From questions about your why (thanks Simon Senek) to DEI and environmental initiatives to bespoke solutions that demonstrate hours and hours of pre-RFP preparation, it’s clearer than ever that your story matters. To win work, you need a winning message.
With generative AI looming, the landscape of bidding and winning work is likely to change dramatically over the next three years. While automation will undoubtedly take over the more cumbersome tasks, people will still be in charge of deciding where their money goes.
Who you are, what you care about, and most importantly, how you’ll solve the client’s problems have to be front and center, and they have to be easy to find.
For years, I tried to cram everything into a 90-minute kick-off call at the beginning of a pursuit with the usual result that my teams would sidestep questions about our messaging and win themes for logistics, compliance, and assignments. And I don’t blame them. A strong value proposition is vital, but a compliant submission takes precedence.
Still, what’s the point of compliant submissions that don’t win because the messaging is weak?
As a veteran marketer and proposal manager, I challenged myself to pivot, and a seemingly small change has had big implications. The big answer? I simply facilitated a separate meeting just for messaging.
During the kick-off meeting, we carry out all the housekeeping and logistics:
- review the project understanding and our client relationship
- discuss the RFP and any unclear requirements
- outline the proposal and assign authors
- propose a teaming approach
- consider past experiences that need to be highlighted
- confirm a pursuit schedule.
Everyone sighs in relief at having established a plan with responsible parties and clear deadlines.
Then, later that day or the following day, we have our messaging meeting, in which we:
- lay the groundwork for our win strategy
- build consensus on the unique value we deliver
- define the client’s needs and hot button issues
- perform a SWOT analysis, IFBP analysis, and/or competitor analysis
- discuss mitigation of any weaknesses.
I follow up with organized notes and potential win themes for the team to review and revise. I often use this follow up to clarify any remaining questions or fill in any gaps as well. From that, we build our story and populate the proposal outline with the key messaging—so it’s right there in front of our authors as they refine their project approach and innovative solutions.
This seems simple because it is. And yet for nearly ten years, I struggled to prioritize messaging in hurried, somewhat scattered kick-off meetings. I hope you can learn from my decade of toil.
Mercedez Thompson, MA, CP APMP, Shipley BDC
Pursuit Manager
Mercedez finds and shares a firm’s unique stories to connect with clients and build business. She has 11 years’ experience in professional marketing services. As a Pursuit Manager at PwC, Mercedez collaborates with thought leaders, marketing and sales staff, and client services personnel to develop priority proposals. She has extensive experience in all phases of the proposal lifecycle including positioning, win strategy, content development, proposal management, and shortlist interviewing. She was a 2022 APMP 40 Under 40 Winner.
