If you’ve ever proposed on Federal, or even state, A/E contracts…you’ve probably run into the Standard Form 330 (SF330).

People often struggle with the SF330. But you don’t have to.

In this post, I’m going to explain:

• How to fill out the SF330
• How to structure your information
• What to add to your submission

I’m not going to go over much of the obvious. Instead, I’ll answer common questions and give you some strategies you may have not considered.

And I’ll even give you an SF330 template that will be easy for you to use in Microsoft Word and the official directions.

What Is The SF330?

The sf330 replaced two universally hated forms (the Standard Form 255 and Standard Form 254). All Federal agencies are supposed to use the sf330 when soliciting for architecture and engineering services. Many state agencies have also adopted this form.

This new form solved a few problems:

1. Clients wanted to make sure they were getting the people with the right experience.
2. We (the industry) wanted something easier with more flexibility.

What?!?!

Yes, believe it or not, the sf330 was designed to be easy and flexible.

The first thing you need to do is change your mindset about this form. It is well thought out. And if you use it correctly, it is easy and flexible.

Keys To The SF330

If your proposed team has:

• Relevant Experience
• Worked Together Before on Relevant Projects

Then, this form will be your best friend.

If not, this form will work against you simply because it was created to weed you out. But I’m going to share some strategies that should help.

The Who and What

The sf330 revolves around the people you are proposing and the projects they worked on. Nobody wants to hire you based on your firm name or reputation. So, the who and what is critical.

Before you fill it out, you need to know who you are proposing and what they worked on. That’s because in Section G, we will need to make the connection between the key staff proposed and the experience provided.

Notice that I said, “key staff.” Unless expressly stated in the RFP, your sf330 does not need to list everybody who will work on this contract, just the “key staff.”

The Key in Key

Unless the client provides you with titles or roles they consider “key,” it is up to you to decide who is key.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you are proposing to design a building. You know Bob, one of your mechanical designers, will work a lot on this project. However, you just hired him. He’s got no relevant experience, is not the project manager, nor is he the Lead Mechanical Designer.

Leave Bob out of your proposal. He’s not key staff. At least, not in this situation.

Then let’s say you have an electrical designer, Paul, that has tons of relevant experience, has worked with the rest of the team before, but won’t be spending as much time as Bob on the project. Put Paul in. He’s going to be key to the success of this project.

Even though Paul is spending less time on this project, the value of his contribution will be much higher. If the project runs into a snag, you’ll need the guidance of someone who has done it before. Paul is key.

We want to avoid pulling a “bait and switch.” Don’t propose the A team, but then turn around and give them the B team. Most contracts will state the key personnel cannot be changed without the client’s express written permission.

While unexpected situations and natural turnover might make complete consistency impossible, it’s just not good business to bait and switch.

Also, don’t be stupid. Your Project Manager is clearly a key person.

Nuthin’ But a Section G Thing, Baby

If you are new to the sf330 game, you should complete Section G first.

In this section, you list your proposed staff and the ten projects you will highlight in your proposal. Then you mark an X on each project the staff member worked on.

Ideally, you want to list 10 projects that are just like the one you are proposing on. You can also include one or two projects from your subconsultants in the 10. But I wouldn’t include more than two.

Logic would dictate that evaluators want to see as many x marks as possible on this form. But let me tell you, I’ve never seen evidence or even heard of an evaluation committee making their selection based solely on the number of x marks in this section.

My rule of thumb is everybody needs an x. If you list people with no x marks, you are hanging out there.

Also, if you list ten different people having worked on ten different projects, that’s also risky. You want to show these people have worked together before.

You’ll also want to show, if at all possible, that your team has worked with the subconsultant personnel in the past as well.

Sections A, B, and C

Folks, it doesn’t get any more self-explanatory than this. Sections A, B, and C are easy to fill out. Don’t spend too much time here.

But make sure everything is filled out including the percentage utilization for subconsultants.

Don’t Forget The Org Chart

Section D is the org chart. You can create this in a separate document and attach it after the first page (A, B, C).

You want to keep the org chart as simple as possible. What clients want to know is:

* Who is my single point of contact?
* Do they have enough people for this job?
* Is there a clear management structure?
* Are there any specialists on the team?

Section E The Resumes

Section E is comprised of resumes of your key staff. This would include the key staff from your subconsultants.

Typically, these resumes should be kept to one page. Some clients will allow certain resumes to go over a page. But, to my understanding, the form was designed to be a one-page resume.

Each resume should include five projects. Not four, not six, but five projects.

And don’t forget to check whether or not the project was completed while with the person’s current firm.

The Ten Year Rule

In general, the sf330 requires you to keep the experience listed in sections E and F to within the last 10 years.

Some clients will restrict this even further to three of five years. But if they don’t, it’s best to keep it to projects within the last 10 years.

Personally, I have not experienced firms getting disqualified for listing experience that went beyond 10 years. And, in a resume, if I had to choose between a project that was completed over 10 years ago and an irrelevant project, I would choose the old one. But please note, that may be a risky move.

Services vs. Construction

There are two fields after the project name. The first is “services” and the next is construction. Remember, this form was created for design firms. But it is being used for many other services.

The date services were completed is the year this person stopped providing services for this project. The construction year is when the person stopped working on the construction

The date construction was completed is when the building was opened or the renovation was complete.

The Job Titles

Ideally, you want the person’s title for his/her projects to match up with the role identified in item 13 in Section E.

For example, if this person’s role is Lead Mechanical Designer, you wouldn’t want the titles for his/her experience to read “Senior Mechanical Designer.” The client will want to know “has this person ever done this before?” If the titles on the project descriptions and role don’t match up, you are indicating that they haven’t.

Again, above all, be honest. But often people use different titles when they do the work vs when they propose on it.

For example, the person may have acted as the Project Manager on an assignment, but his/her title is listed as principal. If you are proposing for this person to be the Project Manager, that’s not going to work.

The F in Projects

In Section F, you’ll detail 10 relevant projects. Again, not six, not 11…but 10 projects.

Yes, there will be occasions where clients specifically ask for fewer projects. In all cases, give your clients what they ask for.

Time, Time, Time

In general, the projects should be within the last 10 years. Again, it is feasible that a client could restrict it to fewer years. And, just in case I’m not sounding like a broken record yet, give your clients what they ask for.

I’d be much more likely to deviate outside those 10 years in projects than in resumes.

If, between you and your subs, you can’t come up with 10 relevant projects…that may indicate a challenging competitive situation for you.

Making The Projects Relevant

You can ensure this by adding a box within the description identifying why this project is relevant. Adding a photo may also help with that.

With regards to relevancy, the term I use is “slap your clients in the face.” These projects must be so relevant that it slaps your client in the face. They shouldn’t be able to glance at a project and wonder why it’s in your sf330. It should be stupid obvious.

Yes, you can add photos and text boxes to your sf339. There are many examples of how firms do this in the presentation linked at the bottom of this post.

Subconsultant Projects

Like I said when we covered Section G, I think it’s OK to include one or two projects from subconsultants.

Don’t forget to add that your subconsultants worked on your example projects when they did. Clients will want to know how much your firms have worked together before.

Section H

Finally, at least for Part One, you have Section H. Many times clients will specify what they want to see in this section. If they do not, I would advise you to ask what they want to see in it.

Sometimes, the answer will be, “That’s up to you.” That may indicate they don’t plan to read that section. But you don’t want to take any chances. So, yes, add some information to Section H.

What you don’t want to add is boilerplate drivel from your extensive library of crap (ELC). Only add information that is relevant to this project and/or helpful to the client.

SF330 Part Two

No, this is not the sequel. Part II is the replacement for the Standard Form 254. The SF254 provided general information about your firm.

You should always include SF330 Part II in your submission unless directed by the client not to.

You really should complete one of these forms for each office (location) that will be working on the project. There are always exceptions, but that’s the general rule.

Make Sure You Have The Right Version

The most current version is rev. 8/2016. (Note: You can download the SF330 word template below.)

That version expires on 12/31/2020. Around that time, the General Services Administration (GSA) will either approve it without change or make some minor change to it. There hasn’t been a significant change in many years.

You can see the history of all changes to the sf330 over at this link.

You must also realize that some states have their own version of the SF330. For example, the state of Connecticut has a form they can the CT330. The first part of it is nearly identical to the SF330, but they tagged on a few new pages.

Just make sure you are submitting the form your client is asking for.

What If You Have Specific Questions About Filling Out The Form?

If you have any questions about filling out the form, that were not covered in this guide, I always suggest you submit a question to the contracting officer.

I should also note that you’ll find lots of useful tips below in the comments.

Conclusion

That should give you enough information to complete the form. If you want to download the free, easy to use form (Microsoft Word Format)…click the link below. I’ve also included the official sf330 directions in the download.

Download The Template Here

If you feel I left something out or have some useful sf330 advice, submit a comment below.

Useful SF330 Links

• The Official 330 Page

• My SF330 InDesign Template is included in my Win Writing course.

The post The Ultimate SF330 Guide (with Microsoft Word Template) appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

There is an age-old debate about whether you should include photos of staff members in their resumes. You see, someone could look at the photo and decide (just by their appearance) that they do not want to work with that person. And your firm could lose a valuable contract as a result.

I’m here to tell you that in this world, there are people who will reject someone because of the way they look. And yes, you could lose contracts because of how someone on your team looks. But I’m going to explain why, in over 1,000 proposals, I’ve never shied away from adding a photo to someone’s resume.

Mustache For The Win

One day, I was proposing a construction scheduler for a large project in New York City as a subconsultant to a large firm. I had put together an impressive resume for a woman in her 20s to send to this firm.

The project was a highway restoration. And this woman’s experience consisted almost entirely of providing scheduling services on highway construction projects. Many of the projects were near identical to the project in question. She was the perfect fit.

But the prime firm rejected the resume. They didn’t feel like she was a “good fit.” That, of course, was (in my professional opinion) ridiculous.

So, I put together a resume for a young man who had merely a fraction of the woman’s experience. However, he had just grown a mustache and looked like a “construction guy.” When the prime received that resume, they said, “this one is perfect.”

I was convinced that they rejected the first resume due to the staff member’s gender.

Should We Rethink Photos In Resumes

This experience started a discussion between my firm president and me. Should we stop using photos in our resumes?

The decision we came to:

“That’s just not the world we want to live in.”

We recognize the possibility that someone might reject us because a team member is black, a woman, or just so ugly they have to trick or treat over the phone. But we don’t want to live in that world.

We want to live in a world where people aren’t judged by their looks. There is no magic wand we can wave to make that a reality. But we can operate in a way that assumes if we’re not there now…we’ll be there shortly.

So, when I put a resume in a proposal (unless it’s a SF330 form), I always include a headshot.

Time Changes Society

In my opinion, you can’t control how others behave.

The reality is time changes society. We’ll take one step forward, two steps back, and then three steps forward. It’s a long process. But I like to believe, despite what we see on TV, that we’re slowly growing into a less racist/sexist society.

I joke with my wife that one day my son will bring his girlfriend home to meet us. When I realize it’s a robot, I’ll exclaim, “You can’t love a robot! Robot’s aren’t alive!” He’ll just look at me with the distain one might reserve today for someone who thinks a woman shouldn’t be on their highway construction project.

As progressive as you or I might think we are today, I have found that time has a funny way of challenging your beliefs. What I think we can do is be the change that we wish to see in the world.

What Do You Think?

Were you offended by this article? Did you find it helpful. Write your thoughts in the comments.

The post Why I Never Shy Away From Using Photos In Proposal Resumes appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I can just smell the hate mail coming. Yes, today I’m going to try and convince you that relying on proposal win themes is a fool’s game. 

For many people, this will be hard to swallow. Others may be staring at the screen wondering, “What is he even talking about?” 

But if you stay with me to the end, you might actually end up agreeing with me. Or at the very least, you’ll walk away with a new perspective on proposal win themes and strategy. 

So, let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.

What Are Proposal Win Themes?

According to The Shipley Proposal Guide, “win themes (or major themes) apply to the entire proposal. They usually tie a single, unique discriminator to a critical customer need.”

In layman’s terms, win themes are statements you make that illustrate why a client should choose your offering. Generally, win themes consist of three things:

• Features: Aspect of your product or service (like your smartphone’s touch screen)
• Benefits: An advantage to your product or service that meets a customer’s need (like the ability to watch the latest 4K movies on your smartphone while on the toilet at work, so you can be the office movie guru)
• Proof Points: Qualitative or quantitative proof that your statement is true (this smartphone was awarded “best toilet device” by the Motion Picture Association of America)  

There is some debate about how many win themes to include in your proposal. Some say 3-4 win themes. Others say put one on every page or every section. 

Regardless, many proposal professionals see win themes as how you apply your strategy to a proposal. But let’s look at this in practice. 

Proposal Win Theme Example

Let’s build a win theme. We’ll assume we’re a General Contractor proposing on a university project. Maybe one example win theme would read like this: 

“Our patented gobbledegook process can cut time off your schedule and reduce ACME University’s library project costs. In fact, we used this process to deliver NextDoor University’s library project ahead of schedule and $3M under budget.”

By every definition, that is a reasonably good Win Theme. It’s got all three elements.

• Feature: Patented gobbledegook process.
• Benefit: Cut time off your schedule and reduce project costs.
• Proof Point: We did it for NextDoor University.

Problem #1: Underestimating Your Clients

There are major flaws associated with relying on win themes in your proposal. 

The first seems quite obvious, but is so often ignored. 

YOUR CLIENTS AREN’T STUPID!

I say this so much that if there was any statement I would tattoo on my forehead…

…it would be…

…YOUR CLIENTS AREN’T STUPID!

Let me illustrate this with a little story. I was present at an internal retreat for a large university system (multiple universities). I was one of two non-employees there. During that meeting, one project manager made this statement to his colleagues:

“I’ve been in this business for 40 years. Every proposal I’ve ever received swore up and down that they’d deliver the project on-time and on budget. Not one of them has.” 

Now, hopefully there was a degree of exaggeration in his statement. But he was trying to make an important point. If you are a general contractor who is proposing on my university project, you may well have delivered NextDoor University’s project under schedule and under budget. 

But I am not stupid.

I know you’ve done many university projects. And I know that not all of them, despite using your process, have been delivered on time and on budget. And if you have delivered a project ahead of schedule and under budget, I know that it was the exception to the rule. 

Why? Because this is not my first rodeo.  

In addition, clients talk to other clients about their vendors. I might even know all about NextDoor University’s project. And I probably got NextDoor’s take on why the project was ahead of schedule and under budget. And that take may or may not align with yours. 

Your clients are not stupid, and they can see your win themes for what they are…you trying to sell them.  

Even when they are legitimate and well thought out, your win themes could still fall flat. 

For example, a friend once told me they indicated in a win theme that they could potentially save the client $20M. Their team spent months making sure they actually could deliver on this promise. But at the end of the day, the client felt the statement was “too salesy and too far fetched” and selected another firm. 

Unfortunately, more often than not, your clients have bought before. And they’ve probably been oversold before. What happens is that clients can get thick skin. They, appropriately, view statements in proposals with a grain of salt…maybe even suspicion at times.

You still have to put your best foot forward. You still have to distinguish yourself from the competition. But do not, under any circumstance, underestimate your audience.  

Problem #2: Proposal Strategy Is More

Win Themes are an attempt at positioning your firm and offering. Positioning, from a marketing standpoint, is how you present yourself and your offering to potential clients to persuade them to buy. 

Note: I’m not talking about “pre-selling” the client (i.e. talking to the client before the RFP “hits the street”). Some people refer to that as positioning because you are presenting yourself and your offering to potential clients prior to bid. I’m talking about positioning in your proposal.  

As you can imagine, the right positioning is a critical piece of your strategy. However, it is just one of six strategic elements needed for your proposal. 

Here’s an image of what I refer to as the Proposal Strategy Six Pack.

Further, “win theme” is just a fancy way of saying “differentiators” (sometimes referred to value propositions). These differentiators are just one element needed for positioning, which is just one fraction of a complete strategy six pack. 

Relying on win themes is simply not sufficient. 

For example, when you’re selling something you can’t just list why someone should buy your product. You’ve also got to knock down all the barriers that might prevent someone from buying your product. 

Avis used this concept in a very successful ad campaign. 

Heck, they’re one of the few car rental operations left. 

You might say, “But Matt, that’s an old ad. It’s not a proposal.” But I’ve used this approach with many proposals, to great success.

You simply can’t ignore your weaknesses (see problem #1). You need to address every barrier that could possibly prevent your client from choosing you.

Win Themes are not enough to even position your firm. And they are far from a complete, viable, strategy.

Problem #3: How People Read Proposals

When there isn’t a pandemic, I travel all around the country putting proposal professionals through an exercise where they roleplay as a client. They review real proposals, work in a committee, and award a contract. 

And you’ll be happy to learn that, when put in this situation, these people often point to a few statements or elements in a proposal. But you might be surprised to learn that it’s rarely something highlighted or in a call-out box. 

Very often, it’s a statement within a technical approach. Sometimes it’s related to the people they see in the proposal. 

In my experience, it’s quite difficult to predict which statements will resonate with any single individual. I can’t point to a particular type or category of statement. Very often, different people within a selection committee will latch onto different statements from the same proposal.

And I’ve seen different committees choose the same proposal, but list different reasons.

Yes, you want to differentiate yourself from the competition. Yes, you want your proposal to put your best foot forward. But do not rest your hopes on a few select statements.   

This is one area where the win themes concept falls flat. In everything you write, you should explain the benefit. You should offer proof to your statements.  It’s foolish to assign benefits and proof to only a few select statements in your proposal. 

Problem #3: Win Themes Are Easier To Miss Than You Think

If you’re submitting a 50-page proposal, you’re “putting many eggs” in a statement (or statements) that will appear on two or three pages of your proposal.

Frankly, I know how people consume proposals. And I don’t like those odds. People don’t read proposals like a book, they read them like a magazine.

Here’s another story. I was helping a general contractor submit for a very large government contract to renovate office space for Federal law enforcement (and other) agencies. The security procedures needed to get people and materials in and out of these spaces was daunting. We knew that was the number one challenge of renovating these spaces. 

And yes, we made statements explaining that we had a system in place to get clearances and navigate the Federal systems to keep projects moving. And we had them in call-out boxes, in the cover letter, and in the section on security.

But over several pages, we illustrated the detailed procedures we already had in place and use to navigate the security challenge. Even if you were flipping through the proposal, barely paying attention, it was impossible to miss.  

Win Themes can be easy to miss. They are even easier to dismiss, particularly when they are not successfully supported with details within your proposal. 

Yes, you need to “tell” your clients. But you also need to show. 

Win Themes Vs. Proposal Themes

There is a type of proposal theme that I do endorse. But it is very rarely used. This is a single theme that the entire proposal is built around. 

This is best explained in chapter four of Laura Ricci’s book, “The Magic Of Winning Proposals.” In this book, she explains the power of her approach to themes. 

“One of my favorite proposals had a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon on the cover. Calvin, the young boy, is first seen cramming for a big test. Next, he’s seen sweating it out in the classroom. In the final scene, he explains to his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, ‘You can’t learn this stuff overnight.’

This cartoon was on the cover of a proposal to provide professional services to the Department of Energy at a nuclear facility. This cover may seem strange, but the magic is there because those who came up with it understood the issues and brainstorming led to this theme. There were two major issues that the theme succinctly reflected:

1. The buyer who would be the lead decision-maker was frustrated in the past by consultants who arrived at his site inexperienced and untrained. He often complained to the Project Manager that, “You just can’t learn this stuff overnight.
   
2. The Project Manager found out that the client liked Calvin and Hobbes and missed seeing this comic strip when he transferred to the DOE site, because the newspaper in the area did not include it on its comic pages. So each week, the Project Manager clipped out the comic strip and faxed it to the client.

That kind of information forms the basis of the knowledge that makes the magic of a good Theme.”

That’s a great example of using a proposal theme. It’s a conceptual theme. It doesn’t follow the “win theme” format. And while I understand that you won’t always have this level of inside knowledge before you see an RFP, I do see this as a superior approach to proposal themes. 

I can assure you that Laura’s proposal had many other differentiators. In fact, I can promise you that proposal had a benefit statement for every single section and subsection in the proposal. 

The Bottom Line On Proposal Win Themes

Like I mentioned above, I’m not against the idea of differentiators in your proposal. In fact, they are essential. 

What I’m concerned about is the concept of “win themes.” More importantly, I strongly disagree with people pushing “win themes” as a strategy. 

The Association Of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) has a guide for people looking to get certified in proposal management. That document defines win themes like this:

“The components of a proposing organization’s win strategy.”

NO. That’s not true!

Win themes are just differentiators. They do not represent a complete strategy. 

When you are racking your brain trying to come up with winning theme ideas or quality theme statements, you really should be creating a complete strategy. Yes, that includes positioning (which includes differentiators). But a complete proposal strategy includes so much more. 

Proposal professionals need to be able to craft complete strategies. Yes, they need to be able to identify and communicate differentiators. But they need to be competent in every aspect of positioning. 

And they need to see positioning for what it is, one piece of the proposal strategy puzzle.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Now it’s your turn. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Share your thoughts by posting a comment.

The post Proposal Win Themes: Stop Relying On Them appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Have you ever felt this way?

You see…sometimes I just want to grab people by the shoulders and SHAKE them.

It’s not because I’m evil or out to punish people.

It’s just that sometimes assumptions are lodged so very deeply in our brains that I can’t think of any other way to possibly shake them loose.

Assumptions are the things we accept as true, without proof.

Case In Point: We make certain assumptions about how clients read our proposals.

And, believe it or not, those assumptions can be devastating to our proposals.

The Major Proposal Fallacy

When we imagine clients reading our proposals, here’s the image we see.

She/He is sitting in their recliner, feet up, with their reading glasses on and a blanket on their legs. The lit fireplace warms the room as their faithful canine lays next to the chair. The lights are just slightly dimmed.

They carefully turn each page, stopping from time to time to sip on a warm cup of tea. A few hours later, they close the book, let out a deep sigh, and reflect on the book they just read.

Listen, we spend hours upon hours creating these proposals. We spill our blood, sweat, and tears (but mostly coffee) on the pages. Of course, our clients will at least dignify our effort by taking some time out to read through our proposals.

Right?

And therein lies the problem.

How Proposals Are Read

Proposals are not a book. People don’t read proposals like they read a book.

They read proposals like they’re in a doctor’s waiting room, next to a table full of magazines.

We’ve all been there. One by one, we pick up each magazine and flip through it. Sure, we’ll likely look at every page. And if there’s an article that interests us, maybe we’ll read some of it. Not all of it, but some of it.

Then we pick up the next one. We’re less interested in this one. But we’ll flip through it. Maybe something catches our attention. Maybe nothing does.

And right as we’re (almost out of desperation) about to pick up Highlights Magazine or Hemorrhoids Today, the nurse comes in and calls our name. Time for that meeting (with the doctor). Sorry Highlights, not today.

They’ll Think You’re Crazy

You’ve got to stop thinking of proposals as a book. Maybe it’s bound. Maybe it’s in a large three-ring binder. Whatever format that proposal takes, just keep telling yourself, “It’s not a book.”

Keep mumbling that to yourself, over and over, until people in the office or on the street think you’re crazy. We can’t think of your proposal like a book. We’ve got to think of it like one of those magazines.

Books take you on a journey, leading you to a climactic event or realization. Readers don’t read page one and then skip ahead to read page 70. That’s not how you read a book (unless you’re 11 and it’s a “Choose Your Own Adventure.”) Book publishers know this.

Magazine publishers understand how their readers consume their product. That’s why every article is geared towards getting your attention. Each article is well written and only as long as it needs to be. The entire magazine is designed in a way that allows readers to quickly absorb information.

Proposals are magazines…not books.

Then Why Are You Doing This?

You might be thinking, “Duh Matt, we already know this!”

Then why do you write proposals like they are a book? Why do you approach proposals like they are a book?

You can’t just pay this concept lip service. You can’t say you know you’re producing a magazine and then deliver a book.

I understand that your clients ask for a book worth of information. But you’ve got to produce a magazine because that’s how they’ll consume the information.

A Real Proposal Evaluation Example

A mentor of mine who spent many years with a large university and healthcare system tells the story of a pile of proposals on his desk. As the clock ticks, he knows he’s going to spend less and less time on them. But he’s still got to go through them.

He lays them all out on a large conference table and goes through all the proposals at once, section by section. He compares each proposer’s sections against each other.

I can’t think of a fairer and more honorably way to get through lots of proposals when you’re in that situation.

What he did, on many occasions, has a lot more in common with how you read those magazines at the doctor’s office than how you read a book.

Now It’s Your Turn

What steps do you take to align your proposal to how clients will consume the information? Share with the group by leaving a comment.

The post How Clients Read Your Proposals appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I recently met someone desperately trying to grow their Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) engineering firm. But they were going about it in a way I thought was a bit crazy.

So, what I’m going to do today is provide a complete, soup to nuts, guide on how to grow your DBE firm the smart way.

In this post, I’m going to outline exactly how I would approach growing a DBE firm (which would include WBE, MBE, and 8A firms). For the sake of ease (and my sanity), I’m going to use the term DBE throughout.

I’ll try my best to give you a step-by-step approach while explaining the whys along the way.

Although some of my advice could apply to all firms, much of it is going to address the unique position DBE firms find themselves in.

What A DBE Shouldn’t Do

The guy I was talking to wanted to submit a proposal on a contract. I’m all about submitting proposals. But the more I spoke to this guy, the more my “spidey senses” tingled.

You see:

• It was a recompete for a contract that had an incumbent who could meet the set-aside requirement.
• They didn’t have the required experience.
• They didn’t have the right people to staff the job.
• They couldn’t find a teaming partner.
• They weren’t comfortable writing the technical approach.
• They weren’t comfortable pricing the contract.
• Their intelligence identified that the client was happy with the incumbent.
• The proposal was due within a few short weeks.

You can imagine my response to these circumstances. There wasn’t a clear road to winning the contract for this particular firm.

“But I want to grow my business,” was his response.

I get that but I explained that proposals cost money and there was a better way to invest money into growing a DBE firm.

What Is DBE?

In short, a DBE is a for-profit small business where socially and economically disadvantaged individuals own at least a 51% interest and also control management and daily business operations.

If you’re unfamiliar with DBEs, you’ll likely have a lot of questions like:

• What qualifies as a disadvantaged business?
• Who qualifies for DBE?
• How do I get DBE certified?

There is a very detailed description over at transportation.gov. And if you are unfamiliar with the term, I advise you to read through that webpage.

But it is important to understand that the concept of DBEs is not just related to transportation projects. The concept applies to nearly every aspect of what government agencies buy (probably most prevalently in the construction industry).

In fact, I even know a cupcake bakery that is registered as a DBE. And you can register your firm as a DBE with the Federal Government using the instructions at this link. And the US Small Business Administration has a nice little list of where you can register as a DBE for each state.

If you do decide to seek DBE certification, make sure you ask the agency if they have a DBE certification checklist.

What Is The Difference Between A DBE and MBE?

Different agencies have different regulations regarding DBEs. Therefore, you may see different acronyms used like Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Small Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), or Historically Underutilized Business (HUB). All of these entities might fall within an agency’s DBE program.

But each of these acronyms might mean slightly different things at different agencies. Don’t assume that your MBE firm is considered a DBE with every agency.

The Unique Position DBE Firms Are Put In

DBE firms are put into a unique position that is both good and bad.

The Good

Public agencies often have goals they must to meet regarding DBE participation. In many cases, it is painful for them if they miss these goals. And many often struggle with meeting their goals. There are just not enough good DBE firms out there.

Large firms (often referred to as primes) with gigantic government contracts can also struggle with meeting their goals. Here’s why. Let’s say a large firm has a $100M contract with a 20% DBE participation goal. That means they have to pay $20M dollars to DBE firms to perform useful services on the contract.

But there are two catches. First, a DBE firm’s services might be cheaper than the prime’s. 20% of the contract value might translate into 30% or 40% of the work. Second, it’s difficult to use just one firm in this situation. Receiving $20M might result in the DBE firm “growing out” of the program. Additionally, the DBE firm might struggle with providing the staff needed (especially if the economy is thriving).

Public DBE databases are practically useless when it comes to finding the right DBE partners. It is very hard to get a real sense of a firm from a database listing. And anybody registered as a DBE can say whatever they want in these databases. So, often primes rely on word of mouth.

The bottom line here is that DBE firms are in high demand. And once you get a foot in the door and can deliver the goods, you’re in a good position.

The Bad

For whatever reason, DBE firms have a reputation. It may be warranted. It might not be.

Let me explain.

You’ll see many DBE firms listed on an agency’s website. But when you dig deeper, you’ll often learn that very few DBE firms actually work with the agency.

The “common wisdom” is that good DBE firms are hard to find. Once you find one, use them as much as possible. This makes it a little tough for new, unproven, DBE firms to break into new agencies or teaming situations.

Another problem is that DBEs often have to subcontract with larger firms. That puts you further down the payment chain. In addition, many “primes” see DBE firms as a commodity (or necessary evil), so they won’t hesitate to ask a DBE to “sharpen their pencil.”

And last, but not least, some might argue that the point of the DBE program is to grow out of the DBE program. But a large majority of DBE firms never grow out of the program. In a sense, the DBE program might be a challenge if you want to grow into a large firm.

How To Grow Your DBE Firm

To grow your DBE firm, we’re going to flip the script. And by that, I mean you’re not going to settle for being the “typical” DBE firm. You’re going to be a different type of DBE firm, one that some large firms won’t even recognize.

I call this the “To Good To Be True” DBE. Before you get your feathers in a ruffle with that name, it will become much clearer as you read on.

Becoming “Too Good To Be True”

We’re going to flip the stereotypes on their head and use them to our advantage. And to do this, we’re going to utilize “D.O.T.S.”

Design
Outreach
Training
Systems And Administration

A good rule of thumb to start is to invest evenly in all of these things. So, if you’re a very small firm and only have $1,000 to invest in growing your business…the breakdown would look like this:

Design: $250
Outreach: $250
Training: $250
Systems and Administration: $250

Frankly, if you don’t have $1,000 to invest in your business…you shouldn’t be in business.

If you had $20,000 to invest, it would look more like:

Design: $5,000
Outreach: $5,000
Training: $5,000
Systems and Administration: $5,000

With a $1,000 investment, you can get some traction. But with a $20,000 investment, you’ll get even more.

Step One: Design

The common perception is that DBE firms are “lesser firms.” They are not as good or as polished as big firms. Let’s use that negative stereotype to actually help set us apart.

During our outreach, we want to provide promotional materials that are as impressive as the biggest firms out there. If you’re just starting out, it might be an extremely well-polished resume and a single sheet describing your firm.

Regardless, everything you hand to a potential client must scream, “This firm has it together!”

That means professional design with professional headshots.

Pick just one or two promotional items to have professionally designed. Get rid of anything else that doesn’t represent you as “the most sophisticated firm in the country.”

See: How To Get Good Design For Cheap

See: 70+ Modern Corporate Brochure Templates

If you have a website that looks like garbage. Take it down and replace it with a simple (but professional looking) “coming soon” page.

You’ll see an example of a simple “coming soon” page that I would find acceptable above.

As you grow, you’ll be able to afford the impressive, well-designed, website. But right now, focus on getting a few promotional documents that make you look “top notch.”

See: How I Built A Great A/E/C Corporate Website For Under $7,000

We’ll use the one or two promotional documents I mentioned for our outreach. And for reasons you’ll learn soon enough, they may be a whole new round of design you need after you do your outreach.

Step Two: Outreach

The “common wisdom” is that you find people to buy your services. As much as we all love to hear people hock their services to us, this is another place where we’re going to flip the script.

Remember, I explained that agencies have to meet their DBE utilization goals. These are often agency-wide goals. And these agencies have no control over the makeup of the DBE industry around them. Therefore, they may have too many DBE firms that provide Service A, but not nearly enough that provide Service B.

So, what we’re going to do is talk to potential clients and find out which areas of service they’d like to use DBE firms for. We’re also going to find out the prime firms they like to work with so we can contact them.

Instead of selling these potential clients on our great firm and our great services, we’re going to focus on identifying and fulfilling their needs. If they need the services we already provide, that’s great. But we’re not going to limit ourselves and we’re going to focus on their needs, not our offerings.

Wait A Minute!

“But wait a minute Matt, I’m a bridge designer!”

Well, if you own a DBE firm, I can assure you that you aren’t a bridge designer. No. You are the CEO of a company. And successful companies provide services that clients need.

Let me give you an example. One of the most successful DBE engineering firms in Boston got their start making photocopies. As they grew, they became choosier about what they took and found their niche.

Sure, if all your experience is on bridges, you’ll have to initially work on assignments that relate to your past experience. If all you’ve ever done is design bridges, you’ll be hard-pressed to get on a contract designing airport runways.

But to grow your firm (at least initially), everything that you have experience doing has to be on the table. It’s about what you and your staff have done. It’s not about what you “can do.”

You’ve got to prove yourself before anyone in their right mind would hire you to do something you have no resume for.

Who To Reach Out To

What we’re going to do is identify agencies we’d like to work with. Get a map and draw a circle that encompasses a four-hour drive from your location. If your service is managing construction, limit it to one-and-a-half to two hours to start.

The image above circles an area within four hours reach of Philadelphia. You’ll notice there are six different states in that area.

Identify the agencies you want to work with that are located within that circle. Your mission is to meet with people who work in those agencies who might buy services.

I would aim for people with “assistant,” “deputy,” or “district” in their title. Those are usually decision-makers who are easier to get meetings with. For example, you might target a “District Engineer” or the “Assistant Director of Design and Construction.”

How To Get Meetings

I’ve covered how to get meetings in my “guide to getting meetings.” You can use the approach I describe there.

But here’s your hook: “You want to learn about their challenges, where gaps in their DBE needs might be, and how you can help them achieve both their DBE and program goals.”

Remember, your goal is to learn what they need. So, make sure you bring a notebook and write down what they say.

A side goal is to learn which “primes” they like to work with and the name of someone at that firm you might contact. Again, write all this stuff down.

In addition, make sure you attend any DBE outreach event that the agency might have. Those are fantastic opportunities to meet potential teaming partners and use the tactics I outline in my guide to getting meetings.

Reaching Out To Primes

You’ll also use the approach from my guide when reaching out to primes. Just use the contact information that has been provided to you by the agency. And make sure you mention the name of the person you received the name from when you reach out.

Don’t Be Afraid To Reach Out To Team

If you come across an unexpected request for proposal that you think your firm can add value to, don’t be afraid to reach out to primes who win contracts with that agency.

Feel free to send interested parties an email that describes:

1. How you got their name.
2. Who you are (including your certifications).
3. What scope you think you can knock out of the park.
4. Any advantages they would have by adding you to their team.

Never assume that a prime, even after you’ve met with them, will remember to put you on their team. And don’t assume that because they didn’t reach out to you it means they don’t want you on their team.

It’s your obligation to reach out to them to get on their proposals, every time.

Step Three: Training

I’m sure the services your DBE firm provides are amazing. I’m sure your work product is impeccable.

But here’s the thing. If I was to ask large firms about their biggest gripe with DBE firms, nine times out of ten they’ll say it’s the quality of work they do.

So, we have to completely flip this script. Heavy investment into improving your skills and the skills of your staff is critical.

The goal isn’t to be the best DBE firm for what you do. It is to be the absolute best firm at what you do…period. That means you need to invest in yourself and your people.

Further, you need to train your staff (or hire people) with the skills needed to provide the services your clients need. Once you have a foot in the door and have proved you have quality assurance systems in place, it will be easier for you to get on teams for new service lines.

Step Four: Systems and Administration

This is where we solidify our position as the “Too Good To Be True” DBE. What we need to do is implement systems that eliminate any potential gripe a client might have about you.

In some cases, this will mean you need the help of people (internal or consultant) to set up systems within your firm. You may even need someone to help make sure these systems are not only working but being followed precisely and consistently.

Repeat after me…SYSTEMS WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR FIRM.

Your whole team will need to follow clear and effective policies/procedures to:

• Respond quickly with tailored materials for the prime’s proposal.
• Work with your teaming partner to set clear expectations on your scope and what they expect from your work product.
• Consistently communicate work progress and hurdles with your teaming partner.
• Manage your scope and not surprise your teaming partner with change orders.
• Vet your work product before handing it off (QA/QC).
• Submit the invoices exactly when and how clients need so it is easy for them to pay you.
• Follow up on outstanding payments.
• Survey your clients’ perceptions so you can constantly refine and improve.
• Hire the right people (you’ll need to staff up as you grow).
• Capture information about what you’ve done on projects into a database.
• Ask for, track, and file letters of recommendation from clients.

If you want to learn about how to document your processes and procedures, check out the book Work The System.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of great advice for growing a business out there. But like I mentioned, DBE firms are unique entities.

But you need to utilize the inherent advantages to your DBE status while flipping the script on the disadvantages. Essentially, your mission is to become the “Too Good To Be True” option.

You do that by using design, outreach, training, and systems (D.O.T.S.).

What’s Your Advice For DBE Firms?

I’d love to hear your experience with DBE firms. What advice would you give them?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post DBE: How To Grow Your Disadvantaged Business Enterprise The Smart Way appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Like many firms in the A/E/C industry, the firm I work at is experiencing an uptick in business. We’ve got a lot of work and we’re hiring (If you know any schedulers or claims analysts looking, please…please send me an email).

But there is one thing we’re experiencing that I never have before. For the proposals we’ve submitted in 2014, our “hit rate” is 100%. Yes, we’ve won every contract that we’ve submitted a proposal on.

But is that a good thing or a bad thing? That’s what I want to explore with you today.

The Proposal Hit Rate

Especially when I do webinars, people always try to ask me what my “proposal hit rate” is. My answer is always this:

“It doesn’t matter.”

People always email me and ask what the industry average proposal hit rate is. My answer is always:

“Even if there was such a metric, it wouldn’t be a good measuring stick for your firm.

This idea of proposal win rate as measurement of success has been drilled into our head. I just don’t buy it. In fact, I’ve gone on record saying that it’s a flawed metric. Let’s just look at four scenarios to illustrate that point.

Let’s say there is a city with two architecture firms. Firm A has a win rate of 30% and Firm B has a win rate of 70%. Who is more successful? Firm B…right?!?!

But let’s look at it in more detail.

Firm A

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 6
• Proposal Hit Rate: 30%
• Proposal Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $7M

Firm B

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 14
• Proposal Hit Rate: 70%
• Proposal Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $3M

Now that you see it in more detail, what firm has been more successful? Clearly, it’s Firm A…not Firm B as we originally thought.

Now, there is an obvious fix to this, right? Don’t measure by number of proposals (which, by the way, everyone does)…measure by revenue submitted on. Ok, so using that approach, let’s look at another scenario.

Firm A

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 6
• Proposal Hit Rate (By % of Revenue): 70%
• Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $7M
• Proposal Revenue Won Last Year: $70M

Firm B

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 14
• Proposal Hit Rate (By % of Revenue): 30%
• Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $3M
• Proposal Revenue Won Last Year: $2M

Now which firm’s proposal efforts are more successful this year? Well, it’s safe to say you’d rather be working for Firm B than Firm A this year…wouldn’t you? But let’s consider even more detail.

Firm A

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 6
• Proposal Hit Rate (By % of Revenue): 70%
• Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $7M
• Proposal Revenue Won Last Year: $70M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue Last Year: $2M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue This Year: $68M
• Total Revenue Last Year: $72M
• Total Revenue This Year: $75M

Firm B

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 14
• Proposal Hit Rate (By % of Revenue): 30%
• Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $3M
• Proposal Revenue Won Last Year: $2M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue Last Year: $6M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue This Year: $1M
• Total Revenue Last Year: $8M
• Total Revenue This Year: $4M

Now which firm looks more successful? Firm A, right!?!?!

Now you might say, “Well, Firm A could have won a lot more work from proposals since it won $70M last year.” But consider this. We don’t know anything about the potential proposal opportunities out there for Firm A. There may have been $80M last year and $10M this year. Plus, if they won $50M more in work, that could easily put this firm out of business.

Let’s muddy the waters even more by looking at even more data.

Firm A

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 6
• Proposal Hit Rate (By % of Revenue): 70%
• Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $7M
• Proposal Revenue Won Last Year: $70M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue Last Year: $2M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue This Year: $68M
• Total Revenue Last Year: $72M
• Total Revenue This Year: $75M
• Proposal Costs: $1M

Firm B

• Proposals Submitted: 20
• Proposals Won: 14
• Proposal Hit Rate (By % of Revenue): 30%
• Revenue Submitted on: $10M
• Proposal Revenue Won: $3M
• Proposal Revenue Won Last Year: $2M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue Last Year: $6M
• Sole Source and Add On Revenue This Year: $1M
• Total Revenue Last Year: $8M
• Total Revenue This Year: $4M
• Proposal Costs: $60K

Now we see that Firm A spent 14.9% of the proposal revenue won on those pursuits. Let’s not consider how the firm does its accounting (that can get messy). But let’s say that, without absorbing the firm’s proposal costs, they make 12% profit on each job. If you spent 14.9% getting the job, there is no way you can make a profit. That’s a big problem that Firm A needs to consider.

While Firm B only spent 2% of those revenues on proposal costs and they won 30% more with those efforts than last year, they are still down 50% from last year. The big question there is could they/should they have proposed on more?

The point I’m trying to make is this. To simply look to a proposal win rate as a measurement of success is foolish. Yes, even some of my closest friends will be offended by that statement. But I’ve just proven it to you.

But What About A 100% Hit Rate?

As much as I’d like to pat myself on the back, simply looking at that 100% proposal hit rate doesn’t give you any way to measure the effectiveness of our overall proposal efforts.

There is no reason to believe that the quality of our proposals has drastically improved this year or that there was less competition.

As Ford Harding once said to me, “If you win every proposal, that just means one thing…you’re not proposing on enough.” That’s our likely scenario. But were there proposal opportunities that we missed? That’s certainly the question that discovering our 100% proposal hit rate created in my head.

But unfortunately, you don’t know what you don’t know.

What Are Proposal Hit Rates Good For?

I’m not saying proposal hit rates are completely devoid of merit. Yes, they can be indicators. But as a measurement of proposal success they, well, suck.

What are your thoughts on proposal hit rates? Am I talking cRaZy? Or did I hit the nail on the head? Share your opinion by posting a comment.

The post Proposal Win Rate | Why Winning All The Bids Doesn’t Make You A Winner appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

The best graphic to put into your proposal is one that is custom made to address the client’s needs. We all know that.

However, sometimes we can either use a little help getting started or find ourselves looking for some stock solutions.

Here are five places you can find stock imagery and graphics for your proposals. This list comes to you courtesy of the fine people from the Proposal Development and Writing Secrets Linkedin Group.

• iStockPhoto

• Dreamstime

• Get My Graphic

• Morgue File

• Stock Xchng

If you liked this article, please subscribe below. If you want to give us your thoughts on this issue, please leave a comment below.

The post Project Proposal Images | Graphics For A/E/C Proposals appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

You submitted a proposal and lost. Now it’s up to you to figure out what happened.

So, what do you do? You ask for a debrief.

An agency head of construction management recently told me that he was relieved to just finish up the award of 54 contracts and the conducting of 76 debriefs.

Wow. That’s a lot of debriefs. Just imagine having to conduct that many debriefs. I told him that I’m probably the only sicko in the world who would have LOVED to sit through every one of them.

Debriefs are fascinating to me. Debriefs can help you win more proposals. But they can easily mislead you.

Here are three effective debriefing techniques to help you get the most out of your debriefs.

Always Take Debriefs With A Grain Of Salt

You must be realistic when it comes to how much of the story you expect to get from tactical debriefs. Nobody in their right mind is going to tell you they already had a firm in mind and the procurement was just a formality.

Nobody is going to tell you that they chose you, but then it went up to the Mayor’s office and the contract was given to another firm.

One top of that, there are two psychological principles working against clients wanting to give you the full story.

First, once we decide, we begin to feel stronger about that decision. If you go to the racetrack and place twenty dollars on a horse, as soon as that bet is made…you’ll feel strongly that it was the right decision. The same concept applies to a selection committee choosing a firm for a contract.

Second, it’s hard for us to articulate, or even know, what our decisions are truly based on. We might not understand the psychology of why we choose that brand of peanut butter when we were in the grocery store. And in the instances when we do understand our decisions, it’s sometimes hard for us to be honest with ourselves. And it’s even harder for us to verbalize that to others.

Gain A Better Understanding Of The Game Being Played

The reality is…just because you’re the best choice, does not mean you’ll win.

You must see procurement, especially with government agencies, for what it is: a game. And you cannot simply assume since you read the rulebook, you know how that game is played.

Every agency has different rules. Not only that, how each agency applies those rules can be different. The game that’s written on paper is not always the one being played.

For example, does the committee discuss the scores? And at what point? That can have a huge impact on the selection, especially if a firm has a vocal advocate on the committee.

How is this being scored? For example, some agencies give you a set of questions and score each answer from 1-5. However, is you get the “right answer,” they’ll give you a 3. Ratings of 4 and 5 are left to be given by evaluators when they feel a firm’s answer goes “above and beyond.”

Now that seems logical, right? But it’s not. In reality, the winning firm is determined by the grace of those committee members. If I like a firm, I’ll just give them arbitrary 4s and 5s.

Here’s my least favorite. The buyers list key phrases or concepts (more than could possibly appear in the space allotted). Then the procurement department, someone with no technical knowledge, goes through the proposals to determine which firm has the highest number of key phrases or concepts.

The nuances of each procurement make it critical that you understand how the game is being played. It is foolish not to incorporate the rules of the game into your proposal strategy.

Get Debriefs Even When You’ve Won

You might think that since you won, there’s no reason to get a debrief. Wrong.

These can be the most helpful debriefs. Clients are usually happy to give you debriefs when you win. It’s the easiest debrief for them.

It’s important, as I mentioned above, to take these debriefs with a grain of salt as well.

In these debriefs, you should look for “reasons’ given by multiple clients. If three different clients say they love your firm’s internal training program, that should inform your next proposal. It may even prompt you to ask what they liked about it.

Remember, as many people have already told you, by the time you get a debrief the decision has been made. You are not going to convince clients that they made a wrong decision. Don’t even try.

Instead, use these three critical debrief strategies to improve your chances of winning more contracts.

Now it’s your turn. Which debrief strategies have worked for you. Leave your answer in the comments.

The post Tactical Debrief | Effective Debriefing Techniques To Win A Contract appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Each RFP you see will give you instruction on what is to be in your proposal. Sometimes it will ask for what’s called a “management plan.”

This can sometimes trip technical writers up, but writing a management plan isn’t really that hard. In fact, once you get used to writing them, you may end up feeling like a management plan should appear in all your proposals.

The management plan does not describe what you are going to do. That’s typically called the technical approach or the scope of work. It is also not a summary. That is usually more appropriately located in an executive summary or letter.

A management plan describes how you are going to go about doing your work. For example, here is a brief management plan for the cleaning of my house.

My wife Molly acts as the project manager of our house cleaning. Each week, she will assess the situation and determine the right time to clean. Next she holds a meeting where she communicates to the team that it’s time to clean.

She then delegates tasks to the appropriate party (For example, she will assign Matt to clean the toilet). If a task is beyond the technical capacity of her team (like fixing the door), she will reach out to a trusted group of subconsultants (our handyman). As tasks are being accomplished,

Molly will perform a QA/QC spot check to see if the work is being performed up to the appropriate standards. If the work does not meet her stringent guidelines, she will work with the team member to remedy the situation.

After cleaning is done, she meets with the team in a lessons learned session and discusses the success/challenges of each task and what lessons we can take away for future cleanings.

Now that is a fairly simple example of a management plan. It might be a little more complicated if you are proposing to build, say, a nuclear power plant. But essentially the idea is the same.

The post Technical Proposal Writing | How To Write A Technical Proposal Management Plan appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Now that we understand some basic rules governing proposal writing and the different sections of a proposal, let’s look at the basic formula for how to write a proposal. Let’s learn the proposal writing format.

The Proposal Writing Format

The formula is, in essence, a story. Stories have always been a very effective tool for persuasion. They have been used to convey messages and influence behaviors since before the written word.

The formula also relies upon the use of a series of “persuasion techniques” known as the weapons of influence. If you look carefully, you will see this same basic formula being applied to everything from television ads to local news stories. The formula is used so much because it is very effective at influencing people’s decisions.

The formula is as follows:

• Set the Stage (Once Upon a Time)
• State the Challenge (Damsel in Distress)
• Explain the Solution (Hero Saves the Day)
• Describe the Result (Happily Ever After)

This basic formula can be used to write nearly every kind of proposal content. Let us detail each part of the formula.

Set the Stage

During the first part of the formula, we describe the setting of our story. The beginning of your content must give the reader a reason to read the rest. Usually, proposal content evokes the weapon of “social proof” during this portion. By doing this, you show that you are speaking about a client or situation that is so similar or familiar to the reader that they can relate. Our hope is after they read the content, the reader will see the proposed solution as a solution that is also appropriate for them.

State the Challenge

Every good story has a damsel in distress. When we talk about a damsel, this could be a man, woman, firm, city, agency, or even the reader. The only real criterion for a damsel in distress is that they have a problem or challenge that they can’t seem to solve without some help. Again, we want to make sure that the reader can see themselves in our damsel in distress.

Explain the Solution

During this part of the formula, we describe the solution and give examples of the solution in action. In most proposal content, you or your firm will be the hero of our story. The solution is how you solved the problem and saved the damsel in distress. In the case of a new service offering, this might also take the form of telling how the problem could be solved in a new and better way.

Describe the Result

Everybody likes a happy ending. The conclusion of your content should state how solving the challenge results or resulted in a positive outcome.

Below, I’ve provided an example of how proposal content might use this formula.

Project Description Using Formula

Set the Stage

Pilster Pharmaceuticals is a world leader in providing life-saving and life-extending therapies for patients with cancer. Respected as one of the worlds most productive and innovative research organizations…

State the Challenge

Pilster Pharmaceuticals was in need of a new 150,000 sq. ft. Process Research and Development Facility on their Chicago Campus.

The scope of the new facility included three laboratory floors, which included BSL-4 BioSafety Laboratory (containment and hydrogenation) areas and a ground-level entry floor.

The building’s plan needed to accommodate a variety of specialized research support spaces, administrative offices, research staff offices, conference rooms, and an auditorium.

Explain the Solution

XYZ Engineering was able to achieve key client success factors by utilizing our ability to understand and communicate Pilster Pharmaceuticals’ culture to the entire design team and keep the project on schedule, saving an estimated $5,000,000 that could have resulted from change orders.

Based on our experience with Pilster Pharmaceuticals’s master specification guidelines, we requested a review of the original specifications of the project completed by the in-house design team before final approval.

This action allowed us to uncover potential problems in the design ahead of time in various areas including the fuel hood elevations, electrical routing, and the UPS equipment. This resulted in increased system reliability, substantial cost savings and an estimated savings of 1.5 months in design time.

Describe the Result

Designed and constructed within the initial $20M estimate, Pilster Pharmaceuticals’s new state-of-the art facility helps the company continue its valued research into successful treatments for cancer patients.

