If your most valuable information about a project comes from the pre-proposal meeting, you have missed the boat. Your experience might get you to the shortlist. However, winning the project requires in-depth client understanding/knowledge as well as solving issues and addressing details that your competition does not even know about. The highest likelihood of success requires that you start this process long before you attend the pre-proposal meeting.
To do this, you will need to:
Start early. Regularly engage clients and prospective clients so projects do not sneak up on you.
Develop a strategy for formal and informal dialogue with the client and their key project staff once you are aware of a project you want to pursue.
Have a written a plan of action detailing: what you know, what you need to know, who can assist in getting the information you need to know, who from your team does the client need to get to know, what relationships do you need to establish or leverage, what is the client perception of you is related to this upcoming project, what might be helpful to alter it or enhance it?
Have a way to track activity and results related to the strategy/plan of action.
Next month, I will provide some specific suggestions and questions to pose whether you are currently working with the client, have worked with them in the past or are looking to develop a relationship with them.
What clients are saying…
“Your workshop was the best workshop of my entire engineering career. I was recently involved in a presentation and used the concepts and lessons learned in your workshop. My presentation skills have improved astronomically and the major reason for this improvement is owed to the workshop.
“Hilari has a true gift for allowing those that attend to relax and receive the invaluable feedback she has to give on what it would take to exude the most charisma.”
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