STRATEGY FOR A WINNING PROPOSAL

How to win a Super Bowl bid for North Texas’ big game

By Ramona Logan

Thursday, September 9, 2010 - 1:42am

Meryl Katlin’s strength is her confidence in her creative abilities. She credits that as the foundation that won her contracts for several past Super Bowls.

Meryl Katlin started her creative printing and design business TypeStyles in 1991; after working the trade to learn the business. She provides graphic design and printing services on everything from business cards to billboards, car wraps and promotional ite She started her company with some freelance accounts while she was pregnant with her second child. She worked in her living room sometimes delivering orders bundled up with her baby in the infant stroller.

Katlin landed her first Super Bowl contract in 2007 in Miami. “I remember going to the first business information meeting and there were about 700 people,” Katlin said. “There was so much competition, but I was determined to listen intently and understand what they were seeking in vendors for the Super Bowl.”

The first bid that Katlin won was a $241 order for luggage tags imprinted with the Host Committee logo. “It doesn’t sound like much, but I was so excited to get that order,” Katlin said. From there, her company won other bids for printing postcards, invitations, badges, stickers and other Super Bowl collateral.

Katlin was able to distinguish herself from the printing industry pack when the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee sent out a Request for Proposal for portable signage. “The neat thing was that they called all the creative people on their list to come up with an idea for some portable signage to be transported,” she explained. “They had us come in and demonstrate. I had this idea but all I had was a prototype. I won the bid with the prototype. Because it was a prototype I was able to brainstorm with the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee and make changes to meet their exact needs and it turned out to be a great product that other companies have purchased.”

Katlin checked her records and said, “The South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee ordered 125 units of the prototype portable signage for $3,700. The signs were placed with suite holders so they got to see my product and more orders resulted from that.” That experience led to other Super Bowl contracts and printing jobs with the National Football League. In 2009 the Miami Dolphins, the University of Miami and the Houston Texans all placed orders for the portable signage prototype as a direct result of her work with the 2007 Super Bowl.

Katlin describes her experience with the 2010 Super Bowl in South Florida as unique. Because of the invaluable contacts she made at past Super Bowls, she secured a total of $15,000 in printing jobs associated with Super Bowl XLIV. “The Super Bowl allowed me to have contacts in areas I normally would not have. They knew they could rely on my services. Doing business with the Super Bowl provides a great reference. That is a powerful big name to have on your business resume.”

Meryl’s Tips for Putting Together a Winning Bid

Check your e-mails and junk mail and spam folders every day. The Super Bowl Request for Proposals comes by e-mail. If you get a lot of e-mails they can be easy to miss.

When you get a bid jump on it right away. Those deadlines come up on you quick. They like to see someone respond right away.

Keep your margins low because they will go with the lowest bid. You may not get rich, but the experience and exposure is invaluable. This is a great way to market yourself; if you win a Super Bowl bid and do a good job on the contract, you can later use them as a reference.

Know your product and limitations when it comes to fulfilling the specifications of a bid. If you  have to team up with someone  else to get the bid handled, go  for it. Identify your resources  ahead of time, so you will already know who is willing to team up with you.

Be specific. You have to be specific about what you will deliver and the delivery date.

Follow-up with a phone call. The personal approach is extremely important in this electronic age. Just call and say did you get my bid? Is there anything else I need to do?

Ask questions if you don’t understand s omething in the bid request. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

If you have a better idea, don’t be afraid to make a suggestion especially if it will save them money. You are the expert in your field. Many times  they depend on your expertise to save them money or enhance the project.

If you supply more than one product make sure you are listed under every different category so you will get all of the bids that you are qualified to respond to.

Use a program like  Quick Books to produce a professional detailed quote.

If you can’t bid on  everything in the RFP, don’t be afraid to bid on the products or services that you can provide.