Variations Of The Formula

Sometimes the requirements of the client or the format of a document inhibits your ability to use the full formula. Resumes and forms sometimes fall into this category.

There are several different ways to approach team resumes, depending on the services you provide. Some firms use bullet lists or the project name followed by a brief description to illustrate previous experience on a resume. These resume formats are typically used by design firms that work with standard structures like schools, homes, and churches.

Government resume forms, like the SF330, require you to format information in a very specific way. In these situations, you may need to use a truncated version of the formula that uses just the last two parts. For example:

Lead Electrical Designer. Joe designed the electrical systems for the Bank of Canada’s $2B data storage and processing center. The center achieved a reliability rating of 99.9999% uptime.

Read The Other Sections Of My Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing

The article you just read is one section of my Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing.

Click on the links below to read the other parts.

• Part One: Proposal Writing Basics
• Part Two: The Proposal Structure
• Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula
• Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design
• Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know
• Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

The post Proposal Writing Format – My Proposal Writing Formula appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

If you are new to writing business proposals, you would benefit from a business proposal template.

Free Business Proposal Templates

I’ve provided links for different proposal templates that you can download for free. However, these won’t be as helpful as you think because they are often missing critical pieces. Plus, they often provide a design but don’t tell you what to put where.

In reality, most of the designs are pretty much unprofessional.

• Templates from Microsoft’s Site
• Proposal Templates from BidSketch (requires sign up)

Paid Proposal Templates

GraphicRiver has some really neat proposal templates like these:

• Sleman Clean Proposal Template
• Suisse Proposal Template
• “Proposl” Proposal Template

You have to pay for them and you need Adobe Indesign to use most of them.

But they are worlds better than the free templates out there.

How To Create You Own Proposal Template

You can create your own template. Just open up Microsoft Word and create a document with these sections.

• Table of Contents
• Cover Letter/Executive Summary
• Project Understanding
• Scope of Work/Approach
• Project Management/Execution Plan
• Relevant Experience
• Our Team
• Pricing

How To Make Your Proposal Template Work For You

I’m not a graphic designer. You may not have any formal graphic design training either. So, how can someone like us quickly put together a professional-looking proposal?

The Unspoken Truth About Proposal Template Design

Here’s the unspoken truth about proposal design. If you have a well-designed template, you don’t need any graphic design knowledge or capabilities to produce proposals that look good.

All you need is that template and minimal knowledge of page layout software like Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress. In some cases, you can get away with a little Microsoft Word know how.

But what should be in your template? Today, I’m going to discuss three elements that should be in every single proposal template.

If yours does not have these, it’s time for a new template.

Readable Typography

One of the biggest challenges you’ll come across when working with designers will often be typography.

Just look at one reader’s frustration with her graphic designer:

“She is a really talented graphic designer, but wants everything to look like a magazine. No bullet points, no bolded text, nothing that she might consider bad graphic design.”

Sure, their body type will look beautiful. It will be some fancy san serif typeface, 9 or 10 points in size.

But give that proposal to a 55-year-old engineer, and they’ll struggle to read it.

That’s a problem because the clients evaluating your proposals are not typically young. In fact, they’re often old farts (like me)!

If it’s hard to read, they won’t read it.

The solution: make readability the #1 priority for your typography.

You can achieve this by using what’s known as the “golden ratio” to achieve the perfect balance of font size, line height, and line width.

Here’s a chart that illustrates this concept.

Please note, the measurement in this chart is in pixels, not points. 

Next, you want to use a serif font for your body just like you would find in a best-selling book. I suggest Baskerville because of a study that showed the use of that font can help build trust.

Focus Boxes

You may have heard of “callout boxes.” These are boxes that you can use for quotes or highlight key pieces of information (like differentiators). Callout boxes are a staple of proposal templates.

But what are focus boxes?

The people evaluating your proposals rarely, if ever, have enough time to read every word in your proposal. Yet, they ask you for full resumes, detailed project writeups, etc.

This creates a conundrum that focus boxes solve. Focus boxes tell the reader why the person in the resume is the perfect fit for this assignment. Or it will show why the previous assignment, that we’ve provided a detailed write-up for, is relevant to the contract we’re proposing on.

Focus boxes give clients the information they need in the time they have. And they allow you to be both persuasive and compliant.

Here’s an example of a focus box in my premium template (included with Win Writing).

Resume focus boxes usually highlight 3-4 key reasons this person is a great fit.

Multiple Standard Covers

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from proposal professionals is the enormous time sink putting proposal covers together is.

Many architects and engineers (their bosses) place a level of importance on the cover design that far outweighs any influence it would have on selection.

When I worked with HOK, the biggest architecture firm in the US, they had a solution: standard covers.

Your proposal template should have multiple standard cover designs so you can provide the powers that be a few different options for each

Here are the three covers included in my template.

This is my first standard cover in the premium template included in Win Writing.

Here is the second cover choice. You can easily change the colors and elements in templates like this to fit your brand.

Here’s the third cover option. You can use either of these options without needing to change anything else in the template. 

You Don’t Have To Be A Designer

Go out and commission your own proposal template with these features. Or, if you have the skill set, create one yourself.

Read: How To Get Good Graphic Design For Cheap

Or you can save yourself the frustration and just use mine. Learn more about the proposal templates in Win Writing at this link.

Read The Other Sections Of My Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing

The article you just read is one section of my Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing.

Click on the links below to read the other parts.

• Part One: Proposal Writing Basics
• Part Two: The Proposal Structure
• Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula
• Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design
• Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know
• Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

The post Business Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Your proposal structure will contain several sections. Your proposal may have some or all of these sections depending on what information your client asks for.

Let’s explore what a proposal format might look like by getting to know the sections you might include in your proposal.

The 3 Primary Sections In Your Proposal Structure

Most proposals contain these primary sections.

Project Understanding

This is where you state your understanding of the client’s problem or need. It helps the client understand why he or she should be reading this. This is sometimes called, “pushing the pain button.” You’ll also want to describe the end result, the “happily ever after” that results from your work.

Let’s be frank. You want something. That’s why you are submitting a proposal. You are asking someone for something, most likely money in exchange for something.

But in the Project Understanding, we are going to forget what we want and focus entirely on the person (or people) we are submitting this proposal to.

What is their current situation? What challenges are they dealing with? How does this affect them? How will their situation improve once they’ve chosen to give you what you want?

Remember, this is about them, not about you.

The Ouch Button

First, we are going to push what’s known as the “ouch button.” We are going to remind them the pain they or the people they serve experience.

For example, if their building is falling apart and you are proposing to fix this, you’ll write about any concerns they might have about safety. Maybe the building doesn’t provide the facilities they need to operate efficiently.

Maybe you are proposing to design a new community center. In this case you might want to write about the local children or seniors who have no place to go. They are left to sit at home by their lonesome.

Help them feel the pain of the problems their situation presents. But always keep this next point in mind.

It’s Not Their Fault

You never want to tell the person you are proposing to, or even infer, they did something wrong. Remember, it’s not their fault!

Even if they failed to keep up with the property and it’s now a hazard to the community, it’s not their fault.

I can’t emphasize this enough. The person you are proposing to is never the villain. They are always the hero. They are the person who has the power the make things better.

Creating Contrast

After you describe the current situation, you have to create contrast. What would the situation look like if it were fixed?

How many more customers could they get if they redesigned their website? What would the children’s reaction be if they built that community center? How would a better-designed facility or a software solution make their life easier?

Write that down next.

Key Issues

Just to “hit it home,” it may also be helpful to summarize your project understanding by highlighting a few key points.

Scope of Work/Approach

Sometimes you will define the scope of work. The scope of work is what you will do for the client. What actions will you take to fulfill the client’s need or solve their problem? Proposals are often later attached to contracts. They are, in a sense, legal documents.

Therefore, you need to be not only honest but very specific in your proposal. You need to state exactly what you are going to do for the client. Often a client will provide you with a scope of work and ask you to address how you will approach this scope. In this case, you need to explain how you will perform the tasks outlined and give the client a “warm and fuzzy” that you know what you’re talking about.

Technical Approach Or Scope Of Work

Now that you have described the problems and challenges your client faces, the next step is to outline your proposed solution.

If The Client Has Not Given You The Scope Of Work

If a client has provided you with an RFP, it is likely they have included a “scope of work.” A scope of work outlines the tasks you are to complete.

If the client has not provided a scope, it’s up to you to do so.

Sit down and think this through. What steps are you going to take to get the client to the positive outcome we described in our Project Understanding?

Write down each task you will complete. There isn’t just one or two. There should be several. Be very specific.

Also, describe the deliverable for each task. A deliverable is what you will give the client after the task is complete.

For example, the first task might be a kick-off meeting with the client. This might be a one-hour meeting so the client can get to know the team. Plus, the team can ask a question or get clarification on the client’s objectives.

The deliverable for a kick-off meeting is likely “meeting minutes” that someone on your team will record.

Each solution is different so nobody can write this scope for you. That’s because only you know what you are willing and able to provide a client.

If The Client Has Provided A Scope

If the client has provided a scope of work, you need to provide an “Approach.”

An approach is not:

• What tasks you will do
• A description of your experience or why you are so great.

An approach describes the “how” and “why” for the tasks the client has provided.

It’s best to start out your approach by describing your general philosophy when it comes to providing these services.

For example, if you design websites, your general philosophy might be that websites should be:

• Easy for the average person to update
• Built on an established open source CMS so they can be redesigned easier later.
• Optimized to show up on the first page of Google for at least one key term
• Optimized to load the first byte within a second

Next, you will go through the scope of work provided by the client. For each task, describe how you will do the task and why you will do it that way.

For example, let’s say the first task of a client’s scope is:

“Provide recommendations for a new Client Relationship Management System.”

Well, how are you going to do that?

There is a lot you might not know. Are they already using a CRM? What do they want to accomplish using this CRM? What is their budget? Do they prefer to host this system internally?

To accomplish this task, you’ll first have to gather some information from them. Describe how you’ll do that. Will it be a survey? Will it be a face to face meeting or phone call?

Then describe the advantages of gathering information this way. Maybe sending them an online survey is best because the client is very busy and won’t have time to meet. Maybe a face-to-face meeting is better because their answers might lead to more questions and you don’t want to make them meet twice for this task.

If the client has not provided deliverables, you will have to define the deliverable for each task. In the CRM example, the deliverable might be a list of three suitable CRM options compared by price and features. This might also include your recommended CRM and reasoning for this selection.

Pricing

Once you’ve told the client what you can do for them, they’ll want to know how exactly how much it will cost.

I could write a book about pricing. In fact, in my Proposal Development Secrets book, I devote two whole chapters to pricing.

But here are the basics you must understand when putting your pricing together.

There are three common ways to price:

• Lump Sum
• Hourly
• Hourly with a Not To Exceed Price.

If you do lump sum pricing, you should break down the costs in a table. If you do hourly pricing, you should break out the hourly rates for each category of staff working on the project.

If an RFP requests specific pricing information, you better provide it.

Reimbursable Expenses

Reimbursable expenses are costs (like travel, printing, etc.) that are not included in your price but you will incur during the execution of your work. Typically, these costs are billed to the client “at cost” or with a 10% markup. You need to address reimbursable expenses in your proposal. Otherwise, don’t expect to get reimbursed for them.

Payment Terms

If you have any payment terms, like “net 30,” you need to state them in your pricing or attach terms and conditions.

Assumptions and Clarifications

In this portion of the pricing, you should indicate the assumptions your pricing is based upon. For example, if you are proposing to provide tree removal services, then one of your assumptions is probably:

We assume there are no underground gas lines within five feet of this tree.

If you start digging a tree up and hit an underground gas line, that’s going to be expensive. That’s just one example of why assumptions and clarifications are so important.

Identify every assumption and be very clear about what you won’t be providing.

Other Proposal Sections

There are a few other pieces of information your client might want to see in a proposal. Even if you are not asked to provide this information, it might be in your best interest to include it.

Letter of Interest/Executive Summary

A letter of interest or executive summary answers the following question, “What are you going to do for me and why should I hire you?” Basically, this is one or two pages that make your case. This should provide your client all the information needed to convince your client to say, “yes.”

Cover letters, or executive summaries (which what I’m about to say also applies to), are one of the most important pieces of a proposal.

99% of the cover letters I’ve seen during my years are cr* p. The problem stems from common misconceptions about the cover letter’s place in the current proposal environment.

Let us look at three misconceptions that can lead to epic cover letter failure.

Misconception # 1: People Want To Read Your Cover Letter

Recently, I was at a pre-bid meeting. The Director of Construction made it plain.

“Do not provide a cover letter in your proposal. It’s not going to persuade us. So, do not waste your time.”.

Exactly why would he state that?

He said that due to the fact that he’s seen hundreds, if not thousands, of cover letters and they all said virtually nothing. There was nothing useful in those cover letters. Naturally, when he sees a cover letter, we have trained his brain to skip over it.

You are insane if you think someone is likely to read your cover letter just because it is there.

Instead, you need to give folks a reason to read your cover letter. You need to get their attention and then create a “slippery slope” that will keep them reading.

You have to start off by creating a “knowledge gap.” You create a knowledge gap by highlighting a gap between what the reader knows and what the reader wants to know. Let’s say you are an architecture firm proposing to a client that knows you pretty well. You could use, “3 Things You Might Not Know About ABC Architects.”.

Those three things better be something they don’t know and also highlight what they would be missing out on if they hire a different firm for this project.

Obviously, this is an approach I’ve also used quite successfully in proposals to clients all over the country.

Misconception # 2: You Can Replicate Someone Else’s Cover Letter.

People often get frustrated when they ask me for an example of a great cover letter for them to use. Because I tell them such a thing does not exist.

An exceptional cover letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs is not going to be an awesome cover letter to the University of California Health System.

Each cover letter has to speak to the specific client and project. That means, gasp, each cover letter will have to be written from scratch. There is no way around it.

Well, actually there is. Write a terrible cover letter they will simply skip over. That won’t help you win.

Misconception # 3: Throw Everything At Them and See Exactly What Sticks

This mistaken belief leads to lengthy cover letters. Here’s the problem.

If you had been given a three-page letter in 1973, the probability that you would have read through all three pages would have been extremely high.

But we inhabit a different world. When was the last time you read, word for word, a three-page letter?

Even better yet, when was the last time you even received a three-page letter?

I’m saddened to say that if my own grandmother sent me a three-page letter, she’d be pressing her luck. I couldn’t guarantee I’d read through ever word.

Busy individuals simply do not read long cover letters. Just about anything longer than a page is pushing it.

Two-page cover letters are sometimes inevitable. However three-page cover letters are simply always avoidable.

Every word must earn its place on the cover letter. If it doesn’t speak specifically to this client, it simply hasn’t earned its way onto the page. As much as this pains you, leave it out.

Don’t let these misconceptions plague your cover letters. Follow my advice and you’ll get an opportunity to make a powerful pitch to your clients.

Relevant Experience

Relevant experience is defined as instances where you helped a similar client solve the same challenge or clients just like them who decided to hire you.

Let me ask you a question. Would you let a dentist perform brain surgery on you? No.

Would you let someone who has never cut hair, do your hair?

No way.

The reality of the world is nobody wants to hire someone who hasn’t done it before. Yes, that sucks for you if you are just starting out.

In the relevant experience section of your proposal, you’ll list the experience that proves you can do it. You might have to get creative with how you describe that experience, but always be truthful.

Describe what you’ve done for other clients just like them. Five relevant projects should be plenty. If you have three relevant projects and two that are stretch, just use three. But ultimately, you should have at least one.

If you can, add photos and contact information for your previous clients.

Qualifications Of The Team

This details who will be working with the client and what their qualifications are. It often contains resumes or bios of the team members.

Ultimately, your client will want to know who is going to do the work. That’s why resumes for your team members are important. Most RFPs will ask for resumes.

And most people really screw this up. They throw in long, boring resumes. Clients are forced to figure out, if possible, how this person’s experience is relevant.

Don’t make your clients think! Provide short resumes that explain exactly why these people are the perfect fit for this contract. Keep it extremely relevant.

Organization Chart

I’m not really sure why clients often ask for this, but I imagine they want to know who is in charge of each aspect of the assignment. They probably also want to know who to contact if there is a problem.

It’s in your best interest to make the organization chart “stupid simple.” If a monkey can’t understand it, you are doing yourself a disservice. These elements, based on the need of your proposal, make up the proposal format.

Read The Other Sections To My Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing

The article you just read is one section of my Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing.

Click on the links below to read the other parts.

• Part One: Proposal Writing Basics
• Part Two: The Proposal Structure
• Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula
• Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design
• Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know
• Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

The post Proposal Structure: The Sections Your Proposal Will Need appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Whether it’s a business, project, or a different type of proposal, the goal is the same: to convince the reader to make the choice you propose. Therefore, your proposal has to be persuasive. In this post, I won’t just cover how to write a proposal. I’ll tell you how to write a good proposal.

How To Write A Good Proposal

The first thing you need to keep in mind that all communication, including writing, is persuasion. The words you write will be delivered to your audience. This may even be a potential client or teaming partner. The goal of these words is to influence that person’s decisions.

It’s that simple. Before you start writing the proposal, it is important to understand a few things about the reader:

• He/she cares first and foremost about their own needs.
• He/she will want to spend as little time as possible reading or looking at your proposal.

With this in mind, there are a few established rules of thumb when writing proposals:

• Tell them, tell them, and tell them some more
• Proposals are not about you
• Sell the benefit.
• Be extremely specific
• Keep it as brief, but not briefer, than possible.
• Spoon feed the reader.
• Focus on the action.

Tell Them, Tell Them, and Tell Them Again

There is an old saying that goes with proposal and presentation development.

• Tell them what you’ll tell them.
• Tell them.
• Tell them what you told them.

This is good advice. Believe it or not, repetition is good. If you say something to someone twenty times, they’ll complain you told them twice. If you say it once, it’s likely they’ll forget you said it.

Proposals Are Not About You, They’re About Them

When writing proposals, people forget the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do upon you. You probably hate people who only talk about themselves. So, why would you be that person? I understand that you want to give the client a 10-page description of how amazing you or your firm are.

But frankly, people these days don’t have the time or interest to read ten pages about you. Write about them and how they can benefit from your resources, experience, and approach. Throughout the process of writing this proposal, keep reminding yourself, “It’s not about me.”

Sell the Benefit

“Sell the Benefit” is a pretty simple concept. Your words need to tell the reader how the choice you are advocating will benefit them. The reader needs to gain a clear understanding of what he or she would gain from making the choices you promote.

Often, proposal writers fall into the trap of talking about how great their firm is and forgetting to identify how it impacts or intersects with the reader. Readers tend to hate this “fluff” and will most likely skim or skip it completely.

A great way to make sure your writing “sells the benefit” is to use the “So What? Test.”

The “So What?” Test

As I said, the most effective measurement of benefit selling is the “so what?” test. Here’s a video explaining how it works.

After you write something, go back and read it pretending you are the intended audience. Picture yourself as that grumpy old man who used to steal your baseball if it accidentally landed in his yard.

After reading each paragraph, ask yourself “so what?” Let’s apply this test to some examples?

Example:

Our firm has been in business for 50 years.

So What Test Result: Fail

Example:

Using the lessons learned from 50 years of experience designing high-rise buildings, we will ensure your design is technically correct, constructible, and cost-effective.

So What Test Result: Pass

Example:

We started with only three people and now employ over 100 employees.

So What Test Result: Fail

Example:

With 100 qualified employees, we have the in-house resources to meet your current expectations and satisfy any changing needs.

So What Test Result: Pass

Let’s give some real-life examples of the test in action. Here are two redacted write-ups found on the websites of large mechanical/electrical/plumbing design firms.

How do these examples compare against the “so what” test?

Example #1:

ABC Engineers is a leading consulting engineering firm providing technical leadership, experience in design and quality service across all market sectors worldwide. In addition to our core mechanical and electrical design services, we provide additional consulting services to better serve our clients.

Example #2:

Business challenges often have solutions in technology, facilities, and processes. We understand what drives your business. Moreover, we take a partner’s interest in your success. It is our belief that partners give partners a competitive edge. Our clients depend on us to bring an outsider’s perspective and analytical ability to help them plan, phase, and reach their goals. Our ability to engineer, construct, and operate facilities rounds out that objective.

If you said example #2 passes the test and example #1 fails the test, you are right.

Can you see the difference between these two paragraphs? Can you see how one speaks to you and the other speaks at you.

Example #1 is not bad writing. It just does not “sell the benefit.” Therefore, it is not persuasive.

Be Extremely Specific

Writing a proposal is like being on The Dating Game. You have to convince the client that you’re the best choice. You can’t do this with vague, weasel words. Let’s pretend you are on the dating game and the girl behind the wall asks:

“I’m one of the most sought after girls in the city. Where should a guy take me on our first date?”

Well, you could say:

“Your date should take you to a really nice restaurant and then maybe out dancing.”

That’s a reasonable answer, but you’ll be going home alone after the show. It’s better to say:

“I take all my dates to Victor’s, a little-known Italian restaurant where we can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner. As the waiters serve your food, they’ll sing you beautiful arias that will warm your soul.” “Then I’ll take you dancing at the most exclusive club in the city, Studio 56, where we can relax in the VIP lounge or dance the night away.”

Honestly, these answers both suggest dinner and dancing. But which one is more persuasive? You guessed it, the second one because it’s extremely specific.

And that’s what you have to do with proposal writing, be extremely specific. Tell them exactly what you are going to do for them.

Keep it as Brief, But Not Briefer, than Possible

Many proposal writers are under the delusion that people enjoy reading their long-winded proposals. They will write a flowery four-page cover letter and expect a potential client to read it.

However, if I sent them a four-page marketing letter about my marketing supply business, most of them would not read it. This is why it is important to keep it brief, because no one wants to spend his or her time reading your drivel.

On the other hand, some proposal managers keep it too brief. Too brief is when you don’t sufficiently cover the benefits or address the audience’s requirements.

People don’t like to read content that is too long, but they are suspicious of content that it too short. It screams, “This firm isn’t the best choice.”

How to Keep it Brief

Especially with proposals, clients will often ask for a large amount of information. So, how do you satisfy their expectations without writing the next War and Peace?

Here are some tools you can use to help you keep it brief.

• Bullet Lists
• Graphs and Charts
• Pictures
• Delete Needless Words

Bullet Lists

By using bullet lists, you can often take large paragraphs and break them down in a more readable fashion. Bullet lists are easier for readers to absorb and it’s more likely that they will take the time to read a bullet list. You can often convey the same information but in bullet list format. Furthermore, important points or summaries often benefit from the use of bullet lists.

Why use bullet lists?

• Easier for reader to absorb.
• Conveys same information with fewer words.
• Helps emphasize important points.

Charts and Graphs 

Many firms use charts and graphs to help convey a complicated process, concept, or method that would otherwise take many words. It is always good practice to use charts and graphs, as much as possible, to present marketing information.

Pictures

Some say that a “picture is worth a thousand words.” And for the most part, that is true. If you can convey an idea or demonstrate a fact with a picture, do it. Using pictures in the right way can give the reader a break and help keep their attention. Just make sure they are relevant.

Delete Needless Words

Re-read your writing and try to find sentences that can be shortened by removing useless words. Concise writing does not contain unnecessary words.

Every word should be essential to the sentence. Every word should earn its place on the page.

For example:

Due to the fact that our firm has designed twenty similar structures, we are eminently more qualified to design your project. (20 Words)

This sentence can be shortened to:

Because we designed twenty similar structures, we are the most qualified choice. (11 Words)

Spoonfeed the Reader

We live in a world where people want their information easily and quickly. Some proposal writers make the mistake of forcing a reader to figure things out for themselves.

That’s not a great idea. You don’t want the reader to have to decipher your message.

Writing proposals is not like writing a novel. Proposals needs to be direct and lead the reader to an obvious conclusion. Be sure to directly state the conclusion within your content. Make it easy for the reader to follow your writing.

Use subheads, follow formats exactly as clients have laid out, and above all don’t “beat around the bush.” In addition, we have the disadvantage of knowledge.

We just assume that everybody knows the good and bad things about our firm. That’s a terrible assumption. Here is a better one to use. Assume the reader knows nothing.

If you don’t explicitly tell them, they don’t know it. Don’t talk down to the reader, but assume they are starting from a blank slate.

Focus on the Action

There has been a good deal written about the use of active voice in writing. I recommend that you write in the active voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence is performing the action. Sentences that are written in the passive voice read weak and sound less important.

Passive Voice:

The MEP systems were designed by our firm.

Active Voice:

Our firm designed the MEP systems.

To make proposal content read strong, it is important to focus on the action. By focusing on the action, we describe exactly what action occurred. Let’s look at an example:

Mark assisted Pamona County with inspection during the $365M reconstruction on Pamona Bridge, in Audibon, NJ.

While it’s true that Mark was performing the inspection services for Pamona County, when you read this sentence, Mark seems like a secondary player in our story. But Mark is really our hero. Here is how this would read if we focus on the action:

Mark inspected the general contractor’s work during the $365M reconstruction of Pamona Bridge, in Audibon, NJ.

In this sentence, we learn exactly what Mark was doing. Mark inspected the general contractor’s work.

The sentence is now much stronger.

Those are the basics of how to write a good proposal.

Read The Other Sections Of My Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing

The article you just read is one section of my Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing.

Click on the links below to read the other parts.

• Part One: Proposal Writing Basics
• Part Two: The Proposal Structure
• Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula
• Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design
• Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know
• Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

The post How To Write A Good Proposal: Proposal Writing Basics appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Every day, thousands of people are hard at work writing (and managing the efforts) for architecture proposals, engineering proposals, or construction proposals. In this post, I want to dive into some of the nuances you might encounter while writing proposals for the AEC industry.

What Is The AEC Industry?

What do I mean when I say “AEC industry?” AEC (or A/E/C) refers to the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Sometimes, people just refer to this as the “construction industry.”

When Do You Need To Write An Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Proposal?

In this industry, opportunities to propose come in two general ways. First, you might meet with a client and they ask you to send in a proposal. Typically, this is referred to as a “letter proposal” because your proposal response is often in the form of a letter.

The larger proposal efforts are usually in response to an RFP (request for proposal). An RFP is a formal document that outlines the rules for submitting a proposal. When submitting a proposal in response to an RFP, you can be nearly certain that you are competing with other firms for the contract.

Sometimes you’ll be writing a proposal for one specific service. But sometimes, you’ll be writing an architecture and engineering proposal in the same effort. There are also instances when you’ll be writing what’s known as a “design-build” proposal. In this case, you’ll be proposing architectural, engineering, and construction services at the same time.

The Steps Of A Proposal Competition (Procurement)

But wait a minute Matt, my clients ask for a “letter of interest” or “statement of qualifications.”

That’s not uncommon.

Often, the process needed to procure services requires multiple steps. After each step, buyers will reduce the pool of providers (which is often referred to as “shortlisting” or “long listing.”)

For example, to even consider working for some clients you’ll have to go through a “prequalification process.” That process will determine whether your firm has the minimum qualifications and experience to work (on any project) with this client.

Then you might be asked to submit a “letter of interest” or “statement of qualifications.” In these documents, you’re often asked to describe why your qualifications and team are perfect for this particular project.

After these are submitted, there will typically be some sort of list made of the providers that are going to the “next step.” The next step is often referred to as a “technical proposal.”

There may be a separate, more detailed RFP in this next step. You may or may not be asked to provide pricing at this point. But you’ll likely be asked about your approach to completing the scope of work. This is referred to as a “technical approach.”

You’ll likely be asked to provide lots of other information, including additional information about your qualifications and team.

If you are asked to provide pricing in this “second step,” it’s often asked for in a “separately sealed envelope.” This means your pricing information is sent along in the same box as your proposal. It’s just provided in a separate, sealed, envelope.

Clients often do that because they score the technical and price elements separately.

If there is a final step, it’s usually what’s known as a “shortlist presentation.” Sometimes you’ll be asked to provide pricing documentation when you go in for your shortlist presentation. Typically, they narrow down shortlist presentations to three to five firms.

If thirty firms submit on an RFP, it is easy to see why clients have these complex processes to whittle the field down to three to five firms.

In the world of IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity) or “On-Call” contracts, they may whittle it down to 30 proposers and award five to fifteen contracts. Then there is another proposal process where those 15 firms compete for “task orders” (i.e. assignments).

Each client will have a different procurement process. That’s why I’m saying “likely” and “often.” You’ll be hard pressed to find two clients with identical procurement processes.

So, don’t get confused with the terminology. Just make sure you provide what the RFP (or request for qualifications or request for letters of interest) asks for. And make sure you take the time to understand each client’s process for procuring your services. I often refer to this as the “game being played.”

How Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals Differ

While each of these entities help build projects, architecture, engineering, and construction firms are inherently different. And in some ways, their proposals are going to be different.

Let me give you some examples.

Architecture firms often spend a good deal of their marketing budget on photography. Visuals are very important when selling architecture. You’ll likely see more high-end project photography in architecture proposals.

In contrast, visuals are not as critical to selling the services of a mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineer. You might have a nice photo of a boiler or some huge underground piping. But at the end of the day, clients don’t say, “We’ve got to go with this MEP firm because they have the sexiest looking toilets, fire suppression systems, and air ducts.”

Of course, there are many kinds of engineers. Photography might be a critical component for a proposal to design a bridge. But for the most part, you’ll see more emphasis on project visuals from an architecture firm’s proposal.

When it comes to actually building a project, process is critical. Therefore, you’re likely to see more flow charts, schedules, and diagrams in proposals from construction firms. You’ll also probably see more photos of project meetings and the firm implementing the process.

While the visual elements in the proposals may be different, how you write proposals can and should be consistent regardless of the type of firm you are writing for.

The Structure of An AEC Proposal

There is a lot that goes into the structure of your proposal. Many times, the structure will be dictated by the RFP you are responding to.

However, certain sections are common in most proposals.

• Cover Letter/Executive Summary – This is where you make your case.
• Project Understanding – Here we describe the problem and prove to the reader that we have a complete understanding of it.
• Relevant Experience – Hopefully, you’ve done it before. This is the section where you outline how you’ve done it and who you’ve done it for.
• Team Resumes – Somebody has to do the work. So, in this section you’ll introduce them to your team.
• Technical Approach – They will want to know how you will do the work. In this section, we describe how we will do it and why we will do it that way.
• Management Plan – We’ll explain how we are going to manage this assignment. People often skip over this proposal section. But really, it is very important.
• Pricing – Oh, the dreaded pricing. In this section, we’ll tell them how much this is going to cost.

I go into great detail about how to write each section in Proposal Structure: The Sections Your Proposal Will Need

That’s a helpful proposal writing resource you’ll want to read.

How To Write An Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Proposal

Although things like architectural services can be visual in nature, you’ll still have to persuade your audience using the written word.

Whether you are a good writer or not, there are several proposal writing best practices you’ll need to adhere to. I’ve outlined seven rules you should follow here: How To Write A Good Proposal – Proposal Writing Basics

Once you have the basics down, you’ll want to try using my proposal writing formula. You can learn it here: Proposal Writing Format – My Proposal Writing Formula

That’s what you need to know about writing proposals in the AEC industry.

Feel free to post specific questions in the comments below.

Read The Other Sections Of My Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing

The article you just read is one section of my Ultimate Guide To Proposal Writing.

Click on the links below to read the other parts.

• Part One: Proposal Writing Basics
• Part Two: The Proposal Structure
• Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula
• Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design
• Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know
• Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

The post Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

This series of posts is aimed at helping people who have limited to no experience with writing proposals. but at the same time, I think there are a few good nuggets in here for those experienced proposal writers.

It provides you with enough information so you will know how to write a proposal (whether you are writing a letter or something much more substantial). I wanted to write something you can read through within an hour.

Just a note, we’re talking specifically about writing business proposals. This is a resource for business people (not necessarily researchers or academics).

If you want to write a grant proposal (to get money), you are in the wrong place. Try this link.

If you want to write a thesis proposal, sorry, still in the wrong place. Try this link.

Still here? Good! Let’s get started.

How To Use This Ultimate Proposal Writing Guide

Listen, writing a proposal doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t have to be painful. It can actually be fairly easy and quite rewarding. And I’m here to help you through the process.

Like I said, this should be a short and easy read. Read this guide section by section. You can refer back to it as you put your proposal together.

Again, the purpose of this guide is to teach you how to write a proposal. There are many different aspects of proposal development, but this guide just focuses how to write one.

In my experience, writing is the most challenging aspect of proposal development. With the information provided in this guide, you’ll be able to hit the ground running and develop a proposal that will persuasively make your case and win the contract.

The parts are:

• Part One: Proposal Writing Basics
• Part Two: The Proposal Structure
• Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula
• Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design
• Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know
• Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

Part One: Proposal Writing Basics

This section explains what you want your business proposal to achieve and how it should go about doing that. These things may seem pretty obvious, but losing sight of them will likely result in failure.

Read Part One Proposal Writing Basics Here

Part Two: The Proposal Structure

Your proposal, whether in a letter or a three-ring binder, will contain distinct sections. I’ll explain these different sections and why they are important. I will also go into how you should write each section.

Cover Letter/Executive Summary

This is where you make your case.

Project Understanding

Here we describe the problem and prove to the reader that we have a complete understanding of it.

Relevant Experience

Hopefully, you’ve done it before. This is the section where you outline how you’ve done it and who you’ve done it for.

Team Resumes

Somebody has to do the work. So, in this section you’ll introduce them to your team.

Technical Approach

They will want to know how you will do the work. In this section, we describe how we will do it and why we will do it that way.

Management Plan

Next, we’ll explain how we are going to manage this assignment. People often skip over this proposal section. But really, it is very important.

Pricing

Oh, the dreaded pricing. In this section, we’ll tell them how much this is going to cost.

Read Part Two: The Proposal Format Here

Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula

Writing a proposal is not like writing a news article, research paper, or novel. We’ll go over the formula to use and how to apply this formula to different circumstances.

Read Part Three: The Proposal Writing Formula Here

Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design

You’ll want your proposal to look professional and be easy for your client to read. If you follow these three “golden rules” of proposal design, you’ll be just fine.

Read Part Four: The 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design Here

Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know

Yes, I know you came here looking for an easy way out. So I’ve scoured the internet to find you the best templates money can’t buy (meaning most of them are free). You can find them here.

But not all proposal templates are created equal. Therefore, I’m going to show you what elements should be in every proposal template.

Read Part Five: Proposal Templates: What You Need To Know Here

Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them

Because my expertise is writing proposals for architecture, engineering and construction firms, I’ve created an entire section on how to write them.

I dive into the differences and nuances you need to be aware of when writing architecture, engineering, and construction proposals.

Read Part Six: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Proposals: How To Write Them Here

Combined, these different sections cover the basics. I hope you enjoy this guide and find the information useful.

The post How To Write The Proposal: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

The right proposal management process is essential to any successful proposal writing effort. Yet, people often struggle to set up a process that works. And they end up becoming frustrated with proposal management.

In this post, I’ll break down what a proposal management process is, how to determine which process is best for your situation, and the typical steps that go into proposal management.

Plus, we’ll even touch on some proposal management best practices.

But first, let’s talk about why people get so frustrated with proposal management.

My Research Into Proposal Management Frustrations

Several years ago, I decided to conduct my own little research study. I collected over 1,000 data points from proposal coordinators and managers across the U.S. on what their biggest frustrations, challenges, and roadblocks were.

I did face-to-face meetings and phone interviews. I sent out surveys and I started discussions in LinkedIn groups and other online forums.

Yes, no sane, rational human being would spend large amounts of his or her personal time collecting data on why proposal management sucks. But that’s exactly what I did. I’ll admit it, I’m a weirdo. I’ve collected what I believe to be the definitive data set on this topic.

The Common Themes

Not surprisingly, firms big and small commonly suffer from a few core frustrations. Let me introduce you to the frustrations your peers share with you (even if they won’t always admit it):

• Slow Go/No Go Decisions
• Late Delivery From The Technical Staff
• Lack of Trust, Respect, and/or Appreciation

With the right proposal management process, these problems tend to go away.

What is the Proposal Process?

An overall proposal process typically includes at least these three elements.

• Pre-RFP (Request For Proposal)
• Planning And Managing The Proposal Development
• Writing The Proposal

Here’s a proposal process flowchart from Laura Ricci’s book, the Magic Of Winning Proposals.

At first glance, it looks awful complex. But when you consider Shipley’s 96-step process, Laura’s seems a heck of a lot more manageable.

Proposal Managers aren’t typically involved during the Pre-RFP phase. That effort is usually taken care of by “capture managers” or “business developers.” Proposal managers are responsible for ensuring a successful planning and writing effort.

So, a proposal management process is a subset of a larger overall process. But that doesn’t mean it is not important. In fact, to respond to a complex RFPs which require input from multiple parties, you’ll need a solid proposal management process that works for you.

Why It’s Important To Have A Proposal Management Process

When I talk about a Proposal Management Process, I’m referring to a written document that proposal managers can measure their efforts against.

A lot of firms think they have a process but will often claim it is safely stored in someone’s head. The fact is, if it’s not written down…it doesn’t exist.

Without a proposal management process, you can expect embarrassing mistakes, wasted time, lost contracts, and frustrations as I mentioned earlier.

While it might seem like a pain in the butt, setting up and following a written process makes your life ten times easier.

Now, based on my experience, there is not a single process that work’s for every business. Therefore, it is up to you to create a process that fits your firm’s situation and needs.

With that said, there are basic steps that should be addressed in every proposal management process. Don’t worry, I’m going to walk you through each step.

Proposal Management Process Steps

We’ve talked about an overall proposal process. But let us get specific. Here are the proposal management steps you need to systemize within your process.

Step One: Go/No Go Decision

Before you write your proposal, you have to determine not only whether the opportunity is a good fit, but whether you can reasonably compete. Essentially, you must figure out what game is being played and whether it makes sense for you to play it.

Even though nobody can accurately predict the future, in most situations you’ll be able to determine whether or not your firm has a reasonable shot at winning.

Therefore, it is essential to define the criteria needed to be considered for a go/no go decision. But it is also critical to identify who makes these decisions and how quickly that person needs to turn around his/her decision. You should also include what to do if that person is on vacation.

Remember, we’re not just defining what is done during each step. We’re defining the who, what, when, where and why for each task.

Step Two: Proposal Planning

After you’ve made the decision to submit a proposal, it’s time to start planning. Proposal planning includes identifying tasks and individual responsibilities, developing a winning strategy, drafting a proposal outline, creating the schedule, and coordinating with subconsultants/contractors.

How is all of this going to work? Who is going to do what, when, and how?

You need an unambiguous plan for every proposal effort. Therefore, your proposal management process needs to be very clear about how the planning will be done.

Step Three: Kick-Off Meeting

Once you’ve started planning your effort you’ll need to gather everybody who is going to contribute to the effort and make sure everyone knows what to do and is on the same page. This is referred to as a “kick-off meeting.”

Your process needs to identify what needs to happen prior to the kick-off meeting. For example, is everyone going to read the RFP before the meeting? If you don’t have a proposal management process that requires people to read the RFP and reminds them…it simply won’t happen. So, make sure everything that needs to occur before the kick-off meeting is defined within your process.

You’ll also need to define what is discussed during each kick-off meeting. This might include a standard meeting agenda. At the very least, you’ll want to touch on who will write which sections, what the deadlines are, which team members will be proposed, and your strategy for winning.

Step Four: Proposal Development

Proposal development is all about putting your plan into action. At this point, you have an outline. You know who is going to write what by when.

Proposal development is when you write the proposal, design the document, create graphics and images, and put together the numbers. It’s when the “sausage is made.”

There are key considerations during this step. There are actually different approaches to writing proposals. Laura Ricci taught the world the value of storyboarding your proposal. Carl Dickson promotes the use of “proposal recipes.” And unfortunately, others simply revise existing boilerplate material.

Regardless of your writing approach, the individuals responsible for writing will likely need (or at least appreciate) some material to help them get started or guide them. Your proposal management process should address what people will be provided.

During the proposal development, there will also inevitably be some reviewing and editing. Some firms use a standard “color team” review process. But color team reviews is not the only method out there. How will you ensure quality and effectiveness in your proposal? That’s another example of what you need to include in this section.

There are also other strategies you can add your proposal development, like dummy books and final flip throughs.

Regardless, this step is where the rubber meets the road. If you don’t define how this step works, you may find yourself in a world of hurt.

Step Five: Send Out

Do you hand deliver your proposals? Do you send them out through the mail? These may seem like minor details, but if you’ve sent out as many proposals as I have, you know they are not.

For example, I never send out anything overnight through UPS. I only use FedEx because I’ve been burned by UPS too many times.

And I never send out proposals for “early morning delivery.” What if the package is delivered at 8 am and your client doesn’t open the door until 8:30 am? Big problem.

And who will make sure that the proposal is packaged properly and sent to the right place? And who will track the package to make sure it gets there?

All of these things have to be part of your proposal management process

Step Six: Proposal Close Out

Once the proposal is sent out and has reached its destination, you might think you are done. But you’re not.

It’s common practice to file an electronic or paper copy of the entire proposal, RFP, and addenda in the proper location. I also suggest that you have a system to determine which project write-ups need to get added into your proposal database.

Please note, you can’t assume that because a project write-up in newer, it is better. Often, write-ups are edited and reduced because of page limits. Therefore, you can’t simply paste over an older write up with a newer one. Hand-written proposal edits or track changes will help you identify what was updated.

Write-ups from individual resumes should also be updated in the same manner.

You’ll also want to add new and exceptional approach pieces or boilerplate language to your proposal database.

Which Proposal Process Is Right For You?

Remember, you’re overall proposal process will probably include more than proposal management. It should include the pre-RFP/capture planning elements.

But as far as the management of a proposal effort is concerned, you absolutely must include the six steps above in your process.

You may decide not to use color team reviews. You might not store information in a proposal database. But you’ll need all six of those steps in one way or another.

Have Questions About Proposal Management?

Submit your questions in the comments below. I’ll answer every one.

The post Proposal Management Process – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

This page was created to help you:

• Put together a great job description for a Business Development Manager position
• Understand what a Business Development Manager is and what you should expect from one
• Learn more about being a Business Development Manager

This specific page simply gives you the Business Development Manager job description. This site also provides supplementary material related to business development and what you should expect from your Business Development Manager.

You may use this Business Development Manager Job Description as a starting point for your company’s ad. Please spend the time to customize it to your company’s needs.

This description contains just about everything you would ask a Business Development Manager to do. Therefore, it would be a lot to ask of one person.

The Role of the Business Development Manager

A Business Development Manager works to improve an organization’s market position and achieve financial growth. This person defines long-term organizational strategic goals, builds key customer relationships, identifies business opportunities, negotiates and closes business deals and maintains extensive knowledge of current market conditions.

Business Development Managers work in a senior sales position within the company. It is their job to work with the internal team, marketing staff, and other managers to increase sales opportunities and thereby maximize revenue for their organization. To achieve this, they need to find potential new customers, present to them, ultimately convert them into clients, and continue to grow business in the future.

Business Development Managers will also help manage existing clients and ensure they stay satisfied and positive. They call on clients, often being required to make presentations on solutions and services that meet or predict their clients’ future needs.

Job Description

The primary role of the Business Development Manager is to prospect for new clients by networking, cold calling, advertising or other means of generating interest from potential clients. They must then plan persuasive approaches and pitches that will convince potential clients to do business with the company.

They must develop a rapport with new clients, and set targets for sales and provide support that will continually improve the relationship. They are also required to grow and retain existing accounts by presenting new solutions and services to clients. Business Development Managers work with mid and senior level management, marketing, and technical staff.

He/she may manage the activities of others responsible for developing business for the company. Strategic planning is a key part of this job description since it is the business manager’s responsibility to develop the pipeline of new business coming into the company. This requires a thorough knowledge of the market, the solutions/services the company can provide, and of the company’s competitors.

While the exact responsibilities will vary from company to company, the main duties of the Business Development Manager can be summarized as follows:

New Business Development

• Prospect for potential new clients and turn this into increased business.
• Cold call as appropriate within your market or geographic area to ensure a robust pipeline of opportunities. * Meet potential clients by growing, maintaining, and leveraging your network.
• Identify potential clients, and the decision makers within the client organization.
• Research and build relationships with new clients.
• Set up meetings between client decision makers and company’s practice leaders/Principals.
• Plan approaches and pitches.
• Work with team to develop proposals that speaks to the client’s needs, concerns, and objectives.
• Participate in pricing the solution/service.
• Handle objections by clarifying, emphasizing agreements and working through differences to a positive conclusion.
• Use a variety of styles to persuade or negotiate appropriately.
• Present an image that mirrors that of the client.

Client Retention

• Present new products and services and enhance existing relationships.
• Work with technical staff and other internal colleagues to meet customer needs.
• Arrange and participate in internal and external client debriefs.

Business Development Planning

• Attend industry functions, such as association events and conferences, and provide feedback and information on market and creative trends.
• Present to and consult with mid and senior level management on business trends with a view to developing new services, products, and distribution channels.
• Identify opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels that will lead to an increase in sales.
• Using knowledge of the market and competitors, identify and develop the company’s unique selling propositions and differentiators.

Management and Research

• Submit weekly progress reports and ensure data is accurate.
• Ensure that data is accurately entered and managed within the company’s CRM or other sales management system.
• Forecast sales targets and ensure they are met by the team.
• Track and record activity on accounts and help to close deals to meet these targets.
• Work with marketing staff to ensure that prerequisites (like prequalification or getting on a vendor list) are fulfilled within a timely manner.
• Ensure all team members represent the company in the best light.
• Present business development training and mentoring to business developers and other internal staff.
• Research and develop a thorough understanding of the company’s people and capabilities.
• Understand the company’s goal and purpose to continue to enhance the company’s performance.

Education

Business development management positions require a bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of sales or marketing experience. An MBA is often requested as well.

Other Skills and Qualifications

Networking, Persuasion, Prospecting, Public Speaking, Research, Writing, Closing Skills, Motivation for Sales, Prospecting Skills, Sales Planning, Identification of Customer Needs and Challenges, Territory Management, Market Knowledge, Meeting Sales Goals, Professionalism, CRM, and Microsoft Office.

Helpful Links

• Business Development Strategy: The 8 Strategies You Need To Know

The post Business Development Manager Job Description appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

People reading the Business Development Manager Job Description might ask themselves, “What is business development, exactly?” or “what is business development’s role?” or “Why is business development so important?”

Therefore, I’ll try to make it clear and straightforward.

Business development is a commonly-used term for businesses that provide services. Businesses that sell products often use the term, “sales.”

The Difference Between Business Development and Sales

When selling services, you are often selling the knowledge and capabilities of the people in your company. Therefore, a business developer doesn’t have a tangible product. Instead, he or she is tasked with selling people’s time or the result of people’s time.

Very often, a client will not order the company’s service until they have met with the people who will provide this service. As a result, the business developer must also present the internal team to the potential client (usually in the form of a meeting, proposal, and/or presentation).

The responsibilities of a business developer are often broader than that of a salesperson. They could include activities such as research, strategic planning, or even training.

The business developer is often brought on to complement the seller-doer model, where the people who do the work are also tasked with bringing in new clients. Business developers help seller-doers increase their sales by providing the strategic approach these people sometimes lack.

The Similarities Between Business Development and Sales

Both business developers and salespeople are expected to identify potential clients, approach them, and participate in the closing of deals. They are both responsible for meeting sales targets and growing the firm (or company).

Two nuances distinguish the different roles. If you are a salesperson selling pencils (product), you’ll bring those pencils to the prospective client. That client may look at the pencils. Heck, he or she may even write with one of them. But they will not speak with any of the pencils.

But if you are a business developer selling services (let’s say architecture services), you’ll bring an architect to your prospective client. Unlike the pencil, the architect talks. The architect will ultimately play a role in closing that deal.

The other nuance relates to strategy. You send your salesperson off to go sell pencils. Your salespeople are your foot soldiers.

But business developers are often tasked with pursuing strategic opportunities. Business development activities could include things like by cultivating partnerships, tracking trends, or identifying new markets.

That doesn’t mean business developers don’t go out and “pound the pavement.” Most often, they do. But there is more to business development than that.

What Is Business Development Strategy?

It might be hard to distinguish between a business development strategy and a marketing strategy.

The line between marketing and sales is pretty clear in the world of products. But in the world of services, the line between marketing and business development isn’t as clear.

In a service business, your business development department and your marketing department might even be a single entity.

To learn about specific business development strategies see: Business Development Strategy: The 8 Strategies You Need To Know

What Skills Are Required For Business Development?

Now that we understand what business development is and how it differs from sales, what are the skills a business developer needs and how do those differ from a salesperson?

Ultimately, you want whoever is leading this effort to be able to come up with useful business development ideas and see them through to execution.

Critical thinking and the ability to see a plan through to completion are probably your two most essential skillsets. Another critical skill is the ability to spot trends or situations your business can capitalize on.

For a full description of the skills you might want in a business developer, see my Business Development Manager Job Description.

The post What is Business Development?​ appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

There are a variety of different business development strategies one can use when developing business. But at the end of the day, every business development strategy falls into one of eight major categories.
I’m going to cover all eight of them. Plus, I’ll describe the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Once you get a handle on the eight primary strategies, you can use them to create or customize your overall business development plan. They are as follows:

• The Expert/Inbound Strategy
• The Client List Strategy
• The Network Strategy
• The Old Client Strategy
• The Existing Client Strategy
• The Referral Strategy
• The Partnering Strategy
• The Advertising Strategy

The Expert/Inbound Strategy

This business development strategy is used more by [doer-sellers] and may not be appropriate for a full-time business development manager
The Expert/Inbound Strategy tries to set the business development manager as an expert in the company or client’s field.

One example might be the engineer who creates the perception that he/she is an expert in energy savings for office buildings. This business development manager ‘s company designs energy retrofits for office buildings. Therefore, he/she is targeting real estate developers who may want to increase their building’s energy efficiency.

The business development manager writes articles and books, blogs, speaks at conferences, and participates in relevant industry associations with the hope that people will perceive him/her as the expert in the field.

As mentioned, this is an inbound strategy because the approach is passive. They put themselves out there and wait for people to reach out to them.

At first glance, it may seem like a business development strategy that relies too much on luck. But it’s been historically very effective, particularly when conducted by doer-sellers. Many businesses start out and have successfully grown using this strategy.

The disadvantage of this strategy is that it is very passive. You put yourself out there and wait for people to contact you. For this to work, you’ve got to get in front of many people.

It’s also difficult for someone who lacks the needed expertise to execute. That’s why it’s more appropriate for doer-sellers.

The advantage is that you establish yourself as a trusted expert in advance. When prospects call you, they already have some degree of confidence in you. Plus, they don’t feel like they are “being sold” when they are the ones reaching out.

The Client List Strategy

Another business development strategy centers around client lists (sometimes called “prospect lists”).

For example, let’s say you are targeting large general construction contractors in Tennessee. You can research, create, or even buy that list.
From there, you can use [cold outreach] or network your way to the decision makers within the organization. You can even use [email marketing] as a way to track clicks and uncover who might be receptive to talking with you.

Assuming you have the right list, this can be a very effective strategy.

Advantages of this strategy are that it’s very focused. If done right, it’s often the most effective strategy for bringing in new clients.

