The Iris Methodology · Ben Hills
Know·Build· Win· Learn
A new operating model for teams that win revenue through
proposals. Most proposal processes are a fire drill: every response starts from scratch, every SME is interrupted, and proposal number one hundred is no better than proposal number one. It does not have to be that way.
By Ben Hills · Founder & CEO, Iris
The Iris Methodology is a four-phase operating model, Know, Build, Win, Learn, that turns every proposal into a compounding advantage.
Proposals influence millions in annual revenue at the average organization, yet the average corporate win rate is under 50%, meaning most of the effort produces nothing. Many proposals go unfinished every year, real revenue left on the table. Done right, the leverage of proposal investment to revenue influenced is among the best ROI in the enterprise.
The methodology
Four phases.
One continuous cycle.
Each phase addresses a specific failure pattern in how proposals are run
today. Together they form a flywheel, every response feeds the next.
PHASE 01 · KNOW
Who is this buyer
really?
Understand before you answer. A prospect-aware intelligence layer built before the first word is drafted. Solves the compliance trap.
PHASE 02 · BUILD
What do we already know?
Assemble, don't author. A living, AI-curated content system replaces the static folder in SharePoint. Solves the knowledge graveyard.
PHASE 03 · WIN
How do we differentiate?
Every proposal is a sales conversation. Experts focus only on the strategic differentiators that actually win. Solves the SME bottleneck.
PHASE 04 · LEARN
What worked and
what didn't?
The learning loop. Every outcome feeds back into the next pursuit, so the team gets sharper with every deal.
Three audiences. One message.
You already
feel it. Now you have the framework.
REVENUE LEADERS
You own revenue. You haven't optimized this lever yet.
Proposals influence more revenue than almost any other motion, and most teams run them on instinct. The methodology makes the lever explicit.
PROPOSAL & PRESALES
You already feel it. Now you
have the framework.
The patterns you've sensed for years, named, sequenced, and made repeatable across every pursuit.
SMEs — ENG, SECURITY, FINANCE
Get your time back.
Engineering, Security, and Finance stop answering the same questions. Experts focus only on the strategic differentiators that win.
Free download
The five
failure
patterns
that account for most lost deals.
Read the full methodology this weekend. The Compliance Trap, the Knowledge Graveyard, the SME Bottleneck, and more, named, with the fix for each.
