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The Pursuit...To Happiness

Posted by ablack on Nov. 16, 2016  /  Best Practices  /  Subscribe 1

Do you remember that time when an RFP was almost literally “thrown in your lap” and you had less than a week to do it?  Your first question is “who is available to assist with the technical pieces?” and the response is “haven’t we already written something like this?” Right then and there you realize they are not invested in this project, so you ask “why should I spend my nights and weekend putting this together?”  Oh, did I forget to mention it was issued two weeks ago?  I know you’ve all been there, don’t lie.  But things are about to change….

Michelle Martin, SmithGroupJJR’s former Marketing Manager for the San Francisco office, and current Higher Education Corporate Practice Manager, alongside her marketing team and office leadership decided to make a change. The team created a transparent process, one that all parties are enthusiastic, and acquiescent, to pursue work.  Here’s how you can improve the process, but remember it takes buy-in from leadership:

STEP 1: Identify what is going wrong and why.  The quality of responses are only as good as the thought put into them. A poor proposal response results in a loss 99% of the time, dropping your firm’s win rate and revenue. This approach creates unsatisfied internal clients, and thus unhappy marketing personnel. Most likely, the result of this unsuccessful process can be attributed to one or more of the following reasons: a lack of understanding of what it takes to win work or where involvement is critical, assuming others will do the work or that “we already have this write up” approach, and lastly— avoidance. So, change this mindset of your team and take the steps to create a transparent process. During this first step of developing an improved process, you should gather statistics including how many hours (or dollars) are spent on any given pursuit, hit rates (wins vs. losses), and possibly even marketing turnover rates to help sell why a processis critical. 

STEP 2: Develop a transparent process for the environment you work in, and gain buy-in before launching. The ideal process is a holistic one where we have gained insight about the project opportunity through business development. We have an idea of when the RFP/Q is coming out and why the firm is uniquely qualified to win the project.  The RFP/Q hits the street and you have a team of business development, technical leadership and marketing to dedicate the time and effort necessary for a winning, tailored response. The two key players are the Pursuit Champion and the Marketing Lead. A  Pursuit Champion is identified off the bat— this person is a technical staff member who understands the expectations and is invested in the project. Ideally, the Pursuit Champion is a decent writer, has capacity, adheres to deadlines, and is an efficient communicator and leader. The Marketing Lead also adheres to the deadlines they set forth, leads the pursuit kick off, creates a story board and creative graphic representation, and of course, effectively communicates. Depending on your firm, a Business Developer or other technical staff are critical to the success of your projects.  Identify who should be involved and at what stages to ensure a smooth process for all.  Once you have done this, try a soft launch with those you can identify as “brand ambassadors” who are invested in your new process. Ask for buy-in and adjust as needed.

STEP 3: Execute the process.  Try it out, follow through and alter as you see fit or as suggestions arise.  Train those individuals who are, or may become “Pursuit Champions”. While an ideal Pursuit Champion embodies all the skills and characteristics listed above, ideal is hard to find. Lead training sessions to help Pursuit Champions realize their potential. Remind everyone that we are all in it for the same goal— to win awesome work! Remember, if you don’t execute, then the process stays broken.

Reevaluate your process by looking at your shortlist and win rates. Ask the staff if they are happier and just as important, ask yourself if you are happier.

Check out the pursuit booklet here for a step by step process developed by the SmithGroupJJR California team.  We would love to hear how you have implemented a new process, or if you have any feedback!

Rachel Minzey
Associate| Marketing Manager, SmithGroupJJR

Rachel Minzey began her career in the AEC industry in 2007.  She lived in New York City for four years and then came back to the Valley in 2012, where she has grown her career within SmithGroupJJR. She has been a member of SMPS since 2014 and has truly enjoyed the opportunity to meet individuals with similar roles, sharing best practices and lessons learned.

Before having her two young sons, Rachel was an avid synchronized swimmer since the age of 8. When she’s not playing with her children, Rachel enjoys being crafty - she enjoys making jewelry, as well as crafts to spruce up her home. 

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