The disadvantage is that this is the most challenging strategy. Business developers using it will face some level of rejection, regardless of how good their approach is.

And if you use the wrong approach, this strategy can prove disastrous. For example, I once worked with a business development manager who would spend a full day cold calling prospects and asking them for work.
He didn’t do any research. He didn’t ask the prospect any questions. He just called people and pitched them like a telemarketer.
It never worked. And even being in earshot of it was painful.

If you need help, check out my word-for-word scripts for getting meetings with extremely busy people.

The Network Strategy

The networking strategy is not nearly as targeted. Business development managers using this approach often attend many industry events, lunches, etc. Their goal is to use their network to identify and connect with potential clients. Many business development managers use this approach because it is less stressful than the Client List Strategy.

It has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is you may identify a potential client that wouldn’t have appeared on a client list.

The disadvantage is this strategy can take a long time, is not as targeted, and relies on the quality of the business developer’s network (and his/her ability to leverage that network).

For more, check out my Networking Tips For The Lazy

The Old Client Strategy

This business development strategy is often overlooked. When we hire business developers, our first inclination is often to send them off to find new clients. But that might not be your best approach.

You see, it’s going to take far more time and effort to bring in new clients than it would to re-engage with clients you’ve worked with in the past.

It’s common for experienced business developers to start by reaching out to clients they’ve worked with in the past. That’s because they understand it’s the quickest way to a big win.

If your firm could be getting more business from past clients, it might make sense to help your business developer bring those relationships back to life.

The advantage of this strategy is that the leads are much warmer and they’ll likely be more open to talking with a business developer.

In addition, this strategy can uncover some client service issues you were unaware of. You may even be able to resolve a few.

The only downside to this approach is that if you focus too much on it, you won’t be bringing in new clients.

The Existing Client Strategy

A mentor of mine was the head of a practice for a large engineering company. He tripled the practice’s business during one of the industry’s deepest recessions. And he did it without bringing in a single new client.

How? He doubled down on getting more work with his existing clients.

This is often the first business development strategy I recommend. But strangely, firms often neglect it (or just pay it lip service).

The disadvantage of this approach is a less diverse client base. If work from a few of your big clients dries up, you can find yourself in a bad position.

The Referral Strategy

Depending on your business, your old clients might not have repeat work for you. But the people who buy your services probably know others who need what you sell.

In fact, even repeat clients likely know someone who could use your help.

Developing and instituting systems that have you regularly asking clients who else might need your services is a Referral Strategy.

Depending on your business, you may even be able to incentivize or reward those who send referrals your way.

There really aren’t any concrete downsides to this strategy. Some people find asking for referrals to be uncomfortable. My advice to those people is to cowboy (or cowgirl) up.

The Partnering Strategy

Partnering is a broad topic. There are many firms out there that make the majority of their revenue from partnering. Partnering might require you to be a subconsultant on another firm’s contract. Before you agree to that, check out my questions to ask before agreeing to be a subconsultant.

The biggest challenge of partnering often relates to payment. If you are not the “prime consultant,” you can end up being paid last. Collecting from a client is often easier and quicker than collecting from a partner.

The Advertising Strategy

Advertising can take many forms including sponsorships. And for professional services firms, it is not common. It’s usually only mid to large sized firms that spend money on advertising.

Advertising, especially to a large audience, can be very expensive. The return on investment can be difficult to track.

But, if you have a specific list of prospects or target market, advertising might make sense for you.

For example, if you only design pharmaceutical labs, it might be cheaper to advertise to members of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) than hire a full-time business development manager.

Advertising might also be used to supplement other business development efforts. For example, you might use retargeting to advertise to people you met with or who visited your website.

Like I mentioned, the primary downside of advertising is it’s hard to accurately track the result of your campaigns. However, if you track client acquisition cost and average lifetime value, it makes it easier.

Which Business Development Strategy Is The Right One?

Ultimately, your overall plan might combine elements of any of the eight business development strategies I’ve outlined.

However, unless you’re running a large operation, I would advise against using all of them at once.

Pick one or two. Get good at them. Once you have successful systems in place for them, add another strategy to your playbook.

Building Your Strategy With A New Business Developer

It is important to understand the strategies a business development manager has used in the past before you bring them into your firm. Their approach may differ from what your company expects from its business developers.

The post Business Development Strategies: The 8 You Need To Know appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

At some point, you’ll be assigned a task you simply don’t know how to do. Maybe it will be something you’ve never done before. Maybe you won’t even know where to begin.

And that can be frustrating, even scary. But luckily, there are steps you can take that will help you knock it out of the park.

In fact, I’m going to give you the exact scripts to use the next time you get one of these tasks.

Nobody Wants To Hold Your Hand

When we receive a task we feel we can’t do, the natural inclination is to tell the task giver we can’t do it.

But pushing back is the absolute worst thing you can do. So, you’ve got to fight that inclination.

If someone gives you a task, they either:

1. Know you can do it.
2. Expect you to figure out how to do it.

Nine times out of ten, the task giver does not want to hold your hand and work through it together with you. They are looking to delegate it so they can focus on higher level tasks.

So, what do you do?

The New Task Scripts

There are three things you need to do when faced with a seemingly impossible task.

1. Acknowledge the task
2. Research the task
3. Provide your approach

Acknowledge The Task

The first thing you need to do is confirm you know what’s being asked of you.

Here’s what you need to say:

”Here’s what I heard. You want me to [describe the task, deliverable, and deadline]. Is that correct?”

At this point, the task giver will either confirm your understanding or correct you. Either way, it’s a win for you.

Now you have a clear understanding of what’s being asked of you. But you probably still don’t have the foggiest idea of how to do it.

That’s OK. The next step is research.

But before you start researching, you’ve got to get out of that person’s office.

Here’s what to say:

”Since this is new to me, I’m going to look at this and come back with some thoughts on how I’ll approach it. When would be a good time to come back?”

Saying this accomplishes a few things. First, you’re indicating that although this task is new to you, you’re going to give it a go. Second, it sets expectations for the next step. Lastly, you acknowledge the task givers’ time considerations.

Research The Task

Try to complete this next step within 20 minutes. What we’re going to do is research and jot down notes about how you’ll approach the task.

Once you get back to your seat, you’ve got two resources available to you.

1. Whatever was provided to you
2. Google

There will be at least a few instances where the task giver provides you with all the information you need to come up with an approach. Do not fail to thoroughly review all documents you have been provided. If your approach does not take into account the directions provided to you, you’ll end up looking bad.

The rest of the time, Google is your friend.

For example, let’s say someone gives you an Excel spreadsheet and says, ”Turn this into a pivot table.” For someone who has never opened Microsoft Excel, that’s going to seem like an impossible task. Luckily for you, directions for most tasks are just a Google search away.

For example, you could search “Excel pivot table tutorial” or “how to create pivot table in Microsoft Excel” in Google. In those search results, you’ll find step-by-step instructions and videos showing you how to create your pivot table.

Even if the task giver asks you to “perform brain surgery,” there are Google results that will help you piece together your approach.

Provide Your Approach

On a piece of paper, jot down the steps of how you’ll approach it. What we’re looking for is how you will do it and why you will do it that way. Keep it under a page.

At the designated time, take your notes to the task giver and use this script:

“I went through what you gave me and did a little research. Here’s how I plan to approach this task.”

Then recite what you wrote down. It’s Ok to use notes. This is not a speech contest.

Once you are done, ask, “Is that how you would approach it?”

The task giver will either be super impressed by your thoughtfulness and go-getter attitude…or realize they made a horrible mistake. If it’s clear, after hearing your approach, that the task is beyond your skill set…you’ve just made a commendable effort. And you can hold your head up high.

If they agree with your approach, you now know exactly how to complete the task. There is no more guesswork. So, just go do it.

Considerations

Here are a few extra considerations for completing these tasks.

Triple Check Your Work

One of the biggest annoyances when giving out a task is when the person you trusted doesn’t take the time to double-check their work. The last thing anyone wants is a work product riddled with errors.

Don’t just double check your work…triple check it. Spend the appropriate amount of time checking the quality of your work.

Finishing a task and immediately handing it over is a rookie mistake. Triple check your work.

Use The Scripts In Person

I don’t care how busy the task giver is. These scripts should be used in person or over the phone.

You should only use these via email if you are working remote and all phone lines are down.

Now Its Your Turn

What were some of the most challenging tasks assigned to you? Share with us in the comments.

The post What If You Get A Task You Can’t Do? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

So you need to write your first proposal or learn to write better proposals. And now you’re looking for proposal writing training. Don’t worry, this post will give you everything you need to determine which training option is best for you.

But first, there’s something you need to understand.

Nobody Is Born A Great Proposal Writer

Regardless of the type of proposal you’ll be writing, you need to understand that nobody is born a great proposal writer. Proposal writing is a practice. It’s a skill that you’ll develop and nurture over time.

If you ever meet someone who claims to be a natural proposal writer, there is one of two things going on. Either they are lying or they don’t realize how bad they are.

I’ve been writing proposals for almost 20 years and I’ve submitted over 1,000 proposals. I can tell you I’m still learning.

Continuous learning and training is the cornerstone of any proposal writing practice. But what that training looks like is going to depend on which type of proposal you’ll be writing.

Which Type Of Proposal Are You Writing?

As someone who is passionate and has published a lot about proposal writing, I get people from all over the world emailing me. I’ve had to turn down a lot of people asking me for wedding advice or advice on how to convince the Governor to buy someone’s nephew a car.

You see, my area of expertise is helping people write proposals to win business contracts. But there are other types of proposals out there.

The type of training you need will depend on the type of proposal you intend to write. There are four types of proposals people write and they couldn’t be more different.

Business Proposals

People looking for business proposal writing training often work with a firm that is seeking to win a contract to perform services.

Grant Proposals

If you are looking for funding from an organization or government, you’ll be writing a grant proposal. Writing a proposal for a grant is different than writing a proposal for a service contract.

Education Proposals

If you’re writing a proposal to get your school to accept your thesis, that’s completely different than writing a grant or business proposal.

Marriage Proposal

Of course, there are people looking to get down on one knee and propose to their future spouse. Frankly, you don’t need any training for this. And if you are on Google searching for what to say in a marriage proposal…maybe you haven’t chosen the right partner.

For those first three proposals, my advice is to seek out training that’s laser-focused on the type of proposal you will be writing. And make sure the instructor has success writing proposals of that type.

Also keep in mind there may be terminology differences within each of these types. For example, outside the United States a proposal to provide services is called a tender.

The Different Types of Proposal Writing Training

Once you’ve determined which type of proposal you’ll be writing and identified a few training options that correspond with that, you need to determine the training delivery that’s best for you.

In-Person Training

The most common form of training delivery you’ll find is the one or more day in-person seminar. A one-hour webinar or seminar will likely not be able to deliver the depth of training you’ll need. That’s why single-day or multi-day seminars are common.

The biggest challenge with in-person training is that once you walk out of that door, you no longer have access to that training. And in even a day, you’ll cover a lot of information. You may walk away with a handout. But ultimately, the end product is whatever insight you retain in your memory.

And if you’re anything like me, you don’t remember as much as you used to.

In addition, once you take into account travel and registration costs, in-person training can be far more expensive than it first appears.

Further, due to the costs of putting on in-person seminars, it’s difficult for instructors to offer you a money-back guarantee.

On a more positive note, you may experience a greater level of personal interaction with the instructor during in-person seminars. Also, you’ll meet other people who write proposals.

I’m not saying to avoid this type of training. I attended Nancy Usrey’s day-long training on writing SF330 proposals many years ago. And I would do it again.

Online Training

Then there is online training. Online training can have advantages over in-person training if done right. In fact, all the courses I take these days are online.

I even developed my Win Writing and Proposal Management Mastery Programs as online alternatives that don’t include the inherent problems I saw with in-person proposal training seminars.

The drawback of online training is there are hucksters out there who will develop and sell a course to make a quick buck. So, you’ll have to do more homework before you select an online training course.

When considering online training, you should look for these things:

1. An instructor with proven success with the type of proposals you write.
2. A comprehensive program that covers what you need (which we’ll get to)
3. Lifetime access to all materials
4. A solid money-back guarantee

Proposal Writing Certification

Another form of training is a long-term certification process.

There are only two proposal writing certifications that I’m aware of. The first is through my Win Writing course. The second, and most common proposal writing certification is through the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP).

APMP’s certification requires membership and jumping through certain hoops before you are eligible. But if you are pursuing a career path in proposals, it is probably worth checking out.

APMP’s certification is based on materials developed by Shipley, the consulting firm that founded APMP.

Shipley’s proposal process is seen by some as overly complex. But there are certainly people out there who have experienced great success using their process.

Proposal Writing Books

Reading the right book might be all the training you’ll need. So don’t knock books as one of the options you should consider. Often, books on proposal writing cover as much, if not more, than training courses.

The proposal writing book I often recommend is The Magic Of Winning Proposals by Laura Ricci. Laura, who is now retired, used it as a proposal writing training manual for her clients. It’s the perfect book for anyone writing a business-related proposal.

But there may be other books that focus directly on the type of proposal you are writing. Just make sure you read the table of contents and reviews before selecting the right book for you.

Proposal Writing Vs. Proposal Management

The training you receive should also correspond with what part of the proposal development process you’ll be involved in.

Let me give you an example. Developing proposals can be a team effort. One of the biggest frustrations of people who work with proposals is not receiving information from their teammates in a timely manner.

That’s a proposal management issue that requires training in proposal management, not writing.

If you need training in proposal management, don’t accept training that does not focus directly on that topic. Many proposal writing courses touch on management topics. But in my opinion, they don’t do an adequate job of giving people the proposal management strategies and skills they need.

Again, you need to consider the type of proposal first. You may be working on a proposal effort that requires no management whatsoever. In those cases, proposal management training would be a waste.

What To Look For In A Proposal Writing Training Course Outline

Unfortunately, proposal writing training courses rarely provide you with samples of the course. But they often provide you with a course outline or syllabus before you purchase.

Make sure you thoroughly review the course outline (i.e. the topics that will be addressed in the course). Again, make sure the topics match up to what you need to learn.

At the very least any proposal writing course should touch on these topics.

The typical proposal writing training course outline will likely address these topics:

• Getting selection committees or decision makers to choose your proposal
• Gathering information about what the decision makers really want
• Planning out the proposal effort
• Writing the different sections of the proposal

Those elements are pretty standard among different proposal types. Understanding what the decision makers want and how they decide is critical whether it’s a business, grant, or education proposal.

But remember, any training option you pick MUST be tailored to the type of proposal you are writing. So, you’ll need additional topics covered that are relevant to your proposal type.

Here’s the course outline for my Win Writing program, which is focused on writing proposals for service contracts:

How Top Firms Use Proposal Writing To Generate Millions Of Dollars

• What Better Proposal Writing Can Do For Your Business
• Proposal Writing Mindsets: Why The Top Proposal Writers Think This Way
• How To Track Your Proposal Efforts The Right Way

The Unspoken Psychology Of Proposal Selection

• The Prediction Machine: The Unspoken Truth About Emotions And Client Decisions (It’s Not What You Think)
• Fixed Action Patterns: The Security Flaw In Our Decision-Making Process
• The Six Scientifically Proven Weapons Of Influence You Can Use To Get Your Clients To Say Yes — Ignore These At Your Own Risk

Securing The Advantage

• How To Read Your Client’s Mind (Even If You’ve Never Met Them Before)
• How To Get Meetings With The Unreachable: The Actual Word-For-Word Scripts I Use To Get Meetings With Extremely Busy People
• Client Capture Scripts: The Exact Questions I Ask Clients To Find Out What They Really Want

Foolproof Planning

• Go/No Go: How To Determine What To Go After (And What To Pass On)
• RFP Translation: Decipher The Key Points You Really Need To Address For The RFP Or RFQ
• Planning for Success: Never Stress Over A Deadline Again

Better…Faster…Stronger Proposal Writing

• Proposal Math: What Do Clients Actually Do With Your Proposal?
• The Hollywood Playbook: How To Drastically Speed Up Proposal Writing
• The Pareto Writing Rules: 5 Simple Rules That Supercharge Readability (The Only Ones You’ll Ever Need)
• Narratives: How To Build Resumes And Project Descriptions That Sell
• The Four-Step Cover Letter: The Exact Formula I Use To Write Cover Letters That Set You Apart
• How To Write A Technical Approach (Even If You Have No Technical Expertise)

Notice how specific that outline is to writing service proposals. This course would be overkill for anyone writing a thesis or grant proposal. But for business proposals, it hits all the bases.

The Bottom Line

I know we covered a lot in this post, so here are some simple questions to determine which course is right for you.

• Which type of proposal am I writing?
• Which training delivery method works best for my learning style
• Which parts of the proposal development process (writing or management) will I be involved in?
• Do I need a certification?

Answering these questions will ensure you select the best proposal writing training for your specific needs.

The post Proposal Writing Training – Which Course Is Right For You? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

1. The right message
2. An audience that can say yes

Yes, millions of dollars per year are spent by firms in the construction industry trying to get clients to recognize their brand and award them contracts. And the internet is littered with a ton of construction marketing strategies and tips. But hear me out.

I’ve worked with construction firms just starting out and those making billions per year. I can tell you that those who have the most success always have these two key elements: the right message and an audience who can say yes.

You can spend all day looking for the next perfect construction marketing idea. You can stare at construction advertising examples until your eyes fall out, hoping to glean some magical insight into what works. And that may seem more interesting than say, identifying your audience who can say yes. But ultimately, it’s putting the cart before the horse.

In addition, thinking about construction marketing in these terms will make your life easier. Getting your arms around these two elements will ultimately make developing and executing any construction marketing plan so much easier.

In this post, I’m going to break down how to deliver the right message to an audience who can say yes. However, we have to figure out who that audience is first.

Who Is Your Audience That Can Say Yes?

If you don’t know who your audience is, it’s impossible to determine what the right message is. And if you don’t have the right message, you’ll find marketing in the construction industry to be like banging your head against the wall.

Before you can even identify the audience who can say yes, you’ve got to know who you are and what it is you are selling. Believe it or not, that can get a little complicated in the construction industry. But valuable answers are luckily just a few simple questions away.

Even if you already think you know your audience, let’s walk through it together.

Which Type Of Construction Firm Are You?

There are many kinds of construction firms out there. Some build huge bridges while others install decks in your backyard. Although we’d like to think that each firm is a unique snowflake, we can lump each of them into one of these three buckets.

• General Contractor
• Agency Construction Manager
• Trade Or Specialty Contractor

When a general contractor is hired to build a project, they typically “hold the contracts.” What that means is they have a contract with the owner. But they’ll also have contracts with trade or specialty contractors who are building specific pieces of the project (like the electrical work, for example). Some general contractors “self-perform” a portion of the work, but others are simply managing and administering the construction.

Sure, different state laws can determine which contracts the General Contractor holds. But nine times out of ten, they are holding all the contracts.

An agency construction manager is a construction firm that does not self-perform any construction work and does not hold the contracts. They have a contractual agreement with the owner, but no contract authority over the trade or specialty contractors. They represent and advise the owner during the construction of a project.

The most common type of construction firm is what’s known as a trade or specialty contractor. They’ll either enter into contracts with general contractors or owners. For example, if an owner needs to upgrade wiring in their facility, they’ll probably work directly with an electrical trade contractor. But if that owner is building a new office complex, they’ll enter into an agreement with a general contractor who will then subcontract pieces of the work to trade or specialty contractors.

If you ever wondered why construction firms are referred to as “contractors,” now you know. Contracts play a major role in construction. And who you’ll ultimately end up in an agreement with is your audience.

Which Markets Will You Work In?

Once you’ve determined which type of firm you are, you have to identify which markets you’ll be working in.

We could come up with a laundry list of markets (or niches) in the construction industry. But for the sake of this exercise, we’ll target one of three markets.

• Residential
• Commercial
• Government/Institutional

The residential market is made up of housing. Whether you’re building a condo in New York City or installing a fence around a suburban house in North Carolina, you’re working in the residential market. The audience that can say yes within this market is very different from those in other markets. The buyers within this market are not always the most sophisticated. And you don’t have to look any further than HGTV to see how profitable (or challenging) residential work can be.

Those renovating a restaurant or building a sports stadium are working within the commercial market. The audience here is made up of owners who don’t have to adhere to some of the strict rules or procedures of those working with government money. In this market, you’ll often be working with “developers.” Developers are entities that oversee the build-out and management of commercial properties.

And then there is the government/institutional market. Whether you are adding a new operating room to the local hospital or building a new bridge over the Mississippi River, you’re working in the government/institutional market. Owners in this market often have specific procedures and rules they must adhere to. For example, owners may need to prequalify your firm before you can work on any of their projects. And owners in this market are often the most sophisticated.

Here’s why this step is so important. Let’s say you are a specialty contractor who installs fences. Are you installing the fence in my backyard or around an Air Force base? Those are two different firms that happen to be the same type but work in entirely different markets. And they’ll need to market to two very different audiences.

How Will Your Audience Hire You?

Determining how your audience will hire you provides you with more insight than it might appear. The three most common ways are:

• Low-bid
• Best Value
• Negotiated

When the owner selects a contractor based on low-bid, they are only looking at an apples-to-apples comparison of price between competitive offers. Many government entities are mandated to select construction firms based solely on low-bid.

Best value is a catch-all term for any method where the owner considers more than just price. For example, if you are bidding to renovate my kitchen, I’m going to consider more than price when making my decision. But if your price is three times that of other bidders, I probably won’t hire you.

A negotiated contract is often awarded based on a firm’s qualifications or an existing relationship an owner has with a contractor. They’ll award you the job and then negotiate the price.

You don’t want to skip this step. Let’s say you are a pavement contractor who works in the government/Institutional market. If you plan on paving any state highways, that’s going to be a low-bid scenario. If you don’t want to work under low-bid conditions, you’ll have to adjust within your market to maybe provide pavement to healthcare systems that aren’t obligated to use low-bid.

But let’s say your pavement firm is fine with working on low-bid contracts. Now that we know your audience will hire you based on low-bid, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense hiring the top construction marketing agency. However, it would make sense to hire the absolute best construction estimator you can find.

What Advantages/Disadvantages Do You Have?

In the construction industry, your firm’s advantages and disadvantages can help you determine the audience that is most likely to say yes. In fact, construction is one of the few industries where firms certify their disadvantages.

Let me give you an example of how a “disadvantage” can help you determine your audience. If your excavation firm is owned by someone whom the government would consider a “minority,” my advice would be to target big General Contractors that work on government projects. These General Contractors often struggle to meet minority participation goals on large government contracts. And the minute they learn about you, they might just throw a party.

On the other hand, let’s say you’re a general contractor that works well with unions. You’ll have an advantage in areas where the unions have a strong presence.

The Yes Audience Formula For Construction Firms

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can fill out this statement:

Our audience is [OWNERS/GENERAL CONTRACTORS] in the [MARKET] market who hire [FIRM TYPE], select based on [HOW THEY HIRE], and favor [ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE].

Here’s an example:

Our audience is general contractors in the government/institutional market who hire trade/specialty contractors, select based on low bid, and favor minority business enterprises.

That is a clearly defined audience. Here’s another one.

Our audience is owners in the commercial market who hire general contractors, select based on best value, and favor firms that self-perform electrical work.

The right message for these two audiences couldn’t be more different. That’s why it’s so critical to nail down who your yes audience is.

Identifying The Right Marketing Message

Identifying the audience who can say yes is the easy part. The more difficult part of marketing in the construction industry is determining what the right message is.

Luckily, you have two things going for you. First, you’ve identified the audience who can say yes. Second, you’re about to receive a game-changing piece of marketing advice from me:

You can’t sell anyone something he or she doesn’t already want to buy.

That’s the best news you’ve received all day because it means you can’t come up with the right message sitting in front of your computer screen. You’ve got to find out what your audience wants to buy.

What your audience wants to buy isn’t a “kitchen renovation” or “university science lab.” You don’t go to the hardware store to buy a drill, you go to buy a hole. So, we’ve got to figure out what the hole is for our audience.

You do this by identifying your audience’s hopes, fears, and dreams. What do they hope to achieve by renovating their kitchen? What are their biggest fears and reservations about renovating their kitchen? What does their dream kitchen renovation experience look like? What did they like/dislike about previous renovations they may have been involved in?

You learn these things by talking with your audience. Talk to people who’ve already renovated their kitchen (or built a university science lab, etc.). And talk to people thinking about renovating their kitchen (or building a university science lab, etc.).

You use what you’ll learn from these conversations to come up with a message that differentiates your firm from the competition.

You might not be the best at writing and that’s OK. There are many books and articles that can help you learn more about copywriting. Armed with everything you’ve learned, you might also reach out to a reputable construction marketing agency for some help communicating your message.

The most important thing during this step is to spend the time and energy needed to get to know what drives your audience’s decisions.

Delivering The Right Marketing Message

Now that you have the right message and an audience who can say yes, it’s just a matter of selecting the right avenues to deliver your message.

In the world of marketing, we refer to ways to reach your audience as “channels.” Which channels you choose will depend on the audience you’re trying to reach.

Marketing channels are generally broken up into two categories.

Direct Marketing Channels

Direct marketing means sending your message directly to your audience. This includes:

• Postcards and mailings
• Phone or email outreach
• Responding to requests for qualifications (RFQs)

Indirect Marketing Channels

Indirect marketing channels are more, well, indirect. And thus, depending on the channel, you may have to find ways to deliver your message in a more educational or informative manner than you would with direct marketing channels.

Indirect marketing channels include:

• Your website or blog
• Articles in industry publications
• Speaking at industry events
• Networking within the industry
• Public relations
• Social media
• Online or print advertising

Always test which channels are best for reaching your specific audience. For example, if your audience does not attend industry events, it might not be very fruitful to speak at industry events.

Don’t tackle all of these at once. I would advise you to select one or two channels that are likely to reach your audience.

Depending on your skillset, you may have to depend on resources within or outside your firm to properly utilize many of these channels. For example, if you have no ad design experience I wouldn’t advise you to create an ad for Engineering News Record. You’ll need to identify the right people to help you.

When it comes to construction marketing, I’ve yet to meet a person who can do it all (and do it well). Often, the best construction marketing is done by utilizing a team with the right skills.

Final Words About Marketing In The Construction Industry

Marketing in the construction industry can be a challenge. But if you keep it simple, delivering the right message to an audience who can say yes, you’ll have consistent success.

Don’t spend your time looking for the latest and greatest construction marketing tips or some shortcut to success. You’ll be surprised how much success you can have by focusing on two core elements. The best construction marketing always includes them.

The post Marketing In The Construction Industry – Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

What are the pieces of advice that have defined your life?

The world is full of advice for us. Just open up your web browser and you’ll see what I mean.

But how much of it really changes your life? Which pieces of advice have had a personal impact on you?

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some outstanding people. Some of them were family. Some were co-workers. Some of them were authors/researchers I’ve been lucky enough to meet. And some were authors I’ve never met.

But all these people were mentors who have helped shape my life. And while every mentor has affected my life in some way, there are a few pieces of advice…

…a few gems, that have transformed the way I think.

Today, I want to share the seven core pieces of advice that have shaped my life over the last twenty years.

My hope is that you’ll take one or two pieces of this advice to heart. Maybe something here can have a monumental impact on your life (or even the life of your kids).

Hey, a guy can hope…right?

I’m not going to spend a lot of time trying to attribute these sayings to the right source. I’m sure I don’t know the true origin of most of this advice. But in some instances, I’ll identify how this advice entered my life.

Now, on with the advice…

Help Everybody Every Day

How can I not start with the single most impactful phrase in my life? This particular piece of brilliance came to me from Tim Klabunde over a decade ago.

It’s not simply who I want to be. I also believe it to be the most meaningful marketing advice I’ve ever received.

As marketers, it’s so easy to fall in love with what you are selling. Instead, we need to fall in love with our clients and the challenges they face.

We need to hold their success above our own. Everything we say, everything we do needs to be in service of others.

As a marketer, that sounds EXTREMELY counterintuitive. Marketers convince people to buy stuff they don’t want or don’t need, right?!?

Well, all the research I’ve read debunks that old stereotype. So, spend your time helping everybody.

The Only Person Who Can Hurt You Is You

This sounds counterintuitive. If a heavyweight boxer, or any boxer, met me in a dark alley…he or she could beat me to a pulp.

But to my Great Aunt Mary, “hurt” was something you felt internally. “Hurt” is your reaction to something. And the basis of hurt, what defines whether or not you get hurt, is how you perceive yourself.

For example, you might tell a Nobel-prize winning physicist that they are dumb. Whether or not they feel hurt is based on how they react to that statement internally. It’s not your statement that hurts them, it’s their reaction.

Why is this important from a business standpoint?

Controlling your reaction to criticism is a skill. Just like riding a bike, it’s something you can develop.

You can’t grow without feedback. And, in my experience, there is a direct correlation between the value of feedback and its blunt honesty.

Remember, the only person who can hurt you is you.

Everything Is Figureoutable

I’ve written about this in the past. But it’s a critical piece of advice.

People arbitrarily, and illogically, limit themselves and others. I’ve heard people say they can’t write about what an engineer does because they are not an engineer. That’s like saying my son can’t write a report on what the US President does because he’s not the President.

Everything is figureoutable.

Humans figure stuff out. That’s what we do. That’s our superpower. You have it within you, so use it.

A caveman figured out how to build a fire, not a fireman. A desk clerk figured out general relativity.

I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me, “You can’t figure that out.” There is no better feeling than making someone eat those words.

Always Be Testing

Better is a moving target. My third grader is a better reader now than he was in second grade. But if anyone allowed him to stop improving his reading skills, he’d be in for a tough life. He must get better at reading.

When you’re an adult, it’s easy to get stuck doing the same things day in and day out. We get comfortable in our jobs. We get satisfied with our performance. We accept our “limitations.”

Don’t fall into that trap. Always be testing.

Always testing is about constant improvement. Every action you take is an experiment to help you determine what works and what doesn’t.

Constantly try new things and test their effectiveness against your norm.

You’ll get many bad results. But the great results will become your new norm. As you keep doing this, your results (and your skills) will get better and better.

If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. So, always be testing.

The World Wants You To Be Vanilla

Society’s job is to make people conform to the norm. If nobody behaved within the societal norms, there would be chaos.

But that also presents a challenge.

Starting at a very young age, you are hit with tremendous pressure to not “stick out.” Especially when you’re young, the pressure to be just like everyone else is unavoidable.

And that pressure continues throughout your life. We just get so used to it, it becomes almost imperceptible.

You’ve got to fight an ever waging war against the pressure to be just like everybody else. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find people pressuring you to be vanilla.

And when you are trying to help your firm get noticed, that pressure is in direct opposition to what you want to do.

Don’t listen to people pushing you to be vanilla.

Don’t Worry About The Bugdust

I’m known for this phrase, but it was taught to me by one of my mentors, John Garrafa.

Bugdust is anything that doesn’t move the needle. If it doesn’t help or hurt your chances of succeeding, then it’s bugdust.

The flip side of this is focusing on “big wins.” Big wins move the needle. Spend your time in areas that have an impact.

In our world, it’s so easy to get stuck spending your time on bugdust. Some people will even pressure you to devote your time to bugdust.

But here’s the thing. They’ll never remember the bugdust. They’ll only remember the big wins.

If Information Was All We Needed, We’d All Be Millionaires With Six-Pack Abs

Information without execution is worthless.

I recently received this comment from the Senior Vice President at a large architecture firm:

“I’ve certainly been impressed with the impact your training has made on marketing efforts here at [FIRM].”

His staff acted on the information I provided. And I commend them for that.

But for every person that acts on my advice, there are ten people who do nothing with it.

Success is 10% information and 90% execution. Absorbing information is easy. Executing on that information is more difficult. It takes work.

If all we needed was information, I’d be a millionaire with six-pack abs. So would you.

You have to focus on executing. And it’s best to focus on one big win at a time.

What is that big win you know you can accomplish, but never got around to? Focus on executing the (steps, tasks, advice) that will make it a reality for you.

The Bottom Line

You can figure anything out. So focus on helping other people and the execution that will help you achieve big wins. And don’t be scared to let your unique personality shine through, because the only person who can hurt you is you.

Now It’s Your Turn

What advice has changed your life? Help others by sharing with us in the comments.

The post 7 Pieces Of Advice That Changed My Life (And Can Change Yours) appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, with one little change, you can dramatically increase the value of any meeting.

Define Next Steps The Right Way

I consider myself a sane, rational, and mild-mannered guy. The other day, I was at a golf outing when I received an email that identified these “next steps” from a recent committee meeting (with some identifying details changed).

Next steps:

• Jane Doe to continue to manage the return of assets and the technical side of the document production.
• The committee will focus on content.
• The committee to meet to confirm a work plan, schedule, provide an update on content.

After reading this, it took every ounce of self-control not to smash my club into the golf cart like a deranged lunatic.

Why That’s Not An Extreme Response

Those might seem like reasonable next steps. In fact, they might look like the next steps you see on a regular basis.

So, what am I freaking out about?

My expectation for next steps is that every one contains the following information:

1. What physical action needs to be taken?
2. Who has agreed to perform this action?
3. What’s the deliverable?
4. And when has this person agreed to deliver it by?

If next steps are not clearly, and accurately, defined…it is impossible to track whether or not they get done. That’s why I go to great lengths to identify these four things during any and every meeting.

Let’s look at the important nuances in the four elements of a legitimate and useful “next step.”

The Physical Action

One of the most important things I learned from David Allen is that actions are physical. If you can’t draw a picture of someone doing it, it’s not an action.

Let’s look at one of the “next steps” mentioned above:

“Jane Doe to continue to manage the return of assets and the technical side of the magazine production.”

Could you take out a piece of paper with some crayons and draw a picture of that? Nope.

Here’s an example of a real “next step” that was identified in that meeting:

“Jane Doe will forward Matt’s email (with directions for transferring the site) to Mr. X and find out if those steps will be taken, and if so who will be doing them. Then she’ll send an email with her findings to the committee by Tuesday.”

Sending an email is a physical action. You can draw a picture of it in your mind.

“Managing” consists of a series of actions. It’s impossible to visualize. So, how are you going to determine whether it was done or not?

You have to define the next physical action that needs to be taken.

Agreements About Who And When

If I didn’t agree (verbally or in writing) to do something for you…I’m not going to do it.

Why would I? Why would you? Why would anybody?

A huge mistake people make in meetings is assuming agreement.

Worse yet, they’ll fail to get agreement on or even discuss the delivery date for an action during the meeting. Then they’ll pull a due date out of their butt, send it off after the meeting, and wonder why “nobody ever meets their deadline.”

During the meeting, you must get a verbal agreement from the person responsible for the task. They must verbally agree to a date when they will provide the deliverable.

And if the person responsible for this task identifies a delivery date that doesn’t “feel likely” to you…it’s your responsibility to confirm their commitment.

“Bob, are you sure, based on your schedule, you can get that to us by the 30th?”

If they can commit, great. If not, ask them what a more realistic date would be. Or ask if there is something another person can do that would help them meet that original date.

All “next steps” need to confirm:

• Who agreed to take the action
• The delivery date they agreed to

If you don’t have those agreements, you can’t have confidence that the task will be done.

The Deliverable

Here’s another thing people commonly fail to do during meetings: define the deliverable.

Get specific about what the deliverable is. There’s a HUGE difference between one paragraph in Microsoft Word and a three-page PDF file.

So, what is the deliverable for this next step? What does the end result look like?

Small Change With Big Results

Remember, every “next step” you write down and distribute to a team needs to answer these four questions:

1. What physical action needs to be taken?
2. Who has agreed to perform this action?
3. What’s the deliverable?
4. And when has this person agreed to deliver it by?

If your “next steps” don’t include this information, they are worthless and a waste of time.

Yes, I said that.

But if, during the meeting, you make sure to answer these four questions for every next step…

…and you document them in a post-meeting follow up…

…you’ll find meetings suddenly become much more effective.

Now It’s Your Turn

What steps do you take to ensure that meetings are productive? Share your tips and advice in the comments.

The post How To Define Next Steps So They Get Done appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

On my journey to becoming a paid keynote speaker, I made a lot of mistakes. I want to help you avoid those mistakes and make it easy for you to not only book speaking engagements…but crush them.

I wrote this guide to demystify the whole process…

…to help you understand the game being played…

…and to give you the tools and strategies you need to become a sought-after public speaker.

Even if you hate the idea of speaking in front of an audience, this guide might just change your life.

My Wife Punked Me

Sometimes all logic points to you coming out on top, but it just doesn’t work out for you. However, it’s funny how these situations can actually improve your life.

Let me give you an example.

I love my wife to death. Everybody loves Molly. People, for no reason at all, have actually threatened me with violence if I was to ever do anything to hurt or anger Molly…

…and those were just my coworkers.

(Best thing to happen to my life, the worst thing to happen to my ego)

To say Molly likes to beat me is an understatement. She loves to one-up me in everything. Whether it’s career, sports, or Uno…she’s in it to win it. And in the rare case that I beat her at something, I can’t even enjoy it. The first time I beat her in a 5K race, she got outrageously mad at me.

(She’s even a better painter)

But there was one thing I was convinced I would be better at.

Award-Winning Speaker

Many years ago, I wanted to check out the local Toastmasters group. Toastmasters is an organization that helps people with public speaking. I wanted to become a better public speaker.

Molly reluctantly agreed to tag along for moral support. In fact, I pretty much dragged her there. She had no interest in public speaking.

But I was ready, excited, and determined to become a great public speaker. I practiced anywhere I could and to any person, shower, or tree who would listen.

That night, we both got up (along with many others) and did impromptu speeches. At the end of the night, they provided an award for the best new speaker.

And Molly was given a medal as the best new speaker.

What?!?! She’s the researcher. I’m the business development guy. She didn’t even want to come!

Today, Some Of The Largest Firms Hire Me To Speak

Sometimes small failures are the world’s way of telling you to step up your game. After that night, I joined a Toastmasters group and participated for several years. I became a much better public speaker.

And I finally got a trophy.

Maybe Molly’s speech on that fateful Wednesday evening was better than mine. Or maybe she bribed and/or threatened the judges. We’ll never know for sure.

But that heartbreaking loss served as the catalyst that brought me to where I am today.

Nobody Starts Out Great At Anything

Nobody is born a great engineer, marketer, proposal writer, public speaker, skateboarder, or janitor. You need to develop and refine those skills over time. But first, you need that “aha” moment that inspires you to make it happen.

Your Toughest Competitor Can Be Your Greatest Inspiration

It’s those who beat us who inspire us to do great things. And that’s not just something my grandfather said as he beat me with his belt.

Who would Magic Johnson be without Larry Bird? What would Apple be if it weren’t for Microsoft? Who would Tom be without Jerry? And who would I be without Molly?

Be inspired by your competitors.

Find Your Why

The first step to becoming a great presenter is finding your inspiration, something that will drive you towards that stage. Do you want to change the world or the lives of your audience?

Do you want people to see you as an expert? Do you want to be respected?

There is no wrong answer. Find that thing inside of you that is going to drive you towards that stage.

Then Get Ready To Play

Public speaking is a competitive sport. Your “why” will get you to the stage. But once there, you need to tap into your competitive spirit to stand out from the crowd.

Don’t worry, I’m going to show you exactly how to become better than 99.9% of all speakers…even if you’re not the most articulate person in the world.

The 3-Step Shortcut To Becoming An Award-Winning Speaker

So, my greatest nemesis pulled the rug out from under me and took away an award that should have been mine. But at the same time, she inspired me to do what I had to do to become an award-winning public speaker.

You Need Public Speaking Skills

You might be thinking, “Matt, I have no desire to become a public speaker. I’m introverted. I just don’t feel comfortable around people. And I certainly don’t want to get up in front of them and talk.”

Well, join the club. Many successful speakers are introverts. But they’ve realized that public speaking was a key skill they needed to take their career or business to the next level.

And thus, I present you with:

The Roadmap To Becoming An Award-Winning Speaker

You may trip over your words. You might struggle to get out of bed and face the world in the morning. But with a few steps, I believe anyone can become a public speaker.

Just follow this roadmap.

Find Safe Places To Practice Your Public Speaking

Toastmasters is a great example of a safe environment to practice your public speaking. Internal events may be another. It may sound overly simplistic, but to become a great public speaker…you need to do more public speaking.

What’s great about Toastmasters is that every speech you do gets evaluated. Every “um” and “ah” gets counted. In fact, I believe nobody has beaten my state record for the most ums in a speech.

But everybody in Toastmasters is there to help you. They clap for you. They support you. They create a safe environment for you to speak. While it might seem cheesy at first, it’s how a lot of people get started with public speaking.

You can even start a Toastmasters group within your own firm.

Be Authentic But Crank Up The Energy 200%

If there is one downside to Toastmasters, it is that they teach you to over exaggerate your words, motions, etc. And that can make you seem fake.

You don’t want to be some exaggerated character in front of the room. You want to be authentic. Let your personality come out. If you are a grumpy naysayer…be that during your speech. Be you.

Instead of over-exaggerating, just crank up the energy. The next tip will help with that. But you want to bring as much energy to the table as possible whenever you speak in a public setting.

And if you are doing a webinar, crank the energy up to 300%. It’s much easier for people to pick up on energy in a live setting than in a webinar. I learned that the hard way.

Speak About Things You Are Passionate About

I noticed something interesting while in Toastmasters. The first speech you had to do was an introduction speech. People would get up to do that first speech and would tell these emotional, heart-wrenching, stories.

One lady, who was the CEO of a major healthcare provider, told us how her son was born with one ear. She scoured the country to find a doctor that could give him an ear. And she did. But years later, as he grew up…that ear fell off. And no doctor would touch it. She finally convinced the original doctor to come out of retirement and help her son. That’s when she decided to get into healthcare.

Nine out of ten times, there was not a dry eye after one of those introductory speeches.

But their next speech would always be a snoozer. They didn’t choose topics they were passionate about. And when you are not passionate about a topic, it becomes obvious to your audience.

If you’ve spoken to architects and engineers, you can tell when they are passionate about something. It’s obvious. You want to find speak to those topics that are full of passion.

Becoming A Solid Public Speaker

Wait…that’s it?!? Yes, that’s the simple, three-step, roadmap that can help anyone become a great speaker.

Even if you decide public speaking is not for you, you can pass this roadmap on to anyone with interest in public speaking. If they follow through, they’ll thank you.

How To Find And Book Speaking Engagements

People tend to think getting speaking engagements is pretty tough. But it’s actually not…if you have the right approach. And that applies to getting speaking engagements for anybody.

Here’s a quick guide to getting speaking engagements for you or someone else.

Start With Local Organizations

Great speakers bubble up from the bottom. They get their feet wet in a safe environment like Toastmasters. Then they speak to local groups or organizations. Then they speak at conferences. Then you start seeing them on TV.

Don’t pitch your first presentation to the United Nations General Assembly and then be disappointed when they decline.

Start small. Refine your presentation by giving it to local organizations. If it gets traction, submit it to a national conference.

Be the speaker who bubbles up from the bottom.

Learn About The Audience

A common mistake speakers (and writers) make is they choose a topic they want to talk about. Why should your audience care about what you want to talk about?

Instead, your presentation has to be built around the audience’s pain points. Think of pain points as things that make people worry (or want to punch a wall).

What you’ll do is identify your audience’s pain points, identify one you are passionate about solving, and create a presentation that solves that problem. If you are not passionate about solving your audience’s pain points…find another profession.

And it’s nearly impossible to identify the pain points of a group of people without talking to them. Before you pitch your presentation topic, attend a few of the group’s events. While you’re there, be curious and ask questions.

Aside from learning the biggest challenges the membership is faced with, you need a sense of what presentations they’ve had over the last two years. No group will want the same topic they had a few months ago.

Learn About The Organization’s Politics

Politics are unavoidable when trying to book speaking engagements. Every organization or association chapter has its own set of politics surrounding how and why they select speakers.

For example, there are some national organizations where you can book a speaking gig with just by calling up the right person. And there are small local chapters that have a committee who select presenters. There are even legitimate industry events where you have to pay to speak.

Getting to know the decision makers and how selections are made can give you a major advantage when trying to get speaking engagements.

But keep in mind, politics can be tricky. You might have an amazing and original presentation. You may even know the person heading up the event. But if the politics are in someone else’s corner, you’re out of luck.

Craft A Unique Presentation That Solves One Of The Audience’s Problems

The topic of your presentation has to be compelling enough to get their attention. As someone who has “judged” presentation submissions for a large conference, I can tell you that events get lots of “me too” submissions. It’s the same old stuff you see again and again.

Your presentation topic has to be different. Now that you have a solid understanding of the audience, focus in on solving one of their most painful problems. The most compelling presentation topics make a big promise and deliver on it.

I often present to people in marketing or business development. Here are a few of my presentation topics (in image form).

What are the pains and challenges of your audience? How can you help them solve one of those challenges?

Consider Teaming Up Or Being On A Panel

My first industry speaking events were on panels or speaking with other, established, speakers. Starting this way takes a lot of pressure off you. And even today, I enjoy speaking with other the right people who can serve as the “ying to my yang.”

The Right Approach To Booking Speaking Engagements Is Key

If you use the right approach, securing speaking engagements is not difficult.

How To Make Sure Your Presentations Will Be Successful

This is what it’s all about.

The best presentations help your audience experience big wins. In this case, it was $750M in contracts. But helping your audience solve any burning pain, and seeing the results, will not just help you understand the value of public speaking…it can restore your faith in humanity.

And you might think after getting comfortable with public speaking…

…learning your audience’s pain points and the politics of selection…

…and building a refined presentation that solves your audience’s pain points…

…you’re finally done.

Well, I’m a firm believer that you are not done. And I believe the difference between the typical speaker and a top performer comes down to the following things:

Make The Event’s Success Your Top Priority

You may be one of several speakers at an event. You may think your job is to swoop in, present, and then swoop out. But what would you want from a speaker if you were hosting the event?

If you were the event’s host, what could the speaker do that would blow you away?

As a speaker, it’s your duty to make the event’s success your top priority.

This might mean:

• Personally reaching out to people, asking them to come out
• Attending before and after your speaking slot to meet the audience and answer questions
• Offering a giveaway to the organization
• Identifying sponsors for the event

I regularly do all these things for associations that bring me out to speak. If their event is not a success, why would they bring you back?

You’ve got to make the event’s success your top priority. So, spend a few extra hours to ensure the event knocks it out of the park.

Entertain The Audience First, Educate Second

This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s a point so many speakers ignore.

I am not the most articulate person in the world. If aliens were coming to destroy our planet, I’m not the person they would call to give an inspiration speech and band together the people of earth.

But if the leaders of the free world desperately needed a presentation on proposal writing that HAD to make people laugh…I think I’d be at the top of that call list.

A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down. And wrapping your presentation in entertaining elements helps even the most mundane topic get through to an audience.

I do a 3+ hour workshop on proposal writing. That’s a long time to sit in a workshop about the most boring topic ever. But I take extra measures to make the experience entertaining. I entertain first, educate second.

As a result, attendees learn a ton. They get results. But that’s only because they paid attention. And they only paid attention because I entertained them.

Get Quotes And Feedback From Attendees

There are two types of feedback you need from attendees. First, you need to observe the audience as you present. Which slides work? Which lines work? Which don’t?

When I was developing one of my presentations, I included a joke about a polecat. And I thought it might be a little much for a business setting. So, I tested it. For some audiences, I kept the joke in. For others, I left it out.

The slide with the joke worked much better.

You’ve got be constantly testing your material, refining it, and making it better.

Attendee quotes are the second type of feedback you need to capture. If nobody is willing to give you a quote on how great your presentation was, that’s a key indicator that something is wrong.

People might come up to you after a presentation, pat you on the back, and tell you that you did a great job. But how willing are they to put that in writing and have it posted where others can see?

In addition, attendee quotes help other people determine whether your presentation if right for them.

Here are some random quotes I’ve collected over the years.

“Of all the seminars, workshops, and lectures I’ve attended in my decade-long marketing career, yours was by far the most interesting and insightful.” – Jennifer Lawson

“I loved the exercise where we evaluated proposals as a group. It was extremely eye-opening.” – Glenn Hart

“I just wanted to say that I found today’s lunchtime learning lab to be, perhaps one of the best webinars I’ve heard to date. I’m new in the A/E/C industry and found Matt’s presentation to be totally engaging and SO useful! I’m so glad I signed up and I’m thrilled to start putting these new tactics to use.” -Lauren Hazirjian

“Bringing Matt out to our chapter was a great investment. It was one of the best events ever, it attracted many potential members we hadn’t seen before, and we walked away with a profit. I’m glad I took the advice of my fellow chapter presidents.” – Krystal Vickers

Make sure to get these two key pieces of feedback each time you present.

90% Of The Work

90% of the work that makes a presentation successful happens when your mouth is closed. Make the extra effort to go “above and beyond” every time you speak to an audience. engagements

The post Speaking Engagements Made Easy: The Ultimate Guide To Finding, Booking, and Crushing Them appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Open up a drawer and throw them in. Everybody knows that’s not what you should be doing with business cards you receive. Yet, I’ve done it. And I’m not alone.

The more events you go to, the more cards you’ll collect. And having to deal with all those business cards can seem like an albatross around your neck.

You know there is something you should be doing with those cards. But at the same time, you’ve got a million deadlines breathing down your neck. And everybody at the office has made it their life’s work to distract you from the things you really want to get done.

So, those cards become just one more thing you’ve got to deal with “eventually.”

But what if you had a headache-free process for dealing with all those business cards? And what if it only took five minutes of your precious, constantly running thin, time?

Well, that’s why you’re reading this, so let’s get to it.

What To Do With Business Cards You Receive

In a moment, I’m going to regale you with my simple 5-Minute Business Card Solution. Not only that, I’m going to give you word-for-word followup email templates you can use.

But before I get into that, let me lay waste to some time-honored business etiquette.

You Have Permission To Throw My Business Card Out

Only a total jerk would throw out someone’s business card. Give yourself permission to be that jerk.

Listen, we’ve been taught that every contact you make is valuable. And that’s true, the first guy who ever gave me a business card also got me my job and helped me land a wife.

And that fateful card he gave me…it’s in the trash.

Each year, 15% of the people you meet will switch jobs. And that problem compounds. Let’s say you enter 500 contacts into a CRM or address book. After just three years, nearly half of those entries could have wrong contact info.

The accuracy of your contact database is constantly degrading. The more “garbage” you put in, the more garbage you’ll get out.

You don’t have to keep information on everyone you meet. You don’t have to enter everyone into your system, Rolodex, or whatever you use.

In fact, many of those systems were built assuming you’d only enter leads in them.

If I give you my card at an event, you have permission to throw it out! Just wait until I’ve turned around. Throw it in a trash can. Then light the trash can on fire for good measure.

Always Label People

Every person you meet is a unique butterfly. But we don’t have time for that so we’ll slap a label on them, categorize their existence, and throw them in the appropriate bucket.

Every system imaginable has a way to categorize or label contacts. It could mean separate Rolodexes, multiple binders, labels in Outlook, or categories in your CRM.

