What makes a great capability statement?

A great capability statement can be the difference between getting that next big job or sitting on the sidelines. But what makes a capability statement great?

After reading many capability statements from many businesses across a broad range of sectors, these are my top 6 tips for creating a great capability statement:

1. Know your audience. Who will read your capability statement? Is it for the next big tender submission or for prospective clients in a new market? Make sure you know exactly who you're writing for.
2. One size doesn't fit all. The capability statement you submit for residential work will read very differently to the version you submit for commercial work. If you have multiple facets to your business, have multiple capability statements.
3. Keep consistent. No I'm not trying to confuse you after listing point 2. If you have multiple statements, they need to look, feel and read like they're from the same family. This advice applies to all of your market facing assets including brochures, website, social media and digital presence. Each item needs to look, feel and read like a family. Inconsistency can look unprofessional. Consistency implies professionalism, stability and reliability.
4. Know what makes you awesome. You may refer to this as your key competitive advantage, your unique selling point, your differentiation strategy or simply why people buy from you. There are always alternatives to your service/product. Find out what they are and work out where you sit in the marketplace. Really ask yourself "Why should people buy from me?" Once you really know, make sure this is very clear in your capability statement.
5. Get outside your comfort zone. You are very familiar and very comfortable with your own business, and so you should be! But this can make you blind. Sometimes this blindness can lead to not knowing how to describe your business, product or service succinctly and positively without using "sales" jargon. My experience has demonstrated that us Aussies find it hard to point out the good stuff. But this is not the time to be shy! If you need outside eyes to assist, go and hire an outsider.
6. Bang for your buck. Developing a capability statement, whether printed, digital, colour, black and white, long or short is a big investment. Even if you are doing this all in house, it is a big investment of time. If you elect to hire a professional (or a few) to assist you bring your capability statement to life, make sure you know what you're purchasing. Is it the whole design including copy and photos or just a licence for this one purpose? I'm a huge advocate of ensuring every dollar spent in business never has to be spent twice. If you want the photos, copy, design etc to be used for your website, your sales brochures etc, speak to your consultant and ensure that you get what you pay for.

Here are a few resources I've found that may help you with your capability statement preparation:

• South Australian Government website
• Supply Nation website
• ​Queensland Government website​

Good luck!