GROUND ZERO POSITIONING
Fit2Fight
Positioning is the Ground Zero of your work-winning strategy. It’s the game-changer that defines your place in the market, your target market and your Ideal Customer Profile. Positioning serves as a powerful compass, directing marketing efforts. Here are a few snapshots of challengers that we supported to shift focus.
From third-party risk management platform to third-party lifecycle management platform
What’s in a word or two?
Certa is a rising star in Silicon Valley. They support some of the world’s best-known companies to procure, onboard, and contract with third-party vendors in a compliant and efficient way.
We were wowed with the platform..but not with the positioning as a “Risk Management Platform.” Certa was more significant than that.
Providing more value, features, and benefits than risk management. Our collaboration led to Certa’s repositioning as a “third-party lifecycle management platform,” capturing their essence and better aligning them with a lucrative market segment.
The result? A clearer market identity and an avenue primed for growth.
Three, Two, One, Win
Strength in diversity
How do you position three companies in an untested joint venture to win one of the most competitive tenders in Europe?
Bouygues, Sir Robert McAlpine, and Volker Fitzpatrick were acutely aware of the challenges they faced bidding against well-established joint ventures/ consortiums with proven track records and relationships.
We positioned the diverse benefits of the JV as greater than the sum of their parts and highlighted the strength inherent in the diversity of engineering expertise. We reinforced the message by branding the JV Align, highlighting the synergies on the website, and supporting the partners to reinforce the messaging at key conferences and events.
From the future of hiring to the future of learning
A pivot to learning
Hundo, based in London, launched with an ambitious mission to support young people to find meaningful jobs through their platform, championing the “Future of Hiring.”
ShineX was engaged to review the landscape and support Hundo’s positioning. We undertook a Fit toFight exercise, reviewing the current trends in hiring. The findings showcased an increasingly saturated market with narrowing margins. The research confirmed the founder’s instincts, who quickly transitioned to a less crowded market – emerging as a frontrunner in AI-driven learning targeting young people.
GROUND ZERO POSITIONING
Close the Gap
If you can do it but can’t write it, you can’t win it.
We establish the Minimum Viable Collateral that a challenger needs to compete with the incumbent. We identify the gaps between what they have and what their legacy competitors will have. We build it out and support the challenger to own, improve, and drive it forward.
Key process articulation for major RFP collateral
This family-run business was highly regarded by their public sector procurer. But they had only ever secured work as a sub-contractor having failed to win bids independently.
With several strategic opportunities on the horizon, they needed to make a change.
ShineX was appointed to systemize their bidding and help them step up to beat more established competitors.
We reviewed the gaps in their articulated processes. We developed the collateral and service offering they needed and captured and enhanced their offering through a series of facilitated close-the-gap workshops.
They are on track to take their sector by storm.
Streamlining Winning
Winning was an ad hoc process for Andrew Scott. Busy focussed on delivering work, the process of winning it was a challenge every time.
ShineX partnered with them to close the growing gap between them and emerging competitors.
Through a series of workshops designed to close the gap, we captured the essence of their offering and fine-tuned their bidding processes.
We built the foundation of their knowledge library and created an asset that is easy to use and to continue building.
RFP-ready through knowledge management systems
TaskUs is a BPO providing CX and other services to tech Unicorns.
While nailing the tech world, they struggled to articulate many of the complex systems they had created. They needed these to provide confidence to prospects.
They joined forces with ShineX to close the gap between what they had and what their prospects and RFPs required.
This knowledge base was the foundation of their RFP library and has supported them to win many new prospects as they grew into a now Plc.
Building champions in the wider buyer stakeholder group
As a cloud optimization platform for enterprise clients, Opsani had the cutting-edge tech the developers loved. However, they needed buy-in from a broader stakeholder group than the developers to scale.
We analyzed their impact across their live work to showcase their track record. By analyzing the performance statistics and data, we clarified simple impacts and spotlighted the alignment between their results and their client’s objectives.