Regardless, you’ll put everybody you meet in a specific category. Here are the ones I use:

• Potential Client/Lead
• Current Client
• Past Client
• Potential Teaming Partner
• Teaming Partner
• Influencer
• Vendor
• Friend
• Contact

Trust me, you’ll see the value in categorizing contacts once you have met a couple hundred people.

The 5-Minute Business Card Solution

But let’s say you get a business card you feel you should keep. What should you do with it?

Just follow these four simple steps.

Step One: Write On The Back Of Each Card

Whenever you’re at an event, you want to have a pen on you. Keep one handy in your purse or wallet. I’ve been using a special wallet for many years because it has a collapsible pen in it.

When someone gives you a card, right then and there, just ask if it’s Ok to write on the back of it. And you can jot down notes then and there. They won’t be annoyed, they’ll be impressed.

If you’re just starting the conversation, wait until you walk away to jot down your notes.

And if you forgot your pen or their company is stupid enough to have a black background on their card, just write down notes in an email to yourself on your phone.

I write down these things on the back of each card:

• Category
• Interests they might have mentioned to me (like fishing or music or even an industry association they’re involved in)
• A note regarding where you met them and who they are.
• Next action I need to take (See this article about ending conversations

It is critical that you do this at the event. As soon as you walk out that door, your mind will fill up with other thoughts. You’ll forget every conversation you had or why you even attended the event in the first place.

Step Two: Have Someone Else Put Them In A Trusted System

Now you’ve got a pocket full of business cards with notes on the back. You’ve just got to enter all this data into a system. Right? Wrong!

You’ve got to find someone or something to do it for you. That may mean begging an admin, firing up a card scanning app, or forcing your kids into child labor.

Find someone or something you can trust to enter the data into a system (even if that system is binders).

Yes, they’ll make data entry mistakes at first. Just spot check their work and make adjustments until you are comfortable that they won’t screw up.

Step Three: Send Customized Followups To The Top Two Or Three

If you’ve gone to the right event, there are likely to be two or three people you know you absolutely have to follow up with.

The best example of this would be a potential client that has agreed to meet with you. Check out my Guide to Getting Meetings with Busy People for word-for-word scripts on how to arrange those meetings.

Nobody likes a long follow up email. So, keep it fairly short and to the point.

Step Four: Send Boilerplate Followups To Everyone Else

After you sent custom followups with the two or three critically important people you’ve met, everyone else falls into two buckets:

• People you want to continue a relationship with
• Everyone else

For the ultra-lazy like me, you can speed up this process by using software like TextExpander or Phrase Express.

Here’s the exact script I use when sending out boilerplate followups:

—

Subject: Great talking to you at [EVENT NAME]

Hi [FIRST NAME],

It was great seeing you at the [EVENT NAME]. I enjoyed our conversation about [TOPIC].

As mentioned, [NEXT ACTION].

P.S. I have attached my vcard, which contains my contact information. You should be able to click on it and add me to your contacts.

—

Note that while that script has some variables, you’ve recorded each one on the back of that person’s business card.

I’ve been using the 5-Minute Business Card Solution for years. It allows me to do what 95% of people don’t…follow up with people after I meet them at an event.

Now It’s Your Turn

Do you have any tricks or processes you use when dealing with the business cards you collect?

Share with us in the comments.

The post What To Do With Business Cards You Collect appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Email marketing and our relationship with email have transformed in recent years.

That evolution has forced me to rethink how I send emails to the thousands of friends in the Help Everybody Army.

Today, I want to share with you why I decided to switch email providers after almost ten years (from MailChimp to Drip).

After reading through this, you might consider how your email strategy might evolve as well.

Every Entry On Your Email List Is A Person

If there is one thing I cherish, it’s my subscribers. I lovingly refer to them as the “Help Everybody Army.”

A fool who didn’t understand how I feel about these people might refer to them as my “email list.”

I care deeply about every single person on that list. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many in person. It’s my mission to enhance and improve their work life.

That’s always going to be the constant in my email strategy. See each email as a person and treat them accordingly.

But Our Relationship With Email Is Changing

Spam used to be an annoyance we didn’t think much about. Now every email we receive is a potential threat.

Justifiably, more and more of us are using spam filters. And those spam filters are getting stronger. Not to mention our IT teams are constantly combating email.

In addition, I feel a bit exhausted by email. You see, I’ve subscribed to email lists too. Today, I don’t read those emails like I would have just five years ago.

You and your clients are probably experiencing the same thing.

Here’s how my email strategy has changed to address this new reality.

The “Thank You” Rule

I used to write a blog post and send it through email every week. My philosophy was: send one email per week.

As someone pointed out just yesterday, that’s changed. My new rule is I don’t send an email unless I’m certain someone will be compelled to reach out and thank me.

And when people send those thank you notes, it tests and helps inform my decisions on what to send.

I call it the “Thank You Rule.” It’s a high bar, but an important one.

I’ve set a quality threshold with a real-world feedback loop.

The Thank You Rule In Drip

In Drip, the “Thank You Rule” takes on a whole new life. When people subscribe to my list, they get put in what’s called an email workflow (sometimes referred to as an autoresponder or funnel). My system has worked like this for years.

It starts with my Proposal Writing Crash Course and then a few “Best Of” emails. But all the while, new subscribers would still get my latest posts.

In Drip, that workflow is much longer. I now have a year’s worth of emails set up in there. And that number will grow.

Brand new subscribers will no longer receive my latest blog posts. Until they are through the initial workflow, they will only receive emails I’ve actually been thanked for.

A More Personal And Personalized Email Experience

With Drip, I can create a much more personalized experience.

Here’s one example.

Historically, I’ve let people sign up with just their email address.

Sure, I’d like to know the name of every single subscriber. And I’d like to address everybody by their name.

Here’s the problem. I’ve found if you ask people for their first name, inevitably someone will submit their full name in that field. Or they will write “beth” instead of “Beth.”

So, then my email reads:

“ Hi beth Johnson,”

That’s not very personal.

In Drip, I can set up rules that fix that issue. Here’s an example below:

Who Are My Students?

Yes, I have a lists of every Proposal Management Mastery student, every Win Writing student, everybody who ordered a Brutally Honest Proposal Critique, everybody who purchased the deluxe edition of Proposal Development Secrets , and everybody who brought me out to present my proposal workshop to their firm or organization.

But frankly, I’ve had to manually reconcile those lists to determine that Will C is in Proposal Management Mastery and Win Writing and has ordered a Brutally Honest Proposal Critique.

That’s manageable with 20 students. But with hundreds of students (or clients), that kind of manual reconciliation is tough to do.

Drip has a variety of sophisticated integrations that automatically track which of my students bought what, when, and for how much. It will also automatically calculate each student’s lifetime value (which I discussed in my post on marketing budgets).

I was also able to import old information into Drip in a way that will give me a complete record of all my students (new and old).

So, now when Katy switches firms (or emails) all that history will stay with my record of her.

That’s pretty powerful.

Better Automation

Email automation has become much more powerful over the last few years.

I’m going to stay with the Katy example because I was just messaging with her.

Back in September 2015, when Katy joined Proposal Management Mastery, she raised a very good question.

She joined as soon as it opened up, why was she still getting emails promoting the course?

With MailChimp, there was no way around that. But in Drip, I can set a “goal,” like joining Proposal Management Mastery that will allow her to skip past those emails.

Essentially, once a subscriber performs an action (like joining Proposal Management Mastery), they get pulled up to where I set the goal.

Email Subscriber’s Journey

Setting up a workflow automation in Mailchimp was painful. And in recent years, I’ve felt they’ve made it harder to map out the subscriber’s journey.

In Drip, I can see how each subscriber will proceed through my workflow. I don’t have to imagine it in my mind or draw it on paper, it’s right there on the screen.

In fact, my subscribers’ path in Drip was heavily influenced by this tutorial posted on YouTube. Being able to actually see the workflow someone else set up was so helpful.

When someone subscribes to your list, what’s their journey? Have you thought about that?

What To Take From All Of This

Let me list a few questions you should ask when reevaluating your email marketing strategy.

• How has your audience’s relationship with email changed?
• Do you have a quality threshold?
• How might you use new technologies to improve your audience’s experience?
• When someone joins your list, what’s their journey look like?

Now It’s Your Turn

Have your email marketing strategy or the tools you use changed in the last few years? If so, how?

Share with us by submitting a comment.

The post Drip Review appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

“Oh, we lost that one on price.”

Let me explain why that’s not always true. And I’ll provide you a simple rule of thumb to determine when you’ve lost due to your best value price and when you could have done more to help your client justify going with your higher price.

A Common Price Misconception

A common misconception is that it’s all about price. If someone underbids you, you’ve lost the contract.

But here’s a reality check.

• Yes, price does matter
• But if a client can justify going with a higher price, they often will

Beware This Go-To False Assumption

A few years ago, I met with the Vice President of a large construction management (CM) firm. To his surprise, I pulled out one of their proposals and walked him through the problems with it. I made some suggestions regarding how to make their offering more compelling.

His response was something I commonly hear, “We lost that one on price.”

That’s far too often a “go to” response when you lose in a best-value situation.

You see, he was wrong. And I had the proof. Clients often have to justify their selection decisions in writing. In this instance, I had possession of all the bids and the justification documentation.

The justification document and bids told a different story. In fact, the contract was not awarded to the lowest price bid.

And the justification document outlined why the client chose the winner. Ironically, the justification closely matched my assessment of what could be improved with the firm’s offering.

The justification made total sense. Yes, the winning firm’s price was slightly lower than this CM’s. But it was not the lowest bid.

You see, the winner had two things going for it:

• Its price was within the 5-10-20 rule of thumb for price.
• They were able to provide a very convincing justification why the client should choose their higher price.

Before we dig into the 5-10-20 Rule, let’s go over the common selection methods you’ll see.

The Four Selection Types

In general, there are four methods clients use to award contracts.

• Low Bid: Where they take the lowest bid, regardless of who the bid is from.
• Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable Bid: This is where they evaluate proposals based on predetermined pass/fail criteria and then select the lowest price from the group that passed.
• Best Value: This is the most common selection method. This is where clients will evaluate several factors, including price. In this method, price cannot be the sole factor. This is sometimes referred to as a “Brooks Act” or “trade-off” approach.
• Negotiated or Qualifications-Based Selection: This is when a client selects solely based on non-price factors. Then they’ll negotiate a price with the highest-rated firm. If they can’t come to an agreement, they just negotiate with the next highest-rated firm.

Clearly, best-value procurements are the trickiest because price is evaluated along with other factors. It’s also the most common approach many of us see.

Luckily, there’s a simple rule of thumb to help you determine whether or not you could have done more to convince the client to go with your higher price.

The 5-10-20 Best Value Price Rule

The 5-10-20 Rule is a tool to help you determine whether you truly lost on price. In some cases, it can help inform your price decisions.

Here’s how it works.

In very price sensitive situations, you want your price to fall within 5% of the lowest accepted proposal. As your price moves further from that 5% benchmark, it gets increasingly difficult for a client to justify selecting your firm.

In moderately price sensitive situations, ones where other factors play a major role, you’ll need to land within 10% of the lowest technically acceptable price before it gets really tough for clients to justify selecting you.

In situations where price is not among the most critical factors, even when you’re the “preferred vendor,” price can still play a role. In these cases, a price 20% higher than the lowest technically acceptable offer is going to make it hard for a client to justify selecting you. And as you reach 50% higher, it might become impossible for your client to select you for the contract.

Using The 5-10-20 Best Value Price Rule

Remember, as you move further and further away from these price benchmarks, it becomes more and more difficult for clients to select you.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And I’m sure there have been situations where firms won best value procurements when their price was 50% higher than the lowest technically acceptable price. I’m sure it has happened at least one. But I’m also sure it hasn’t happened one thousand times.

And even in the most price sensitive, best value, procurement, if your bid was within 5% of the lowest price, the reason you lost was your case wasn’t compelling enough.

The 5-10-20 Rule is simply a tool to help you assess how difficult your price made it to select you.

Now It’s Your Turn

What rules of thumb have you used for pricing? Share with us in the comments.

The post Best Value: Did You Really Lose On Price? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

It can be overwhelming. When you look at some RFPs, you can’t believe how much information they ask for.

Why do they need all this information?

But it’s the “golden rule.” They have the gold, so they make the rules. And we’re just playing the game by the rules they’ve laid out.

So, you spend hours putting together a lengthy proposal. It has approaches, plans, procedures, forms, references, resumes, declarations, answers to stupid questions, project write-ups, etc.

But all your hard work creates a major dilemma for your client.

The Classic Proposal Evaluation Dilemma Created The Need For Skimmable Proposals

Now your client is faced with the classic proposal evaluation dilemma. They’ve asked you for more information than they have time to read.

So, what do they do? They’ll skim all the proposals and make a decision based on bits of information from here and there.

You may have spent hours crafting sections that build up to a huge benefit or detail a superior differentiator. But they never even read it.

And I’ll be the first one to say that it’s a clucked-up situation.

Luckily, there is time-tested hack that lets you play by their rules but also get your key messages across.

Building The Skimmable Proposal

A “skimmable” proposal has all the detail clients ask for. But it displays information in a way that makes it close to impossible for evaluators to miss your key points.

Once you understand the key building blocks of skimmable proposals, you’ll be well on your way to using them as an almost-unfair advantage.

Benefit-Based Subheadings Make Your Key Points Unavoidable

See what I did there?

I’ve never seen a proposal and complained there were too many subheadings. Your proposals probably need a lot more subheadings.

But when proposals use subheadings, it often makes me cringe. Here’s an example.

I recently looked at a proposal section that was supposed to outline the team’s unique qualifications. Here’s one of the subheadings they used.

“Betterment”

What?!?! That subheading made me vomit in my mouth a little bit.

First off, that’s language used by insurance adjusters…not someone you would hire to design your building!

But the bigger problem is 99% of skimmers would skip that section, based on the subheading.

The whole section described their process for delivering easily maintainable facilities at a lower construction cost. That’s a great message you certainly want the client to see.

You’ve got to make it nearly impossible for potential clients to miss your key messages. Using benefit-based subheadings is a great strategy to accomplish this.

They should have used:

“Our XYZ Process Delivers Easily Maintainable Facilities At A Lower Construction Cost”

Your proposal is not a new blockbuster film. Nobody is concerned about spoilers. Give them the spoiler up front. They’ll read more if they want to.

First off, use subheadings liberally. Second, assume your clients won’t read your text. Then identify the key benefit in your subheading.

Focus Boxes Sell Your People And Experience

We spend a lot of time putting together resumes and project experience to sell our qualifications. But evaluators simply don’t have the time to read all that we wrote.

If you are lucky, each resume may get 10 seconds of someone’s attention. Within those ten seconds, you need to make it easy for someone to get a feel for who the person is and why he or she is perfect for this assignment.

In resumes, focus boxes contain a few bullet points that identify exactly why this person is perfect for the assignment. In project write-ups, they identify why the project example is extremely relevant to the client’s project.

Within other sections in your proposal, you can use focus boxes to reinforce key messages.

Less Text Means More Of Your Proposal Will Be Read

One of the many books out there on proposal writing says cutting your proposal in half would make it better.

In many cases, I agree with that.

Proposals are that one shot you have to get yourself into the opportunity. So, we want to give it our best go. As a result, we often write more than we need to…even when there are page limits.

But here’s the problem. You cannot fully control what an evaluator does or doesn’t read. If you give them a three-page cover letter with two fantastic differentiators…they may never read those fantastic differentiators.

But if you gave them a single page with two lines on it (your two differentiators), you’ve just dramatically increased the chances that they’ll be read.

I’m using an extreme example to illustrate my point. But you have to realize that every word you add decreases the likelihood that the previous word will be read.

When writing proposals, every word must earn its way into the page. If a word, a sentence, or a paragraph doesn’t earn its way into the page…delete it.

Use less, more impactful, text in your proposals. This increases the odds that your words will be read.

Attention-Grabbing Images Bring Eyes To Your Text

I wrote a whole post on the purpose of graphics and images in proposals. So, I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on this.

Here’s the short version. The sole purpose of graphics in your proposal is to get people to read your words.

Service firms don’t win contracts because they used great stock images in their proposal. They win contracts or get shortlisted based on the words and numbers in their proposals.

You can use images to draw the reader’s attention to key points or messages.

Plopping a graphic or image in just to “fill out the page” is pretty stupid. Use images to help drive key points or messages home.

If you are skimming a page and see a compelling image or graphic, you might be drawn to read the caption or the words within that graphic. Better yet, you may decide to read the body text that surrounds that graphic.

Themes Hammer Your Key Message Home

One of my mentors, Laura Ricci, outlined in “The Magic Of Winning Proposals” how to use themes to reinforce your key message.

The proper use of a theme will create an anchor in your client’s mind. You can write statements throughout your proposal that connect to this anchor. This creates a feedback loop that reinforces your most important message.

While there has been a lot written about proposal themes, the tactic is best outlined in “The Magic Of Winning Proposals.”

Psychology Grabs And Maintains Reader Attention

How do people in the media business get your attention and maintain it? They use psychology.

There’s an entire chapter in Proposal Development Secrets about using psychology to create a “slippery slope” that will maintain your reader’s attention.

It’s an advanced tactic that has a lot of nuance. But it can be very powerful when combatting skimmers.

Now It’s Your Turn

What tactics do you use to make your proposals “skimmable?” Share what you do in the comments.

The post The Ultimate Guide To Writing Skimmable Proposals appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

One of the most challenging things you can be tasked to do is define a firm’s marketing budget.

What’s the right marketing budget for a small architecture firm in Wayne, PA? What’s the right marketing budget for the largest construction firm in Michigan?

Try as you might to find a legitimate rule of thumb (5-13% of total revenue is a common one), there is no “apples-to-apples” comparison that answers, “how much should our firm spend on marketing?”

But there are a few rarely mentioned building blocks you should consider before finalizing your marketing budget. When talking about marketing budgets, a lot of people just assume a percentage of total revenue is the only way to come up with a legitimate number.

But that’s not true.

In fact, there are some people who say, with a few building blocks, you can “math” your way to a multi-million-dollar business.

I’m going to explain how to do that. But first, let’s talk about some of those metrics and how they relate to your marketing budget.

Customer Acquisition Cost

The customer acquisition cost is how much it costs you to gain a new client. One way to get this number is to add up everything you spent to obtain new clients over the last five years. Then divide that by the number of new clients you gained in the last 5 years.

For the sake of this discussion, let’s say you determine that your cost of acquisition is $15,000 per client. With this information, you can surmise that it will cost you $75,000 to gain five new clients this year.

With this information alone, you can come up with a very simple budget number. Let’s say you spend $20,000 a year maintaining your current clients and want to add five new clients. Your budget would be $95,000.

But it gets even more interesting with the next few metrics.

Average Assignment Value

Average assignment value is pretty self-explanatory. What’s your average fee per assignment? An assignment can be a task order, contract, purchase, or project…whatever. Just be consistent with what you track.

Profit

Profit is simply what you make on an assignment after your costs. Another way to calculate it is the percent profit your firm records at the end of each year.

For this discussion, let’s say your average assignment value is $100,000 and your profit is 10%.

Here is where you can easily get tripped up.

“I’m making $10,000 in profit, but it costs me $15,000 to acquire that client? I’m losing money!”

Not necessarily. That’s where this next metric comes into play.

Average Customer Lifetime Value

The average customer lifetime value is the total fees you receive from the average client over the life of that relationship.

Let’s say the average lifetime value of your clients is $1M. Since your profit is 10%, you would earn a profit of $100,000 from each client.

In this scenario, your customer acquisition cost is just 1.5% of the profit you receive from each client.

So, you are actually not losing money when your customer acquisition cost is $15,000. In fact, you can spend far more than that and still turn a profit.

But The Numbers Might Be Even Better

Depending on your firm’s procedures, they might calculate profit after marketing expenses are already accounted for. So that cost of customer acquisition appears in the cost side of the equation, not the profit side.

In the scenario we discussed above, you could theoretically spend $15,000 to acquire a new client, do the first assignment for free, and still break even.

Customer Retention Costs

Just keep in mind that you should also consider customer retention costs, which are very common in service businesses.

“Math” Your Way To A Multi-Million-Dollar Business

Let’s say your average client relationship is five years. You would earn an average of $200,000 per year from each client (two assignments).

How would you get to a five million dollar per year business?

$200,000 x 25 clients = $5,000,000

Therefore, you would need 25 clients (and 50 assignments) per year to be at $5M.

Building Blocks To A Better Marketing Budget

Rules of thumb give you a general idea of the appropriate range for your marketing budget. And maybe that’s good enough. But with some historical information and a few building blocks, you can create a better marketing budget.

Let’s calculate a quick marketing budget, using the example above, to build a $5M/year business into a $7M/year business.

Let’s say your conservative estimate of revenues you expect from existing clients is $2M. You’ll need to generate $5M from new clients.

Remember from our example, you need 25 clients per year to generate $5M. We also know that our customer acquisition cost is $15,000.

25 x $15,000 = $375,000

Now, tag on your customer retention costs. Let’s say you did your research and figured out those are about $50,000 per year.

$375,000 + $50,000 = $425,000

Your total marketing budget is $425,000.

As a percentage, that’s 8.5% of last year’s $5M revenue. So, it’s in that 5-13% range (which is a good sanity check).

Using building blocks and historical data gives the advantage of being able to justify the logic of how you got to your marketing budget number.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you found helpful when developing a marketing budget? Leave your response in the comments and help others build a better marketing budget.

The post Marketing Budgets: 5 Easy Building Blocks Nobody Talks About appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Many years ago, in response to an article I wrote in Marketer magazine, I was emailed by someone who was starting out as an AEC Marketer for an electrical designer/contractor in the Midwest. (NOTE: we refer to marketers in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry as “AEC marketers”). He asked me how you gain the respect of engineers and get them to listen to your marketing ideas. He was trying to figure out “in essence, how does a 21-year-old convince a strong AEC firm that there are areas to be improved?”

What follows is a slightly-edited version of my light-hearted, yet frank, response to him. My “10 Steps to Making it BIG in the AEC Marketing World” still hold true today and can help just about any marketer.

Mike,

First, congratulations for having the audacity to approach someone of my stature and accomplishment. As I stand here in my darkened office, peering at the dots scurrying around the city below, I often wonder to myself…”was I once one of them?”

You see Mike, after you have achieved a certain level of success in the AEC marketing world, it is hard to remember what it was like starting out. But I will do my best to recount how I became what I am today. Maybe you can learn from my journey.

So climb up here on my lap. Ok, this is a little story that I like to call “10 Steps to Making it BIG in the AEC Marketing World.”

1. Prove Yourself to the Technical Staff

As an AEC Marketer, (or Propostitute) or whatever you would like to call yourself, you are going to have to prove yourself to everybody.

How do you do that? First, you have to realize that your job is to support the people in your firm, not just in your marketing position…but as a member of the team. So, look for opportunities to do that.

You need to walk in their shoes and learn everything you can about what they do. For example, I served as the marketer for an AEC designer and would “tag along” to project sites to help them survey projects they were going to design renovations for. That’s the first time I stuck my head up in the drop ceiling. I was also always around to help out when a project was going out the door.

I would involve myself as much as possible. By doing so you learn what it is they are doing, meet their clients, and earn a little bit of their trust. For me, it would even get to the point where 6pm would come around and clients would call me asking, “Where are our drawings?” True story, one time I walked back to the engineers and I saw a project manager spot me and run out the door with drawings under his arm. I wasn’t his boss and had no control over him, but he knew that I was walking back there with the client’s interest in mind and took me seriously enough to respond accordingly.

2. Always Think in Terms of What You Can Do For Others to Help to Make Them Successful

Live your life with other people’s goals in mind. You will feel better about yourself than if you live a self-centered life. If you take actions to make others look good, they will know that you have their best interest at heart. That’s when they open up to you.

Once they know that you are truly looking out for them, they start taking your advice and looking to you if they have a problem. Don’t approach potential clients or coworkers looking for something from them. Be the guy that people come to when they need something. Go out of your way for people and always be 100% upfront and honest.

3. Read the Marketing Handbook for the Design and Construction Professional, then Read it Again

This marketing handbook is about $70 and I wish I bought it before I knew all the stuff in it. It would have saved me a hell of a lot of time. The book covers the basics of AEC marketing, and by reading it twice you will gain enough knowledge to sound like you know what you are talking about. Which brings us to #4.

(NOTE: That book was replaced with a set called Markendium a few years ago. You can get it at this link).

4. Fake It Until You Make It

This is important. Now that you have read my article, you know just about as much about the subject as I do. But what makes me seem more knowledgeable than you is that I wrote the article and you read it.

It’s important to know what you know and what you don’t know. But it’s more important to say just enough to sound like you know what you are talking about. For example, your boss might ask “how much do we spend on our marketing efforts this year?” Having completed #3, you may say, “Well, typically the larger firms spend around 9% of their total gross revenue on marketing and business development, but a firm our size should spend around 11%. 14% would probably be the point where we know we are spending too much.” Where did you get that information? “It’s based on a survey of AEC firms done in 2000. I can get more recent numbers if you want, but my gut tells me the numbers are relatively the same.”

Don’t talk about stuff you know nothing about. Go search out just enough accurate information to make you sound credible.

5. Don’t Make Contacts, Make Friends

The long and short of this item is that you don’t want to be the guy with the huge business card collection and no recollection of who these people are. Contacts are powerful, especially in the AEC industry.

Let me give you an example. When I was starting out, my boss took me to a local engineers meeting and said, “You are not leaving here without at least one business card.”

Yipes.

So, I searched out the friendliest face amongst a sea of grumpy old engineers and awkwardly went up to introduce myself. He was very pleasant and I got the card. Job complete and I got to leave that night.

What my boss should have said is, “see that guy over there… he is going to get you your next marketing job and tell you how to win your future wife’s heart.” Because, believe it or not, that’s exactly what happened. The first guy I ever got a card from had gotten a hold of my resume years later and handed it the person who hired me for my current job.

He also told me the secret spot to take my now wife to on our first date. Needless to say she was impressed. That’s the power of developing relationships and helping other people towards success. In the AEC industry, 20 solid relationships will get you farther than 1,000 contacts.

6. Dress Slightly Better than the Boss.

As the marketer you need to portray a professional image. But that varies from office to office. So dress slightly better than the boss. If the boss comes in with a tuxedo, you come in with a tuxedo and top hat. If he wears khakis and a polo shirt, you come in with dress pants and a polo shirt. If he wears a dress shirt but no tie, you wear a dress shirt and tie. Dress like the person you want to be seen as, not the person you are.

(Note: Most AEC marketers are female. And of course the same concept applies with all genders. I’m sure you’ll figure out what to wear.)

7. Be Productive

I highly suggest you get the book “Getting Things Done” by David Allen and use that as your bible for how you manage all the requests of your time. Your time in the business world is finite. You only have so much of it. However, people’s demands on you are infinite (especially if you are in marketing). So you’ll need training on how to be productive.

Not many people do this. But if you live this book, you will be worlds more productive than everybody else. People will know you as the person who can move a project from start to finish.

8. Forget About Company Loyalty

Sounds like you work for a great company, but the odds are that you won’t be working there in 5 years. The AEC industry is often changing and is very incestuous. People move around from job to job. It’s basically how you get substantial raises.

In addition, the AEC industry has its highs and lows. Industry recessions come and go. As soon as you need to be cut from the accounting books, you will be. Most likely they hired you for this position because they didn’t want to spend the money for someone with tons of marketing experience. Use this opportunity to the greatest extent possible, but keep your eyes towards your professional future.

In short, you need to market yourself as Mike X, not as Mike X from ABC Engineering.

9. Beg for Forgiveness Rather than Asking for Permission

If you have an idea, run with it and record the results. Always use common sense, but don’t go running everything up the flagpole.

Most great ideas get stuck up in the flag pole. Just take the ball and run with it. If you can show it was successful then you are a hero. If you fall on your face, then beg forgiveness and hopefully you don’t get fired, if they even realize you did it in the first place.

Don’t be afraid to take some risks.

10. Keep Your Eye on the Prize

As a marketer, the song you will hear most is “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” Concentrate your marketing actions on those that will help bring business into the door. The number one thing you can do to earn your keep is bring business in and actively track what business you bring in. At the end of the day, that’s what you need to show…the business that you have brought in.

There is plenty of work out there, you just have to find it. Most bosses won’t argue with proven success.

I hope this information has been useful to you and your AEC Marketing Career. Sounds like you have a lot to learn, but I think I outlined how to get 90% of that knowledge.

What did you think of my advice to that young man? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

The post AEC Marketing: 10 Steps to Success appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

When it comes to proposals, nobody talks about this. What game are you playing?

We could live our life believing that every procurement is the same. Every time we submit a proposal, we are playing our hand in the same game.

But that’s delusional. Every procurement is different. That means every time you submit a proposal, you’re playing a different game.

What Game Are We Playing?

Would you compete professionally in a sport without knowing the rules of the game or who you’ll be competing against? I hope not.

Yet, too many people developing proposals will start working without even considering the game they are playing. And quite frankly, that’s “coo coo for coco puffs.”

To understand the game, we must be able to identify the Institutional, relationship, competitive, political, and selection differences between each procurement.

Let me explain what I mean.

Institutional Differences

Each client has a different history procuring your services. Therefore, they’ve likely developed a different set of rules and procedures for hiring firms like yours.

Each client has their own Motis Operandi (MO). That means the circumstances as to why they want your services, what brought them to that conclusion, are different.

A township library board soliciting proposals has a completely different MO than a large pharmaceutical company…even if they’re both requesting the same service.

Each client has their own habits. This includes preferences regarding who they like to work with and how price plays into their selection.

One healthcare system head of architecture told me how they keep giving one firm contracts despite the fact their proposal are the worst. They like working with this firm.

Relationship Differences

I hate to use the word relationship because people put far too much weight on this concept. And it can be an extremely vague concept.

But the fact is, this client may have worked with you before. And that may or may not have been a good experience. Further, they may have worked with your competitors and had good or bad results.

You may be competing against your client’s cousin and it’s already decided that he or she will win the contract (that actually happened to me).

The degree to which these relationships do or don’t exist can play a major role in defining the game you are playing.

Competitive Differences

Most likely, you’re not going to compete with the same firms in every procurement. A different competitive makeup may require different strategy.

For example, if you are the only small firm competing against big firms, you might try to leverage that difference. But if the next procurement has you competing against similar small firms, that difference no longer exists.

Political Differences

Clients may have different political pressures placed on them.

For example, I was moderating a discussion where a representative from Oklahoma City admitted that they give preferential treatment to local firms. I asked if this was stated in RFPs or whether out of state firms had to figure this out themselves. He responded that they have to figure it out themselves.

That’s a mild example of political pressure.

Here’s a more extreme example. Sometimes clients make a selection. But that selection has to be “rubber stamped” by a political appointee. That political appointee may decide that another firm “deserves” the contract, stealing it away from the rightful winner.

Selection Differences

What I mean by selection differences is that how you are scored and who is scoring you might be different with each proposal. And you have to consider these factors.

For example, if 20% of the score is based on the price…that’s a different game than when it’s purely a qualifications-based selection. And if it’s a lowest price technically acceptable procurement, that’s a completely different game.

If the selection committee is made up of people who have no clue about the service they’re buying, you need to approach strategy differently than if it was made up of sophisticated technical people.

The Bottom Line

You can’t just walk into a procurement blindly. You’ve got to consider the game you are playing and adjust your strategy accordingly.

The next time you work on a proposal, ask this question: what game are we playing?

What are the institutional, relationship, competitive, political, and selection differences this time around?

Now It’s Your Turn

When submitting a proposal, do you consider the game being played? If you don’t, what factors determine your strategy?

Share your experiences in the comments.

The post What Proposal Game Are You Playing? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

“If only I had,” is the most devastating phrase in the English language. We all carry some degree of regret in our hearts.

One of the most common traits I see in successful people is that they recognize and capitalize on opportunities. More importantly, they don’t shy away from opportunities that challenge their thinking or make them uncomfortable.

Trapped In Mediocrity

Most of us are trapped in mediocrity because of our fears and beliefs. My fears and beliefs held me in place as big opportunities passed me by.

Let me give you one example. In the summer before my senior year at college, I interned at the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

One day, the director of membership, a very connected individual who I rarely ever spoke to, came to my cubicle.

He asked me if I had a job lined up. “No,” I replied. I still had a year of college left.

This guy then did something completely unexpected. He picked up the phone on my desk and dialed a number. He told the person on the other end that he had a bright young man on the line who needed a marketing job. Then he handed that phone to me!

The voice on the other line said, “When can you start?”

What?!?!? I couldn’t believe it.

Then my beliefs and fears kicked in and started driving my internal narrative.

“This can’t be happening. I still have a year of school left! I can’t work like an adult if I don’t have a degree. I can’t accept a job I know nothing about on the spot like that! I’m not ready for this!”

I thanked the man on the other end of that call for the opportunity. I let him know I couldn’t take the job because I still had a year of school left.

When I hung up, the director of membership informed me that I was an idiot. I was going to college to get a job. He had just handed me a job!

Even if I felt I still needed that piece of paper, I could have easily transferred to a local college. And that employer would have probably paid for it.

He was right. But looking back, it wasn’t stupidity holding me back from making logical decisions. It was my illogical fears and misguided beliefs.

Since that day, I’ve seen this scenario play out over and over again. I’ve handed people job opportunities just to watch them pass. I’ve seen association chapters deny the gift of $5,000 worth of paperbacks, with no strings attached.

I’ve seen so many people faced with an opportunity make completely illogical decisions. These opportunities just don’t fit with “how things are done” and they can appear “too good to be true.”

In our minds, we are not supposed to be handed a job. People just don’t give out something of value without expecting anything in return. These scenarios just don’t match with what we’ve been taught.

But is this a logical response? It could be. I’m going to show you how to use these fears and beliefs to make great decisions.

How To Make Sure You Don’t Miss Out On Critical Opportunities (Or Fall Into Big Mistakes)

Opportunities are like fastballs. You’ve got to make good decisions about which to swing at. If you don’t swing when the ball is in front of you, the opportunity will pass you buy.

Here’s what to do when you are presented with something that might be an opportunity:

1. Fold a piece of paper (landscape) in thirds.
2. On the first third of the sheet, write down a list of everything that could go wrong (we’ll call this a risk) if you proceeded with this opportunity.
3. Next to each item (in the second third), write down what you could do to reduce or eliminate the chances of the risk occurring.
4. If there is nothing you can do to prevent or reduce the chances, write what you would do if it occurred, next to each item) in the final third of the paper.
5. If you can’t think of any ways to reduce the possibility or address the risk once it occurs, just write “accept” in that final third.
6. On a back side of the paper, write down the potential benefits of accepting this opportunity.

How To Decide Whether To Move Forward With An Opportunity

You’ve created a makeshift “risk register.” It’s actually a common tool many industries use to make important decisions and reduce the risk of failure.

You have identified the risks and how you’ll address them. But you’re probably left with a few that just say “accept.”

To make your decision, compare the list of benefits to the list of risks you must accept (i.e. you won’t be able to avoid or address).

Do the accepted risks outweigh the benefits?

If so, maybe the opportunity is too risky. If not, go for it. It’s that simple.

The Benefits Of Risk-Weighted Decision Making

This “Risk-Weighted Decision Framework” helps us make decisions by taking our illogical and irrational fears out of the picture. By identifying risks and addressing each one, we’re taking the emotion out of decision making.

The benefits include decisions based on logic that are more likely to succeed. They are more likely to succeed because you’ve already identified and planned for what could go wrong.

Once you use this framework to evaluate one or two decisions, you can run this exercise in your head for almost any decision you need to make.

Key Takeaway

Don’t miss out on great opportunities because of your fears or misguided beliefs. Instead, use my Risk-Weighted Decision Framework to look at the whole picture and make better decisions.

Now It’s Your Turn

Are there any decision frameworks or “rules of thumb” you’ve found helpful. Share with us in the comments.

The post Why Opportunities Pass You By (And What To Do) appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

In my last post, I described how to choose the best CRM for your firm. But what if a CRM just isn’t in the cards for you or your firm at the moment?

Don’t fret. There’s actually a lot you can do without a CRM. But before we get into that, I want to share with you one of my dirty little secrets.

The Shocking Secret Even My Mother Doesn’t Know

I use spreadsheets.

Yes, I have a CRM (called Zurmo) that I use. Yes, I have a proposal database.

But sometimes a spreadsheet is just easier and more flexible.

When I announce this secret this year at Thanksgiving dinner, I’m sure everyone will be shocked! “He uses spreadsheets,” they’ll gasp. Then they’ll ask, “What’s a spreadsheet?”

But that’s the wrong question. Here’s the right one.

What Can Marketing Spreadsheets Do?

With a little Excel knowledge, a spreadsheet can be really handy. But the practical downside of a spreadsheet is it is not a relational database. Therefore, you want to limit the amount of data you put into a spreadsheet.

Putting together a spreadsheet of your firm’s entire contact list is going to cause a management nightmare. But putting together a spreadsheet to track your top 10 or 20 targets, that’s doable.

Putting together a spreadsheet of speaking engagements or conferences your firm will attend…probably a good idea.

Tracking your personal or team goals on a spreadsheet…very helpful.

Keep It Simple

Could you draw data from your accounting platform into a marketing spreadsheet and match that up with project descriptions? If you were a wiz at Excel macros and APIs, probably.

But it’s likely more hassle than it’s worth.

In my opinion, the key to using spreadsheets is keeping it relatively simple.

Spreadsheets I’ve Used

I’m going to share with you the spreadsheets I’ve used to track my progress with my target clients and keep track of the many open loops related to the administration of a marketing department. I’ll also share a standard capture planning spreadsheet.

Let’s look at what each of my marketing spreadsheets can help you do.

Target Client Sheet

When it comes to business development, focus is a good thing. Every sales expert out there will tell you it’s essential to have a prospect list.

My Target Client Sheet takes that one step further. It has a sheet for each client entity (one might say account). These sheets outline:

1. Who we know
2. What we know about them
3. What our client development plan is
4. What actions we’re taking to move that plan forward

Compared to the Capture Plan Sheet it’s light. It doesn’t even contain addresses and phone numbers. It’s focused on action.

If you are managing 4-5 client accounts, this spreadsheet might be all you need.

Marketing Task List

When working in a team environment, I think it is important to track the outcomes you are trying to achieve and the actions you are taking to move the ball forward.

Many of these objectives might not be related to a client opportunity. It might be something as simple as, “Where are we with the holiday card?”

The spreadsheet people love to hate is my “Marketing Task List.” People hate it because it’s unforgiving about what you (or your team) is neglecting to do.

It’s based on GTD’s “desired outcomes” and “next physical action” philosophy. It tracks what we’re trying to achieve, the next physical action we need to take, who will take it, and what the deadline is.

You can also filter the Marketing Task List by person, category, and even priority.

For years, I used this to manage my firm’s marketing and BD efforts.

Capture Planning Tool

I certainly didn’t invent the Capture Planning Tool. Versions of this spreadsheet have been floating around the A/E/C industry for years.

It’s similar to the Target Client Sheet, but there is a much bigger emphasis on projects. I know sheets like this have been used by firms who work with three or four serial builders (like transportation agencies).

With this sheet, you can track the people you know and the projects they have in the pipeline.

What I Don’t Use A Spreadsheet For

You’ll notice there is no spreadsheet for gathering information about the projects you’ve worked on.

I’ve been lucky enough to have past project information in a database for close to 15 years now. Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The complexity of that data (i.e. number of fields) just lends itself to a database.

You can download my BD/Marketing Spreadsheet Pack at the link below.

Download the spreadsheets here.

Now, Let’s Hear Your Dirty Little Secrets

Do you use spreadsheets? If so, tell us what you use spreadsheets for.

Come clean about your spreadsheet use in the comments.

The post How To Track Relationships When You Don’t Have A CRM appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Let’s talk about a common question I get, “What’s the right CRM for my firm?”

Many, many, firms don’t have a CRM. If you are one of those or you feel your CRM isn’t the best fit…don’t fret.

There are many options out there. And I have some advice for those looking to find the right CRM for their firm.

But keep in mind that this is my personal advice…and nothing more.

Let’s start by discussing why you feel you even need a CRM in the first place.

Everybody Says You Need A CRM, But Are They Right?

Everywhere you turn, there’s an expert telling you that your firm needs a CRM…

…CRMs are a critical component to any successful organization….

…if you don’t get a CRM in place right away, you’re going to be a failure…

…what are you waiting for, are you a bunch of idiots?…

…Don’t you know what will happen if you don’t use a CRM?!?!…

…OK, if you’re fine with being a failure and ushering in total disaster to your firm, no skin off our back!!!!

But is that really true?

There are firms that have grown very large without a CRM in place. In reality, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have a CRM.

In a lot of cases, it’s a very helpful thing to have…with this caveat…you dedicate the resource to keep it up to date and accurate.

Firms with CRMs fall into two camps. They either love their CRM or they hate it. You’ll rarely find anybody in the middle of the road.

That’s the first of many car analogies you’ll get from me today. So, bear with me.

Here’s the first question you’ve got to answer.

Is Our Firm Ready To Implement A CRM?

Trust me when I say that implementing a CRM firmwide is not a task to take lightly. Unless you’re just opening up shop, we could be talking months before you’ll have it fully up and running.

But on the other hand, people far less intelligent than you have successfully implemented CRMs. If you want to do it, you can.

Many people will tell you that CRM implementation can be very difficult without the full support of your leadership. In some cases, that’s true. But I’ve know people who started off small and convinced their leadership by showing them what a CRM can do.

If your firm isn’t ready, it’s going to be harder…not impossible. The question becomes, “How big of a personal priority is it for you?”

A bigger question is about money.

How Much Is Our Firm Leadership Willing To Invest In A CRM Implementation?

There are numerous CRM choices out there. The first factor to narrow down your options is cost.

A mid-market CRM will cost you around $60-$80, per user, every month. If you plan to have three people use it, you’re talking around $2,160-$2,880 each year. If you have 50 users, you’re talking $36,000-$48,000 per year.

Other CRMs, what some might refer to as the “Cadillacs,” might cost you tens of thousands just to start. And the maintenance costs could rival that of a full-time person’s salary…just for software.

As I once told a firm owner, if you want to drive a Tesla and can afford to drive a Tesla…go test drive a Tesla.

If you can’t afford a Tesla, don’t go to the Tesla dealership.

What I’m saying here is if your leadership is willing to buy a Tesla, and you feel that’s the best move, take them to the Tesla dealership first. Even if they don’t buy the Tesla, every other option they look at will be cheaper.

Think With The End In Mind

This is a critical consideration for any firm in the construction or professional services business. What does success look like for your CRM?

How exactly is this going to work?

• Who will maintain your CRM?

• Who will use it and how will they use it?

Then there is the question of features: what do you ultimately want your CRM to do?

• House your project and resume info?

• Spit out proposals?

• Send out email campaigns?

• Work from a smartphone app?

• Transfer data to and from your accounting software?

• Have lots of cool third-party add-ons?

• Have a slick user interface?

• Send out sales reports?

• Or just track your customer contacts?

If you’ll need one of these features five years from now, there is no guarantee…

…even if a vendor swears on its mother’s grave…

…that it will be available in a CRM that doesn’t have that feature when you buy it.

Therefore, you have to envision every feature you will need five years from now. Otherwise, you may catch a bad case of CRM regret later down the line.

Proposal-Related Features Narrow Down Your List

If you need your CRM to manage all project, resume, and other proposal-related data…

…there are only two legitimate choices I know of…

Deltek Vision and Cosential

Full disclosure: I have no contractual ties to either of these CRM vendors. I use now-extinct Deltek software to manage proposal-related information. I am familiar with both of these CRMs, but do not use either.

With that said, here’s what I tell people about this choice.

There is no deal or coupon that I know of that will make Deltek Vision as cheap (or in close price comparison with Cosential.)

Recently, I had a chat with the current head of marketing for Cosential and I told him this:

“For many firms, your product is going to be the only option.”

I’m sure he’d prefer me to say the “better option.” But that brings me to another important thing you need to do before choosing any CRM.

Talk To Real Users

Once you choose a “most likely candidate,” find some users and talk to them.

Don’t ask vendors to provide you references. Ask around, email people in your network, or send a message out through LinkedIn. Find people who use the CRM, exactly how you will use it, and get their experience.

It’s best to find people who have used it for several years. Someone who just started implementing it will not give you the perspective you need. Aim at talking to three different users.

If you skip this step, you’ll hate yourself later.

Don’t trust me, a vendor, a consultant, or anybody else who hasn’t used the CRM exactly as you intend to use it.

If You Just Want The Basics

If you only need a CRM that just tracks your sales efforts, you have many more options beyond Cosential and Deltek Vision.

I’ve mentioned my use of Zurmo (which is now CRM.me). But there is a laundry list of CRMs out there.

There are several you can implement with very little cost. But the low cost can bring with it IT hurdles and software (or privacy) limitations.

The Bottom Line

It’s not as simple as me telling you which CRM to use. You’ve got to be realistic about your situation and what you’ll need out of a CRM.

And most importantly, you have to connect with and discuss your CRM of choice with real users.

Now it’s your turn. What’s been your experiences with CRM (good or bad)?

Share your experiences in the comments because it will help others.

The post What’s The Most Appropriate CRM For Your Firm? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Here is the holy grail of hiring marketing or business development staff:

“Finding enthusiastic, dedicated, intelligent, hard working, and strategic thinking staff who have the ability, and are willing to listen/learn.”

But hiring is a crapshoot. I could argue that the whole hiring process in our country is broken.

Luckily, I’ve been taught a somewhat counter-intuitive hiring method that has paid huge dividends for me.

I’m going to explain it to you. But first, let me rant about hiring marketing and business development staff.

Our Tragically Broken Hiring System

Everyone coming in to interview has been taught to portray the best version of themselves. There are countless articles that teach candidates how to “play the game” and get hired.

On the other side, those of us who hire seem to fall into three categories:

A. Risk adverse people looking for potential “red flags.” I’ve fallen into this category in the past.

B. People who entirely “trust their gut.”

C. People who employ arbitrary hiring “rules of thumb,” that may or may not be logical.

There are countless articles out there for us as well. They often suggest “hiring for personality and training for skills.” Just imagine all the unemployed curmudgeons out there!

I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of people getting hired for jobs based on a crazy premise.

“Yeah, it was between a glowing personality with no skills or experience and an almost arrogantly confident person with skills coming out their shoes. We went with the glowing personality.”

What?!?! And people are somehow shocked when this ends disastrously.

I feel bad for candidates, the only way to get hired seems to be “playing the game” and hoping the cards land in your favor.

Maybe Don’t Take This Approach To Interviewing

This issue is top of mind when I’m interviewing candidates.

I can’t stand the “fakeness” I experience from candidates.

I’ve had candidates claim they’ve successfully turned around an engineering firm’s fortunes and “innovated themselves” out of a job…in less than a year.  Come on now!

I’ve had to stop candidates to tell them it’s OK to “cut the BS.”

I’ve told Ivy-League-educated candidates they would have to “relearn” how to write.

And those are the people who aren’t “spooked off” by my job ads.

My boss swears I’m a jerk in these interviews. Others say I’m “too honest.”

But shouldn’t the interviewing process be an honest and forthright exchange? The hiring “game” makes that difficult if not impossible.

The Klabunde Method

About a year ago, we were hiring a new business development manager. I was lamenting about the process with my friend, Tim Klabunde.

I explained that we had narrowed it down to two candidates: One with more relevant experience and another who was greener but I perceived to have tremendous long-term potential.

Our little hiring committee was struggling with this decision, almost gridlocked.

Tim, who is at a much larger firm, explained he had hired nine marketers in the last couple years. And he had come up with a method that predicted the best hire 90% of the time.

What was this Klabunde Method?

Step One: Shortlist on experience and skills

Step Two: Hire the candidate with the most positive outlook

Don’t get confused. Tim wasn’t talking about hiring the person with the “best personality” or “most likable.”

He was not using personality as a selection factor. He was focusing in on the candidates’ outlook. It’s a nuanced, but important difference.

His reasoning was this. The job changes from day to day. One day you’re working on something creative and fulfilling. But the next day you might be dealing with some arduous task or situation you’ll probably hate.

People without a high degree of positivity don’t thrive in that environment.

And when I thought about it, it made a lot of sense. I brought this tactic back to my committee and solidified my choice.

The Klabunde Method Results

You can’t argue with results. It’s been almost a year. Our new business developer is getting along great with the team, has brought in new clients, is absorbing an outrageous amount of information, and currently maintains a 90%+ success rate with proposals.

The Bottom Line

I’m now a believer in the Klabunde Method. If you are looking to hire marketing or business development staff, it’s certainly worth a try.

Now It’s Your Turn

Got a hiring or interviewing story that will make us cringe? Share your story in the comments.

The post The Counterintuitive Hiring Tactic I Finally Used (To Surprising Success) appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Three times in one day. 

“Matt, what should my presentation be on?”

Three times in one day, a different person asked me that question.

Let’s be honest, it’s a sad state of affairs for presentations these days. Whether it’s at a conference, local event, or on a webinar…

…it’s the same tired topics over and over again. 

If I hear another presentation on the basics of BIM, IPD, Lean Construction, or how social media is the bee’s knees…I’m gonna puke. 

Bring me a bucket!

So, how do you make sure your presentation doesn’t put someone to sleep or make them toss their cookies? 

Here’s what you do. You never ask the question, “What should my presentation be on?”

No, instead you use the “Big Win” strategy.

The Big Win Strategy

What you want to present on is irrelevant. 

Trust me, I could put together a 30-minute webinar on why Shenmue is the greatest video game ever made or why Ringo Star is actually an amazing drummer. 

But how does that improve YOUR life? How is that going to produce a Big Win for you?

What you want to present is irrelevant. What you feel people should know is irrelevant. Heck, what the Committee wants you to present on is irrelevant. 

Here’s what’s relevant…

…who is your audience and how can you help them easily deliver a Big Win?

What’s A Big Win?

Let’s say you sit through a presentation on the basics of Twitter. Maybe afterward you understand Twitter. Maybe you can even set up a Twitter account.

Is that going to have a dramatic effect on your life or business? Is your boss going to bust in your office and scream, “Turn off Twitter, we can’t handle all the new clients its bringing in!!!”

If you think that’s going to happen, you’re smoking crack. I’m not talking about cheap crack. I’m talking high-grade crack!

Big Wins change your results in a significant way. 

Here’s an example, I was recently involved in putting a presentation together for contracting officers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s called, “How To Avoid Overpaying For Construction Delays: What Every CO Needs To Know.”

It provides a tool to help contracting officers (CO) decide how and what to pay a contractor when construction delays occur. That may mean nothing to you, but for them that’s a Big Win.

In fact, one of the COs said it was the best job training he ever received.

Who Is The Audience?

Your presentation is for the benefit of the audience. 

The mistake many people make is thinking, “How do I customize my topic to this audience?”

They’ve got it completely backward. You get your topic from the audience. It’s not about education. It’s about solving their challenges, giving them an advantage, and making their life easier.

If your topic does not come from those things, it’s not going to be great. It’s not going to be memorable. 

Your topic has to be “birthed” from your audience, not you. And for this to occur, you have to know your audience, you have to listen to them, and you’ll need to ask them questions. You have to truly care about them and want to help them.

