We all strive for perfection in our marketing and business
development initiatives. Proposals, for
example, can’t leave the office with typos or factual errors. The boilerplate that has been customized for any
client can’t include the name of the previous client who requested similar
services.
I have always been a words guy and not really a design guy when it comes to marketing materials, including proposal submissions. There is a lot to be said about the people who possess the ability to see the beauty in different design approaches. I applaud them. In fact, this is the reason a team is always preferred in client pursuits.
When the design gets in the way of the words, I have a
problem. How does design ever get in
the way of the words? Winning is the
bottom line of any pursuit. How a
proposal looks goes a long way toward whether it will be read or read
thoroughly. Office managers, senior
managers and other “approval-required” executives can get hung up on the look
rather than the content. When this
happens design gets in the way of the words.
It slows down the creative process.
Perfection, therefore, can hurt your chance of success. We all fight deadlines in developing
marketing materials. Proposals have a
client deadline and our firms have internal deadlines based upon the client’s
deadline. Starting with the “go-no-go” beginning until we finish by putting the
required copies of the proposal into the Federal Express package, we are up
against the clock. Sometimes there are delays caused by multiple meetings to decide whether to pursue the
project. Although those meetings should develop at least an outline of the
content and design, it usually ends with simply a yes or no. The process of business development and
nurturing the client has given us our content.
It has revealed the between-the-lines intel that is critical for
success. Marketing pulls this from the
database and words start to flow on the pages of our proposal. Success is challenged when perfection meets
management ego. The “we have always done
it this way” approach is not about perfection.
In fact, it might short circuit valuable client intelligence, RFP
requirements and strategy.
The request for proposals is contrasted with what we know
about the client. Graphics, design and format
become the focus. While some RFPs
include format and design requirements, it is not the rule.
As content joins together with design and reviews take
place, perfection becomes the goal. When
you confuse perfection with the real goal of winning the project, your chance
of success declines. You know what they
say about “too many cooks in the kitchen.”
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay
Packers, is often misquoted with a statement about winning. He never said, “Winning isn’t everything, it
is the only thing.” He said, “ Winning
isn’t everything, preparing to win is the only thing.”
Preparation is the key to successful proposals.
How often do you send out a proposal to a client you know
nothing about or a project that is not in your wheelhouse? Although there are circumstances where this
makes sense, it is not the rule for success.
Therefore, we have a process that includes perfection. We commit to going after the project. We are prepared to put together the winning
proposal. Our team is ready to wow the
client during the presentation. All the
pieces must come together seamlessly. When do you say you have gathered enough
client intelligence? How many drafts of
the proposal are enough? Perfection in
these two steps of the process is a requirement and something marketing teams
will lose sleep over. However, the
weakest link in the process is the client presentation. 
The principal-in-charge, senior officer or even the firm
president might take over this step. The
marketing team has created a storyboard of what needs to be presented, how it
should be presented and who should be speaking.
It is all based upon the RFP requirements and client intelligence. You slapped yourself on the back with the proposal and made the cut. The presentation is not the time to keep slapping yourself on the back. Ego is not your friend when the team is
preparing for the presentation. On one
side you have a marketing team with the perfect presentation and the other a
principal with her own ideas. She
doesn’t like to rehearse because her style is to wing it. She thinks it might be a good idea for the
technical presenters to rehearse, but she has been over this bridge a thousand
times. She has hundreds of projects to
back up her claim.
The idea of multiple rehearsals goes out the door and
marketing is satisfied with one rehearsal that includes only part of the
presentation team.
The team is now in front of the client’s selection committee
and the principal starts the presentation. She goes off script and mentions
things other presenters are prepared to speak about. It would not be a fatal error unless she
says something that is the opposite of what the scheduled presenter was going
to say. That person happens to know this
client better than the principal and knows her misinformation has to be
corrected. But, you can’t call a timeout
during a client presentation.
Getting everyone on the same page is only one reason why
presentation rehearsals are needed. Team
chemistry is the most important. The
presentation shows the client the value and importance of each team member and
how they will function together. Team
confusion sends the wrong message to the client. I have seen the enemy of perfection and the enemy is us.
In marketing professional services winning is never the only
thing because winning can’t happen without preparation. We have to know when enough is enough. While the majority of firms in the country
have never experienced the scenario painted above, it can doom your ability to
win projects. Each step of the process
is vulnerable. Perfection therefore is
not one big thing, but a series of small things done well.
Always strive for excellence and the by-product will be
near-perfection. Management will
appreciate this because clients will award you more business. In the end, your most difficult task will be
getting some people to leave their egos at the door.