We built a strong case around the impact stats, provided simplified infographics to present impact, cycles, and onboarding, and refocused the language to make it accessible to broader stakeholders involved in governance.
Opsani was acquired by a client.
From private to public – navigating the transition
Proven is a portfolio management platform and is a category creator. As the leading platform for Venture Capital portfolio management, the smart start-up found itself sought after by Government agencies to support inward investment.
The challenge was to align government procurement requirements with Proven’s agility in the private sector. We supported the company in navigating this transition and establishing a footing in government contracting.
We outlined the Minimum Viable Collateral needed, and we either developed, sourced, or collated the information needed to win government work.
Proven has successfully entered the public sector in three markets and is on track to retain its leadership position in this category.
PURSUIT
Brand and Web Development
Positioning lays the groundwork for effective branding and web strategies. Once your brand’s positioning is established, we tailor the branding and online presence to align, which might involve minor adjustments or a complete transformation. This alignment reinforces your position in the market.
We bring a blend of messaging, design, and SEO expertise to deliver a powerful brand and web presence.
All to bring a potent edge to your pursuit strategy.
PURSUIT
Sales Enablement Collateral
Rev up your sales game with content that sparks meaningful dialogue and delivers results. We develop powerful multimedia collateral to give your work-winning team the edge they need.
PURSUIT
Content marketing designed for your pursuit
We produce powerful content that adds value, information, and new ideas.
It’s not written for SEO optimisation. It’s not written by ChatGPT. It’s written for your targets. It’s pursuit-focused, topic-identified, well-researched, SME-supported, quality-written content.
Targeted at your pursuits to open conversations and validate trust.
PURSUIT
Campaign Management
We blend targeted pursuit with scalable, affordable, and broader market campaigns that maximise your reach.
We are very proud of our accomplishments in winning bids and proposals. The numbers speak for themselves.
Bidding and RFP Examples
Challenger 1 – From frustration to framework wins
Client: Tier 2 specialist rail contractor
Sector: Infrastructure
Output: Strategic bid consultancy and end to end bid support
Challenges
- Previous consultants were inconsistent and let them down.
- Internal teams overstretched by high bid volume.
- Needed a reliable, embedded partner to win a sustainable pipeline of work.
Our Role
- Started via referral → tested on a few bids → proved value quickly.
- Now fully embedded: weekly pipeline reviews, pre-bid intel, pursuit planning, marketing, BAU delivery.
- End-to-end bid support: strategy, bid management, writing, review and design.
Outcome
- 4 major Network Rail frameworks, 4 regional frameworks and multiple project wins in 2 years.
- Significant turnover uplift.
- Clear and focused business strategy that’s securing results and growth in adjacent markets.
Challenger 2 – Strategic wins now routine
Client: Tier 2 construction contractor
Sector: Construction
Output: Flexible bid support
Challenges
- Needed expert support on high-stakes national frameworks.
- External input to sharpen strategy and delivery.
- Inexperienced internal bid team.
Our Role
- Supported national framework bids with strategy, storyboarding, review and design.
- Stepped in where extra firepower was needed – without adding layers of process.
- Base content and case study development to make bidding more efficient and effective.
- Bid training, coaching and mentoring for internal bid team.
Outcome
- Refreshed work winning processes and enhanced bidding systems.
- Multiple regional and national frameworks wins.
- Consistent and efficiency development of high scoring technical responses.
London Development Tender
US CX Outsourcin RFP
UK Defence Bid
US Conservancy Leasehold RFP
UK Government Framework Bid
US Content Streaming RFP
UK Major Construction Bids
US Ecommerce Brand
UK Rail Bid
US Ecommerce RFP
UK Rail Framework Bid
US Gaming CX RFP
UK Airports Design Framework Tender
US Schools District RFP
UK Regional Framework Bid