How Can I Help Them Easily Deliver A Big Win?

Understanding your audience is not enough. Your presentation must help them easily deliver a Big Win. 

A Big Win for an architect might not be a Big Win for a facility owner. A Big Win for a Marketing Coordinator might be meaningless to a CEO and vice versa.

You need to take your audience from Point A (where they are now) to Point B (where they want to be). You need to lead them with actionable steps they have the authority and ability to execute. 

So many presentations I’ve seen are completely devoid of actionable steps the audience can take. 

For example, it may be interesting to learn what a $20,000 per year marketing automation system could do for your 15-person firm. But if you don’t have the ability or authority to purchase such a tool, the presenter is just wasting your time. 

That’s not a Big Win for you. You, as the person sitting through the presentation, might even find it frustrating.

In contrast, one of my most popular webinars is, “How To Get Meetings With The Most Unreachable Clients.” So many people come up to me to tell me how they used my tactics to get a meeting with someone who previously wouldn’t return their calls.

If you are just starting out in business development, getting a meeting with a hard-to-reach client is a Big Win. Getting a response from someone who hasn’t been responding…Big Win.

(Note: I’ll be presenting that again to the public in January 2018 for the Association of Proposal Management Professionals Liberty Chapter and free for the Society of Design Administrator members on August 24th)

Your presentation needs a specific outcome and actionable steps to get there. And that outcome needs to get your audience to a Big Win.

Another example is my proposal workshop. In the workshop, proposal professionals play client for the day. I have them evaluate real proposals and pick a winner. It’s always an eye-opening experience for those involved.

(Note: I mostly do this workshop for corporate clients. But you can attend my proposal workshop this month in Austin, TX hosted by SMPS Austin. And if you can’t make it to Austin, I’m presenting a portion of it as a free webinar for APMP.)

Using The Big Win Strategy To Build Your Presentation 

Most likely, you’ll have to flip your approach to presentations upside down. Once you understand what your audience is up against and commit yourself to helping them deliver Big Wins…

…you’ll never need to spend your time searching for a topic again.

Now it’s your turn 

What’s your biggest presentation tip or one you’ve heard that you think you should share?

Share it in the comments.

The post What Should Your Presentation Be On? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Yes, working in A/E marketing can be a challenging career. So, why do I recommend that recent graduates with marketing, public relations, or journalism degrees pursue this line of work?

Well, the more I think about it the more thankful I am that I landed in this industry.

If you are looking for career opportunities in marketing, you should consider marketing jobs and architecture marketing jobs.

In my mind, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Let me give you some examples:

The A/E Marketing Career Flies Under The Radar

Nobody goes to school with the express purpose of getting a marketing job at an architecture, engineering, or construction firm.

In contrast, my wife has a degree in pharmaceutical marketing. She went to college to work in the pharmaceutical market.

Construction is one of the biggest industries in the world. Yet, the profession of marketing in the industry flies under the radar.

Therefore, when the economy is good, it’s a job you can get. At this moment in time, the number of open positions for marketing coordinators in our industry is staggering.

When I graduated from college, I struggled to find a job. And us “old timers” forget that, for many people right out of college, finding a legitimate marketing job can be extremely difficult.

Heck, finding a full-time job with vacation and health benefits can seem like a pipe dream to recent grads. And when you don’t know exactly what you want to do, the opportunities found at job fairs can be off-putting.

Starting out as a marketing coordinator, assistant, or a temp at an architecture, engineering, or construction firm beats the pants off many of the other “marketing” jobs available to recent college grads.

You Get To Do

Most industries are made up of large companies. Large companies often outsource the real work.

For example, if you worked in marketing for the Coca-Cola Company or Disney, your job would consist of managing outside consultants. As an entry-level marketer, you’d probably be assisting the person managing the consultants.

Or, you’d work at the agency. If you work hard, after a few years, maybe you’d meet a client or have some creative input.

Because most firms in our industry are small or mid-sized businesses, your input is almost immediate.

One of my very first days at an engineering firm was spent in a strategy meeting with principals from the largest architecture firm in the country.  That immediate immersion is rare in other industries.

If there is a PowerPoint to create, poster to design, or event to set up…you’ll be doing that.

You’ll be doing. The thing about doing is the more you do…the better you get. I believe our industry rivals any other when it comes to the opportunity to grow your marketing skill set.

This is especially true for entry-level marketers. If you take it upon yourself to learn new skills, after a few years in A/E marketing you’ll be very well rounded.

You Learn To Meet Deadlines

Think about it. In what other marketing job will missing a deadline cause the people you work with to lose their jobs?

That’s a tremendous amount of pressure to be under right out of college.

But you, like thousands of others before you, will rise to the occasion. Why? Because you have no choice.

It will get to the point where you’ll have little sympathy for anyone missing deadlines. Not delivering by the deadline will just seem inexcusable to you.

Honestly, that’s going to cause you some frustration when dealing with others. But at the end of the day, you’ll have a much better sense of what can truly be achieved in 24 or 48 hours. Other industries don’t always force you to think like that.

You Can Find Yourself

In A/E marketing, you typically start out doing just about everything or by focusing almost exclusively on proposals.

Almost everyone I know, including me, started like that.

But where you go from there is ultimately in your hands. I’ve known so many people who have branched off into business development, became a marketing director, got a communications position at a mid or large sized firm, went on to manage large proposal teams, or even started their own communications firm.

Frankly, I can think of very few A/E marketers whose career hasn’t evolved in some significant way over the years.

What I’m saying is a marketing position in the A/E industry brings with it enormous growth opportunities.

It’s OK To Be You

I don’t even want to mention this. But I feel I must.

Whether you are an introvert, ambivert, or extrovert, there is a role in our industry in which you can excel.

Don’t believe the nonsense about needing “the right personality.” The right personality is whatever personality you have now.

I can tell you about the introvert who leads the communications efforts for a very large firm. I can tell you about the introvert that went on to bring in millions for his firm.

I can tell you about the ambivert with a phobia of public speaking and how working in this industry helped her overcome it.

I can tell you about a very weird and “unlikeable” guy who could succeed because he was judged by his results.

I can even tell you about extroverts who have been very successful swimming in a sea of introverted engineers.

No matter where your personality lands, there is a place for you in our profession.

I’m a big believer in adopting the right mindset. Doing so will help you succeed. But you don’t have to change who you are to succeed in our industry.

You’ll Get A Second Chance

Just imagine you worked at the Coca-Cola Company and it just didn’t work out for you. Maybe you just don’t hit it out of the park in that first job.

There are two things that could happen. Worst case scenario is they keep you. And your fate aligns with the guy in “Office Space,” stuck in the closet with no chance of growth.

Another scenario is you’re let go. There’s not a thousand other soft drink companies, or even three, headquartered in your local area.  Your career in the soft drink market would likely be over.

There are more opportunities for second chances in the A/E industry. Staff whom I’ve “parted ways with” have gone on to be very successful at different A/E firms.

Looking back on it now, I can’t categorize my first position at an A/E firm as a success. But that experience had a lot to do with my later success.

I learned from my mistakes. And I brought what I was taught there to my new job. It was an invaluable experience.

It might be difficult at first. In fact, you may fail miserably. But it’s very likely that our industry will give you another chance to succeed.

Architecture Marketing Jobs, Engineering Marketing Jobs, And Construction Marketing Jobs Can Be A Rewarding Choice

Whatever industry you work in, there will be things to complain about. You’ll come across frustrating people. Your ideas will be shot down. You won’t always feel appreciated. These challenges are not exclusive to the A/E/C industry.

But I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find an industry where the potential to learn and grow is as great.

Now It’s Your Turn

Why do you think A/E marketing is a career to pursue. Share your thoughts in the comments.

The post Career Opportunities In Marketing | Marketing Jobs In the A/E Industry appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Many firms send out email marketing campaigns. But there is a question that lingers in many marketers’ minds:

“Are we doing it right?”

“Right” is a nebulous term. If your goal is to trip and fall, tying your left and right shoe together is the right way to “tie your shoes.” Therefore, whether you are doing something “right” relies on what you are trying to achieve.

However, if your goal is either to bring in new clients or use email marketing to build trust and maintain relationships…

…there are some common beliefs that may be hurting your efforts. Let’s take a step back and rethink email marketing.

The Crazy Things People Think About Email Marketing

My personal trainer asked me if having an email list is important to a business. My answer was, “To me, it’s essential.” Heck, if not for email marketing’s ability to bring in new clients, I wouldn’t be able to have a “personal trainer.”

But his jaw dropped at the next thing I said:

“0.5%…that’s the rule of thumb for converting prospects on your list to paying clients.”

He found that very disappointing. But I explained to him that email marketing is a great tool to build trust with an audience you can truly help.

But there are two commonly held beliefs, I think you should avoid…like the plague.

Let’s Not Bother Our Clients

Think about your best friend. How often do you communicate with him or her? It’s probably fairly frequently.

Regardless of what they claim, too many firms don’t want to treat clients like a friend. They don’t want to bother their clients until those clients are in need of services again.

That’s a mistake. You need to treat your clients like friends. Therefore, you need to communicate with them on a regular basis.

You can use email as a tool to help you maintain regular and consistent communication with you current, past, and future clients.

But then there is another related trap too many firms fall into.

Self-Serving, Valueless, Emails

Let’s get back to the concept of treating your clients like friends. Do you send your friends email with advertisements, about contracts you’ve won, or featuring your latest company picnic?

Nope.

You probably send him or her only helpful information, something they’ll find of value, or a tidbit they might be interested in.

I believe there is a downside to sending your clients worthless and self-serving information.

Again, is this how you would treat a friend?

I believe every email should provide value to the reader.

And trust me, I’m not oblivious to the fact that I’m selling hard in some of my emails. But you’ll be hard-pressed to find an email I’ve sent that is devoid of value.

Is it harder to create value-based emails? Yes, it’s much harder. It’s more time-consuming.

But it’s the “right” thing to do when communicating with your audience.

The Bottom Line

Communicate with your clients regularly with emails they’ll get value from.

Have any email marketing tips or tricks? Share yours in the comments.

The post Two Email Marketing Beliefs That Could Be Hurting Your Firm appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Last week, I posted my response to a recent PSMJ blog post that has angered many marketers in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.

PSMJ’s blog post has received significant backlash since Lindsay Diven first brought it to people’s attention through LinkedIn. And my response and call for them to remove the post seemed to increase awareness.

If you haven’t read my response, please check it out before reading this (for context).

PSMJ’s Response

As to PSMJ’s response, what we can surmise is that the post went down briefly but came back up with a spelling error fixed (which was pointed out in my comments). At the moment I am writing this, the logic errors and latent sexism have not been addressed. I’m sure the irony of them being more concerned with the “bug dust” is not lost on anyone in the Help Everybody Army.

David Whitemyer has not, to my knowledge, personally responded to emails sent by me or others. But I do know that PSMJ’s Content Development Manager offered to publish a retort by one of my readers as a “rebuttal post.” You can read Melise Gerber’s full response here.

Of course, I invite anyone from PSMJ to share a comment here or on my original post.

A/E Marketers Respond

The response, from our industry, to what I wrote was so great that I wanted to share some insightful (sometimes even inspiring) comments shared by others.

I received many emails about this post. And I understand some people emailed Dave, the author, (dwhitemyer@psmj.com) and Frank, the CEO of PSMJ, (fstasiowski@psmj.com) to share their disgust. I encourage people to do that because nobody can improve without feedback.

I have not included comments people made directly in my initial post. What I’ve included are snippets from emails sent to me and posts on LinkedIn. I’ve only included the full name when the comment was posted in a public forum.

A Note Before We Proceed

I’m all for freedom of speech. I believe that everybody’s views are important. I also understand people believe that freedom of speech is more important than “political correctness.”

But I do believe that any speech which promotes the violation of any demographic’s rights or that can be proven, by hard science, to be inaccurate…

…should be corrected or deleted. Nearly all reputable publications I know of do this as a matter of policy.

I do appreciate that they posted Melise’s response. But I’m not sure they truly understand why PSMJ, of all organizations, should not be propagating outdated and inaccurate stereotypes of marketers in the A/E (or any other) industry.

With that said, here’s what marketers are saying about PSMJ’s post:

On The Intended Audience Of PSMJ’s Article

“I think I have finally determined that my discomfort with the article is related to its “intended” audience. You see, if this article that was truly intended for a readership made up of folks who do not have a job in our industry, and are considering becoming marketers, there are a number of good points to be considered here. 

But I doubt that many folks reading an article on the PSMJ blog are likely to be unemployed recent college graduates wondering what job they should pursue. And, because of that disconnect between intended and likely readership, the article instead begins to read like a laundry list of complaints about marketing folks. And this is where my discomfort began.”

• Melise G

General Disgust With The Article

“Wow. Just wow. As an introvert who has been in AEC marketing going on 18 years – 10 with my current firm – and quite good at what I do, I find the PSMJ post insulting.”

• Jennifer Hier

“Super offensive and counterproductive, it’s hard enough to find great AEC marketers, and it’s often thankless grueling work. The last thing we want to do is discourage folks from the profession.”

• Margot Kenney

“Can’t believe PSMJ is allowing this to continue.” -Kary Beck

“This reminds me of “negging” – the emotionally abusive practice of criticism to undermine someone’s confidence in order to make the abuser seem stronger.

Rather than telling people not to go into marketing unless they’re willing to work in an underfunded department, why not give them solid strategies to make the business case to expand the marketing department? A lot of AE firms have low win rates — remind firms that taking their win rate from 20% to 40% will double their revenue.

Rather than make false assumptions that certain personality traits are needed to succeed, focusing on strategies to help the actual business to grow will get a lot better results. Since professional marketers help businesses to grow… real strategies are a lot more useful than condescending, negative disqualifiers.”

• Aaron McManus

“I take the buzzfeed-esque style article with a grain of salt. It’s just to get attention and traction to their blog. Ignore.”

• Jennifer Huebel

On The Lingering Sexism Experienced By Some A/E Marketers

“As a male in this industry, I, for one, am so sick of the “good ole boy” mentality amongst operations personnel towards marketers. And the way I am treated within my firm as a male marketer is so much different than how my female counterparts are treated. It is disgusting.”

• Justin

“I’m just really sad that someone in our industry, who is relatively young by the looks of him in his photo, has such a negative and narrowly honed view of our profession. If he’s been in the A/E industry for more than 20 years (in Boston no less!) and has worked with marketers as I can only assume he has, he has an incredibly insulting and disrespectful view of our work, and/or has had a poor experience with whomever is unfortunate to market in his firm….I’m also insulted PSMJ would allow this to be posted.”

• Jen

On Changing Attitudes

“Great response to a pretty crappy article. My career in AEC marketing has been rewarding and long despite joining the industry right out of college. In my 16 years in the industry I have only worked for two firms. I’m honored to be one of the senior leaders in my firm and I get brought to the table on many matters that expand well beyond the marketing/communication goal posts of my original career choice.”

• Dana Galvin Lancour

“Looking back on my 30 years in this industry, I think it’s been a bit harder for AEC marketers to win the respect of the “technical” personnel in our firms because, in large part, they don’t have a clue what we do. It seems to have been a generational attitude that’s fast giving way as more savvy technical principals understand the importance of marketing strategy in winning work.”

Clearly, David Whitemyer doesn’t understand what we do, and yet he’s written an uninformed article about it for a highly respected organization. Amazing.

I’ve worked with every type of firm in our industry – most people have respected my insight and expertise, and been grateful that I have a skillset they don’t. For every technical principal that said I was a great marketer because I could type really really fast (yes, it’s true, and I worked with him at 2 firms) or automatically looked my way when we needed a fresh pot of coffee in a meeting, there have been 100 who thought I was a miracle worker.”

• Tanya

On the Often Misunderstood Importance Of A/E Business Developers

“My observation is that at struggling companies, business developers get paid a lot less than subject matter experts. In profitable companies, it’s the other way round. They understand Peter Drucker: “Because its purpose is to create a client, the business has two – and only two – functions… Marketing (you get paid for creating a customer) and innovation (you get paid for creating a new dimension of performance). Marketing and innovation produce results, all the rest are costs.”

• Tom

What Do You Have To Say?

Did you agree with what Dave had to say about A/E marketers? Do you feel the same as the marketers who have chimed in so far? Or do you have a completely different perspective?

We’d all like to hear what you have to say.

Please join the conversation by posting a comment. I read every comment and your opinion is important.

The post Angry Marketers Respond To That Controversial Blog appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

In a time which the profession of marketing in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry seems to be gaining more and more respect…

…it is nice to be reminded, sometimes, just how ignorant people in our industry can be about our chosen field of work.

Just the other day, Lindsay Diven forwarded an article making the rounds that is getting some AEC marketing blood boiling. (UPDATE: THERE WERE REPORTS THAT THE ARTICLE WAS DOWN, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS BACK UP.)

The article is called, “8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Do A/E Marketing.” Ironically, it was posted on the PSMJ blog. PSMJ, as I understand it, is one of the bigger business/management/marketing consulting firms in our industry.

Why they would post this turd is beyond me. And I’m going to explain why it should be immediately deleted.

The Article’s Point

The point I think this article is trying to make is that marketing positions in the “A/E industry” are tough. The author, David Whitemyer, seems to believe you have to have specific traits or you’ll fail (or just wimp out and give up).

Dave says, “There’s a reason why most architecture and engineering (A/E) marketing professionals only last a few years in each firm: They’re just not ready for the speed and heavy workload.”

Oh really?!?!?

Before I Tear This Post Apart

I want to say to Dave, who I don’t believe I’ve ever met, is…

…I get it.

You’ve got to post something on the blog. You’ve probably got a quota to fill or a deadline to meet.

You’ve read that “list posts” can get traction. They’re easy to write. Just pull some list out of your butt and 500 words later you’ve got your article. Commitment met.

Many bloggers operate that way so maybe we shouldn’t hold you to a higher standard.

We’ve all got a job to do including you. So, again, I get it. It was “just content.”

But Seriously Dave?

Your list portrays a total disrespect of and ignorance regarding our profession. I don’t think that’s the image you want to portray. Nor do I think that’s an image PSMJ wants to be associated with.

What I’ll try to do here is explain why you should not only delete this post but completely reexamine your perception of our profession and the people who work in A/E marketing.

Let’s look at some of the more egregious reasons why you say marketers should stay away from the A/E industry.

You’re Introverted

Dave, I don’t know how many A/E marketers you’ve worked with. But don’t fall into believing the outdated stereotypes that have been scientifically disproven again and again.

Extroverts are not more effective at selling. Spend some time looking at the science.

In no way am I an extrovert. My wife would describe me as a hardcore introvert. Yet, it would be tough to argue my success, especially when it comes to proposals or business development.

And there are many other successful A/E marketing introverts in our industry, like Tim Klabunde (author of Network Like An Introvert).

Luckily, you don’t even need to look beyond your own statements to prove the “extrovert delusion” wrong. Later in your list, you claim:

“…according to PSMJ’s 2013 A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey Report, nearly half of A/E firms don’t have full-time marketing staff.”

Who do you think is bringing in all the work for those firms? Extroverts? I’m not sure how many engineering firms you’ve worked in, but let me tell you there are many introverted engineers pulling in BIG contracts.

And some of the best business developers, marketers, and proposal people I’ve had the pleasure to know are introverts or at least omniverts. If you need a list, let me know.

The most problematic assertion you make, in this section, is that marketers have to be “bubbly” people. You’d have to be crazy to think a “bubbly personality,” with all its not so subtle sexism, is your ticket to success in the A/E marketing world.

Do you honestly think HNTB hired Nancy Ursey to lead their design-build marketing strategy because of her “bubbly personality?” When I think of Nancy, I see a person whose subject matter expertise is unquestionable. I see a professional who those in the field should aspire to be.

There are many strong female role models in the A/E marketing profession. I’ve been lucky enough to list women like Laura Ricci, Ann Banning Wright, and Tracy Doyle as some of my mentors. From what I’ve experienced, they were successful because they were strong willed, insightful, persistent, and determined.

Your use of the “b word” will rightfully incite a lot of anger and should be rescinded immediately.

You Think Nobody Appreciates You

This is one of the most “jerkish” passages I think I’ve ever read. You state:

“Your skills are very different than those of the architects and engineers that surround you, and they’re essential to a firm’s marketing efforts, but it’s the architecture and engineering skills on which the firm’s strength is built. If you feel underappreciated, get over it.”

Let’s take a second because the thousands of people who will read that quote will probably need a moment here.

Take a deep breath, and let’s talk about it.

Dave, take a look at Engineering News Record’s list of the Top 500 Designers. Are you so delusional to believe that the top firms on that list are there primarily because of their architecture and engineering skills?

Sure, no firm would be up there without architecture and engineering skills. What I’m saying is how can you possibly discount their superior strategy, processes, and culture (particularly when it comes to marketing and business development). I hope you can agree that you don’t get into the top 10 on that list without marketing (which includes strategy) and business development.

When I look at a firm like AECOM, I think of their superior strategy (in particular their acquisition growth strategy).

And guess what, the president of AECOM is not even an architect or engineer. Are you saying, as someone who doesn’t “do the work,” he doesn’t deserve the same appreciation or respect that an architect or engineer in his firm gets?

Do you see how ignorant that mentality is? Or at least can you admit you probably should rethink it?

You’re Too Rigid

This is the most shocking point you make. It relates the #1 challenge people working on proposals are faced with.

You say:

“If you’re a strong A/E marketing professional, you’ve got a good handle on the schedules and tasks required to develop solid proposals and presentations. However, the reality of these schedules and tasks is that they’re probably going to change during the process – and probably at the last minute.”

Is this what PSMJ teaches in their proposal seminars?

“Just throw it together at the last minute…that’s the PSMJ way.”

I highly doubt that’s what your organization teaches.

Listen, we’ve all scrambled when getting a last minute RFP addendum. But other than that, there’s no reason you can’t submit proposals early.

If you have good people and the proper systems in place, the “last minute” nonsense is completely avoidable.

A/E marketers can get home for dinner. They can make their kid’s recital.

They are not your toilet. They are not your license to procrastinate. They are not your “gal Friday.”

In the last several years, a wealth of information has come out to help proposal teams with this problem. My book is a good starting point. But the system in The Magic of Winning Proposals can help you do this as well.

Heck, even Meg Winch just wrote an article in SMPS marketer about how proposal teams can use “lean concepts” to help address this issue.

The Bottom Line

Dave, as I’ve explained, I get that your article probably wasn’t written with bad intentions. However, I think your mindset, intentionally or unintentionally, shines through your list. Frankly, you are not the only one with these outdated ideas or misinformed conclusions.

But to see this coming from PSMJ is deeply disturbing. Your organization should be an advocate for A/E marketing. You should be a force helping our industry evolve away from long-held beliefs that stem from ignorance (and latent sexism).

I’ve only touched on the most ignorant items on your list. But nearly every item you list is questionable (at best).

I’m formally requesting that you delete this post immediately. And in the future, I hope you can exhibit more respect and a better understanding of our profession.

If You’d Like To Contribute Your Two Cents

Comments are not enabled on Dave’s blog post. But he can be reached at dwhitemyer@psmj.com. And Frank Stasiowski, the CEO of PSMJ, can be reached at fstasiowski@psmj.com. I just ask that, if you choose to email, you show these people the respect you would like to see from them.

I invite anyone to air dissenting opinions in the comments to my post. I just ask that you refrain from personal attacks, which I think I’ve done here.

The post A/E Marketers Are Not Your Gal Friday appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I often say that there are so many unknowns in the proposal selection process that it is impossible to accurately predict whether or not you are going to win. In fact, it is probably best to stay away from speculation completely other than “do we have a reasonable shot?”

Let me illustrate why speculation is a fool’s game.

You Might Not Know The Client’s Misconceptions

We held a $1M contract with a state agency that was essentially a four-year contract. Four months after we signed this contract an RFP hit the street that was exactly like our contract’s RFP except for two additional lines of scope. These two lines were, of course, right up our alley. As soon as we saw this, we went into panic mode. Why is this happening? Have we done a bad job?

We talked to our teaming partner which was a large engineering firm. They told us that they had heard that the original contract was meant to be earmarked for a specific firm (not us), but that firm went one page over the page limit and was completely disqualified. Therefore, this new contract was a way to give this favored firm the contract.

When we asked our teaming partner whether they would propose with us on this new contract, they simply said “no.” Why would they say “no?” They explained that it was in their best interest for another firm to have this contract as well.

We finally got a hold of our client. He indicated that the reason for the client advertising another RFP with virtually the same scope of work as is in our contract, was that his boss had talked to someone (he thought from our firm) who was teaming with XYZ Construction Company on an upcoming project.

In my firm’s line of business, that would be considered, by many, a direct “conflict of interest.”

Therefore, to eliminate the possible conflict of interest, the client quickly advertised another RFP. Just to satisfy our own curiosity, we contacted the XYZ Construction Company. It turns out that they were teaming with a firm that had a similar name, but was clearly not us.

You May Be Relying on Unreliable Intel

Teaming partners can be a great source of client intelligence. But be careful not to take intel received by a third party as gospel.

Many people, including me, have been burned by intel, from teaming partners, that ended up being inaccurate.

I remember one specific instance where two different sources told me that a particular client was “fed up” and “had a lot of problems” with the incumbent. Based on this intel, I decided to “go” a proposal effort I normally wouldn’t have.

In the end, we lost to the incumbent. Upon post-debrief analysis, I realized it was mathematically impossible for us to beat the incumbent because the intel was wrong.

Is It Really Wired?

During my go/no go evaluation of an RFP, I decided to contact a mentor of mine who was working for a direct competitor.

She knew about the RFP. She then let me in on a secret. This contract was “wired” for her firm. In fact, her engineers had written the RFP.

I decided that the pursuit wasn’t the right fit for us. We were missing a key ingredient. And this new intel helped solidify my decision.

Did my mentor’s firm win the contract? No.

And years later, we went on to not only beat her firm but also beat the incumbent.

The bottom line is, even if you’ve written the RFP, there is no guarantee that anything is wired for you.

Your Next Action

These are just three stories that illustrate why I don’t believe in speculating about a procurement.

In my mind, it’s impossible to speculate beyond, “Do we have a reasonable shot at winning?”

Avoid speculating when it comes to proposals. And only rely on information you are absolutely sure of.

Now It’s Your Turn

Have you ever speculated about a proposal only to have it bite you later? Are you in favor of speculating?Share your stories and opinions in the comments.

The post Should You Speculate During The Proposal Process? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Can you make small adjustments to your CRM that result in big wins?

Recently, I had the pleasure of putting together an educational session called, “Peek Into Our CRMs.” In this session, two SMPS members (Sharyn and Janine) joined me to share exactly how we use our CRM (Client Relationship Management) systems.

It was three different people, who have implemented three different CRMs in three radically different ways.

Yes, it was eye opening. Yes, it was very impressive. Yes, it certainly changed my perception of some of these CRMs.

But the most valuable takeaways were small customizations one of us made that the other two didn’t think of. You might consider them small, but powerful, CRM hacks.

Luckily, these concepts can be applied to nearly any CRM system.

(Sharyn and Janine get a kick out of my CRM diatribe.)

CRM Hack #1: Identifying Pencil Sharpeners

Sharyn had the most mind-blowing hack. Her firm is a certified DBE and is often in a subconsultant role.

One of the challenges of being a sub is primes will often ask you to “sharpen your pencil.” That means they ask you to lower your price.

But are they doing it for a reason or just arbitrarily?

Sharyn decided to track, in her CRM, every time one of her clients (one of those primes) asked the firm to lower its price. If one of those primes consistently asks for lower prices, she’ll decide to team with a firm who doesn’t.

Genius!

CRM Hack #2: Tracking Teaming Partner’s Win Rates

Janine also teams, as a sub, with firms submitting as a prime.

As many people do, she assigns a reason why they lost. One of those reasons is “Lost By Prime.”

With this information, she’s tracking how successful or unsuccessful her teaming partners are at winning. And that helps her decide who to team with.

CRM Hack #3: Fore Golfers

Janine also added a little checkbox in each contact record. It said “golfer.”

Why didn’t I think of that?!?! If you know which clients golf, that makes putting together foursomes or inviting people to golf events so much easier.

So simple, yet so genius!

Bonus CRM Hack: Converting Proper Names To Those Actually Used

(Even a bad hair day won’t stop me from joking about my odd use of CRM.)

I’ve written in the past about my use of Zurmo. One of the customizations I’ve implemented is creating workflows that edit first names when contact records are saved.

For example, one of these workflows changes “Timothy” to “Tim.”

That way, when my CRM sends an email, it doesn’t address people with their formal name. The emails can be much more casual and friendly.

Plus, we all know alarm bells go off when we receive anything that uses our formal name.

I do this for many formal names. Richard and William are the only exclusions I can think of.

Now It’s Your Turn

Do you have a CRM hack, a small modification, that makes your life easier?

If so, share with the group by posting a comment.

The post 3 Easy, But Powerful, CRM Hacks That Will Make Your Day appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Did you ever wonder if your website is actually doing anything for your firm? Well, I’ve got some bad news for you. There is something most websites get wrong. And I can almost guarantee there is a problem with your website that is crippling its ability to bring your firm new business.

Let me give you a scenario.

The Tale of Two Websites

Let’s say your small firm’s website gets 1,000 visitors per month. That’s 12,000 people visiting your website per year. That’s pretty good for a small to midsize firm.

And let’s assume your firm gets 10 new clients each year, all of which first learned of you by visiting your website. Again, good job.

Over 10 years, your website, in this scenario, would bring in 100 clients. Nobody is going to describe that as anything other than a success.

But your competitor’s website is a different story. They only get 84 visitors per month! That’s only 1,000 visitors per year (pathetic)!

They get 20% of their visitors to subscribe to their site (200 people per year). And each year, they covert 4% of that list to new clients (let’s round that down to 8 new clients this year).

Now for the million-dollar question. Whose website is more effective?

Your competitor’s website is! By a lot!

What?!?!?

That’s right, over ten years, your competitor would have just gained 80 new clients vs. your 100.

But here is the thing…

Over that ten-year period, they have converted .8% of their visitors to clients. In contrast, you have converted just .08% of your website visitors. That might not seem like a huge difference, but it is 960% better than your results. And in addition to that, your competitor has captured the contact information for 2,000 more potential clients than you.

Their website has a better conversion rate. They would just have to increase their traffic by 30% to bring in more clients than your website.

In contrast, let’s imagine both websites had 12,000 visitors per year. They would bring in 96 clients per year vs your 10. And you would have to increase your traffic by 960% to match their number of new clients. It’s a lot easier to increase your traffic by 30% than increase it by 960%.

Now let’s look at it from your current traffic (12,000 visitors per year). If you increased the percentage of visitors who become clients by just .1%, your number of new clients per year would jump from 10 to 22. The number of new clients would more than double with just a .1% increase in your conversion rate.

The Problem With Your Website

Everybody wants more traffic to come to their website. Why? More visitors means more potential clients.

But most A/E/C firms don’t have a traffic problem. They have a conversion problem.

I know ABC Architecture is not Amazon.com. People don’t click a “buy” button and order architecture.

So the conversion we are talking about is convincing visitors to give you their contact information and agree to receive follow up messages from you. That gives you an opportunity to give them confidence in your expertise over a period of time.

What’s Your Website’s Job?

Your website’s job is not to raise brand awareness in vertical markets blah, blah, blah.

Its job is simply to attract potential customers/influencers and give them confidence in your firm.

And that’s hard to do with only one visit.

That’s why you have to capture information about your visitors and follow up with information that builds confidence in your firm. That way, when they are ready to buy your services, they already want to hire you.

Here’s the bottom line:

Your website doesn’t have a traffic problem. It has a conversion problem!

You see…conversion is what most websites get wrong.

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage. If you want to give us your thoughts on this issue, please leave a comment below.

The post What Your Firm’s Website Gets Wrong appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Interview with New York Times Best-Selling Author, Dr. Robert Cialdini Ph.D

If you could ask the foremost expert on influencing human behavior a question, what would it be? And what would that answer be worth to you? How could that answer change your life?

This is the opportunity (and challenge) I was recently graced with when Dr. Robert Cialdini agreed to sit down with me and teach me new ways to ethically influence the decisions of others.

Harvard Business Review calls him, “the foremost expert on effective persuasion.” And Forbes says his latest work, “Extends the science in persuasion in several important ways…” And the full, unabridged interview I’m about to share with you does not disappoint. It may just be the most valuable thing you read all year.

Bob answers my toughest questions on influencing decisions and beating incumbents. He also shares tremendous insights on getting clients to accept your initial price and the powerful concept of “Pre-Suasion” that takes center stage in his new book by that title.

If there’s a theme to Pre-Suasion, it seems to be related to the power of focusing people’s attention. In the book, you make a statement, “what’s focal is causal.” Can you help us understand what you mean by that statement?

I think you are right to identify the central theme of Pre-Suasion as embodying the importance of directing an audience’s attention to a particular concept, feature, or idea of what we have to offer.

That’s for two reasons. One is that, as soon as we pay attention to something, we overvalue related information associated with it that we might receive next. As a consequence, things we are paying attention to seem more important than they were immediately before we were paying attention to them. They also seem more likely to be a cause of what’s going on in our environment.

Typically, we pay attention to the things that are important and the things that are causes in our environment. It only makes sense that we would pay attention to the most significant aspects of what’s going on around us and to pay attention to those things that are causing the events going on around us.

As a consequence, we make the mistake of assuming that if we are paying attention to something, it must warrant that attention because it’s important and causal. We make that error. A communicator can force us into that error by focusing our attention in a concentrated way on a particular concept that’s favorable to his or her case.

What I think I’m hearing is, the causal element is when we are focused on something, we attribute that as being the cause of our actions.

Exactly. When we see something as more important, we tend to see it as more causal. A study was done by an online furniture store that specialized in sofas. To try an experiment, they sent half of their visitors to a landing page that had fluffy soft clouds in the background.

The other half were sent to a site that had pennies in the background. Those who were sent to the site with clouds then rated comfort as more important and more of a causal reason for them to choose a sofa.

Those who were sent to the site with pennies rated cost as more important and more of a causal feature for them to choose a sofa. In the end, those who saw the clouds ultimately preferred to purchase more comfortable furniture. Those who saw the coins preferred to purchase more inexpensive furniture. What they were focused on initially changed what they registered as important and causal for them.

That’s great to know because my wife is always trying to buy furniture and I’ll send her to the pennies site now.

Yes, and you are right to alert her to this because the people in this study didn’t believe that seeing the clouds or the coins had affected them at all.

Let’s talk about another scary thing in your book. Let’s say I’m walking down the street and an attractive woman asks me for directions to Valentine Street. I’m a nice guy. I’m going to give her directions. But then it turns out I’m more likely to confront four men when asked to later by a completely different woman who complains they stole from her. I’m more likely now to go up and start that confrontation or conversation with these guys just because several minutes ago somebody asked me for directions to Valentine Street. It’s like I have less control of my own decisions than I previously thought.

I’ve read your other stuff and I know that I didn’t start out with total control. The question I have is do you think the ultimate conclusion is going to be we don’t really have control over our own decisions?

Well, we can go back to the clouds and coins study and explain what just happened because you were asked for directions to Valentine Street. In the experiment you are talking about, they also asked another group of people for directions to Martin Street.

Martin Street didn’t influence the guys to help another young lady in distress 100 meters down the road. But Valentine Street did because Valentines is a day associated with romance. Romance became prioritized for them versus risk. That is scary. Their attention was moved around by what a communicator did first.

Valentine’s Day is a day associated with romance. Romance became prioritized for them versus risk, just because they had been focused on a romantically-linked holiday a few minutes before. That is scary. Their attention was moved around by what a communicator did first.

This is a natural state of affairs for us. It’s the way we work as a species. My advice to consumers and recipients of messages is not just to pay attention to what the communicator is saying inside his or her message, but what the communicator is saying in the moment before their message. What had the communicator done there? That’s as important a lever to success as what the communicator did inside the communication.

Are our behaviors simply a product of our biology and the mental connections we’ve built up over the years?

They are. Although I don’t know that they are simply that. We also get to reflect back on them and decide whether they are the right thing to do. Just as I suggested, whenever we see ourselves deciding to move in a particular direction because of a message, we should step back and ask, “What happened just before that message was sent to incline me in a direction I may not want to go if I were to think about it in a considered thoughtful way?”

So think about what happened before. Was there something before that could have triggered me to make this decision? When this lady comes to me on the street, I should say, “Well, is there anything before that happened earlier today that may have…”

Right. In fact, “What happened just before the message? What were those clouds doing on the website? What’s the first thing I saw?”

Here’s the next question. In my industry (which is people who design, engineer, and build large construction projects) one of our challenges is unseating incumbents. It’s easier for clients to choose incumbents again because of the consistency principle. These clients also know the incumbent’s staff. They’ve worked together towards goals. So, there is a liking effect going on as well.

The approach I learned from you is, “Armed with this new information, your decision to choose us is consistent with your previous decision to choose the incumbent.” You’ve got to provide some new information. Armed with this new information, their decision to choose us is just the same as it would have been earlier to choose this other firm.

Yes, by saying that it’s consistent with your decision to make the right choice for you at any given time.

Is there any aspect of your recent work that might provide us maybe some additional help to unseat incumbents?

Let me first reflect a little bit on that previous recommendation. I think what’s important in what you were saying is that you want to be sure not to say to a prospective customer, “You know, you were wrong to choose my competitor.” That’s going to produce a backlash.

Nobody wants to be told that they were foolish in the past. What you should say is, “I think what you were deciding at that point in the past was entirely consistent with what made sense then; but things have changed. There’s new research or there’s new information now.” That breaks the commitment and consistency principle. It breaks its hold over us by saying there’s something new now.

Then you can say, “You don’t have to stay with that choice. You can be consistent with the idea of being a good decision maker just as you were in the past.” That’s very similar to what you were saying, Matt.

But what else might we do? Well, one thing that research suggests is that, before people have to make a choice to move in a new direction, we can remind them of their adventurous sides. There was a study where people were asked to try a new product, a new soft drink, and to give their email address so that they could get information to try it. They were handed a flier that described the new product.

If at the top of the flier it said, “Do you consider yourself an adventurous person?” The success rate of getting this email address from potential customers went from 30% to 55%. Just by putting people in mind of their adventurous side before the request was made. That’s one thing that’s possible.

Another is if you are sending people an email…you know how at the bottom of a lot of emails there are adages, sayings, or slogans that people put at the bottom of their message? I always read them.

If we are looking for change, there are certain slogans we should put at the bottom of our email before people click on our attachment that is proposing change for them. For example, I like this quote by L.P. Hartley a British novelist, “The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.”

Here’s another one. “When you are through changing, you are through,” by Bruce Burton. You can load these things into the information environment before people encounter your request for change. Now because that is focal…because that’s now high in consciousness…it becomes seen as more important and more causal.

If I’m presenting to a big client during a shortlist presentation, I could have one of those sayings as the first slide while we are setting up. It’s just there for them to take in. That’s pretty sly.

Here’s another one that even is less likely to be detected; and it is that people are ready to change at the beginning of a designated period of time.

We all know that people make their resolutions for change at the beginning of the year, New Year’s resolutions. But it also turns out that people are more willing to change at the beginning of the month than at the end of the month. They are even more willing to change at the beginning of the week than at the end of the week. If we have a message for change, send it in the first few days of a month or the first couple of days of a week.

If they are going to schedule you for a presentation for the client, they ask, “Well, do you want to do October 31st or do you want to do November 1st?” You are going to go with November 1st?

Choose November 1st. You can also do it with the beginning of a quarter of business, an economic quarter. Do it at the beginning of that quarter. People are ready to change at the beginning of new periods of time.

That’s crazy. That’s the stuff I’m talking about. It’s mind boggling. Talking again about the shortlist presentations, when presenting for a contract to build a school, firms often highlight all the good things they do for the community. They may even explain how they will incorporate the students into the project so the students benefit.

To me this seems to be kind of an “indirect reciprocation.” Is there such a thing as indirect reciprocation? And if so, to what extent has the academic world studied this concept?

In fact, my research team has studied it. You know how when you go to a hotel maybe 70% of the time somewhere in the room, there’s a sign asking you to reuse your towels and linen? They usually say “Do this for the environment.”

Well, some hotels have started using a strategy that they think incorporates the rule for reciprocation. They say, “If you do this, we will donate a percentage of the savings to an environmental cause in the name of our guests.” We tested that. We actually went to hotels and we used two kinds of signs. The claim that we will do this for you if you first reuse your towels had no significant impact on the willingness of people to actually reuse their towels.

But, we had another sign that said, “We’ve already donated to an environmental cause in the name of our guests, could you hang up your towels to help us cover the cost of that gift that we’ve already given in your name?” Now we’ve got a 29% increase in willingness to hang up their towels.

You have to do this right. The rule for reciprocity says you have to go first. So, if a project manager says “We promise to incorporate some of the students in the project so they can benefit from it. We’ve done it in the past, and we are committed to doing it on this project” that’s a very good idea.

So, that’s a sound strategy from your perspective?

Definitely

Great. Do you know University of Penn’s Adam Grant?

I do.

He performed a study on student call centers soliciting donations from alumni. He found that bringing other students who had benefited from the donations to tell their story to the sales team, improved the team sales numbers. In Pre-Suasion, you tell the story of a management consulting team that achieved greater success by looking at photos of the employees that work with benefit.

It seems to me that there is a connection between these two situations. Maybe each approach could benefit from adding to the other. In your opinion, is there a similar thing going on in these two situations?

Yes. The extent to which we can bring people’s attention to a particular connection that they might have with an audience or with those who will benefit from moving in the direction that we are hoping our message recipients will move…that’s likely to work.

In my new book, what I’ve suggested is that, there is a seventh principle of influence besides the six that I described in my book, Influence. It’s called unity, the extent to which you feel a connection to the others who you are working with or dealing with. That connection, that sense of human connection, does elevate the likelihood that we will say yes to those people.

I have a colleague who a while ago whose help I needed. He’s known for being disagreeable; but he is on the same faculty, the psychology department that I am. I needed some help from him. I needed some data from a study he had done. I called him because I had a deadline for filing the report the next day. He said, “Bob, I’m not going to be able to help you with this. Just because you are a poor time manager and you’ve got a deadline tomorrow doesn’t mean I should drop everything I’m doing. That’s your responsibility.”

I had read some research earlier that made me change what I said in response to his denial of assistance. I would have said, “Tom, I really need this. I would really appreciate it if you could help me.”

Instead I said, “Tom, we’ve been in the same psychology department now for 12 years, I really need this. I would really appreciate it if you could help me.”

I had the information that afternoon. I just pointed to a connection, an existing connection.

It just wasn’t top of consciousness for him until I brought it there. That human connection made all the difference.

You didn’t have the liking to rely on. You had to pull out number seven for this one it sounds like.

Right, exactly.

This is a quick one. Which publications do you find most helpful in your area of expertise?

There are two magazines I like that bring me up to date on new relevant research that I might not otherwise see. One is Scientific American Mind and the other is Psychology Today. Both also have blogs written by researchers that I find informative.

There is a marketing guru named Jay Abraham who promotes this idea that if you truly believe your client will benefit most from your service and going with another choice will do their business harm, you have a moral obligation to do everything in your power to help your client make the right decision.

I know ethics is very important to you. Do you agree with this concept? If so, where would you draw the line especially considering this concept of focusing people’s attention?

I think this, the ethics of these approaches, is an important question. I guess I would agree with Jay in a large respect that if you truly believe that this is the best thing customers can do, then it’s ethically appropriate to give them evidence of how they can improve their outcomes.

But there is a complication. Sometimes we can make ourselves believe that what we have is the best for our customers out of a bias we have toward our products or ideas. It’s tough to de-bias ourselves when we are associated with a particular product or idea and to take a truly objective perspective.

What I say is something a little different, not incompatible with what Jay is saying. What I’m saying is, among the various features of what you have to offer, which is the strongest? Which one is the best argument or the most superior feature of your case? Then raise that to consciousness first.

Even before you send people in that direction, highlight the strength of your case. That way people will be sure to have access to the best feature of what you are offering. Then they can decide compared to other possibilities whether this is the feature that will take them down the right road.

You cover a lot in Pre-suasion. It’s a very different book than Influence. There are even portions of the book that might be considered self-help or productivity, like the concept of “If-When-Then.” Were there any concepts you considered adding to the book, but didn’t make the final cut? If so, what can you tell us about them?

There is one that I really like and I couldn’t quite find the place for it. It has to do with how you present a budget for your project. You don’t want the people on the other side to push back against your budget and demand a reduction that will make it difficult for you to get a profit if you take the business. You also don’t want to alienate them by not being willing to work with them on price.

The strategy is to get them to accept that first offer that you make. Let’s say you’ve got a… what would be a standard budget for one of the big projects that your audience would look at?

It could be a quarter of a million dollars.

All right, let’s say it’s $250,000. That’s the budget. You’ve done your homework. You figured in every element and looked at every angle in what it would cost you to do this, and it comes out to $250,200. What you’d typically do is you round it off to $250,000. That’s a mistake.

Specificity breeds believability, right?

Exactly. A precise number tells people you’ve done your homework, you’ve figured it out exactly. The research shows it prevents pushback because it’s not seen as some pie in the sky number you just pulled out of the air. It’s seen as something that is based on your hard thinking.

Do you remember in high school, your math and science teachers would tell you, “On the exam, I want you to show your work, don’t just give me the answer. Show me how you got there; show your work.” That’s what I’m saying. A precise number does that. It shows people that you’ve done your work. And, if you have done your work, you don’t want to fumble that fact away. You want that to be an accurate perception of who you are.

That’s very helpful. Just let me ask this one last question. I think it’s a given that anybody involved in marketing or affected by marketing should read your new book, Pre-suasion. Assuming they’ve never read anything by you and they only had time to read two books this year…what other book written or co-written by you should they buy?

Clearly it should be Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. That’s the book that sets out the basic features of a request that increase the likelihood that people will say yes to it. Then there is another one that we’ve written along with two of my co-authors, Steve Martin and Noah Goldstein, called The Small Big. This one answers the question, “What are the smallest changes you can make to what you say that will produce the greatest increase in your success?” So, those would be the two.

I love both those books, so I definitely agree with you.

I’m glad to hear it.

The post Robert Cialdini Interview appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

It’s a simple question. Why did you come into work today?

Why do you get up every morning, get dressed, and commute to the job you have?

You could have any job. So, why do you, day after day, go to the one you have?

If you are sitting there without a clear answer to this question, now is the time to figure it out.

I learned my answer over a decade ago. To understand mine, and maybe get some perspective on your answer, I first have to tell you what I learned from a guy named Wing.

Wing’s Lesson

Wing was the Lead Mechanical Designer for an engineering firm I worked for. He had been there for many years and personified the definition of “company guy.’

He was the first one at the office in the morning and the last one to leave at night. Wing’s commitment to the firm was unshakable. If you were unlucky enough to go in over the weekend, you would probably see Wing there.

He was one of the most well-respected people in a 600+-person firm. Everybody loved Wing, including me. Even the President of the firm would happily share stories about Wing (like when David Letterman included him in a comedy bit).

Wing proudly displayed various pictures of his son and daughter throughout his office. Despite his success at work, these were his two crowning achievements.

Wing’s sense of humor and outlook on life was legendary. In fact, it helped me through a scary time in my early career.

My Probation

As a young marketer, I was tasked with conducting a marketing presentation for our office every quarter.

At that point, I was a terrible public speaker. Although I felt comfortable in everybody’s presence, once I stood in front of the office I became a bundle of nerves. My quivering voice and shaking hands made my lack of confidence apparent.

From the audience, Wing interjected, “Remember, you still on probation!”

I had been with the firm for three years!

But that was Wing’s way of telling me, “Hey, you are among family, this is no big deal.” To this day, once someone cracks a joke at me my nervousness goes away.

What A Robbery Taught Us About Work And Life

A couple months from that day, Wing developed brain cancer. As I said, Wing’s commitment was unshakable. He would still come into work. He was still the first one in and the last one out.

But we were seeing Wing slowly lose his battle against cancer. He lost weight. He underwent surgery but would still walk into the office with a giant scar around his head.

Chemotherapy was adding to the attack against his body. The admins would bring him food, but Wing was unable to eat.

Before our eyes, Wing slowly died. There was nothing we could do about it.

Practically everybody at the office attended Wing’s funeral. During the funeral, Wing’s daughter walked up to the podium. She was clearly distraught and inconsolable.

With tears streaming down her eyes she said, “I feel robbed today. My father spent so much time at work that I never got a chance to know him. Many of you people here know my father better than I do. So all I can feel is robbed.”

Among the rough and tumble engineers and construction professionals, there was not a dry eye in the crowd. As we walked back into work, my office cohorts looked like zombies. Reality had slapped everybody in the face, including me.

On that day, something became quite apparent to me as I questioned why I decide to come into work every day.

It’s For Our Family, It’s For Their Family

The reason we work has less to do with us and is more about the people we love.

Some people proclaim to “love what they do.” But if you really question them, they are most likely to admit that there is something that they would rather be doing with the ones they love that doesn’t involve marketing construction-related services.

Why is this important? Because your job is to keep the people at your firm employed. And like you, they work to support their families and the people they love.

That’s a heavy burden to bear. Heavier if you ever witnessed or conducted layoffs. And although it’s sometimes tough to put in the extra effort or get out of our comfort zone, we must not forget why it is we do what we do.

Work To Live

We also have to make sure we provide the appropriate attention to our loved ones. It’s import that we communicate the importance of this mission for our families at home and our extended families at work.

There is an old saying that goes, “You work to live, you do not live to work.” Truer words have never been spoken.

If you do not care about the people you work with…

…if you do not view and treat them as your family…

…if you do not concern yourself with their family’s well-being…

…find another job!

Someone somewhere entrusted you with the responsibility of helping to keep your co-workers gainfully employed. Therefore, you have a moral obligation to be effective and conduct every day, and every task, with the importance it deserves.

And today is the day to start.

Share Your Why

Now it’s your turn to share with the group. Why are you working today? There are no wrong answers.

Share yours by posting a comment below.

The post Why Are You Working Today? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

How many marketers have rolled their eyes because a firm owner “just didn’t get it?”

How many owners have wished marketers would stop for a second to appreciate that they know what they’re talking about?

Today, I’m going to share why this division exists. Plus, I’ll explain how the late 80s hair-metal group, Extreme can help you come to grips with this situation.

Shadow Boxers

I know what you are thinking. How can the love ballad, “More Than Words,” help here?

It can’t. No, we’ll have to dig deep into Extreme’s discography, deeper than anyone would ever care to go, to find our answer.

Hey, nobody can deny that More Than Words is a catchy tune. If back in the day, you bought the cassette single…nobody could blame you.

And if you decided to buy their album…well, maybe you thought you’d find some other catchy, toe-tapping, gems. Who can judge you for that?

But, if like me, you didn’t do any of that and made the conscious choice to buy their follow-up album…

…there is no way to justify that. And you better find a way to rationalize that $15 investment. It has taken 24 years, but I’ve done it.

It, in fact, provides the answer to this age-old dilemma.

