of work will have gone into preparing your presentation. If an oral presentation is to be made, don't discount its effectiveness by ignoring a rehearsal. Also, videotaping and critiquing the presentation can be helpful.

If you win the work, ask the client why you were selected and build on these features. If you were not selected, determine why you were not chosen and consider these reasons when planning future presentations.

Be prepared. Make the presentation your first, not your last impression.