Consultant Spotlight: John Telford
Favorite part of being a consultant?
I enjoy the diverse mix of people I encounter working as a proposal consultant. I’ve been in the business long enough now that it’s fun running into old friends, but it’s also fun to meet new people on each job.
What is the secret to creating successful proposal graphics?
The secret to great proposal graphics is to keep it simple. Due to page limitations, a lot of times the temptation is to try to pack every inch of space with another fact or step in the process. But if you want to make sure reviewers have a clear understanding of what makes your proposal – and ultimately your company – unique, you need to think about what the main takeaways are for each individual graphic, and make sure the finished product delivers that key message. If you try and bog it down with too many points, the message gets muddy and confusing, and graphics are supposed to be clear and efficient. Effective visual storytelling works best when you present the message in a compelling format with one or two key takeaways.
How can the proposal team best support you as a graphic designer?
I think graphics play a vital role in establishing a proposal’s credibility – more than many people realize. Subconsciously, reviewers make judgments about a proposal based on the overall look and feel (the design and graphics) before they ever dive into the actual meat of the text. However, you don’t just want your graphics (and your design) to simply look good. Above all else, you also want them to properly communicate your message, and therefore it’s important to include your graphics people at the start of your proposal effort. Get them involved early – at the kickoff meeting if possible – and bring them in to talk about graphics during the planning stages, not at the end when everything has been decided, because a highly trained visual thinker might be able to come up with a more effective solution if they are in the room hearing all the other players and stakeholders discuss the details.
Biggest proposal pet peeve?
When the contracting agency sits on the RFP documents repeatedly delaying the start of the proposal effort.
Where was your last vacation and what was the highlight of the trip?
Taking a little break to drive over to Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. (just a couple hours away from our house) to see my dad and his wife on their vacation. The highlight was taking them out for the freshest grouper sandwiches you can find on the Gulf Coast at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill. It’s a little hole in the wall just inches from the white sands of Clearwater Beach.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I’m not sure it’s a hidden talent, but I love to cook. I got the bug from my mom, who was a fantastic old-school southern cook. She opened my eyes to what unpretentious, simple ingredients can do for a dish.
If you could meet anyone in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Ok, This will be a weird answer, but I’ll try and explain in the hope of making it seem more legitimate, but it won’t. Because why would you choose THAT GUY when you could meet ANYONE in the world?! Anyway, here goes… As a kid growing up in 1970s Tampa, Florida, I loved professional wrestling. Tampa was a mecca for pro wrestling. Many of the industry’s biggest stars either got their start or spent a significant portion of their careers wrestling in Tampa at the Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory, and pro wrestling is still a guilty pleasure for me to this day. Some of the biggest names in the business like Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Superstar Billy Graham, Ernie Ladd, Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, Wahoo McDaniel, Haystacks Calhoun and Terry Funk are only a small fraction of the legendary guys who wrestled in the promotion run by Eddie Graham and voiced by the dean of wrestling announcers, Gordon Solie. For me, the best of them all was the Nature Boy, Ric Flair. He had some epic battles in Florida with Dusty Rhodes, and he’s considered by many to be the greatest pro wrestler of all time, and I grew up watching him spend many nights in the ring in Tampa, Florida. He’d be the person I’d love to meet someday.