3 Sides To Every Story

The concept behind Extreme’s “III Sides” album is there are three sides to every story:

1. Yours
2. His/Hers
3. The Truth

Now, let’s apply this concept to marketers and owners.

Yours

As a marketer, you’re hired by an owner (or member of his/her leadership). Your job is to grow their business.

You’ve gone through four years of school. You’ve attended classes, read books, and sat through presentations about marketing. You may have even taken tests and been certified. Marketing is what you do. You live and breathe it.

But when you tell Owners how to market their business, what do they say? No.

“We will do it my way.”

Huh?!? What?!?

Let’s get this straight. They are a technical professional. They have a technical degree. They took technical classes. All day long, they work on management and technical related things.

They have NO marketing training. Zero. Zilch.

They think the choice between the shotgun and rifle approach is made based on the animal you are hunting. They think a vertical is a measurement of height.

And when you talk about marketing, they look at you like you are from Mars.

It’s shocking and disturbing that they’ve been in business this long without an ounce of marketing.

You give them the answers they need. But they don’t listen to you, which seeing that they hired you for marketing is incredibly ironic…

…monumentally stupid…

…and wasting everyone’s time.

You see other marketers, like that lady from the construction company. Her firm made her Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). They gave her a “seat at the table.” They listen.

Why are you wasting your time with your owner?

The audacity of these owners is only matched by their naivety.

His/Hers

As an owner, the first thing you do isn’t hire a marketer. No. You start small (maybe one or two people). Over a few years, you bring in clients, do great work, and build your business into a multi-million-dollar operation.

Only then would you consider hiring a marketer to assist you in further building that business. And you’re not hiring Seth Godin or David Ogilvy. No, you are hiring a kid a few years out of college.

So, this kid comes in and tells you that you’re doing everything wrong.

What?

You’ve built a multi-million-dollar business.

What have they done?

What qualifies them to say their way is right and yours is wrong? A piece of paper and a few classes?

You’ve learned from real world experience. If what you do is wrong, you wouldn’t have been able to build a business big enough to hire them. Right?!?

Now the marketers want a “seat at the table.” But they are not professionals licensed by the state. In some states, giving them a “seat at the table” would make your firm INELIGIBLE to perform professional services. Why would you kill, or even jeopardize, the business you built just to make some kid feel important?!?!

The audacity of these marketers is only matched by their naivety.

The Truth

The truth is the third side. The truth is sometimes hard to hear, particularly because it doesn’t align exactly with the marketer’s or owner’s perspectives.

It is true. Those marketers haven’t built a multi-million-dollar business before. If they had, they wouldn’t be working for owners. They have to recognize, appreciate, and accept that fact. For any owner to blindly follow their direction would be foolhardy.

Marketers also have to recognize and appreciate that owners are not going to give just anyone a significant ownership stake in your business. Further, marketers have to understand whether that would even be viable in their firm’s situation.

On the other hand, owners have to recognize what they don’t know. Yes, it’s OK to ask your marketer to backup their advice. It’s OK not to blindly follow some kid’s advice.

But it is not OK to assume. It’s not OK to assume you know anything you don’t have solid written data to back up.

Yes, nobody knows your business better than you. But that’s like saying nobody knows your body better than you. It’s logical to feel that way. But if a blood test says you’ve got cancer…

…you’ve got to accept that data doesn’t lie.

Yes, your grandmother smoked three packs a day and lived till 107. But that’s not proof that cigarettes are healthy. It doesn’t justify ignoring your doctor’s data.

Owners like to think their business is unique. But the reality is that while every business is unique, just like every body is unique,

When your doctor, or marketer, shows you proof, you must accept it for what it is…

…proof.

Why Owner’s and Marketers Don’t Always See Eye To Eye

You have to remember that there are three sides to every story. And while your side is right, it’s never the whole story. You have to look at every issue from all three sides.

The post Why Marketers and Owners Don’t Always See Eye To Eye appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Last week, I attended the Society Of Marketing Professional Services’s Build Business Conference here in Philadelphia. It’s the biggest conference related to marketing and business development in the construction industry.

Here are my three biggest takeaways from the week.

Forget Hamilton…Be Like Thomas Jefferson (Or Maybe Michelle Martin)

Before the conference even started, I participated in this year’s “Side X Side” event. Side X Side is when the members of SMPS get together and do something positive for the local community. This year, we accompanied a group of inner-city kids on a field trip to the Franklin Institute.

It was your typical “Philadelphia field trip.” Big statues of Ben Franklin, electricity, and yes…someone dressed up like one of our founding fathers.

Now, if you are from the Philadelphia area, you’ve seen more people dressed up like founding fathers than you’d care to remember. If you are unfamiliar with the area, trust me there are lots of Ben Franklins, George Washingtons, and even Betsy Rosses to be seen here in the “City of Brotherly Love.”

After many years, you can get a little sick of it. So, when Thomas Jefferson stops by during lunch, my brain immediately sends a message to my eyes. “Start rolling.”

But I have to say, Tommy Jefferson won me over. To be fair, it was his message that won me over.

Jefferson explained that he was obsessed with fixing things he didn’t like. He didn’t like the architecture in his city, so he became an architect and changed it. He didn’t like the education system in Virginia, so he created Virginia State University. He didn’t like the government, so he wrote a document that started a war for independence.

Jefferson was a person who took action. His message seemed to sink in with many of the kids in attendance. Complaining doesn’t get you anywhere. If you have something to complain about, you can take action to fix it.

Michelle Martin, Marketing Manager, of SmithGroupJJR told her story of action in a conference session a few days later. She was having the all too common proposal-related issues with the technical staff. While many people just complain, she took action.

You might say she took an extreme amount of action. She did a great deal of statistical analysis of the firm’s proposal efforts. She opened people’s eyes to not just how much they were spending on bad choices, but how long it took them to put these proposals together. She developed training programs, charts, graphics, etc.

It didn’t happen overnight, but things changed.

After she was done speaking to a standing room only crowd, a swarm of people like I’ve never seen before lined up to speak with her. Clearly, far too many people are still having these struggles. But I encourage everyone to be like Thomas Jefferson, or Michelle Martin, and trade in your complaints for action.

I’ll Note That In My Next Presentation

For me, the biggest bang for my buck was something Meg Winch said while giving her take on shortlist presentations. I’m going to try my best to describe her point.

Has anyone ever said, “I loved what that architect’s team said, they have great chemistry, and their approach was spot on…but I noticed that they were using notes during the presentation. We’ll have to go with someone else.”

Wow. That’s the kind of question that gets you thinking. Only an amateur would use notes during a presentation, right?! But it would sure be helpful. Maybe it is time to rethink allowing people to use notes during shortlist presentations.

Hiding In Plain Sight

The third takeaway was from Wayne O’Neill. His major point was that, especially in the construction industry, there is a lot of opportunity “hiding in plain sight.”

For example, the oil industry is being battered by low oil prices right now. That’s bad news if you are in the oil construction business. But, it is good news if you work in the chemical market. O’Neill says chemical-related construction in Texas is booming right now due to low oil prices.

He said our clients’ businesses are being disrupted on a regular basis these days. For example, corporate, healthcare, and university clients are partnering to build new campuses. This drives the need for mixed-use construction to support these projects.

Businesses like Uber have disrupted the transportation market. With the introduction of self-driving cars, that industry may be disrupted again. What does this mean for those who design or build parking structures?

It might be wise to look at the trends that may be disrupting your clients. Maybe they present big opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Second To Last Note

I was so honored and humbled by all the people who came up to me to thank me for our little Help Everybody Every Day community, take selfies with me, comment on my tweets, or even invite me to lunch.

In particular, it’s great to hear people who are using my tactics and experiencing some really amazing success. If you have any successes to report, please shoot me an email.

Latest Openings

• Business Development and Marketing Manager – Pennslyvania

• Marketing Coordinator – New York

• Senior Marketing Coordinator – New Jersey

If you’re looking for people to hire, don’t forget to post your own ad.

The post 3 Big Takeaways From Build Business 2016 appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Sometimes contracts are won based solely on proposals. But more often than not, the final selection depends on your ability to win it during the “shortlist presentation.”

Recently, I asked Erica Olson, author of Speak Simple: The Art of Simplifying Technical Presentations to give us some pointers on improving our shortlist presentations.

Here’s a portion of that interview.

When it comes to presenting in front of clients, where do most people go wrong? What do you see as the common mistakes?

The most common mistake I see when conducting presentations or conversations with prospects and clients is the inability to be audience-centric. In general, people want to know how you can help them. They do not wish to hear your ego or your company’s credibility for this conversation. A prospect would not have begun the conversation if you were not viewed as credible already.

During client presentations, the selection committee wishes to hear how you can give them the end result and what they would be looking for while “interviewing” other companies. By educating the listener, you are positioning yourself as the expert without outwardly boasting like many companies do.

Focus on your audience’s needs, not your own. If the goal of your presentation is to win a project, then you’re focused on you, not your audience.

So, your goal shouldn’t be to win the project? Can you explain that?

When most presenters are asked what their goals for the conversation or presentation are, the response is almost always a self-centered, ego-driven, one which leads to pitches that make listeners uncomfortable.

This mindset revolves around selling yourself, proving you’re the best and regurgitating credentials. If you turn it around and ask yourself “what do you wish your audience to take away from this experience” the answer regarding goals will be very different, revolving around educating and building relationships.

Goals about serving the listeners make them willing to be attentive and are receptive to allowing the message to resonate with them. In other words, it sets the foundation for working relationships to be built upon. Your audience-centric goals should sound like “I want the selection committee to understand their own needs and obstacles.” The words used in this conversation are very different than the words that would be used in the self-centric goals.

I do not deny that the presenter cannot achieve the original goals, but that is done by meeting the needs of the listener first.

There are many tips out there about how to improve your presentations. Honestly, it can be a bit overwhelming. Specifically related to shortlist presentations, is there one piece of advice or one focus area that can make a big impact on the success of our presentation?

The biggest mistake I see when it comes to shortlist presentations is teams being ill prepared. This leads to the team of presenters merely repeating the information in the proposal.

The lack of preparation adds excess nervousness because presenters fumble their words, trying to think about what to say which leads to babbling off topic, repeating what the selection committee already knows, and going over the allotted time limit. The solution is to prepare and rehearse the presentation as a team so you don’t need to fumble for words, what information comes next, or miss out on precious Q&A time.

Secondly, many technical professionals feel compelled to speak over their audience’s head with industry jargon and acronyms to appear smart and impress the listener. This misconception creates a wall between the presenter and the selection committee instead of uniting them. The vast volume of knowledge the presenter spews out confuses the listener past the point of being able to ask questions.

One of the perceptions out there is that technical people, the people who end up making the presentations, aren’t necessarily the “life of the party.” They are stereotyped as introverted people who aren’t great at talking. What’s been your experience working with technical people? Is that true? And if so, what can be done?

Every individual has a different personality and learning style that guides them into the industry that they naturally fit best. These individual differences mean that some individuals are natural presenters and others have to work a bit harder at presentations. Selection committees are not looking for the most charismatic presenters to entrust with large sums of money; they are looking for the individuals that can speak simply enough to explain the scope of work and how to avoid potential issues.

They want a team that they feel comfortable working with and that they can trust. Achieving trust by explaining the work simply does not require a specific personality style.

I send people to client presentations and they know there is hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on the line. I really feel for them because how can they not be nervous? The stakes are just much higher when you are presenting in a competitive environment versus at a local industry event. Is there any way we can help people reduce the natural anxiety involved with shortlist presentations?

Preparation and practice can cure the majority of the stage fright and nervousness a person feels because they are reassured that they know what to say and will not feel the need to fumble for the next sentence.

This reassurance is a boost of self-confidence in itself. Remembering the presentation is just a conversation among people who want to get to know you cures the rest. In many cases, presenters need a certain amount of nervousness to fuel energy into the presentation. I see this in my clients regularly — they have drab rehearsals and that needed energy comes out in the actual presentation. One way or another, excess stress will be expelled in the form of pacing, fidgeting, or gesturing in a way that doesn’t match the presentation. If an individual is faced with excessive stress or tension, then visualizing a positive outcome, stretching, or breathing exercises may be necessary.

How much should you practice your presentation? Is there a rule of thumb concerning the minimum amount of practice time?

My general rule of thumb in regards to practice is a 10:1 ratio. For every hour of presentation, you want to spend 10 hours in practice.

Although I find this to be true, I acknowledge that every person is different and therefore this advice is subject to variations. A presenter will need more practice for new or freshly altered presentations and less practice for presentations that are recycled or routine with minimal updates. Two dress rehearsals are recommended with props or other demonstrations to make the transition smoothly to using it and putting it away.

I say 50% of your preparation is practice. But for a one-hour presentation I’m not asking you to stand in the conference room and repeat it 10 times. I do ask you to read through your bullet points and walk away to check your email, take a walk, use the bathroom. The time you spend in mindless activity, you should be running through your presentation and every run through should be different, better.

I approach practice the same way I approach studying for exams in college. I practice until practicing does me no more good. It is at that point that I am confidently ready to give a great presentation that is not reliant on notes.

I discussed this in a recent blog post – http://www.speak-simple.com/presentation-time-breakdown/

My mother is getting older and I find myself talking to her almost like I would talk to a child. (Do NOT click any link in any email, mom! That’s not the IRS calling you.) If I talked like this to any other adult, who wasn’t my parent, I imagine them getting pretty offended. In your book, you speak of the importance of interpreting information in your presentation. What caught me, in particular, was the concept of “talking to your grandfather.” Can you explain what you mean by that?

When I was working at the zoo, it was a librarian who told me “If you have any chance of improving your presentation, you need to talk to the old people”.

It took me a while for that advice to sink in and make sense, but it came to me as I sat trying to explain how digital cameras work to my 80-year-old grandfather. Her advice was about the mechanics of presenting: speaking slowly, loudly, and articulating the words you are trying to get across.

I found a second element. It was simplifying the explanation for another person who doesn’t have the same knowledge you have (hence the title of the book “Speak Simple”). As a presenter, it is easy to forget the years it took to build your expertise and to gain the vocabulary you currently have. Your audience doesn’t have that same education. Therefore, your listeners, in any situation, are dependent on how well you explain your knowledge in ways they understand.

Simplifying is not the same as “dumbing it down”, being able to simply explain your business proves you are the expert. It is far more difficult to simplify than to talk in code.

How do you know when you are “dumbing it down” vs. when you are “simplifying” it. How do you recognize the difference?

When a person says dumbing it down, it connotates one person is better than the other. That is derogatory, faulting the audience for not knowing what you know. It does not showcase a friendly, trustworthy, team-minded viewpoint the selection committee or project owner needs.

My application of simplifying is taken from a form of educating I was introduced to called interpretation. Interpretation is not translating one language to another. It educating the value of what appears meaningless.

In my application in the professional world, it means explaining your work to the audience’s level and not using industry jargon and high-level terminology. This concept of simplifying is also rooted in education and connotates that one person is knowledgeable, courteous, and patient enough to meet the needs of his/her listeners.

You recognize the difference by analyzing the words you are using while speaking. If the message is a lecture or you find yourself talking to the audience, you are likely dumbing it down. If you find yourself getting nodding heads and you feel as if you are in a two-way conversation then you are simplifying.

This mindset changes everything. It may be a subtle difference but you’ll find big results in feedback.

You mention using a “script” in your book. When I think of script, I think of a page with all the words I’m going to say. Is that what you mean when you talk about a script?

I do call it a script, however in my definition of “script” is not the write up of every word you wish to say.

Unlike in theatre, I never recommend for a presenter to memorize a script because individuals write and speak differently. If the words are memorized verbatim, it sounds robotic and artificial. Presenters who insist on memorizing a script risk adding the stress of remembering what was on the page, and are more likely, to make a mistake. If they miss a word or line, they end up freezing and having to start over.

Presenters who follow an outline feel more comfortable and less stressed because they have the ability to make eye contact and be more natural with the audience. This outline is what I refer to as the script. I recommend having bullet points to reference and practice what you want to say.

Every practice should have a different set of words. Every time you deliver should be different. This helps a presenter not to feel restricted and update the explanation to appeal to the listeners.

Erica Olson is a professional speaker, interpreter, and presentation coach who helps her clients become comfortable when presenting and relate with their audience.

The post Presentation Training to Win More Shortlist Presentaitons​ for A/E/C Projects appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I hate filling out forms. And it’s time to be honest. You hate forms too.

When someone hands us a form to fill out, he or she might as well be stabbing us in the heart. And we’re left there wondering, “Why do I have to fill this out?” It just feels like needless work.

Is it time to abolish forms once and for all?

Worst Form Ever

I’ve been going to the same doctor for years. And it seems like each time I go, I have to fill out the same stupid form. You probably know the form. It’s a checklist of my family’s medical history.

This doctor has treated me many times. He knows me. Why do I have to spend my valuable time filling out this stupid form, again, just so he knows my brother has hemorrhoids?

It’s the doctor’s job to know their patients and figure out what’s wrong with them, right? So, why is every doctor’s office, every hospital, basically a house of forms?

Can’t We Just Do Away With Forms?

Much to my dismay, when doctors don’t use forms, it’s a freaking disaster. It turns out that doctors make terrible decisions when they don’t use forms.

In his book, The Checklist Manifesto, Dr. Atul Gawande tells the story of a critical-care specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital named Peter Pronovost.

Imagine working for this guy. He created a brand new form. Then he forced his intensive care unit doctors to fill it out each time they inserted a line into a patient’s vein. Inserting a line is like the most routine thing doctors do when working in a hospital.

And his form was super annoying. The doctors hated filling this form out. They had to check off whether they did stuff like washing their hands. This form bordered on insulting. These doctors knew what they were doing and didn’t need it.

But let’s be glad Peter forced those doctors to use his stupid form. At just one hospital there were forty-three fewer line infections and eight fewer deaths as a result. Yes, there were eight fewer funerals for someone’s mother, husband, or sister. Using the form also saved two million dollars in costs.

“The fear people have about the idea of adherence to a protocol is rigidity. They imagine mindless automatons, heads down in a checklist, incapable of looking out their windshield and coping with the real world in front of them. But what you find, when a checklist is well made, is exactly the opposite. The checklist gets the dumb stuff out of the way.”

-Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto

Why We Really Hate Forms

Forms remind us that we’re fallible. Agreeing to use a form is admitting that you and the people you work with, despite all your abilities and training, aren’t perfect.

But in reality, my doctor probably wouldn’t even remember my name if he didn’t have his clipboard in front of him. He needs to know what health problems my brother has because I might turn out to have them too. And without that info, let’s be honest, it is possible that he’d misdiagnose me or miss telltale signs.

We’re not annoyed with the forms. We’re annoyed with us. We’re annoyed that, if we’re honest, we know that using forms will result in better decisions. Frankly, that’s like a punch in the gut.

That’s why filling out forms is so painful. We hate even the thought of it.

Let’s Cut Ourselves Some Slack

When I walk out my door and head to the grocery store, my wife stops me and hands me a list of things to buy. She knows I’ll forget something if I don’t have that list in front of me. She doesn’t do that because she thinks I’m a lesser person. She does that because she knows I’m human.

And I am human. I would forget to buy something we need. It’s Ok for me to need that checklist.

It is OK for me to put my trust in a form. It’s OK for me to fill out a Go/No Go form when considering going after a contract. It’s OK for me to let the form make the decision rather than making it and ultimately filling out the form to match my decision. Putting my faith in a form doesn’t make me less valuable.

It’s OK for me to use a checklist to make sure I’ve included everything in my proposals. Sure, I pride myself in my proposal development abilities. But letting a form “do my compliance check,” doesn’t mean I’m not good. Every tool we use in this modern age is basically a form. A project schedule, an excel spreadsheet, our calendar…they are all forms.

We need to cut ourselves some slack. It’s OK to hate filling out forms. It’s also OK to acknowledge that we are not flawless machines. We’ll make mistakes. We’ll make bad decisions. We can’t escape or ignore that fact.

But, like those doctors, we don’t want to make the mistake of not using a form, not trusting a form, when it could save the people we work with money, help our co-workers spend more time with their family…

…or even reduce the number of needless funerals. It’s time for us to embrace the form.

Do we want another form? No. Do we need another form? Yes.

Now It’s Your Turn

First, I want you to send this to anyone you know who hates filling out forms. Send it right now.

Next, I want you to tell us about a time when you forced yourself to fill out a form, even though you hated it. Share your story in the comments.

The post Why You Should Never Have To Fill Out A Form appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in my early 20s and my boss expected me to network with senior people working for potential clients. These people were fifteen years older than me.

How was I supposed to network with someone in a completely different age group? My kids weren’t entering into college… I had no kids. I had only recently graduated college myself and didn’t even have a girlfriend.

I knew nothing about designing or building pharmaceutical facilities. I had no war stories. I knew none of the players.

I wasn’t exactly a titan of industry.

I had nothing in common with these people. So, how was I supposed to develop a relationship? How was I supposed to get them to like me and, as a result, give my firm work? I’d rather shove hot pokers into my eyes than try to weasel my way into a conversation with some old geezer I couldn’t relate to.

Yes, that’s what I thought. And I was completely wrong. But what I was wrong about might surprise you. If you struggle with the idea of networking with people much older or younger than you…the same thing is probably blocking your success.

You see, within a few weeks, I would meet the person who I hold responsible for my job, my wife, and teaching me an unforgettable lesson about networking. And he was 25 years older than me.

Thrown To The Wolves

I was a few weeks into my job as a marketing coordinator for a mechanical/electrical/plumbing design firm. My boss, the Senior Vice President, drove me to an International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers event in Lawrenceville, NJ.

“Matt, I’m not driving you back to the office until you have someone’s business card in your hand,” he announced.

Thanks a lot, jerk…I thought.

I looked around and it might as well have been an AARP meeting or a casting call for Grumpy Old Men 3. But I needed a ride back to the office and you’ve got to keep the boss happy. So, I wandered the room looking for the friendliest face I could.

I finally found someone who looked reasonably friendly. I swallowed my pride. I went up and awkwardly asked for his business card. He introduced himself and gave me his card. His name was John. But more importantly, I bolted back to my boss and got my ride home that night.

Over the next few years, I attended more networking events. And John was always a comfortable person to go up to because I had already met him.

The Surprising Power Of Networking (Even When You Stink At It)

Flash forward three years later. I was jobless, trying to figure out what to do with my life, and living in a house with a few friends.

One morning, I was sitting in my Twinkie pajamas (yes, Twinkie snack cakes), watching TV. Suddenly, the phone on the wall rang.

“Hi, This is Tracy from Trauner Consulting. We would like you to come in to interview.”

You have to understand. I had not sent this woman my resume. I had not applied for a single job. So, I had no idea why she was calling me.

To make a long story short, it was John who was now working at Trauner Consulting and convinced Tracy to hire me (despite her reservations). And for years after that, John and I shared an office and worked side-by-side.

Dapper John And The One Who Didn’t Get Away

They used to call John, “Dapper John.” He was a handsome, well-dressed man in his 50s. He was a “ladies man.”

So when I had arranged a first date with a girl a little out of my league, I decided to ask John for some advice.

“Well, Matt,” he said. “I’ve got a place. But here’s the thing. You better really like this girl. Because if you take her to this place, you’ll never get rid of her.”

Yeah, maybe that’s the case for John. But we’re talking about me here. If there was any guy who could make a girl change her number, dye her hair, and move to a different state after a first date…it was me.

When someone hands you the golden ticket, you’ve got to take it. Maybe, with the help of John’s special spot, I could get a kiss on the cheek from this girl before she realized what a terrible time I am.

I’ve now been married to that girl for nine years! John did it again.

John helped me land the gal of my dreams.

How To Network With People Who Are Different Than You.

Think about it for a second. How much has John helped me?

If John called me up today and said,”Matt, I need one of your kidneys,” how could I refuse? I’d just have to say yes…here’s my kidney. That’s the power of helping people. That’s the power of reciprocation.

And I help John whenever I can. Most recently, I helped him pick out the right smartphone. And even though he’s basically retired, we meet up for lunch every few months.

John and I never had lots in common. But we built a reciprocal relationship based on helping each other.

The Biggest Networking Misconception

The next time you walk into a networking event, don’t think about how you’ll talk about commonalities with people and “build relationships.” Don’t think about how you’ll position your firm so they know yours is the firm to hire. Forget that.

Despite what you may have heard, you are not there to turn these people into your buddies or sell them on your amazing firm. You are there to uncover ways you can help them.

That’s the point of talking with people at networking events: simply to uncover how you might help them.

Not how your firm can provide them services. How YOU can help THEM.

Be curious. Ask questions. Dig deep. Uncover some way you might be able to help them.

It doesn’t have to be a big favor. It doesn’t have to be work related. But it has to be something.

Helping transcends all age differences. It transcends race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and political orientation. A six-year-old boy could help Caitlyn Jenner across the street and she would not forget that. An elderly woman could stop a protester from throwing a tomato at Donald Trump, and he would remember that. A 60-year-old man could help a 28-year-old land a job. And I will never forget that.

If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted.

That’s the true secret of successful networking.

Now it’s your turn, what’s the hardest part of networking with older people. Leave a comment below.

The post How To Network With Older People appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

It’s an accepted fact, right? First impressions are critical in the business world. They are especially important if you’re trying to sell services.

In seven seconds a potential client will determine whether they’ll buy from you or your firm.

If your shoes aren’t shined, a hair is out of place, or you stumble on your words…you’ll blow it.

Let’s think, for a second, about the enormous pressure that puts on us. You have to make a great first impression or you’ll blow the opportunity.

But is that really true? Do first impressions really make or break you?

Or is this some overhyped nonsense that people blindly accept as truth?

Let’s explore first impressions.

What Might A Bad First Impression Look Like?

Let’s imagine the worst case first impression scenario.

You are at a networking event and see a potential client. You muster up the courage to walk up to her.

But as you approach, you trip and spill your drink on her. And you fall face first onto the table (which promptly breaks).

As you fall, your irritable bowels kick in and it sounds like you’re wrestling the world’s largest whoopie cushion (and losing). To make matters worse, your face has landed in the client’s dessert, her favorite type of fudge brownie.

One of the servers doesn’t see you and, stumbling over you, they accidently drop chocolate pudding on the back of your pants.

You stand up to see the potential client is horrified. Her outfit is ruined.

And, as you stand up, this potential client notices a big glob of chocolate pudding falls from your pants. Worst of all, the brownie on your lip makes you look like you have a Hitler mustache.

You’ve just made the worst first impression ever.

But Is It Over?

Now, if everything you hear from the “experts” is right, you should just crawl into a hole and live out the remainder of your life with the rest of the mole people.

Don’t listen to them.

If your true focus, your true desire is to help people…

…and your actions back that up…

…it doesn’t matter what someone’s first impression of you is.

It’s the last impression that matters.

Last Impression

There are people who I initially had great admiration for. There are people I almost worshiped. But I would describe many of these people as worthless today.

Sure, they are smart people who dress professionally. But their intentions are not honorable.

And there are people who, after seven seconds, I thought were weirdos. But after a few interactions, I recognized how amazing these people are.

Plus, I can cite plenty of instances where I had a great first impression of a salesperson, but my last impression is terrible.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this too. So, why do we believe the “common wisdom” about first impressions?

The Cop And The Cop Out

I think there are two things going on here.

First, I think the concept of first impressions being critical was a way for people to convince others to look and act the way they wanted. This was before people dressed like Mark Zuckerberg could be business leaders. I feel like there are some outdated and leftover ideals from that age.

Second, I think we use it as a cop-out. Honestly, I do. If you feel like your first interaction with a potential client didn’t go well…

…it’s easy to give up or try less. It’s easy to blame it on a bad first impression. Or you might claim that someone not calling you back is rude and use your bad first impression of them as a reason to stop trying. Either way, the concept of first impressions is used as a cop-out, an escape hatch.

The First Impression Matters Little, It’s The Last Impression That Matters Most

Yes, there is such a thing as first impressions. It’s been studied.

But in reality, first impressions aren’t that important. If you didn’t nail that first interaction, don’t worry about it. It’s not the first impression that matters, it’s the last impression.

There is very little you can do in the first seven seconds of meeting someone that will ruin your chances with them. Don’t stress out over it.

Sure, there are some people you just won’t be able to reach. Nobody is going to be 100% successful. But if you truly want to help this person and your actions prove it, their last impression of you will end up being pretty good. That, my friend, is what truly matters.

Now It’s Your Turn

Share a time when your first impression of someone was way off. Or share a story about how you changed someone’s first impression of you. Write it down in the comments section. I’ll read every one.

The post Are First Impressions Really That Important? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Last week, we explored why people make illogical decisions. And I explained the concept of the elephant and rider.

Almost immediately, I got this question:

“Matt, where are you going with this? What do I do with this information?”

Ha. That’s a great question. I certainly want to give people actionable advice.

What Action Should You Take Based On The Elephant And Rider Concept?

The fact is, you can use this concept to change so many things about your marketing and life. Today, I want to take it down to the ground level. So, if you haven’t read last week’s post yet…you’ll want to read that first.

Let me give you a few small examples of how you can apply the elephant and rider concept to your life.

Removing The Mouse

Sometimes the smallest barrier prevents our elephant from deciding to move forward. For example, he might see a mouse in front of the path (which scares him from moving forward).

You might think that’s silly. How can something so small, so insignificant, prevent this huge elephant from moving forward?

But you are falling back into the trap of “decisions are based on logic.” You’ll have to catch yourself each time you fall into this thinking. If you don’t, your behavior and the behavior of others will continue not to make sense to you.

Not only that, you’ll also remain virtually powerless to influence that behavior.

Let’s get back to the mouse. Sometimes ridiculously small barriers stop us from doing the things that, logically, we should be doing.

One good example is following up with people after you meet them. Why do people come back from a networking event and throw a pile of business cards in their drawer? They know they should follow up, but they don’t.

Let’s think about the barriers that could hold people back from sending that follow-up email:

• What do I write to them?
• How do I follow up without sounding like a used-car salesman?
• How do I convince them to meet with me (or my firm) again?
• What if I ask for something and they don’t respond?
• What if they do respond?

There is a lot going on here. But it’s why I personally use and advocate the use of email scripts.

I’ve already provided the exact scripts I use to get meetings with busy people. But I have about 20 email scripts I use for different situations. I have one for following up with someone I met at an event. I have one for following up after a meeting. I have one for practically every situation.

By using these scripts, I don’t have to worry about what I’ll write. I don’t have to worry about how to ask for a meeting or what to do if they don’t respond. I just follow the script.

Email scripts remove those barriers. Removing the mouse helps my elephant move in the direction I want.

Actionable Advice

Think about the barriers that prevent you or the people around you from doing what they should be doing. How can you remove those barriers?

Show Me The Yacht Clubs

Now let’s discuss moving someone else’s elephant.

One of my friends asked me to talk to his mom.

She helped this yacht club transform their floundering gift shop into a successful profit center. And she was looking to turn that into a consulting business. Her initial thought was to put together a PowerPoint and pitch yacht clubs around the country.

Even though she had done this for many different types of retail businesses…

…my advice to her was to ease back and concentrate on getting just one more yacht club (ones that were already calling her) to hire her as a consultant.

Here’s how I explained it to her. My firm analyzes delays on construction projects. The approach we would take to analyze delays on a railroad line is the same we’d use for a shopping mall.

But if I went to AMTRAK and said, “Look how we analyzed delays on this shopping mall. We could do the same for your rail line….”

…They would laugh me out of their office. Even if I explain the process is the same, they wouldn’t care.

They want to see “social proof.” They want to hear that we’ve analyzed delays for other rail agencies before. That’s because, when undecided, we look to the decisions of others.

It’s completely logical to believe my friend’s mom could improve the results of any retail business. But business owners don’t decide to take a chance based on logic.

My advice was having two yacht clubs under her belt would give her enough social proof to “take the show on the road.”

Actionable Advice

You have to learn what moves the elephant and apply those things to everything you do. If you hope to win through logic, you’ll be far less successful.

The actionable advice here is if you want to help people decide, show them social proof. Show them others, just like them, are making the decisions you want to see.

Aligning With Existing Habits

Now let’s get personal. Be honest with me. Do you floss your teeth every day?

Let me go all TMI here. I had horrible teeth. I never took care of my teeth. I’m not sure I flossed one single time in the first 30 years of my life.

This is important because, logically, we know how important it is to floss. It’s not like I didn’t know. It’s not like my dentist kept that information from me.

There was no global conspiracy to keep me from flossing. There was even dental floss in my house. It was easily accessible.

If I was a machine that made logical decisions, I would have flossed. Flossing is the logical decision.

As a result of my illogical decision, I’ve had so much dental work that we joke my dentist’s boat is named after me.

But when I went there a few months ago, the dentist was like, “Wow, your teeth look great. They are so white.”

I started flossing. First, I had some success by dedicating myself to flossing one tooth a day (another example of removing barriers).

But the real success was building it into an existing routine. Each night, I make my son brush his teeth. Now we floss together every night.

As a side benefit, my son’s toothbrush flashes for two minutes (it’s a little lightsaber).

As a result, I floss every night and I brush for much longer than I have in the past (who knew two minutes seemed so long). Now my teeth are doing great. They are better than they’ve ever been.

Actionable Advice

This is an important example because it’s easy for us to blame ourselves for making illogical decisions. It’s easy to get down on yourself (or someone else) for not behaving like a “normal person should behave.”

People who don’t floss know they should floss. Overweight people know they should exercise more. People who smoke cigarettes know its bad for them.

You can educate these people on the benefits of changing their behavior. You can tell them every day the dangers of what they are doing. But you’ll just end up wondering why this “crazy person” is making illogical choices and your efforts have not changed them one bit.

You think the rider is in control. No, the elephant is.

You can’t help these people, or yourself unless you learn to accept this reality.

I could not simply will myself to floss every night. It is very difficult to create new habits out of thin air. And it’s near impossible to stop existing habits (even if they are bad). It’s much easier, and often more effective, to build on a pre-existing habit.

What do you want to change? What existing habits can you build on to help create that change?

The Bottom Line

As you can see there is so much to take away from the elephant and rider concept. Learning about psychology will not just help your marketing…it will help your life.

The post How To Move People To Action appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Have you ever been frustrated by an illogical decision a client, coworker, or friend has made?

You just look at it and ask, “What are they thinking?”

They’d have to be insane to make that decision, right? It can make you want to pull your hair out. It can make you want to scream at the top of your lungs.

Why do people who, for all intents and purposes, we know are sane…

…make completely illogical decisions?

Here’s just a few examples of things I’ve heard people, who I know are sane, say “no” to:

• I will give you a $60,000 contract, just introduce me to one person.

• Since people who buy your book often hire you as a consultant, shouldn’t you get that book in as many hands as possible?

• I will donate copies of my book ($4,000 worth) for you to give to your SMPS chapter. No strings attached.

No, I’m not offering these to you. Don’t email me for the $60,000 contract. :p

I’m just illustrating how sane people make completely illogical decisions.

If you think about it, we’ve all seen this. How could anyone understand illogical decisions? Why can’t people just make logical decisions like we do?

I think we deserve an answer. Don’t you?

The Logic Test

A while ago, I sent someone a copywriting sample I knew they’d hate.

It’s a brilliant, and relatively famous, piece of copywriting. But if you don’t understand copywriting, the idea of using copy like this will rub you the wrong way.

You can read it here. But let me explain what it is.

It’s a sales letter. The core message is this:

“Spend 45-90 minutes on the phone with me and I’ll develop a plan that will double or quadruple your business in the next 12 months. I won’t charge you anything. The plan is yours for free. And if you don’t find the call incredibly valuable, I’ll pay $1,500 to compensate you for the time (no questions asked).”

Now let’s think about that pitch for a second. That pitch alone is extremely compelling. Think about the confidence you’d need to make someone that offer.

But then he spends six or seven pages explaining that he’s dead serious. He details his reasoning, the people he’s helped, and even who he won’t accept a meeting with. It’s a very sophisticated piece of copywriting.

The Elephant In The Room

As a business owner that meets his criteria, you can’t give a logical “no” to this sales letter. Your brain won’t be able to reason its way to a no.

Only your “gut” will be able to deny this offer. Only a psychological or emotional response will offer you a way out.

You’ll say, “It just doesn’t feel right.” But you might not be able to put your finger on just why.

It might be the fear of doubling your business (yes, that’s a real thing). Or the fear of failing. It could be the sneaking suspicion that your time will be wasted and this person won’t give you the money. These are all very real reactions you might have.

What it won’t be is a logical argument. There is no logical decision but “yes.”

The Elephant In The Room

So many of our decisions are like that. Your “gut instinct” is like an elephant. Your logic is like a boy riding that elephant.

If the elephant sees a peanut and starts running towards it, there is nothing the rider can do. The elephant is in control.

We are not these mechanical beings that make decisions based on logic. We just like to think we are. The reality is, we have many cognitive biases that shape our decision making. These are fixed-action patterns, pre-programmed responses, our brains use to help us make decisions. And these biases, these patterns, do not care about logic.

Not only that…we can’t turn them off.

Over 90% of the time, our psychological and emotional responses take over. The elephant takes over. All our logical rider can do is try to justify why he moved to that location.

He’ll say, “That’s where I wanted to go anyway.” That’s known as the interpreter mechanism.

You see, it’s very hard for our logical rider to admit he has no say in where the elephant goes. Therefore, we subconsciously come up with some BS rationalization for our behavior.

In our heads, this rationalization is truth. It came from our mind so it must be true, right? As a result, an illusion that we just made a logical decision is created.

Guiding The Elephant

Let’s get back to the illogical decisions of others. The problem isn’t that their decisions are illogical.

No, the problem lies within us. We have a false expectation that people use logic to make their decisions. That’s very rarely true.

If we continue to believe this fallacy, and base our perceptions on it, we’ll continue to be let down by the decisions of others.

On the other hand, once we are aware of the elephant. Once we stop expecting logic from others, we can understand illogical decisions and guide the elephant towards the destinations and decisions we want.

Now it’s your turn. Share one decision you’ve seen that defies all logic. Don’t include names or other identifying characteristics.

The post How To Finally Understand Illogical Decisions appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Did you ever wonder what’s going on in the heads of the people evaluating your proposals? Today, you’ll get some insight into what it’s like being on the other side of the equation.

What is it really like to serve on selection committees? What secrets do these people hold? What are they not telling us?

People send me books all the time. I always read at least a portion of them. But I rarely, if ever, mention them on Help Everybody Every Day.

However, I must make an exception for Gary Coover’s “Secrets Of The Selection Committee”. You’ll want to run, not walk, to your nearest Amazon.com store and buy this book.

To give you a sense of this new book, Gary let me grill him in this candid interview.

Your book is called, ”Secrets of the Selection Committee.” Can you tell us a little bit about your history on selection committees. Were you on one, ten, or one hundred? What role(s) did you play?

I’ve served on probably 30-40 selection committees as a City Engineer and as a District Engineer for a large state special district, mostly for the selection of engineering consultants for large and small Capital Improvement Projects, either by SOQ or RFP.

Were there any experiences you had on selection committees that you found surprising?

Quite a few! The biggest surprise was how quickly submittals are reviewed, especially for the first cut. I was also surprised the first time we didn’t open any of the SOQ’s since we already knew all the firms who had submitted. Another surprise was finding out a prominent local firm was being deliberately excluded from all initial selection pools due to previous protesting by one of their principals.

 From your perspective, is being on a selection committee difficult? Or is it pretty easy to make a choice?

It all depends on who and what is submitted. It’s difficult in that being on a selection committee takes precious time away from your other job duties, and you often have to spend that time slogging through a huge pile of seemingly impenetrably written proposals. If the people and firms in the proposal are already known to the committee members that really helps. And if there is a particular proposal that is clear and concise, that “gets it,” then that is a welcome relief.

Looking back, do you see the use of selection committees as a fair and democratic process? Were the cards stacked in some cases?

It’s usually pretty fair, everyone’s trying to find the best fit for the project at hand. But there were times an elected official would let it be known they were “very interested” in a particular firm getting selected.

I hope it’s changed by now, but years ago the City of Houston selection committees would only pick the top three and then submit the names to the Mayor’s office for the final selection – undoubtedly after he checked his list of campaign contributions!

In your experience, how much influence could a single person have on the committee?

Quite a lot, especially if that person is the end-user customer, or if they are a technical committee member who knows the most about the project requirements, or if they have specific experience (good or bad) with one of the submitting firms.

 In general, how much time would you reasonably spend reading each proposal?

First pass? Sometimes less than a minute, maybe even a matter of seconds. Flip, flip, flip – if nothing jumps out or grabs our attention, it goes in the reject pile. Same thing if we saw something (or someone) that didn’t meet the basic qualifications or we didn’t trust them or want to work with them.

If there was no clear winner, once the field got narrowed down to the top three or four, we would go a little deeper and spend some time studying the approach, the makeup of the team, and the résumé of the PM and key staff. This maybe took 5-10 minutes. But rest assured we didn’t have time to read every single word.

During you time on selection committees did you see any shifts or trends in the proposals you reviewed?

The major trend I noticed was that some firms were beginning to really lean forward and submit some very specific client-centric proposals as opposed to the standard off-the-shelf generic bs. Some even went so far as to show conceptual designs and renderings of the very project they were proposing on. Sure, it’s a huge expense and a big gamble for them, but they justified it since they really wanted to win (and often did).

 Knowing what you know now, what’s the single biggest thing people can do to ensure their proposal has the best shot with a selection committee?

Make it easy for them to pick you as the winner by clearly and concisely demonstrating trust, value and performance in writing that is exceptionably readable.

In the book, you say, “Sometimes It’s Just Not Your Turn.” What do you mean by that?

More true for local and municipal selections, they don’t want to give all the work to one firm no matter how good they are. There’s often an unwritten rule of needing to spread the work around so one firm doesn’t dominate the market. And they usually want at least two good firms to choose from – the competition will help keep everyone hungry which hopefully results in better work and better prices. In some cases they might not select a particular firm because they would be perfect for the next project coming up.

You mention that selection committees can easily see through your “BS.” What do you mean by that?

They’re looking for specific details, but when instead get claims like “we are leaders in ….” without any back up, then their credibility pretty much goes out the window. Over-the-top claims, mindless clichés, meaningless platitudes that give no real information are all a major turn-off for any reviewer. Makes you look like you’re all hot air and no substance.

Were there times when you thought you knew you wanted, but your minds were changed during the process?

Yes, many times. Someone on the committee might bring up an issue that the others weren’t aware of, everything from major problems on previous projects to concerns about the PM or about a firm’s workload and capacity. Or, conversely, a glowing recommendation from a committee member would help sway the result.

What are the mistakes people make when it comes to teaming with subconsultants?

There can be several mistakes, from way too many subconsultant team members (a cast of thousands), to not enough subconsultants (leaving huge gaps in the required experience), to not checking to see if the client has issues with any of the proposed team members. And if they don’t show a long successful track record with any of the subconsultants, that’s a huge red flag – you need to show proof you can all work well together.

If you have a question for Gary, please leave a comment and I’ll see if we can get them answered.

The post Secrets of the Selection Committee appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

The idea of marketing people reviewing price proposals is crazy, right?

Yet, inevitably, a price proposal will find its way to your desk. Do you just assume it is perfect? Or is there some value you can add to the process?

I’m going to explain how you can review cost proposals, even if you don’t know how to perform the work that’s being estimated. I’m also going to describe why I feel you can provide significant value to the process.

But first, let’s talk in general about price estimates.

An estimate is an educated guess. Let’s say I asked you to estimate how long it would take you to walk an entire block in your neighborhood. You’ve probably walked down an entire block many times. So, how long would that take?

There are a couple ways you could come up with that number.

Gut Estimate

You could make a wild guess (i.e. go with your gut). A good guess might be 7 minutes. 10 minutes seems like too long. 5 minutes seems too short.

The problem with this approach is it is completely baseless. Our gut is often wrong when it comes to time estimates. This is known as the “planning fallacy”.

Relative Estimate

Another way you could do it is to make your conclusion based on a fact you know. For example, you know it takes you 15 minutes to walk to the train station which is 3 blocks away. So, now we’re going to say it takes 5 minutes to walk one block.

The problem with this approach is you have to make assumptions. For example, we are assuming that all three blocks are the full length. But maybe the train station is in the middle of the last block. We’re assuming the conditions we are walking in are the same (It’s not snowing or raining, etc.).

However, the relative approach is going to be better than your gut. It’s based on something we have measured and know to be true.

Industry Statistics

In this approach, you use industry averages. So, you’d say that the average person walks 3 miles per hour (264 feet per minute). Let’s say we find out that the average block is 800 feet. So, the average person would walk the average block in 3.03 minutes.

This is very common approach to estimating in a few industries. The problem is it assumes your task is representative of the average AND your ability to complete that task is average.

That could be a risky bet to make.

Historical Data Approach

The last approach would be to use your own historical data. Let’s say you happen to keep track of how long it takes you to walk each block as you stroll down the street. Then you use historical data from comparable blocks to estimate how long it would take you.

You could also go a step further and run what’s known as a Monte Carlo simulation with this data to determine an even more probable estimate.

Using historical data is absolutely, positively, the best way to estimate. But here is the unspoken truth about price proposals. Very few people use historical data to come up with an estimate. Many, many people, use the first approach…their “gut.”

Many firms, despite capturing this information in their accounting systems, don’t make it easily available to use in estimates.

The argument you might hear against using historical data is that, “every project is different.” While there is a degree truth to that, we also know that gut estimates are deeply flawed.

Logic Flaws

Reviewing price proposals is a bit different from creating them. Reviewing price proposals is all about logic. What you are looking for are possible flaws in logic.

Let’s say the RFP prescribes three on-site meetings. Yet, you notice that your estimate does not include time for meetings. This is a potential flaw in logic that either someone has to explain or needs to be corrected.

How about if your subconsultant has estimated 100 hours, but then $1,500 for milage. You can simply calculate that, at 54 cents per mile, a person can drive 2,777 miles. At 60 miles per hour, that will take you 46 hours. Now, do they plan to spend almost half the time in the car? Or are they not charging for travel time? This is a question that needs to be asked.

Here’s another scenario. Your firm estimates to construct a building for $50/square foot. But you know the industry average is $150/square foot. Why do they think they can build it for a third of the industry average? Maybe they have a reasonable explanation. Maybe they don’t.

What if they estimate that 300 admin hours will be needed during the course of this contract. But you’ve had the contract before and can see that they’ve never used more than 50 admin hours. Why are they estimating 300 now? Has something changed?

Here is another scenario. You know the client has a budget of $100,000. Your estimate is $105,000. That’s another type of logic flaw. Is $105,000 your absolute best price? It’s illogical to assume a client can snap their hands and $5,000 will appear.

There could also be issues with what is not said in the RFP. What if it doesn’t ask for any meetings. You don’t even need a college degree to realize any project will require at least one meeting. Are there meetings in your price? Did you define how many?

How The Estimating Approaches I Described Fit Into This

You’ll need all of the approaches I talked about to identify logic flaws in estimates. You’ll need your gut. You’ll need to compare it to other estimates you’ve seen. You may need to consider industry averages. And, if you can, you should look at historical data.

Your job, as someone reviewing the estimate, is not to tell them what the price should be. It is to identify flaws in logic. It’s to ask questions, listen to the answers, and then identify any logic flaws in the answer.

That’s not only how, but why marketers should review price proposals.

Now it’s your turn. Do you think marketing people should review price estimates for technical work? Leave a comment below.

The post How To Review Price Proposals appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Let’s say you’ve been doing something, like putting together proposals, or writing, for a long time. How do you know your work is the best it could be?

What if you could check the quality of your work without your expertise coming into question?

Today, I want to tell you about a tactic that has improved my work product every time I’ve used it. But first, I want to tell you about a resume I spent a lot of time working on.

Natural Blinders You Can’t Take Off

Just the other day, I was putting together a resume for one of our proposals. It wasn’t just any resume. It was THE resume: the resume that would determine whether or not we got shortlisted.

This resume had to be spot on. If this resume wasn’t up to snuff, I was ready to call up our joint venture partner and pull the plug. It was that important.

It was also for someone who has worked for us since well before I arrived at the company. I had put together many resumes for this guy. I’ve known him for at least a decade. My principals have known him for twice that.

I spent something like two hours on this two-page resume. Once I was done, I sent it to one of my principals, a director at our firm, our joint-venture partner, and a valuable subconsultant. I asked them to weigh in on whether it was good enough to get us the job.

I was thinking it was pretty good. At least, I felt this was the best resume I could put together for this fellow, in this situation.

Both the principal and a director at my firm responded with, “Wow, this is great!”

The Disadvantage Of Knowledge

Let’s think about this situation. My principal, the director, and I all have a disadvantage: knowledge. We know the guy in the resume. We know a good deal about his capabilities and what he’s done. We’ve all read his resume before, many times.

Here’s the problem. You simply cannot make an independent and objective assessment of anything you have a great deal of intimate knowledge about. That could be your proposals, marketing materials, website, strategy, or whatever.

Knowledge is the natural blinder.

How To Avoid The Danger Of Knowledge

Unfortunately, you can’t unlearn what you know. You can’t wipe away the perceptions you established.

But you know who can…

…someone without any intimate knowledge…

…someone with no already established perceptions.

A fresh set of eyes, a fresh perspective, is invaluable.

I wasn’t surprised when our joint venture partner had a ton of constructive criticisms about the resume. They have the advantage of fresh eyes. They didn’t know this guy and had never seen his resume before.

Did I agree with every comment? Absolutely not. Some, I felt, were just bad for the resume. But others were spot on. And, if their information was right, some of my data was just bad.

Being awesome, they volunteered to talk to my guy and take a stab at revising the resume. I made sure to explain what I didn’t want changed (and why), why I had made certain decisions, and the narrative I was trying to create.

Know When To Hold Them

I know what you are thinking. But Matt, I can’t just go showing our proprietary information to just anyone!

Let’s talk about this. I think people are insane about this concept. If you are Lockheed Martin proposing to build a top secret facility, by all means don’t let anyone see anything in your proposal.

If you are working on a proposal to design-build a new, massive bridge in New York City…for the love of God…do not show anyone anything.

If this document holds some inside information that only you know and could damage your business if anyone else saw it…yes, keep it close to your chest.

But, if you are proposing to design a library renovation in Danville, IL or build a school in Dover, DE why not get a fresh set of eyes from your admin, an internal “red team,” teaming partner, Aunt Nelly, or even someone like Bernie Siben?

A resume is not proprietary. Now more than ever, resumes are flying around like crazy. Your competitors’ HR departments likely have access to your staff’s resumes.

A letter or introduction is not proprietary. Most I’ve seen are generic and would only hurt your competitors if they had it.

In fact, please give your competitors your old, lame, and ineffective proposal content! You’d be lucky to have them copy it while you’re working with a fresh set of eyes to make new, mind-blowing proposal content.

The only things you could possibly argue are proprietary are your approach and price.

First, you don’t need a fresh set of eyes on your price. The only one who can put together your price is someone in your organization.

But always, always, triple check your price.

Then there is your approach. Again, most approaches I’ve seen, and I’ve seen them in every service line…in every market, are just generic and almost identical to every other approach.

It is laughable to think your approach to laying out conduits is somehow unique. With that said, I do think having a fresh set of eyes, whether that’s an admin or someone like Bernie, Q/A it is wise.

The Fresh Eye Approach

There is a natural bias when it comes to our own work. As a result, it’s hard for us to look at it independently and objectively. Whenever you can get a pair of “fresh eyes” to question your work, to try and poke holes in it…

…the result will be something better.

Now it’s your turn. Do you see a fresh pair of eyes as a necessary strategy or security risk?

Leave your thoughts over at this article’s comment section.

The post How The Unavoidable Blinders Can Hurt Your Proposals (Or Other Important Efforts) appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

It seems like the perfect situation. You get an email from a firm asking you to be on their team for a proposal they are putting together. They will be the “prime” and you will be their “sub.”

Teaming arrangements can be great. There are plenty of firms out there that generate most of their revenue through teaming arrangements. Scraps from a large prime could easily be a feast for a small sub.

Not only that, but putting together proposal materials as a sub is almost always easier than putting together a prime submission.

Sounds great, right!?!? But before you say yes, there are a few things that you should consider.

Can You Perform The Scope Of Work?

This seem obvious. but it comes back to communication. What exactly is the scope of work this prime expects you to complete?

Will They Actually Use Us?

This might sound like a silly question, but it’s not. Primes want to win work. If they are smart and strategic, they will find the right teaming partners to meet all their participation goals/contractual requirements and give them a competitive advantage.

But they also want to generate revenue and profit. And primes usually have more resources than subs. If they can provide any specific service with their in-house resources, they may do that instead of using your firm. Yes, there may be long-term problems with that strategy. But few firms ever get criticized for their overabundance of long-term strategy.

This would leave you in a bad position, you helped them win the work and they stole back what you thought they had promised you. Not only that, they wasted your time and money.

Even though it often takes far less time and money to put together proposal materials as a sub, it would be foolish to discount both the hard and opportunity costs associated with this effort. They could be substantial.

How do you combat this? First, you could put together a teaming agreement, signed by both parties, that outlines either the scope of work or percentage you will get. Of course, if things go south you’ll have to sue the prime. In the end, that may cost you more than the revenue you would have generated.

You could also team only with firms you have a very high degree of trust with. These will often be primes that see the value of your contribution. A great relationship with a prime can be just as prosperous as one with an owner.

Do They Have A Reasonable Shot At Winning This?

It makes no sense to adhere to strict go/no go procedures when selecting opportunities to prime, but throwing them out the window when a teaming opportunity comes your way.

The problem is, you don’t know what you don’t know. They could have an “in” or advantage that you don’t know about. But on the other hand, they could be swinging wildly at any RFP they see. You have no idea.

They may also be reluctant to give you a great deal of information about their strategy and advantages if they believe you may team with another prime.

I would suggest you have a conversation to learn more about why they selected to go after this contract. It will be near impossible for you to perform a calculation to determine their chances. Ultimately, you will have to use your judgement based on what you hear and what they are willing to reveal.

Do We Have A Better Shot At Winning This As A Prime?

If you missed this RFP, that alone may indicate you aren’t well positioned for the contract. However, there are cases when a firm will share an RFP that you actually have a better chance of winning as a prime.

In this situation, you should have a conversation with them. I believe there is a bit of an ethical question here. If a firm sends you an RFP that you would not have seen, it would be pretty unethical to submit as a prime and not include that firm on your team. If someone gives you an RFP, I believe you have an unspoken obligation to them.

If it came out today, and you check that website in the afternoon…that’s a little bit of a different story. But for the most part, my rule of thumb stands.

Like I said, you’ll have to make the case that there are more reasons for them to be your sub than to prime. Depending on their ego, that may prove difficult in even the most obvious of situations. But again, if this is a trusted teaming partner, your two firms should be able to come to an agreement.

Does The Compensation Work For Us?

This is a complicated question. Sometimes, the prime will dictate the rates or cost. It’s important for you to know what those will be before you agree to team. You want to be careful about primes putting you in a money-losing situation.

Even If They Win, How Likely Is It That We’ll Be Needed?

I admit, this is a rare situation. But with large on-call contracts, clients may throw in every service they can think of when they will only likely need two or three.

This may not be a question of go/no go. Rather, it may be a question of level of effort. Unless you have some inside knowledge, it will be hard to determine the extent your services will be needed on “on-call” contracts. It will probably be a lot easier for lump sum contracts with a fixed scope.

Asking these questions will help you determine whether or this teaming opportunity is right for you or not.

The post Questions You Should Ask Before Agreeing To Be A Sub appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

We all have something in our life or our job that, let’s face it, despite our best efforts…

…just doesn’t seem to be working.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could fix that thing?

Today, I’m going to open up and share with you how I solved the biggest problem in my life. And I’m going to let you in on how you can use the “Big Problem Solution” to remove the biggest roadblocks in your life.

But first, let me share my embarrassing “before story.”

The One Universal Truth

There is only one universal truth in this world…

…I am horrible with money.

My challenges with money during my 20s were the stuff of legend (legend of the idiot):

• Lived paycheck to paycheck with no savings

• Got into a big dispute with credit card company and had collection agencies calling me

• Forgot to pay college loan and got default notice

• Best friend had to loan me $1,000 just so I could move out of my mom’s house

• Many, many overdrafts in my bank account

Yet, today it’s a completely different story. I am by no means rich, but I have more than enough money in my savings. Other than my mortgage, I’m completely debt free.

My credit rating is disgustingly high. For months, Chase has been begging me to increase the limit on my credit card. But I simply have no need for more credit. Sorry Chase.

I straight up paid for the car I drive with cash. And I recently sent my mom on a trip and bought her a high-end gym membership.

I’m not trying to brag. Like I said, I’m not rich…not by a long shot. Instead, I’m trying to show you just how drastic my financial life has changed since I used this “Big Problem Solution.”

Because guess what…

…I’m still terrible with money.

So, let me explain what I did.

I’m Not That Guy

My college roommate was great with money. He tracked every dollar he ever spent in a spreadsheet. He kept a meticulous budget. As soon as a bill came in, he would pay it.

Everybody knows that’s how you manage your money. That’s what you are supposed to do.

I tried all that stuff. I bought software. I tried to track my spending. I tried to set up a budget.

But I forgot to enter purchases into my software. Bills would come in and be thrown into a pile until I forgot about them. Whoops.

I felt like a failure because I couldn’t do this simple thing that “everybody else” did. It felt like I couldn’t operate like a “normal” human being.

I didn’t want to admit to anybody that these “normal” financial best practices were so difficult for me. People would just assume I was lazy, incompetent, or simply lacked motivation.

Luckily, a tragic event helped free me from these misconceptions.

If I Ever Find This Crook…I Might Thank Him

One day, I went to Target. While in the store, my iPod got stolen from my car. My $500 iPod was gone. The cops and Target could only respond with, “sucks for you.”

It might sound like no big deal for you, but that iPod was like Gollum’s ring or Cinderella’s glass slipper. It was precious to me.

I didn’t have $500 bucks to replace it. I didn’t even have a credit card.

I needed to find a way to replace that iPod as quickly as possible with no savings and no credit.

The Big Problem Solution Thesis

For me, the expert’s advice wasn’t going to help. “Getting motivated” wasn’t going to help.

My current “system” wasn’t going to help. So far, it had failed spectacularly.

That’s when it dawned on me. The system that worked for other people simply didn’t work for me. And I was easily able to identify what cog in this system wasn’t working…me.

I didn’t want to track every dime I spent. I didn’t want to remember to transfer money into my savings account. I didn’t want to develop and maintain a personal budget.

I needed a different system.

You see, here is the thesis of the “Big Problem Solution:”

The systems that works for everybody else won’t always work for you (or your firm).

My Big Problem Solution

I needed a system for saving $500 that didn’t involve me. So, I created it.

I set up a new online bank account that transferred $100 from my checking account the day after I was paid.

The funny thing was, I didn’t even notice that money was gone. I’d never see it in my checking account. Any money in my checking account or pocket just gets spent (almost like magic). But I don’t spend money that isn’t there.

Two and a half months later, I had enough to go get that iPod.

Big Problem Solution Application

The power of systems is once you have one that works, the more you use it…the more you’ll benefit from it

So, I used the same process to save for an engagement ring (I just changed the amount). I can still remember walking into Robbin’s Diamonds with more money in my pocket than I’ve ever held in my life.

I applied the same system to automatically pay my bills. And when my car was paid off, the system started saving that money too. When I got married, that same system started sending money to my wife’s account to cover my portion of the new bills.

I recognized the “normal” systems, the systems everybody else says to use, simply don’t work for everybody. Sure, 95% of them do (the shoe tying thing works for all of us, right?).

But the 5% that don’t work for you will continue to screw up your life if you don’t replace them with ones that will.

There is a great passage in a new book coming out from Sam Carpenter that I would like to share with you:

“From your current first-floor living quarters, I’m going to urge you to descend the newly discovered stairway that leads down into the basement. I want you to go down there to see the machines that have been creating your life results back up there on the first floor. And so I’ll ask this question again: When you finally see your systems relentlessly working away down there—the undirected machinery that has been producing the random results upstairs where you live—will you take control of that machinery? Will you vigorously direct those machines to produce exactly what you want, or will you just turn your back and quietly trundle back upstairs and continue to let them run unattended down there in the basement, churning up the same old random unsatisfactory results?”

Big Questions

If you are serious about changing your results, start with these questions:

What result do I want to change?

What system is producing this result?

Which parts of this system aren’t working?

What is the system I can use that doesn’t involve those non-working parts?

ABT (Always Be Testing)

Don’t worry if this new system isn’t perfect or whether or not it will even work. Just make sure it doesn’t include the “cogs” that aren’t working in your current system.

Keep testing new systems, using this process, until you find one that works.

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Listen, if there is one thing I’ve learned it’s this…

…most of the advice you get is terrible.

“Conventional wisdom” is often wrong. And no advice, no system, will work for absolutely everybody.

It’s up to you to identify which systems in your life don’t work and rigorously test new systems until you find the ones that do.

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment and give us an example of some of the bad advice we get from people.

The post How To Solve Your Biggest Problem appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

What happens when you ignore page limits?

As Matt DeVries utterly compelling article explains, maybe you win the contract. Then maybe your state’s Supreme Court upholds that award.

You should read the article at Best Practices Construction Law, which included this description of the situation:

“The Facts. In November 2010, the State issued a request for proposals to perform exterior renovations to the Governor’s House in Juneau. The request imposed specific submission requirements and guidelines. Paragraph 8 of the request included the instructions relevant to this appeal, which provided in part:

The maximum number of attached pages (each printed side equals one page) for criteria Responses shall not exceed: 10 pages.

Paragraph 8 warned that “Criteria Responses which exceed the maximum page limit or otherwise do not meet requirements stated herein, may result in disqualification.”

One contractor submitted a 7-page proposal; Silver Bow submitted a 10-page proposal; another contractor submitted an 11-page proposal; and Alaska Commercial Contractors (the awardee) submitted a 15-page proposal.

The Protest. Silver Bow protested the bid and argued that the over-length bid by Alaska Commercial was non-responsive and that the successful bidder should have been disqualified. The State countered that the page count was a matter of form and did not confer an advantage on the winning bidder.”

This Is Where It Gets Interesting

The court’s decision is actually quite logical. They basically concluded the winning proposal actually had less words than what was submitted by the protester. Therefore, the extra pages did not provide an advantage.

“The procurement officer for the Division accepted and reviewed all four proposals. The procurement officer concluded that Alaska Commercial’s proposal did not contain more substance than the others, that it was not in the State’s best interest to “needlessly reduce competition” by disqualifying acceptable proposals “strictly on form,” and that all four proposals had technical deficiencies. When the Division subsequently performed a word count, it found that Silver Bow’s proposal had 6,226 words, while Alaska Commercial’s proposal had 5,773 words”

See more at: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ak-supreme-court/1673876.html#sthash.0zoHs4pg.dpuf

That’s very interesting, right?!?

What Are The Implications Of Something Like This?

First off, let’s think about this. Assuming that Alaska Commercial’s proposal had one inch margins, their text would have to  average 13-14pt in size to only get 385 words on a page. Right off that bat, that’s odd.

Then there is this. Nobody in their right mind would submit a 15-page proposal when the RFP limited it to 10. That is, unless they knew it wouldn’t be rejected. Note that two of the four firms who submitted broke the page limit.

Also, remember that paragraph 8 said, “Criteria Responses which exceed the maximum page limit or otherwise do not meet requirements stated herein, may result in disqualification.” Of course, that’s very wishy washy. That gives the agency an out. But think about it. Many agencies use that same language. Yet, we adhere to page limits…at least I do.

At the very least, I think this ruling puts every firm that will submit a proposal to this agency in a weird situation. Has this agency set some sort of precedent that they’ll have to behave consistently with?

I’d like you to engage in a thought experiment with me. Let’s say you are submitting a proposal with a 10-page limit to this agency, what would you do? Would you adhere to the page limits?

Post your answers in the comments.

The post Firm Ignores Page Limits, Wins Contract. Here’s What The Courts Said… appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Proposal design is a challenging topic. Everybody seems to have their opinion about what your proposals should look like.

As someone trying to get a proposal out the door, dealing with proposal design can be frustrating. Especially if the people with those opinions don’t have any graphic design training.

While you understand their opinions are important, they can feel arbitrary or baseless.

So, today I’m going to give you the three golden rules of proposal design. But first, let’s discuss what your design should do for you.

The Purpose Of A Proposal Design

Proposal design is like dressing appropriately for an interview. The job of the design is to “get out of the way.”

Nobody says, “This candidate was a terrible fit. But they dressed so nice; we made her CEO.”

Similarly, when evaluating proposals, nobody says,

“They had the wrong approach, no relevant experience, and their price was way too high…” “…but when we saw the cover of their proposal, we just had to give them the $50M contract.”

That has never happened.

However, we have to accept the fact that our world is not perfect.

Some people (stupid people), will not hire you because your look isn’t “professional” enough for them. And I know firms have been “dinged” because their proposal cover depicted a conceptual design the audience didn’t like.

So, when it comes to designing a proposal you need to focus on getting out of your own way. You want it to look professional, be easy to read, and highlight the key information.

The Professional Look

Your proposal can’t be scribbled with crayons on a piece of paper. It must look professional.

What I mean by that is it should look like a document from an established business. It shouldn’t look like something thrown together by a child.

If it’s a letter proposal, it needs to look like a business letter. That means it’s on letterhead, has page numbers, etc.

If it’s a formal response to an RFP, it needs to look like a business publication (while maintaining strict compliance).

Once your proposal looks professional, that’s good enough. You don’t want to waste precious time tweaking it to perfection. If your proposal looks professional, making it look “even more professional” is not going to be a big win.

And I’ve discussed previously how you can get good graphic design for cheap.

Easy To Read

Far too often, proposal designs don’t even take readability into consideration. They’ll just have a fancy 8 or 9 point font because it “looks nice.”

Then it gets printed out and sent to the client.

What’s the age of your clients? They’ll rarely be in their 20s. They are far more likely to be in their 40s (or older).

These older clients find it hard to read your small, cool-looking font. So, what do they do? They don’t read your words. This is a case where you’ve gotten in your own way.

Readability needs to be a core consideration of your proposal design.

Highlight The Key Information

If there is an important point you want to make in your proposal, it should slap your client in the face. What I mean by that is it should be so prevalent that the reader can’t possibly miss it.

“Call out boxes” are a good option when highlighting important info.

In addition, it should be very clear where everything is. You shouldn’t have to cross reference the table of contents to find things.

The Three Golden Rules Of Proposal Design

Every proposal design must follow these general rules:

• Looks Professional
• Easy To Read
• Highlights Key Information

Ultimately, once your proposal design meets this criteria, you should move on to spend your time improving the content of your proposal.

Now it’s your turn. What features do you think a proposal design should have?

Leave a comment below.

The post 3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday seemed to creep up on us from behind…

…making us feel guilty that we’ve barely polished off our kid’s Halloween candy…

…let alone put even one brain cell into buying holiday gifts.

And for me, it’s time to share what has turned into a yearly holiday-themed blog post and email. In years past, I covered blast holiday emails and how I’ve sent customized holiday emails

But today, I want to talk about giving. Each year, there are more ads, yet fewer great gift ideas. And if you work for, with, or are related to, engineers and architects…

…it’s just that much harder.

So, this year I want to tackle giving gifts, specifically gifts for engineers and architects. I came up with some suggestions so you can spend that precious brain energy elsewhere. Plus, I have two special gifts for you way down at the bottom of this.

Should You Give Gifts At Work?

Let’s tackle the big question first. Isn’t giving gifts, especially to your boss, going to make you look like a kiss up?

Here’s my take. You may work 48 weeks a year, slaving away, trying to meet the demands of engineers and architects. There may be times when you want to throw them off a bridge. You may have rolled your eyes at, raised your voice to, “been short” with, or even avoided them on occasion.

But when it comes down to it, your current livelihood depends on them. And it’s easy to lose sight of that. So, one day a year, why not show them they are appreciated…

…that you actually care about them?

Ultimately, you probably spend more time with engineers and architects than you spend with mom and dad. Think about that. These people are like your family…

…your hard-to-please, detail obsessed, family. But family none the less.

The least you can do is get them a gift during the holidays.

Finding The Best Gift

We know from social psychology that the best gifts:

1. Are unexpected
2. Have perceived value to the recipient
3. Are personalized (i.e. Reflects something about them)

So, the tough part is finding the right gift. But I’m here to help.

8 Thoughtful Gifts For Engineers And Architects

Here’s my list of thoughtful gifts for engineers, architects, etc. You can get them on Amazon. They are expensive enough to stand out, yet cheap enough not to raise lots of eyebrows.

Lego Architecture

Deep down, you know they love Legos. Who doesn’t?

Lego has sets that let you build some of the world’s most iconic buildings. My boss has Frank Loyd Wright’s Falling Water in his office.

Here’s a reasonably-price option:

Lego Space Needle

If you think they’d like a more free-form experience (architects in particular), there is a full architecture set available. This might be a good gift for a group to give to an architect.

Desktop Tranquility Fountain

Desktop Tranquility Fountain

It’s funny how many senior engineers I know have these in their office. Anything you can do to make an architect or engineer’s life more calming and tranquil will actually help your life.

If that doesn’t work, Amazon also sells tranquilizer guns.

Elon Musk Book

Elon Musk Book

What looks cooler on an engineer’s desk than a book about Elon Musk? Your engineer might just go all hyper loopy when they see you’ve got this for them.

Ukulele

Ukelale

Engineers, in particular, tend to be into music. There is a strong math-music connection. Deep down, every engineer wishes they could be a rock star – even if for just a moment.

You’re not going to buy them Kurt Cobain’s guitar, but this ukulele has a few less strings and is a little easier to pick up.

Deluxe Woodcarving Set

Deluxe Woodcarving Set

Another trend I’m seeing with engineers is that they sometimes gravitate towards wood working as they get older. Can I explain it? No.

But here’s the thing, don’t buy them the set without the proper protection. I also know engineers that are missing fingers due to this hobby.

Blue Print Cufflinks

Blueprint Cufflinks

I wear cufflinks. That’s because there was an engineer I knew from Korea who wore them. And I thought it looked sophisticated and different.

He would have loved these blueprint cufflinks (which I own a pair of).

Plaid Bow Tie, Pocket Square, and Lapel Pin Box Set

Plaid Bow Tie, Pocket Square, and Lapel Pin Box Set

Of course, we can’t leave out the “bow-tie” architect crowd. Here’s a bow tie, pocket square, and lapel pin set.

Music

My “go to” gift to engineers is some music I think they would like. Remember, engineers tend to gravitate towards music.

Here’s a good one that you may not even knew existed. Past Masters is the Beatles’ one and only rarities compilation. It contains one of my favorite Beatles’ songs…”Rain.”

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you that it is OK to give gifts to engineers and architects (or other people you work with). And now you have a few ideas to get started.

Oh, Here’s My Gift To You

In the last year, we’ve had 1,140 people join the Help Everybody Army. To welcome these new subscribers and thank everybody for the continued success of HelpEverybodyEveryDay.com, I’m making the Kindle versions of Proposal Development Secrets and The Magic Of Winning Proposals free from December 6th (today, my birthday) to December 10th. So, click the book titles to grab your free copy.

Finally, let me give a shout out to Lindsay Diven who posted her list of Gifts for Your Favorite AEC Marketer. Check out her tumbler for marketing coordinators at the link.

The post 8 Thoughtful Gifts For Engineers And Architects appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I think every marketer has experienced it at least once. You look for an important piece of firm information, but it’s not readily available. Or at least, it’s not where you think it should be. So, you spend more time than you should trying to dig it up.

It’s not uncommon for even the smallest marketing department to deal with thousands of electronic files. Even if you have an information/content database, you will still have thousands of electronic files.

So, it’s important to set up a file structure that makes it easy to quickly find the files and information you need.

One of the biggest wins you can set yourself up for in the marketing game is easy and quick access to your information.

The Two Rules Of Thumb For Marketing File Organization

There are two general rules of thumb when it comes to organizing electronic files.

1. You should be able to get to any file within 3-4 clicks.
2. You should have no fewer or more folders than you need.

For example, one person might set it up like this:

Proposals/Construction Management/P0101 Brayard School Library Renovation

Another person might set it up like this:

Proposals/Schools/P0101 Brayard School Library Renovation

You wouldn’t want this:

Proposals/Construction Management/Schools/Renovations/Middle Schools/Libraries/PA/P0101 Brayard School Library Renovation

That does seem organized. And sure, you’ll be able to find the Brayard school proposal quickly (if you know it’s a middle school library renovation project). But not everybody potentially looking for that file will have that kind of knowledge.

So, you need to be careful to walk the tightrope between not enough organization and too much granularity.

Using these two guidelines, you’ll be fine.

Project Photos

Regarding project photos, you will eventually have a lot of them. While at first it will be fine to use a simple file structure (like outlined above), ultimately I think you want to use a photo management tool that can draw from one shared library.

Apple Photos can do this. I also believe Google’s photos desktop app works like this too. There are many desktop apps out there that do this.

If you have your photos, properly tagged, in a trusted system…they’ll be easy to get to.

People Will Disrespect Your File System

Here’s another important note. I promise that someone will disrespect your filing system. Someone will throw a file in the root folder. Or they will make a new folder and misfile something in it.

One way to deal with this is to restrict writing access to the root folder. But that can get tricky. A better, but more time consuming approach you can do is have someone look through your files once a month and properly file any outlaw files or folders.

Like anything else, if you let your file system become the “wild west” without a sheriff, it will be too time consuming to clean things up after a few years. That’s what happens to a lot of firms.

Now let’s hear from you. Leave a comment and tell us what’s the best way to manage your firm’s electronic files?

The post The Unconventional Guide To Content Management appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

One of the most interesting questions I’ve received is, “How can we gain the courage to be different?”

That’s a great question. Many of our problems in business and life come down to fear. Fear protects us and, unfortunately, it limits us.

Most of my readers now recognize that “different is better than better.” But it can be frustrating when you or the people you work with aren’t willing to take the steps necessary to step out and be different.

So let’s look at what it takes to be different and how we can muster up the courage to be our unique selves.

On Being Different

Looking at it from a sociological perspective, our society both shuns and glorifies those who are different. Our society is kind of bi-polar that way.

You can love Kanye West’s music, but also think he’s a completely insane person. You can glorify some of the ways he is different and vilify others.

You can walk into any high school and see just how those who stray from the norm are treated.

When you think about it, being different is a minefield! Why would anyone take a chance and try to be different?

So, when you walk up to an architect and say, “we need to be completely different than any other architecture firm…”

…He or she will probably agree with you on principle.

But ask that same architect to do something wildly different and she/he will probably decline.

It’s actually been drilled into our head not to be different.

So, Where Do You Get The Courage?

You test being different. And you test in “Low Consequence Environments.”

For example, if you want to test being different in your proposals…

…test it when the odds aren’t in your favor.

If you are an engineer that wants to be better at networking…

…test it at a networking event where there are no possible clients.

In Low Consequence Environments, if you fail…there’s no real consequence.

Once you test it, ask yourself, “Is this what I’m afraid of?”

Like anything else, once you do it a few times, it’s not that scary.

Now it’s your turn. Submit a comment and give us some examples of people being afraid to be different.

The post How To Gain The Courage To Be Different appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

In a recent post over at ENR, Scott Butcher talked about the dark cloud that hangs over the concept of selling in our industry. Let’s dive deeper into that and look at a huge misconception that may be affecting your business.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from executives in our industry is that they hire “rainmakers,” but it rarely seems to work out.

They find someone who has the right resume, is outgoing, loves to talk to people, is neat, professional, and assertive. This is the perfect person to gain more work from your existing clients and bring in new ones, right? Yet, it just never works.

These executives are scratching their heads. They did everything right. Why did they watch it fail?

The Terrible Assumption About Extraverts and Selling That Plagues Business Development In Our Industry

It never fails. People repeatedly make the same tragic mistake when it comes to business development. They assume that extraverts have an advantage when it comes to sales.

Worse, since they are not extraverts, they assume they don’t have what it takes to sell. So what do they do? They go out and hire an extrovert to sell for them.

And when that doesn’t work, they just assume they hired that one extrovert who doesn’t deliver. So, they look for another extrovert to fill that role.

How stupid is that? Assuming an extrovert is good at sales is like assuming a blond is dumb or a woman can’t be a great engineer. It’s so stereotypical and ignorant that it is offensive.

The Research That Proves My Point

Here is the truth. Again and again, academic research has shown that being an extrovert does not give you any advantage in sales. In fact, it’s the opposite.

And the best sales people, they are NOT extraverts. They are not even introverts (although better than extraverts). They are just average people like you and me (known as ambiverts). Extraverts who are consistently great at selling (I’m sure there are one or two) are the exception, not the rule.

I want to share some research, from the Wharton School’s Dr. Adam Grant, on the subject with you:

“According to conventional wisdom, productive salespeople are likely to be extraverted, which is the tendency to be assertive and enthusiastic (DeYoung, Quilty, & Peterson, 2007). Studies show that extraverted people tend to gravitate toward sales (Barrick, Mount, & Gupta, 2003) and are more likely to be selected for sales positions by managers (Dunn, Mount, Barrick, & Ones, 1995). As Costa and McCrae (1992, p. 15) explained, “Salespeople represent the prototypical extraverts in our culture.”

“However, studies have returned weak and inconsistent relationships between extraversion and sales performance. For example, extraversion was not significantly related to performance in wholesale manufacturing sales (Barrick, Mount, & Strauss, 1993), health and fitness sales (Furnham & Fudge, 2008) or business-to-business sales (Stewart, 1996).”

“Despite the widespread assumption that extraverts are the most productive salespeople, research has shown weak and conflicting relationships between extraversion and sales performance. To resolve these puzzling results, I propose that the relationship between extraversion and sales performance is not linear but curvilinear: ambiverts achieve greater sales productivity than extraverts or introverts. Because they naturally engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close, but are more inclined to listen to customers’ interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident.”

“…ambiverts have a sales advantage over extraverts regardless of their standing on the other four big five personality traits.”

Now That I Think About It…

I didn’t really even need to give you proof, did I? I bet if you think about the people you have known throughout your career that consistently brought in work…they were ambiverts or even introverts.

In fact, it’s quite likely that you and most people you work with are ambiverts (you can take a test to find out at www.danpink.com/assessment.

Now What?

Let’s face it. It’s easier to continue believing the discredited hogwash that extraverts are the people who should be developing business for your firm.

But if you have the courage to accept the truth, there are plenty of resources that can help you gain comfort in that role. For example:

• I posted the exact word-for-word scripts you can use to get meetings with busy people which you can get at this link.

• There are many helpful books out there. Dan Pink’s “To Sell Is Human” is the perfect book to read if the idea of selling makes you sweat. You can learn more about it at this link.

• And if you want to see more research on business development in the A/E/C industry, Scott and the SMPS Foundation recently published A/E/C Business Development – The Decade Ahead, which you can get here at this link.

• You can even listen to a podcast where I interview Adam Grant about his research at this link.

Ok, I’ve given you the truth about business development and personality type, the science that backs it up, and all the tools you’ll need to get more comfortable with a greater, gulp, sales role.

Now it’s your turn to share. Leave a comment below and tell us what your biggest challenge, fear, or frustration is when it comes to business development.

The post The Hogwash Fact About Extraverts and Selling That Everyone Thinks Is True appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

It’s frustrating because you see others try the same thing and it seems to work flawlessly for them. What’s going on?

Why do things look so easy for everyone else? Are these people just better or smarter than you?

The short answer is no. The long answer is much more complicated. So, let’s talk about firsts.

Learning To Walk And Kindergarten

This week was filled with firsts for my family.

My son Declan celebrated his first birthday. He is learning, with much trial and error, to walk.

My son Logan had his first day of Kindergarten. With just 2.5 hours a day of kindergarten, he will be expected to read in a few months.

When you are a child, you literally fail your way to success.

I can’t tell you how many times Declan fell down after taking a step or two. I have head marks on my hardwood floors.

But he stands right back up or we stand him up. And he falls right back on his face. And two steps turns into three.

Logan will be called in front of the class and asked to read words he doesn’t know. And he will guess wrong in front of his peers. As Mrs. Bear, his teacher, told us…

…learning is a risk. We have to push these kids to take risks.

It would be insane to expect Declan to stroll down the street on his first, tenth, or twentieth try. It would be crazy to think Logan should be able to read Herman Melville after his first day of kindergarten, or even his first day of third grade.

Taking Risks As Adults

But something will happen to Logan and Declan when they get closer to adulthood.

They’ll start to believe they should be able to succeed the first time. They’ll see how easily someone on YouTube can hit that note. And they’ll expect they should be able to hit it too. And if they can’t after the first or second try, they’ll just say…

…”I just suck at singing.”

They’ll see me drive my car and assume they can do it too. You just put your foot on the gas and turn the wheel, right?!? Easy.

But they’ll run over a curb, cut someone off, or bump into something. And they’ll think…

“I’m just a bad driver.”

Somewhere along the line, they’ll completely forget to expect failure. They’ll expect to get it right from the start. And if they don’t, they’ll just assume there is something wrong with them.

I know because I was the same way. I was 6’3 in 7th grade and just assumed I would be Michael Jordon (or at least Manute Bol) on the basketball court. I tried to shoot and play basketball like Mike. But I failed spectacularly.

And the kids who logged countless hours playing basketball while I played videogames were on the court while I rode the bench.

“I guess I just suck at basketball,” I told myself.

And this foolish expectation of immediate success only gets worse as we get older.

Fail, Who Me?

When you are an adult, you don’t expect to fail. You don’t go to a job interview and say, “I’ve never done this before, so I’ll likely blow it the first couple times.”

No, you are expected to come into a new situation and crush it right away. And if you don’t, there is something wrong with you. Right?

And since everybody wants to look successful, 99.9% of people will not volunteer stories of their early failures. They won’t tell you about the hours and hours they spent trying to get it right.

The person interviewing you will not tell you about their struggles. Those are stored in the far recesses of their mind, never to be accessed.

It’s simply an unfortunate mass insanity, a mass delusion, which we have to live with.

You Don’t Have To Accept The Lie

Like I recently told a good friend of mine, the first blog post you write is going to suck. The third, fourth, and fifth blog post is going to suck. Accept that and accept that you are going to get better.

My early blog posts are embarrassing. They sucked.

And it took me years to learn how to write and manage proposals. I learned from my, often disastrous, mistakes.

Don’t Try To Run Before You Can Walk

The mistake I see people make is one I’ve made many times. I tried to run before I could walk.

I focused on shooting the ball behind my back with my tongue out, rather than simply dribbling the ball well.

And when I failed, I just threw my hands up and blamed my perceived limitations (I wasn’t born good at basketball). The difference between me and Jordon is he kept at it. He was cut from his childhood team. Instead of accepting that, he doubled down on identifying where he needed to improve, practicing more, and trying harder.

If you fail, you can accept the lie (and throw up your hands) or you can double down…

…on trying again…

…on learning the skills you need to succeed…

…on getting better with each attempt…

…on learning from each failure.

If you don’t take the time to keep trying and improve the core skills you need to succeed, you’ll never get the chance to take your highlight reel shot.

Now is your turn. Leave a comment and tell us about someone you admire who failed, but kept at it. I’ll read every comment.

The post Should You Expect Failure? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

One of the questions I always hear is:

“How many marketers should my firm have?”

That’s a very good question. And there are different rules of thumb used to answer that (like one marketer for every 20 people). I’m not sure if any of them are valid.

I think the real question is, “How do I justify hiring new marketing staff?”

So, today I’m going to show you exactly how to justify hiring new marketing staff in a manner that would be difficult to argue against.

But first, we have to answer a question that may have been in the back of your head for years…

“Is my own employment justified?”

Is Your Employment Justified?

This is an interesting question that I want you to consider. Is your firm losing or making money from your efforts? Or are they at least breaking even.

This topic was touched on at one of the Build Business sessions I attended. Some of the “insights” in that session were great. But one, in particular, seemed incorrect.

The Fallacy of Salary

Many years ago, I heard an engineer state that as long as he billed an amount that equaled his salary, he had justified his employment.

Wrong.

It’s the exact opposite. He just justified himself as a financial liability.

You see, what you cost a business is far beyond your salary. They have to lease the place you sit, give you the tools you need, match at least a portion of your healthcare, pay taxes on you…

…they pay people like administrators, human resources professionals, etc., to support you…

…they spend money to acquire and retain clients their staff can bill…

… They may even match your retirement contributions.

Believe it or not, those extra costs could easily amount to 150% of your salary. How much ranges from firm to firm.

At the very least, you better be billing 250% of your salary. I say, “very least” because if the firm isn’t making a profit off you, you are not fulfilling your function (which is to help your firm realize profits).

How That Relates To Marketers

In the Build Business presentation, they spoke about how marketers can justify themselves. They used a metric known as Total Payroll Multiplier (which you can learn more about here). They suggested marketers just multiply their salary by the total payroll multiplier to calculate the total return a firm should expect from their investment in you (i.e. The cost of having you around).

The problem is that calculation ignores several factors:

• Non-Reimbursable direct expenses
• All indirect expenses
• The point, which is firms need to make a profit off you (or at least someone)

So What’s The Right Equation?

The short, but challenging, answer is:

All the costs associated with employing you + 10% of those costs (i.e., a reasonable profit).

The best approximation of that would probably be:

Your salary + (firm’s audited overhead rate x your salary) + (your salary x .10)

Because a lot goes into (and is left out of) the firm’s audited overhead rate, this will just be an approximation. But it will probably be closer than using the total payroll multiplier.

Let’s say you make $50,000. Your firm’s audited overhead rate is 1.5 (150%). Then the calculation would be:

$50,000 + (50,000 x 1.5) + (50,000 x .10)

$50,000 + $75,000 + $5,000

= $130,000

Revenue vs. Savings

$130,000 sounds like a lot, but there is another factor to consider. That is savings.

For marketers, it’s not always simply about bringing in revenue.

If having you around saves your firm $130,000, then you’ve just justified yourself.

And that brings us to the useful insight from that same presentation.

Justifying New Marketing Hires

One of the speakers talked about how he justified a new marketing hire at his firm. And he illustrated it with the chart below.

The argument he was making is, since the cost of technical staff is higher than marketing staff, there would be significant monetary savings by bringing on a new marketing person (who could do that work).

He could have even done the math to show the difference between the current costs and a scenario where a marketing coordinator was doing the work (and the technical staff was billing).

Because of opportunity costs, there would be a stark contrast.

His pitch wasn’t that a new marketing coordinator would make the firm more money. It was that the savings would far outweigh the costs.

That’s a smart way to justify a new marketing hire. Do the math and answer this question:

How much more money would the firm save or generate by hiring this new person?

Do you think this is the right approach? What do you think is the best way to justify new marketing hires? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.

The post How To Justify Hiring New Marketing Staff appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Remember how you felt the last time one of your marketing initiatives worked? We’ve all experienced that. It feels tremendous. It feels like you are in command of destiny.

But they don’t all work, do they? Every marketer has experienced the feeling of failure when one of his or her campaigns or pet projects underperforms. It feels like you drove the family car into a tree and you are slowly shuffling home to face mom and dad.

I have failed a lot. I’ve run advertisements that didn’t drive one single lead. I developed a video podcast that was downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, but didn’t generate any interest from clients. I’ve sent email campaigns that have underperformed. I’ve made go/no go decisions that have cost my firm thousands of dollars.

And I’d do it all again…

Everything I do, every decision I make, is a gamble. And it’s not just OK. Frankly, it’s pretty cool.

Marketing Is Professional Gambling

Let’s be honest. Let’s make no bones about it. We are gambling every dollar we spend on marketing.

Like every professional gambler, we’re not fools. We try to play smart. We try to bet when we think we’ll win and walk away when we know we’ll lose.

But the higher the stakes, the more our brains try to trip us up.

Our Minds On Gambling

How our minds deal with money is a strange thing. When we are dealing with small amounts of money, we’re very careful not to spend our money foolishly.

For example, let’s say you are playing a $200 game of blackjack. The goal is to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over.

And let’s say, you’re dealt two cards worth a total of 20. Would you say, “hit me” and ask for another card? No way.

But how do we act when we deal with much larger amounts of money?

Let’s take our 401Ks as an example. Many of us have money that goes from every paycheck into our 401K funds. They are typically mutual funds. For most people, a good portion of all the money we earn go into these funds.

…and, make no mistake, it is gambling on a much grander scale. But what we’re trying to do is “beat the market.”

Think about this, when you take into account the fees they charge us, less than 3% percent of all mutual funds actually beat the market.

So, if you were at the blackjack table and are looking at 20 and somehow your inner idiot says, “hit me.”

…you actually have a better chance of winning that blackjack hand than you do beating the market with mutual funds.

So, when $200 is on the line we are careful to make good choices. But when tens or hundreds of thousands are on the line, it’s almost like we spend that money without even thinking. It’s almost like that money is not real.

None Of The Above

People dealing with large amounts of money they can’t see or touch seem to fall into Brewster’s Millions Syndrome.

In the movie Brewster’s Millions, a man is given 30 days to spend $30M or lose his inheritance. He quickly figures out that’s not an easy thing to do. So, he spends it on ridiculous things, like running a mayoral campaign for “none of the above.”

Of course, that’s fantasy. Nobody would go to great lengths to spend a budget because if they don’t their budget will be reduced…

…right?!?

I’m sure THAT has never happened.

Yeah, right.

And what about already sunk costs, like salaries? Hey, we’re going to pay Bob anyway so why not have him work on a proposal we have absolutely no chance of winning. It’s not like we are losing money…

…yes, you are. You are blowing massive amounts of money. You just can’t see it.

How about getting Bob to spend his time on something that might actually generate revenue?

Even what the marketing staff spends their time on is a bet you are placing. You are even gambling with your own time.

Know When To Hold Them

When you think about it, we get to gamble for a living. That’s actually really cool.

We’re gambling every dollar we spend on marketing. And let’s treat it like that. Let’s think like professional gamblers when we’re betting.

If the bet is small, the chances fair, and the reward large…let’s not overthink that bet.

But let’s also recognize the big bets and give them the careful thought and attention they deserve. Let’s not bet foolishly just because that money can’t fit into our pocket.

Now is your turn. Leave a comment and tell us about a bet you made, in business or life, which paid off.

P.S. There is still time to register for the Help Everybody Every Day LA Meet up this Wednesday.

The post Is Marketing Professional Gambling? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

But ultimately, it’s not. It’s just that 99.99% of people go about it completely the wrong way.

That’s why today I’m going to show you exactly how I’ve arranged meetings with busy high-level officials and business owners. One even apparently blew off a congressional committee to meet with me. Plus, I’m going to give you the exact word-for-word scripts I use to accomplish this.

But first let me explain why so many people fall flat on their face when trying to set up meetings with clients.

Do Unto Others

If you are anything like me, you are busy. Frankly, there’s no way I can complete everything I want to get done.

Yet, people go to great lengths to meet with me. They want to sell me stuff: branded products, telemarketing, directory listings, advertisements, etc.

Much of this is screened. I never see or hear it. My powerful junk filter or receptionist/office manager makes sure these people don’t get through.

But every once in a while, I’ll get a message like this:

“Hi, this is Bob from Directory Online. I’m calling because I was under the impression you provided (service my firm provides). Please give me a call at (some phone number).”

Inevitably, that exact same call will come in a couple times a month.

Seriously?

I know exactly what you’re trying to do. You are trying to sell me a directory listing. And you are the one millionth person wanting to sell me a directory listing.

And how you are going about it really turns me off. You sound like the evil, manipulative salesman persona every person hates.

I can smell sleazy sales tactics a mile away. We all can, right? If there is one thing us humans are great at it’s identifying a sales pitch a mile away.

The last thing I want to do is take time out of my busy schedule to hear your pitch!

Don’t pitch me your product or service.

Get Meetings With Busy People

The only hope you have of getting meetings with truly busy people, like me or you, is to:

1. Contact them with the express purpose of giving them something so helpful that they would be foolish to pass it up.

2. Be concise, specific, sincere, and forthright about who you are, how you got their name, and what you are asking them to do.

3. Make it easy for them to say yes.

Make My Life Easier

Let’s go back to Bob. He’s trying to sell me a directory listing.

Sure, I’ve used directories like Angie’s List to buy services (pour concrete, fix my roof, etc). But frankly, with so many out there aimed at professional services, I don’t know which ones are worth it and which ones are a waste of our money. And we can’t afford a listing with all of them.

So, what can Bob give me that I would be foolish not to want?

What if he offered to give me three case studies on how direct competitors I’ve heard of are gaining new customers using directory listings?

Bob has now offered me something that I’d be foolish not to take. That’s a step in the right direction. But it’s not that easy to get time with me. The truth is, I still probably wouldn’t take that call.

Why should I trust him? My “sales detection” guard is still up. Plus, he hasn’t made it easy for me to say yes.

Specificity Breeds Believability

To get me to yes, you have to give me a comfort level that I’m dealing with someone who is honest and truly has my interest at heart.

Therefore, Bob needs to get specific. Who is he? How did he get my name? What exactly is he offering me? What exactly does he want me to do? Exactly how much of my time is this going to take (I always use 15 minutes…people assume you’ll waste an hour of their time if you are not specific)?

Specificity breeds believability. If Bob is not specific, I’m not going to trust him. But he better also be concise because I’ll read for 30 seconds if he is lucky.

Only Two Possible Responses

In addition to that, Bob has to make my life easy. That means only giving me two ways I can answer: yes or no.

I huge problem I see with emails is there is no clear call to action. What does the sender want me to do? How do they want me to respond?

Ultimately, when sending emails, you want to frame it in a way that the email can be responded to with a simple yes or no answer.

Step One: Use My Exact Word-For-Word Scripts For Getting Meetings With Important People

Before I get into my exact scripts, I should let you know that I didn’t come up with this on my own. My script is slightly a modified version of a script from Ramit Sethi, a successful web entrepreneur who was studied at Stanford’s Persuasion Lab.

I highly recommend you buy his ebook on email scripts if you truly want to understand the psychology of email and how to write emails that work.

I have no affiliation with Ramit whatsoever, but I tell people buying his email scripts ebook is likely the best $100 I’ve ever spent.

Anyway, my scripts are comprised of three emails.

Email Number 1 – Usually Sent On Tuesday

Hi [FIRST NAME],

[HOW YOU GOT THEIR NAME | Example: Bob Johnson recommended that I reach out to you] My name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m with [FIRM NAME].

I know [SOMETHING SPECIFIC YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR TARGET | Example: you’re building a new surgery wing]. I thought you might find it helpful to exchange notes on [SOMETHING THEY’ll WANT TO KNOW ABOUT | Example: the current trends in surgery suite design.]

Would you be open to a 15-minute [PHONE CALL | MEETING]?

There are a few very important things you have to understand about this email:

1. It is very casual, probably more casual than you are used to. Using formal writing in your emails will only set you up for failure. Marketing emails written in a formal style are not showing respect, they are showing stupidity.

2. It is short and to the point, less than 100 words. It can be read by a busy person in less than 30 seconds.

3. There are only two possible answers: yes or no.

Email Number 2 – Sent To Non-Responders Three Days After Email #1

People will often send the initial email and think, “OK, now the ball is in their court.” Not true. The ball is still in your court.

Don’t assume you’ll get a response to that initial email. Instead, assume you WON’T get a response. So, Email number two is really the critical email.

I typically send it three days after email number 1. And I do this by, very important, forwarding the initial email and including the following script.

Hi [FIRST NAME],

I’m just checking in to see if you got my last email (copied below). It should take just a sec to review, and I’d love [THE ANSWER YOU WANT FROM THEM].

Again, you’ll notice that it is super short and super casual. Don’t be a fool and change “sec” to “second.”

Remember: Marketing emails written in a formal style are not showing respect, they are showing stupidity. CLICK TO TWEET THIS

Send that email up to three times (every three days). This is where 80% of the time, you’ll find success.

Email Number 3 – Sent To Responders

Ok, now you’ve got a response. And this person has actually committed to a 15-minute meeting.

But the ball is still in your court. You have to make the scheduling of this meeting extremely easy. So, you send this.

Great, would any of these times work?

• Wednesday [Date 1] all day
• Thursday [Date 2] anytime after [TIME]
• Friday [Date 3] anytime after 1pm [TIME]

If these dates don’t work, just let me know — We can work around your schedule.

I can [CALL YOUR OFFICE LINE| MEET YOU AT YOUR OFFICE]. Or if you’d prefer, [WE CAN MEET AT ____ | MY PHONE NUMBER IS (NUMBER)].

If they don’t respond to that, hit them with email number 2 again.

Step Two: Deliver

The second step is very important. You simply have to deliver on what you promised.

You only have 15-minutes, so make sure you lead with the most useful information. This meeting is about them, not you.

The purpose of the first meeting is:

1. To provide them with useful information.
2. To gather information about the person’s needs and/or challenges.
3. Agree to a concrete next action.

It is important that you do not pitch your firm at this meeting. You can tell short stories if they relate to the topic at hand.

At the 15-minute point, stop the meeting and say:

“It looks like we’ve already reached the 15-minute mark. I want to be respectful of your time, but we can certainly continue if you’d like.”

It’s A Different Approach, But It Works

I’m constantly shocked at how effective this approach is. Sure, it doesn’t work 100% of the time. Nothing will. But using these email scripts, I’m able to set up meetings with 80%+ of the extremely busy people I email.

Feel free to forward this on to anybody you know who struggles with getting meetings with people. And you can download my entire guide to getting meetings with extremely busy people below.

The post The Actual Word-For-Word Scripts I Use To Get Meetings With Extremely Busy People appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

In this episode of the Design and Construction Marketing Podcast we talk to Dana Lancour of Barton Malow about everything video marketing. Dana shares with us her experiences as they relate to using video marketing at your firm.

Depending on where you are reading this: you can listen to the podcast below, at this episode’s page (where you can also download the mp3), or by subscribing through iTunes.

Shownotes

Dana on LinkedIn

Barton Malow’s Website

Barton Malow Youtube Channel

Michigan State Video

My Recent Video From SMPS Philly

The post Video, Drones, And Marketing, Oh My appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

For many of us, it’s that time of year again. Time to start thinking about that raise or salary that has somehow alluded you. 

If you are in that situation, I suggest you check out Ramit Sethi’s Ultimate Guide To Asking For A Raise And Negotiating Salary.

In this guide, he shows you how much a raise is really worth to you, how to negotiate your salary, and how to overcome your weaknesses or avoid common mistakes. He has even compiled a list of videos where his students try to ask him for a raise. Those videos alone are worth your time.

So, check out his site and get that raise or salary you want.

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage. If you want to give us your thoughts on this issue, please leave a comment below. 

The post The Complete Guide To Getting That Raise Or Salary You Want appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Video marketing is all the rage today. I decided to spend some money and have a video made during a recent speaking event I did for the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services.

I think it came out pretty good.

If you’d like me to speak at your upcoming event, send me a message through my contact form.

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage. If you want to give us your thoughts on this video, please leave a comment below.

The post What Happens When Proposal Managers Become Client For A Day? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

We often see ourselves as marketers or business developers. In my experience, people see a clear distinction between those two things.

You’ve probably met marketers who just aren’t comfortable with business development and business developers who think that marketing just isn’t their thing.

There was a time when I believed I knew what the clear differences between marketing and business development were. But boy, was I wrong!

And if you have the beliefs I once held, you might be hindering your effectiveness (and maybe even your career).

Let me explain.

What I Thought A Business Developer Did

I believed business developers would go out and develop “relationships” with potential clients. These potential clients would have heard of your firm because marketers got your firm’s name in their head.

Then I believed the business developer would come back with an opportunity (usually in the form of a RFP) and some inside knowledge about the client’s needs.

The business developer would direct the marketers to create a persuasive document meant to convince the client to shortlist your firm.

Then the business developer would make a persuasive presentation to the client and win the job. Or maybe they’d coach their team to make this presentation.

I thought there were clear lines drawn. But I wasn’t looking close enough.

What’s Really Going On Here?

For this scenario to work, as I’ve described, several things have to fall into place.

Someone will have to:

1. Identify potential clients (i.e. buyers).
2. Learn about the client’s needs.
3. Craft a customized message that persuades the client to choose you.
4. Find ways to get in front of said client.
5. Present your message (by different means) to the potential client.

In any other industry, this would all be marketing. Let me prove it. Say you were marketing a new body soap. Here’s what you’d have to do:

1. Identify potential clients (i.e. buyers). Who is your market? Men ages 18-24? Women in their 40s?
2. Figure out how to get in front of said clients with your message. What do they watch? What do they read? Where do they go to buy body soap? Where do they congregate?
3. Learn about the client’s needs. What do these people desire? Young looking skin? A scent that drives the girls wild? To feel like a manly man?
4. Craft a customized message that persuades the client to choose your product. What makes this new body soap the better choice than what’s already on the shelf?
5. Present that message (by different means) to the potential client. See ads, commercials, product placement, mailings, meetings, calls, etc.

It’s All Marketing

Identifying potential clients, learning about their needs, crafting messages, determining the best avenue to reach clients, and presenting messages…this is all marketing.

And guess what…it’s all business development too!

The Real Fundamental Difference

My “official” title is “Manager, Business Development.” But what I do is the things identified in the previous paragraph.

Let’s say I set up a landing page (which I showed you exactly how to do). Then I send a cold email to a potential client who clicks on that landing page and signs up. She then recieves our regular blog posts in her email. She then contacts us with a problem we can solve. So I arrange a meeting between her, my principal, and me.

That’s one example how I’ve brought in new clients.

Was that business development or marketing? I think most people would describe that as marketing. You might even go one step further and call it a particular type of marketing known as lead generation.

Let’s turn that scenario on its head. I’m at an event where a potential client is speaking. Afterwards, I walk up to the client and provide a compelling reason they should meet with me and my principal for 15-minutes.

The meeting goes well. I follow up with a email that takes them to a landing page. They sign up, get the emails, and call us with a problem we can solve.

What about that scenario? Even though the only real difference is the order in which I actually speak (face to face) to the client, I believe most people would describe that as business development.

The only reasonable conclusion you could make is the fundamental difference between business development and marketing is attending an event.

Why That’s A Problem

In my years, I’ve met many unsuccessful business developers. And I’ve met many unsuccessful marketers.

The unsuccessful business developers think what they do is go to events and build rapport with people. They think, foolishly, that if someone likes your personality that’s enough reason for them to hire your firm. Unfortunately, that’s true in only the rarest of circumstances.

They completely ignore the research, messaging work, and focus needed for success. I’ve seen it over and over again.

Then there are the unsuccessful marketers. They’re all about logo love. Let’s give out trinkets with our logo, print t-shirts, and send newsletters about how great we are.

They completely ignore the objective, which is to convince real people to choose your firm to help them accomplish their objectives. Some might say these marketers are “ignorant of the bottom line.”

And that, my friends, is why so many business developers and marketers fail.

Choose Both

Here’s my advice. Don’t be “ just” a marketer or business developer. You need to be both. Whatever your title is, whatever your job description is…consider yourself in both roles.

That doesn’t mean you need to go to every local event and schmooze. And it doesn’t mean sitting at your desk all day strategizing.

But it does mean you have to ask what your clients’ challenges and objectives are, how can you craft a compelling message, and how best to deliver that message.

The True Distinction

It comes down to this. It’s the job of marketers and business developers to help people make the right decisions. And that’s true whether those decisions relate to body soap or building a school.

Sure, there are unethical marketers and business developers who profit from convincing people to make bad decisions. But there are unethical doctors, lawyers, and librarians as well.

If you concentrate on understanding people’s challenges and helping them make the right decisions…

…you can be good at and feel good about your role as a marketer and business developer.

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The post Why You Are Wrong About The Differences Between Marketing and Business Development appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Over the last year, particularly on federal contracts, I’ve been seeing the rise of a very disturbing procurement process. It’s “Brooks Act” compatible. It is a safe method for procurement professionals to use. And it actually puts the incumbent at a disadvantage. What is it?

It is called Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA for short).

Wait a minute, hasn’t this been around forever? Yes, it has. But, based on what I’m seeing, reading and hearing, the use of this procurement method has dramatically increased since 2013. And it’s now being used to procure everything from construction management, design, consulting, and even training services.

What Is The Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Process?

Here’s how this works (at least from what I’ve seen and been told). The buyer/procurement team identifies technical and qualification requirements that the proposers must meet. For example, they might ask for a project manager with a degree in civil engineering and 10 years experience managing federal construction projects.

Then it provides a scope and asks for a price.

Once you submit your proposal, it goes to a procurement officer. The procurement officer sends the lowest priced proposal to the decision maker(s). The decision maker(s) determines whether that proposal meets the technical and qualification requirements.

If it does, the contract is awarded. If it doesn’t, the decision maker(s) will receive the next lowest priced proposal. Rinse and repeat.

But here’s the kicker. After you win one of these procurements, your price will be communicated to everyone who proposed. And it is possible that you will never be told when your pricing was sent out or who it was sent to.

Therefore, when the contract is reprocured, the incumbent is at a direct disadvantage. Everybody knows their price. But they do not know who proposed on the previous contract and what the losing proposers’ pricing was. Nor do you know how many other firms met the technical requirements.

It would be basically insane for the incumbent to use the same pricing the next time around, since every single competitor knows it. So, the only strategy I know of is to price even lower and hope that you can again “out price” your competitors.

The Basic Flaw With That

Here’s the problem with that strategy. Let’s say you had the contract for three years. The people who worked on it, the people who meet the technical requirements, now cost you more. Theoretically, they did a good job and you gave them raises.

Now, you will have to pay more for them while charging less to the client. I’m no math or economics expert, but that just doesn’t seem like it’s sustainable for the incumbent.

Another Challenge With The Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Process

A key component of the success for any LPTA process is the correct identification of technical criteria. I have to imagine this can be a challenge.

For example, let’s say I’m using this method to procure a brain surgeon to perform surgery on me. What do I know about brain surgery? Nothing. I don’t know what separates a good brain surgeon from an incompetent brain surgeon. So, I have to pull technical criteria out of the air and hope (pray) that I got it right.

Think for a minute about how tough this is. I can require that the brain surgeon have a medical degree, spend 2 years studying under a brain surgeon, and have performed 10 similar brain surgeries. But think about it, the absolute worst brain surgeon in the world probably meets those criteria, right!?! If you don’t know what separates a good brain surgeon from a bad one, it’s essentially a shot in the dark coming up with technical criteria.

Why In The World Would Anyone Use That Procurement Method?

There are two scenarios where Lowest Price Technically Acceptable procurements make a lot of sense.

1. Reducing the prices the government pays for services.
2. Covering the procurement official’s butt.

What I think people who submit proposals sometimes don’t fully appreciate is that procurement officials who break the rules can be charged with a crime, like this guy or this lady. So, their decisions are often based on their interpretation of, sometimes nebulous, procurement laws and their tolerance for personal risk.

LPTA procurements are great for people who have no tolerance for personal risk because it takes all the qualitative factors out of the decision process. In a way, it takes all the judgment out of the decision. It’s also transparent because you provide everybody who proposed with the final price.

The Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Debate

In January of this year, David Cox, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees defended its use in Government Executive Magazine. He said, among other things, that contractors hate this process because it reduced their profits. That their “bowls of caviar are not quite as full.” He described it as part of the Pentagon’s “war on profits” and explained there is nothing wrong with trying to get the best price for tax payers.

You can imagine the responses to this. Eric Crusius, of Fed Nexus Law shared an opposing view stating that LPTA procurements have severe limitations, are often used when it shouldn’t be, and end up costing the government more. He said the LPTA is “simply a road leading to mediocrity.”

Then in March, the Department of Defense sent out a memo warning of the overuse of LPTA. So, at this point, it seems even the Feds are recognizing that LPTA’s use has exploded.

How This Affects You

Even if you don’t work in the federal market, rest assured that what happens in the federal market often finds a way to trickle down to the state and even local level. Just ask yourself whether you’ve filled out any SF330s for state and local agencies.

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The post The Procurement Method That Actually Puts The Incumbent At A Disadvantage appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Specialists have tools of their trade. Architects, engineers, and contractors are great examples. You use software like Microstation, Revit, P6, and Contract Manager to do your job. You use these tools to help you build projects.

You could create a construction schedule in Excel, but it’s going to be better and more useful in P6. You could create the drawings for a building in Windows Paint, but it will be easier and better to do it in AutoCAD or Revit. These tools have a level of sophistication beyond what the everyman uses on a daily basis.

Marketers, in turn, have their specialty tools. Page layout programs like InDesign, vector programs like Illustrator, and content management systems like WordPress help them create marketing pieces beyond what can be done with the normal everyday tools.

You can create a proposal or an ad in Microsoft Word. It probably won’t look nearly as compelling. You can create a website in Word as well. Again, it wouldn’t be a great choice of tool.

Principals sometimes struggle with this. Why don’t we just do all our proposals in Word? Well, you can. But quality of the presentation will always be lesser than if it were done in InDesign.

It’s akin to planning your complex construction project in Excel. It can be done, but not like it can in P6. Excel is a spreadsheet program. P6 is a scheduling program. They are two entirely different things.

Similarly, Word is a word processor. InDesign is a page layout program. They are two entirely different things. They don’t work the same way. If you give someone a Word file, they can’t just open it in InDesign. They’ll have to import it into a layout.

In Word, you can cut a paragraph and paste it into a different location in your document. All the other text will automatically shift to accommodate that.

But if you cut a portion of an InDesign layout and paste it into the next page, everything else doesn’t automatically shift. You’ll likely have to rearrange not only the pages you just changed, but also the ones that follow. A “simple change” like that could mean an hour or more of rework.

It might not make sense to you, but that’s the point of the software: precise page layout. You can’t do that in Word.

That’s why magazines, newspapers, advertisements, and even book covers are created in page layout programs. People need precise control of the layout to make something that looks compelling.

You have to respect the skill set of the marketers who use these tools. You have to accept that these tools are fundamentally different than the tools you use to complete everyday tasks.

Unless you work in these programs, it is foolish to make assumptions about the level of effort required to do any particular thing with them.

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Last week, I gave you a simple formula that you can use to easily craft company overviews that kick butt. A few people even posted their new company (or personal) overviews in the comments and I gave them feedback.

But along the way, an interesting question came up. Is one company overview enough? Today, I’m going to explain why the answer is no and give you some guidance on how many company overviews you really need.

Why The Heck Would You Need More Than One Company Overview?

I once had this friend. She dressed just like everybody else. She wasn’t covered in tattoos or body piercings. She was just a normal girl. But every so often, she would dress up like a goth (if you’re unfamiliar with that term, think vampire) and go out to this bar and hang out.

In a sense, she was two different people. She had an identity with the goth crowd and she had a different identity with me. Sure, at the core, she was ultimately the same person. But her persona, depending on who she was with, differed.

Aren’t we all a little like that? Doesn’t your dad have a different perception of you that your best friend, or significant other has? Your dad and your best friend (unless your dad is your best friend) met you at different times in your life and have had different experiences with you. The story your dad has about you in his mind is different from the one your best friend has.

The same concept applies to clients. The story you tell your first client probably isn’t going to be as effective with your 1,000th client. The story that resonates with a pharmaceutical company isn’t necessarily the same one that will resonate with a school board. And that, my friend, is why a single company overview will just not do.

So, How Many Company Overviews Do You Need?

You should start out by crafting an overview for each client type. For example, you might have one for government owners, one for developers, and one for contractors.

You should also have a standard company overview for the general public. Most of us already have this, it’s on our website, brochure, press release, etc.

If you want to take it a step further, craft company overviews for each market sector. For example, you could have a different overview for the secondary education market than you have for the higher education market.

If you break them out as I’ve described and use the formula I laid out, it won’t take you long to write these company overviews as you need them. They will be much more relevant and interesting to the people reading your marketing materials and/or proposals.

How Many Company Overviews Do You Have?

Now it’s your turn. Did you ever have more than one company overview? Let us know by posting a comment here.

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One of the worst, most boring, things in the world you’ll ever have to read is a company overview. Am I right!?!

“Since 19__, we’ve been an engineering firm. Blah, blah, blah services we provide. Blah, blah, blah how many people and offices we have. Blah, blah, blah, we are customer focused and give great customer service. Blah, blah, blah we’ve won the following awards…”

Folks, that’s only the first paragraph! There’s usually like a full page of this drivel. And I get it. Many RFPs ask you for your company overview. Plus, it’s not like you can do without one. You’ll need it for your website and if you still have a brochure..that too.

But how do you turn a boring company overview on its head and write something that’s actually compelling?

Well, today I’m going to share with you step-by-step directions on how to do just that. And, if you follow these directions, I think you’ll be shocked at what you are capable of writing.

But first, let me tell you a little story.

Why I Was, Luckily, Never Tortured By Boy Scouts

At about the age of 11, I entered the Boy Scouts. My mom was totally against it. She tried to persuade me not to by explaining that I would have to leave home on the weekends and sleep in the woods.

Note to all mothers, this is a surefire way to convince your 11 year old to join the Boy Scouts! To me, that sounded like a dream come true (keep in mind, this was the 80s – before gadgets and the internet).

But what I didn’t know was this. When you get about 30 boys (between the ages of 11 and 16) and put them into the woods together…let’s just say it can turn into Lord Of The Flies pretty darn quick.

And this particular Boy Scout troop had something called “initiation.” That’s when you, as the new scout, would have to endure something horrible to prove you could “take it” and were not a snitch. And the severity of this act depended on how little the older kids could tolerate you.

For example, they tied one kid to a tree and beat him with sticks. They tied another to a metal cot in an empty campsite and left him there for hours. Like I said…Lord Of The Flies.

Yet, I was never initiated. I know it was discussed because one time I overhead one of the older kids say, “No, I like him. He makes me laugh.”

That was my saving grace. The only thing keeping me from being tied to a tree and beaten was that:

• I Stood Out From The Other New Scouts
• They Liked Me
• They Trusted Me

Why That’s Important

I’m sharing this story because I want to illustrate two very important takeaways. First, if you make your clients read a bore-you-to-death, full-page description of your firm…you should be tied to a tree and beat with sticks. It’s true! That’s the only legitimate reason ever to do that to someone.

But probably more importantly, if you can write a company overview that’s a little different and gets potential clients to like and trust you…that puts you in a good position.

Can we all agree that’s what we want our company overview to do? Ok, good.

We’re going to build our company overview using what’s known as the Know, Like, Trust (KLT) Hook.

What Is The KLT Hook?

The KLT Hook was popularized by copywriter Kevin Rogers and has its roots in a common formula used by stand up comedians. This formula is typically used during an initial joke to endear an audience. It was most famously used by Jimmy Fallon in his first monologue as the host of the Tonight Show.

The KLT Sales Hook has four parts:

Identity

You start off by identifying yourself with the audience. You show yourself as someone just like them.

Struggle

Next, you identify a personal struggle, one that your audience can relate to. The struggle should reflect a problem your audience currently has.

Discovery

Then you identify a discovery: something you learned that helped you solve this problem.

Surprise/Unlikely Result

Finally, you give the audience something unexpected. This is often that you achieved a result better than one would expect.

Jimmy Fallon’s KLT Hook

Let’s look at how Jimmy Fallon used this formula.

The joke starts around 1:25. Let’s dissect it.

“I really don’t know how I got here. I grew up in upstate New York, a town called Saugerties, New York. It was a beautiful town. I had a great childhood.”

What’s he doing there? He’s really not talking about himself, is he? He’s identifying with the audience, all those viewers that have fond memories of their childhood and the town they grew up in. What he’s saying is,”I’m just like you.” Then he goes on.

“If you would have told me as a kid that I would graduate high school then go on to be on Saturday Night Live…then eventually go on to be the host of the Tonight Show…”

Now what’s he doing? He’s identifying his challenge and showing some weakness. He wasn’t the kind of kid to be voted as “most likely to succeed.” I, like most of you, wasn’t that person either. Again, we can identify with this struggle. but what does he say next…

“…I would have said, “I graduated high school?”

This is the punchline. And there are two important elements to this. First, he’s discovering something. He’s just learning that he graduated high school.

But the discovery is not what makes it funny, is it? What makes it funny is we weren’t expecting him to say that. We would expect him to say that he just assumed he would graduate high school but would be surprised to be hosting the Tonight Show. We weren’t expecting him to be surprised that he graduated high school.

But how do you apply this formula to your company overview? I’m going to show you, but first let’s look at how and why it works.

How And Why The KLT Hook Works

By using the KLT Hook, you are first showing the audience that you were just like them. You are showing similarity.

Studies show that people like those who have commonalities. If we can understand and feel empathy toward their situation, we’re more likely to embrace them.

Then you identify your struggle. Again, studies also show that by identifying our own struggles/weaknesses, we prove that we can be trusted. This helps get the audience’s guard down.

Then by identifying your discovery, you flip the script. You’ve stumbled upon a solution they have not. Here you are identifying a secret. This portion of the KLT hook draws people in because it creates a “knowledge gap” (gap between what the audience knows and what they want to know). When there is a knowledge gap created, the audience will want to close that gap. Therefore, it arouses their curiosity.

Finally, you end with the surprise. You identify a result the audience wasn’t expecting. In comedy, this is the twist that gets people to laugh. In business, this is the twist that gets people interested in buying your services.

Using The KLT Hook For Your Company Overview

My most classic example of using the KLT Hook is the profile I use for speaking engagements.

“Matt Handal was a marketer submitting boilerplate proposals and materials that were indistinguishable from his competitors’. He had no idea how to convince new clients to buy his firm’s services. And worst of all, nobody would listen to him.

One day, he stumbled upon some academic research on how people really make decisions. Since then, he’s convinced government clients to give his firm large sole-source contracts, written one of the most popular books about proposal writing, and people even fly him across the country to teach them how to apply Mind Marketing to their business.”

That’s a hardcore implementation of the KLT Hook!

Yeah Matt, that’s great for YOU! But how do I use this at my firm?

I use the KLT Hook to write custom company overviews for each market or client type. Those really aren’t my examples to share. But let me throw a quick one together here:

“Pat Flynn and Dave Brown met in 2007, the day they were both laid off from a giant architecture firm. They had no job prospects and were burnt out from the “big firm approach” to architecture.

Sitting at a local pub, with nothing to lose, they scribbled down some ideas of how two unemployed architects might impact the world. One of those ideas hit them like a train.

So, armed with a loan from Pat’s grandmother and working out of Dave’s basement, they set off to pursue a singular vision: To build a practice that put people first and delivered practical, cost-effective, architecture solutions to businesses that needed them.

Today, Flynn and Brown Architecture is the largest firm dedicated solely to commercial projects. Pat and Dave proved that an architecture firm can serve people, make client budgets work, and put the interests of the businesses it serves above its own. And we’re awful glad they did.”

Now tell me that’s not one of, if not the, best A/E/C company overview you’ve ever read!

The Company Overview Challenge

Now’s your turn. I’m throwing up a challenge. Take a stab at rewriting your company overview using the KLT Hook. Then post it in the comments. I’ll read every one and even lend my thoughts. Give it a try and post a comment.

The post How To Write A Company Overview That Rocks appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I’m happy to call Bernie Siben, CPSM, a mentor and a friend. Bernie has been more instrumental to the success of Help Everybody Everyday than many realize. He served as the primary editor of Proposal Development Secrets and peer reviewer for Proposal Management Mastery.

He is also one of our industry’s top proposal consultants. I find myself referring people who need assistance on proposal pursuits to Bernie quite often. He is also author of the book, A Horse Of A Different Color: Marketing In The Federal Sector; wrote the “go/no go” chapter for the Marketing Handbook For the Design And Construction Professional; is a prolific commenter and helper of people on LinkedIn, and freely shares his advice at http://builtenvironment.blogs.com. But most important for this article, he spent over a decade as a marketing department of one.

I’m very pleased that Bernie agreed to contribute this post to help all the marketing departments of one out there.

Enter Bernie…

I was stunned, laying in a hospital bed. The doctor on duty had just asked if I was ever told I had a heart attack.

I was only 48. I never had the “pain in the chest radiating into the left arm” that every man is warned about. Yet, tests identified three blocked arteries.

The doctor identified some probable causes…one of which was stress.

A few hours after they moved me out of ICU, after my triple-bypass, the owner of my company walked into my hospital room. At the end of her visit, she asked me to make her a promise.

The Marketing Department of One

Very often, marketers in our industry serve as a department of one. I have been a one-person marketing department at two firms. One instance was as the sole marketer at a small firm, the other was as the sole marketer for a branch office of a large firm. In this article, I want to:

1. Explain how these situations were different.
2. Help you understand the plight of the marketing department of one.
3. Give those in these situations advice so they can avoid some of the problems I had.

Branch Office Of A Large Firm

The first instance was a 60-person branch office of a 1,000-person firm, providing full-service engineering, surveying, planning and landscape architecture. I was the marketing coordinator in that office. My supervisor, that office’s senior principal, discouraged my going for help to the marketing staff at the firm’s headquarters. So I was definitely a one-person department.

My work consisted of developing SOQs and proposals, plus an occasional brochure, trade show handout, or event signage.

This was the less stressful of the two experiences. My supervisor made or confirmed every assignment, but let me juggle the multiple concurrent commitments (priorities) for myself. He understood the important and often complicated nature of my work. On one critical effort, he instructed that I not work on anything else for 30 days until that submittal was completed. Because of that focused effort, our SOQ scored 400 points higher than any other submittal. In fact, the client cancelled the proposal and interview stages and selected us solely on our SOQ.

My supervisor kept my workload at a semblance of “reasonable” and I worked the hours required. Luckily, my supervisor was careful not to overburden me with too many concurrent deadlines, to protect me from burn-out. Every time he brought a new assignment, we looked at my schedule together. More than once, he cancelled an effort already begun to make time for a more likely winner.

My supervisor was aware that RFPs were often left on someone’s desk until they became emergencies, so when I asked about seeking billable work, he forbid that. He said that if I had billable work with hard deadlines, I might not be available for the emergencies he and his senior people manufactured so easily. (Yes, he actually said that!)

When that office grew to about 120 people, I was allowed to hire a second coordinator. I was with that firm for six years.

Small Firm

The second instance was at a small, but growing, A/E/CM/Environmental firm, where I was their first Marketing Manager. Right around the time I joined the firm, the HR manager got marketing reclassified as “professional,” so I was treated as an equal staff professional from my first day with the firm.

For the first month, I collected marketing information and saved it to a separate drive. Information was scattered throughout the network, and some was only in hard copy. I pulled firm introductions and project descriptions out of SOQs and proposals. I took the many duplicates and created hybrid text, and then corrected, revised, updated and expanded those write-ups. Basically, I created the firm’s marketing database.

Fortunately, resumes had all been in one place. I distributed them, and provided specific guidelines for updates and blanks to fill in. Then I visited with or called each person, developing relationships to secure the collaboration and cooperation I would need for the firm’s overall marketing efforts.

In this situation, I had more responsibilities than I had with the other firm. I had some input on what we pursued—what I worked on—participating in brainstorming for strategic issues and the occasional Go/No Go decision, as well as efforts like market research, service brochures, our first website, trade shows, and presentations. I even got some billable hours: editing project reports and helping with materials for public meetings/hearings, etc.

In the actual proposal efforts, I served as proposal manager. In addition to writing non-technical text, I led proposal teams, including senior technical folks. I made technical writing and graphic design assignments (at first, the CAD folks helped with this) and set deadlines. I also ran Red Team Reviews and developed and coached short-list presentations.

I was with that firm for seven years. It was a busy and crazy time, and we grew from 50 to 160 people. I had some great moments, such as when a department head was publicly congratulated on a winning proposal for a multi-year ID/IQ contract and he said, “Congratulate Bernie—he wrote most of it.”

On the other hand, I also worked myself into a very mild heart attack, after which the owner—one of my main hospital visitors—made me promise that I would not have another on her account. I didn’t.

What Marketing Departments Of One Can Do

Here are the main take-aways from my own experience as a marketing department of one:

Get Agreement About Your Priorities.

Firmly establish your job description—in writing, if possible, to delineate your major and secondary responsibilities, as well as those things your boss DOESN’T want you to do.

Establish Guidelines To Ensure Decisions About Your Priorities Are Made By The Right Person.

The agreement about priorities is between you and your supervisor. The guidelines are so that there is an answer when someone else comes directly to you and you have to say, “I can’t do that” or refer them your boss.

Communicate Your Schedule With Your Boss

Many people assume that their boss knows what is on their schedule. But in truth, the boss helps you set priorities and then his/her focus is elsewhere. If you don’t remind your boss what’s on your plate every time he/she brings you a new assignment, he/she might not realize how overcommitted you are until that first hospital visit.

Address Your Stress

You must have a few good stress relievers for during the work day, in the evening, on a weekend, and on vacation, so you don’t work yourself into a hospital stay. Stress relieving activities include getting outside for some fresh air or going to the break room for coffee — and leaving your cell phone on your desk. They also include any hobby or activity that requires your full concentration so you stop thinking about work. It’s not enough to leave your desk if you carry the work with you.

Properly Record Your Time

Recording your time over 40 hours does two things, one for the firm and the second for you. First of all, if the firm’s bookkeeping system can handle it, whether you get paid for the hours or not, it gives the firm a much better feel for the cost of proposing, which is an important part of an A/E firm’s cost of doing business.

Second, if your system doesn’t allow recording of hours past 40, knowing how many such hours you have worked could be an important part of your annual review, possibly leading to a better bonus or a bigger salary increase.

Take On New Responsibilities Strategically

I was very lucky with every one of my employers. If I could think of something to try that they felt would benefit the firm, I was allowed to try. If I proved that I could do it well, it was added to my job description. That allowed me to create the job I wanted one piece at a time.

However, you have to know how these new responsibilities will fit into your week. If they take you from 40 hours to an occasional 48 or 50 and you are willing, then that’s OK. But if they take you to 50+ every week, you may have to track things for a few months and then negotiate with your supervisor about what you can shift to administrative staff or when you can consider splitting the job description with a new hire.

You don’t want to be putting in 20+ overtime hours, especially unpaid, every week for months on end.

Using these strategies, you should have no problem surviving the marketing department of one. At the very least, you’ll avoid a heart attack.

Bernie Siben, CPSM, is owner/principal consultant of The Siben Consult, LLC, in Austin, TX, providing strategic and marketing services to A/E/C and environmental firms nationwide. Contact him at 559-901-9596 or bernie@sibenconsult.com.

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It simply blew my mind. I had no idea what she was doing until that moment.

It was a balloon. And it was the most amazing balloon I, to this day, I have ever seen.

This was my first job out of college. A temp agency had placed me at the headquarters of a large chain of craft stores. My job was to systematically put together weekly ads for newspapers around the country.

That’s where I learned the difference between me, a person who could use graphic programs, and a true graphic designer.

One day, my boss was helping me and started drawing something at my desk. I watched for three minutes as this woman sketched something in front of me. I had NO IDEA what the heck she was doing…

…until the very end…

…it was a frickin’ balloon. And it was, I’m not exaggerating, amazing to see her draw a balloon.

The difference between me and a true graphic designer is just that. If I leaned over your desk and drew a balloon, it wouldn’t be a mind-blowing experience for you. Trust me.

But when you see a true graphic designer at work, it is something to behold. What a true graphic designer can do with the simplest depiction is worlds beyond anything a dabbler like me could ever hope to achieve.

However good we are at pushing buttons or using programs, most of us will never be graphic designers. We have to accept that fact. The skill of using those programs and the skill of designing are simply two different things. Having one doesn’t mean you have the other.

To Graphic Designer Or Not To Graphic Designer

Hiring a great graphic designer, while arguably worth their weight in gold, can be quite expensive.

Luckily, you have options for graphic tasks that are reasonably beyond your ability to do well.

In fact, I’ve found you can get a good graphic design, “good” not “exceptional,” for less than you might think.

Let’s talk about your options:

99Designs

The first time I used 99Designs was when I was creating the cover for The Magic Of Winning Proposals. I had thrown together the cover for Proposal Development Secrets myself. But I knew:

1. I didn’t have time to create a cover.
2. I didn’t have the skills to create a much better cover.

So I set up a design competition through 99designs.com (which I believe you can see at this link). I wrote a description of what I wanted and designers competed for my business.

It was the first time I had done a design contest. And I was on “paternity leave.” So, as I was getting designs in (331 of them), I was frantically checking my laptop to see if any of them were good. I could rate each design and give feedback on what I liked and what I didn’t like.

The winner got the prize money and transferred the design’s rights to me. Ultimately, I paid $799 For the cover. But look at the difference.

I just don’t have the skills to design something that nice.

An important note about 99Designs is their motto is “a design you love or your money back.” I tested them on that. I wasn’t satisfied with the designs I received for one of my contests. They gave me a number to call. When I called, they apologized and gave me my money back. There wasn’t any hassle.

Templates

There are many professionally-designed templates that someone with a little skill can customize for their particular use. Here’s an example of a template I’ve used in the past. The second example is one that we ultimately never used, but I really liked it.

Sites like StockLayouts.com offer professionally designed templates in a variety of formats.

There are also many templates you can start from over at Canva. Canva is a tool I use to quite often.

Fiverr

When the task is small, like a graphic for your website or prototyping a new logo, Fiverr.com is a great place to go.

All designs at Fiverr start at $5. Yes, $5. Usually, the base design is $5 but they’ll charge you another $5 for extras like “.psd file,” etc. I’ve spent between $5 and $35 for designs on Fiverr.

Unlike 99Designs, Fiverr offers others creative, non-design, services (which they call “gigs”). But we are talking design here.

Here are some of the designs I bought from Fiverr:

Here’s another one that might look familiar.

And here’s a sneak peek at an illustration for a children’s book I’m writing. I got this at Fiverr too.

Now, these are examples of some of the best stuff I got from Fiverr. I’ve also had some duds. Most of the time, I’m pretty cool with stuff not working out if it only costs me $5. Here’s an example of something I had done at Fiverr, that turned out….well, pretty terrible.

Yes, with Fiverr, sometimes it’s a crapshoot. But in general, my overall experience has been positive. And hey, if you lose $5…no big deal.

99Designs Tasks

Similar to Fancyhands, 99Designs gives you the option to buy tasks. But in this case, these are not virtual assistant tasks, but design-related tasks. And they are $19 per task. Here’s what 99Designs will give you for $19.

A Task is a small design-related task that can be completed in a short period (ideally in 30 minutes or less). Examples would be a text or layout change to a business card or banner, color changes to an existing logo, minor photo retouching or basic image vectorization…

For example, I had someone recreate a graphic the appendix of The Magic of Winning Proposals.

Bottom Line

Most marketers are not exceptional graphic designers. I’m sure there are some exceptions, but in general, that’s the rule. If you are faced with graphic design tasks, I’ve just shared a few ways you can get a good design for cheap.

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage.

If you want to give us your thoughts on this issue, please leave a comment below.

The post How To Get Good Design For Cheap appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Yes, I paid someone $9/hour and they did my work for 5 whole days.

That statement would have seemed ludicrous to me just two years ago. How could you possibly pay someone $9/hour to do your job for you? That can’t be legal, right?!?! Something about it just doesn’t seem right.

Today, I’m going to reveal the results of my two-year experiment with virtual assistants. In addition, five lucky readers will each get a task done by one of my virtual assistants (more on that later).

What Is A Virtual Assistant?

We all know what an (administrative or personal) assistant is. It is a person that comes into work everyday and helps a president, CEO, or someone else of importance get things done.

A virtual assistant doesn’t come into your work. They work from home, wherever in the world that may be. And they typically don’t work for CEOs. They usually work for entrepreneurs or office slugs like you or me.

I’ve been fascinated with the idea of virtual assistants since I read Tim Ferriss’s The Four Hour Work Week. But at that time, many of the virtual assistants were overseas. Usually, they were people from India or the Philippines. Even though these people spoke English, there were some cultural and language hoops you had to overcome. Certainly, it was doable…but I really didn’t have the patience for that.

And they were a little expensive for a guy like me. Yes, you could get a full-time virtual assistant for something like $500/month. But there were two problems with that. First, $500/month is a lot of money to test something out (at least in my book). Second, I wasn’t sure I had enough non-sophisticated tasks to keep a person busy full time. Not to mention, it is natural for most people to feel like they don’t deserve or are not important enough for an assistant, especially a full-time one.

The idea of bringing a virtual assistant on to help me was a little too daunting for me at that time. But somewhere deep inside, I dreamed of having my own virtual assistant.

Enter Fancy Hands

Somehow, I can’t remember how, two years ago I stumbled upon Fancy Hands. Fancy Hands uses only US-based virtual assistants. You can start at $29/month (although I took the $49/month option). And you receive a specific number of tasks to use per month.

So, I decided to try it out. You can read my original Fancy Hands review here. I was pretty impressed after two weeks, but would I continue to find the service useful? Could I successfully work with virtual assistants?

I think it is officially enough time to call the experiment a success. You can look at the statistics yourself.

Over the last two years, Fancy Hands has spent over 129 hours doing stuff that I would have otherwise had to have done myself. That includes spending 17 hours on the phone on my behalf. Now, granted I have a full-time job, manage this website, write books, etc. But still, they did my work in some capacity. And rather than rest on my laurels, I spend that time accomplishing even more.

Two years of $49/month comes to $1,176. Do the math, and that’s $9 per hour. And what did I pay someone about minimum wage to do for me?

• Manage my calendar
• Create a SF330 template
• Transcribe hours of video I had recorded
• Recreate charts and forms
• Type up my handwritten notes
• Enter contacts into my CRM
• Arrange hotel and flight reservations
• Coordinate countless meetings and phone calls
• Set up a photoshoot
• Create book covers and logos
• Manipulate images
• Research tasks including who had won specific contracts
• Proofread minor documents
• Edit Microsoft Word files
• Suggest great Christmas gifts for my family
• Arrange the return or replacement of products I purchased
• Recreate forms in Microsoft Word
• Manipulate Excel spreadsheets
• Compare documents and identify differences

Now, these might sound like minor tasks that wouldn’t take much time. But you have to realize that the time you spend on minor tasks really adds up. In fact, despite having this help, I still did not complete everything I wanted to get done. So, not having to do those tasks really made a huge difference in my life.

Security and Virtual Assistants

I know this question is going to come up. What about security? Here’s a rule of thumb you can use. Don’t give assistants anything you would panic if you found on the street outside your office. For example, if you found your cover letter or price proposal on the street outside your office…time to panic. You don’t want to ask virtual assistants to help you do anything with those.

But if you walk out of your office and there’s the ad you were drafting…no big deal. If you walk out of your office, look down and there is that competitor’s contract you were looking for….awesome!!!

There are even steps you can take to secure information within your systems. With my CRM, I set up a special account that can only enter information and see what they entered. After a month, the contact records entered shift over to my account.

When it comes to security, really at all times, you just have to use your common sense. I don’t see any real security concerns with using virtual assistants.

The Good With The Bad

I would be lying to say that I didn’t have my hiccups with Fancy Hands. First, you never know who you are going to get. And my sense is that as the service grew, they had to take on less adept virtual assistants to meet their client’s needs. In 2013, I was routinely blown away with thier immediate work product. But in 2015, being blown away with their first try is not the norm.

Sometimes their initial work is pretty bad. You have to keep sending it back until they do it right. That’s usually only one or two times. In the worst case scenario, you might get “radio silence” for a day followed by a new assistant apologizing and then doing it right.

But for me, it is a lot easier to hound someone until they do it right if they are working for a service. I wouldn’t walk into a coworker’s office and say, “This is terrible. Read my directions closely and do it again.” That would only cause problems for me. But when dealing with a virtual assistant, being forthright and honest (in my experience) doesn’t cause problems.

There is also a minor problem with the interface, which in general is pretty good. It is my understanding that assistants get paid more when you give them a thumbs up. But what about when the first assistant screws up royally and then another swoops in and does an amazing job. Do you give them thumbs up or thumbs down?

You Know That Client Or CoWorker You Hate, For Scott…That’s Me

Then there is Scott, Fancy Hands’s Customer Experience Supervisor. He’s the guy who is charged with making sure the assistants can do your request and that the request complies with Fancy Hands’s terms of service. Actually, Scott is a pretty nice guy…but I’m sure he hates me.

With Scott’s help, I’ve become very familiar with their terms of service. For example, all tasks should be reasonably completable within 15 minutes. This means you have to break up large tasks into smaller 15-minute chunks. I know there is a problem when I send a task in and don’t hear anything for a couple of hours. This means I’m going to get an email from Scott.

Scott is going to say this task will take longer than 15 minutes and suggest that the assistant stop after 15 or 20 minutes. I usually respond with very detailed step-by-step directions that can clearly be done within the time limit. I can’t recall ever having to use an additional task to get one of these complete.

Another issue Scott had was with entering info into my CRM. Fancy Hands terms of service is pretty clear that they don’t want to do anything for you that can be considered spammy. Specifically, their terms of service prohibits assistants from gathering or collecting contact information for you. That’s because you may use that information to spam people.

But I wasn’t asking for the “collection” or “gathering” of contact information. People had handed me their cards. I had photocopied their card with a note about who they were and how I met them. I asked assistants to enter that data into my database. There was no gathering or collecting involved. It was strictly a data entry task. Not only that, but Fancy Hands had done this task for me many times before. Now, I always identify these tasks as data entry and I haven’t had a problem since.

Fancy Hands assistants are also not graphic designers. At one point, I thought that specific tasks were sent to assistants who had certain skill sets. I sent a small graphic-related task to Fancy Hands just to see what would happen. And this assistant, Dionne B, knocked it out of the park. In fact, it was the creation of the Help Everybody Everyday logo displayed on this site. I immediately sent in other graphic-related tasks and the same assistant kept knocking them out of the park. It was a glorious day to say the least.

I continued to send in graphic-related tasks, but Scott stepped in and explained to me the problem. His assistants do not have the software tools or the skillset of a graphic designer. So, I always send suggestions for what commonly available tools could be used to accomplish the task (like Powerpoint or Canva). And I always provide whatever directions I can and let the assistant know I’m just looking for them to try their best. Recently, they took the background out of a photo for me. The first try was a little rough, but they went back and did a commendable job the second time around.

In my experience, graphic manipulation tasks are OK, but you have to be careful before you send in a “graphic design” task.

Then there was the time I asked for several videos I recorded to be transcribed. I got another email from Scott. He was puzzled why I would ask the assistants to do that. Why not just use a transcription service? Well, the website states that assistants will transcribe up to 5 minutes of monologue per task.

Let’s do the math. I pay $49 for 15 tasks. That’s 75 minutes of transcription at 65 cents per minute. It’s actually the cheapest transcription service out there.

You can learn more about what Fancy Hands will and won’t do at http://www.fancyhands.com/not/good/for.

The Best Feature

For me, the best feature is the ability to create a new email account and connect it to Fancy Hands. By doing that you create what can be described as a consistent identity that will be used with those you interact with. When you email someone and copy this account, the assistant will interact with the person you emailed as the identity you defined.

For example, the assistant I created is Pat. Some of you may have even interacted with Pat. And since I never knew whether Pat would be a boy or a girl, I thought the name was appropriate.

Looks like Pat got me a birthday cake!

How Fancy Hands Has Changed Since My Original Review

The major changes since my original review are that they:

1. No longer arrange meetings for free. Yes, they used to arrange meetings and manage your calendar at no cost.
2. Now allow unused tasks to “roll over” like your cell phone minutes.
3. Charge a small fee when making purchases on your behalf.

My Verdict

In the last two years, I have opened and closed accounts with many services. But I haven’t closed my Fancy Hands account because I have to admit it is really useful. In my experience, the math just works in favor of using Fancy Hands. In addition, I think the service will only continue to improve over time.

I don’t care who you are or how low on the corporate ladder you are, I urge you to give a service like Fancy Hands a try… if nothing else, for the experience of having an assistant.

Put My Assistants To Work For You

I’m making it easy for 5 lucky readers to get something done. Just leave a comment and tell us what you would have my assistants do for you. Keep it under 15 minutes. Five lucky readers will be randomly chosen to have my assistants complete their task. So, don’t forget to comment!

The post I Paid Someone $9 Per Hour To Do My Job For 5 Days appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

In this episode of the Design And Construction Marketing Podcast, we talk to Maribel Castillo of T.Y. Lin International about her career journey and what it’s like to work for a big firm. We also discuss a variety of topics including the current state of social media use in our industry.

Depending on where you are reading this: you can listen to the podcast below, at this episode’s page (where you can also download the mp3), or by subscribing through iTunes.

The post Marketing For Big Firms With Maribel Castillo appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I was in a bit of a bind.

I had not even started to work on the presentation that I would be giving in front of my class the next morning. And here I was at the annual bikini contest at one of our college’s dive bars (literally, the saddest place for a single college guy like me to be).

And the worst thing was, I could not even pronounce the topic I was to speak on. What the heck is differentiation? For all I knew, it was something you could catch from one of the frumpy coeds stumbling on stage. What the heck was I going to do?

I turned to look at my classmate, and presentation partner, whose brilliant idea this excursion was. Next to him, I looked like Stephen Hawkins. His assumption was I would put this presentation together and save the day (or at least help us squeak by).

Suddenly, the perfect presentation idea washed over me like the vomit of a misguided bikini contestant who just polished off a chili dog and 9 jello shots.

That was my introduction to differentiation. It’s a word that everybody just assumes they understand. But it is probably one of the most misunderstood concepts in the business world. Truth be told, it took me years to truly grasp it. And even today, when I try to explain it to seasoned professionals, they look at me with blank stares. So, let me explain what differentiation in marketing is and what it isn’t.

What Does Differentiation Mean?

My hastily thrown together presentation had it right, sort of. The next morning, my presentation, “Bikini Contest Differentiation Theory” was a hit with the class. Even though I mispronounced the word differently each time I said it.

The whole concept was this. Let’s face it, college girls that enter themselves in bikini contests (at that very specific moment in their life) fit a certain demographic. I’ll be frank, they weren’t winning any traditional beauty contests. They were all just average girls looking for a little attention from an audience of guys even they would normally not give the time of day to.

No one girl would stand out as being dramatically more attractive than the next. And each girl would be judged by the amount of applause they could generate from this crowd of sad college losers like me.

So, how do you win in that situation? Differentiation.

At this point, you probably know where I’m going with this. You don’t win a bikini contest by being “better” than the other girls. You win by doing two things:

1. Being different
2. Giving the audience what they want

You Can’t Differentiate Without Being Different

I find this to be the biggest misconception. But look at the freaking word…differentiation.

> Different -iation

If the key term there doesn’t slap you in the face, I don’t know what will. Yet, people seem to always see this:

> Better -iation

That’s not the term. Differentiation is not fundamentally about being better. It is fundamentally about being different.

Yet, people still consider these differentiators:

• Our architects are LEED certified.
• We work on many on-call contracts
• Our project manager has 30 years of experience
• We have superior customer service

Those things describe why you are just like everybody else. They don’t describe why you are different. There is nothing different about them.

“But Matt, their project manager only has 25 years of experience!”

I’m not seeing the substantial difference. Let’s be real.

Going back to the bikini contest, how could a girl differentiate herself? Well, one came out with what would be described today as a Borat-style bikini. Ultimately, did it show more skin than any other bikini? I have no idea. But it showed skin in different places than a traditional bikini. And just that little difference sent the crowd of lonely dorks into a frenzy.

By the very definition, you cannot differentiate without being measurably different. To think, even for a second, that you can is to have a fundamental misunderstanding about the term.

The Second Part Of This

There is also another key element of differentiation that I believe many people fail to consider. In fact, it was something that my presentation failed to grasp. The difference has to be something the audience wants.

Let’s go back again to the bikini contest example. A girl could have came out with some fantastic glittering shoes. That would have been different. But being different, in itself, is not enough to differentiate yourself. That’s because the audience in a bikini contest doesn’t care about your shoes.

In contrast, if a girl comes out and immediately throws off her bikini top…that’s differentiation because (stated or unstated) that’s what the audience ultimately wishes for.

However, if the next 10 girls see that and proceed to throw off their tops as they walk out…it’s no longer a differentiator. Both elements have to be in place:

1. Being different
2. Giving the audience what they want.

The concept of “what the audience wants” is very easy when talking about a bikini contest. I chose to use this cruder than usual example so the point was clear and easy to grasp. What won’t always be so clear is what your audience truly wants. Getting that information, at times, can be difficult…but not impossible.

If you have learned anything from this rant about differentiation, let it be this. Bikini contests are fundamentally creepy. But they are easy to win if you understand differentiation.

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage. If you want to give us your thoughts on this issue, please leave a comment below.

The post Differentiation In Marketing appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

“Wouldn’t this apply to in-house marketers working for firms?” I asked.

“I believe it would,” the attorney replied. At that moment, I knew I had stumbled on something I just had to share with you.

Today, I’m going to make the case for why many marketers are not being properly compensated under Federal law. I’m going to explain why firm leaderships need to know about this. And I’m going to provide all the information you or they would need to decide for themselves whether or not anyone’s compensation needs to be adjusted.

This is huge.

But before I begin, let me make something clear. I am not an attorney. I have not studied law. I am in no way a credible expert when it comes to interpretation of Federal tax or employment law. And I do recommend that any firm leader who reads this get the proper legal advice from a licensed attorney.

He’s Told You What He Is Doing, You Just Didn’t Hear

President Obama makes a big deal about the middle class and misclassified workers. He mentions these two these things in many of his speeches. What’s he talking about?

Employers pay taxes on employees. The first kind is they withhold taxes from your paycheck. On top of that, employers must match a certain portion of these withholdings. The more money you make, the more they have to withhold (i.e. give to the government). This “more money to employees = more money to the government” concept is important to understand. It is also important to understand that, while the economic burden is ultimately on the employee, the less a company pays an employee…the less they pay in payroll taxes.

The Fair Labor Standards Act

The Federal government has a law that dictates how employees must be compensated. It’s called the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If you ever heard of someone getting “time and a half” for working over 40 hours, that’s coming from the FLSA.

Last year, I sat through a legal presentation at a firm called Reed Smith. It was about employment issues confronting employers in the construction industry. What I learned, and what I’m about to share with you, really blew my mind.

You Likely Should Be Getting Paid Overtime

We all understand the struggle marketers have had and the steps they have taken to be treated as “professionals” rather than admins or “overhead.” But let’s put that aside for a second and consider the legal definitions.

Our government has created “tests” to determine what kind of worker you should be classified as. For example, being classified as a professional requires a license/certification or special training BEYOND a college degree. From a legal perspective, most marketers do not fit that definition. You can read all about that definition here.

The majority of marketers and business developers would fall under the legal definition of “administrative worker.” And that’s where this gets interesting.

Under the FLSA, employers are required to pay overtime to some administrative workers. Workers that they don’t have to pay overtime to are known as “exempt.” But which ones are exempt? Well, the FLSA has a test for that. The test is made up of three parts. In order for an administrative employee to be exempt, ALL THREE of these criteria have to be met.

• The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate not less than $455 per week;

• The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers; and

• The employee’s primary duty includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.

Let’s look at each of these in detail:

First, you have to be paid a salary and it has to be over $23,660/year. Most marketers probably meet that description.

The next item relates to your “primary duty.” That seems a little nebulous. But FLSA provides definitions so there is no ambiguity.

“Primary duty” means the principal, main, major or most important duty that the employee performs. Determination of an employee’s primary duty must be based on all the facts in a particular case, with the major emphasis on the character of the employee’s job as a whole.

And there is another term in there we want to define, “directly related to management or general business operations.” Again, FLSA provides:

To meet the “directly related to management or general business operations” requirement, an employee must perform work directly related to assisting with the running or servicing of the business, as distinguished, for example from working on a manufacturing production line or selling a product in a retail or service establishment. Work “directly related to management or general business operations” includes, but is not limited to, work in functional areas such as tax; finance; accounting; budgeting; auditing; insurance; quality control; purchasing; procurement; advertising; marketing; research; safety and health; personnel management; human resources; employee benefits; labor relations; public relations; government relations; computer network, Internet and database administration; legal and regulatory compliance; and similar activities.

So if a vast majority of your time is spent on marketing the firm, you meet that second criteria. And again, I think that most marketers meet that criteria (or at least I hope they would).

But now let’s look at the third criteria that must be met. It includes that “primary duty” term again. We already know what that means. But it adds a new phrase, “discretion and independent judgment.” What exactly does that mean? Again, FLSA defines this for us:

In general, the exercise of discretion and independent judgment involves the comparison and the evaluation of possible courses of conduct and acting or making a decision after the various possibilities have been considered. The term must be applied in the light of all the facts involved in the employee’s particular employment situation, and implies that the employee has authority to make an independent choice, free from immediate direction or supervision. Factors to consider include, but are not limited to: whether the employee has authority to formulate, affect, interpret, or implement management policies or operating practices; whether the employee carries out major assignments in conducting the operations of the business; whether the employee performs work that affects business operations to a substantial degree; whether the employee has authority to commit the employer in matters that have significant financial impact; whether the employee has authority to waive or deviate from established policies and procedures without prior approval, and other factors set forth in the regulation. The fact that an employee’s decisions are revised or reversed after review does not mean that the employee is not exercising discretion and independent judgment. The exercise of discretion and independent judgment must be more than the use of skill in applying well-established techniques, procedures or specific standards described in manuals or other sources.

Wait a minute. That’s saying you must have authority to make choices on your own without immediate direction or supervision. And look at the factors to consider. Not only that, but making these choices is part of your primary duty (i.e. It’s what you spend most of your time on). Already, it seems to me that many marketers simply don’t meet this criteria. But the next phrase, “matters of significance” really hammers it home.

The term “matters of significance” refers to the level of importance or consequence of the work performed. An employee does not exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance merely because the employer will experience financial losses if the employee fails to perform the job properly. Similarly, an employee who operates very expensive equipment does not exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance merely because improper performance of the employee’s duties may cause serious financial loss to the employer.

I think that’s quite clear. Just because your firm experiences a financial loss because you screw up a proposal doesn’t mean you are dealing with “matters of significance.”

Most marketers meet two out of three of these criteria. But it looks like a vast majority of marketers DO NOT meet that third criteria. And remember ALL THREE MUST BE MET in order for an administrative employee to be considered exempt from overtime.

The Highly-Compensated Employees Failsafe

The FLSA also includes a “fail safe.” If an employee’s total compensation exceeds $100K, they are automatically exempt. But based on SMPS’s salary surveys, many marketers do not fall into this category.

A Reasonable Interpretation of FLSA

Any marketing employee getting paid less than $100K and whose primary duty does not include authorization to use discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance is required, by Federal law, to be paid time and a half for any work over 40 hours. I suspect that would include a majority of marketers.

It’s not uncommon for marketers to “work through lunch,” spend late nights getting proposals ready, attend conferences or after-work functions, etc. So, the overtime wages due to a marketer in any given year could be substantial.

Let’s Play Devil’s Advocate

What arguments could employers have against paying you the overtime you are due? Let’s dissect them.

But We Have Different Laws In This State

In that case, FLSA states that the employer must comply with the standard most protective of the employee. So, you need to pay overtime or something even better. Your state may have an even stricter test that must be passed, so you’ll owe even more marketers overtime pay.

But Salaried Employees Are Except

Not true. And I think this is a common and dangerous misconception. That’s just one of three criteria that MUST be met in order to consider an administrative employee exempt.

Yeah, But Marketers Are Really Professionals

Ideologically, that’s a step in the right direction. But from the standpoint of the FLSA, it is just wrong. FLSA clearly identifies marketing as a primary duty of administrative employees. I imagine it would be hard to argue that they belong in a different category when they are explicitly identified in Fact Sheet 17C (which is about administrative employees).

What Would Scare Me If I Were An Employer

Before you print this out and hand it to your boss, consider this. How much back salary and taxes would an employer be liable for if they were in business for 20, 30, or even 70 years? Then consider the potential for additional substantial civil penalties, Federal/state tax audits, criminal charges, etc. I imagine it could be enough to put some firms out of business.

I hope you see how this information could make your employer very nervous.

And it gets even scarier for them. The Obama Administration estimates there is $6-8 billion in tax revenue lost to the misclassification of employees. And they want that tax revenue. So, they increased the Wage & Hour Division of the Department of Labor’s budget by $9.2M. And they hired 350+ new investigators. In 2013 alone, 28,628 complaints were filed and over $249M in back wages were paid.

I believe all it would take is a few administrative employees to visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/fairpay/complaint.htm and file a complaint to start an industry firestorm.

What Should You Do

Let’s face it. You probably should be getting paid overtime for anything over 40 hours/week. If you don’t meet all three of the FLSA’s criteria for administrative employees and are not getting that, it’s a problem.

Here’s why. Let’s say, for example, you are a miscategorized employee who makes $40,000/year. For the last five years, you’ve worked an average of 50 hours per week. It’s reasonable to calculate that your firm owes you $75,000 in back wages. That’s $75,000 they should have paid you, but didn’t. That’s not chump change!

But my non-lawyer opinion is I think you should tread lightly here. While ignorance might not be a viable legal defense, it is likely your employer is not fully aware of the FLSA regulations. You should address any concerns that you have with your human resources representative. Feel free to send them this or print it out for them if they ask where you got this information.

Before you file a complaint with the Department of Labor, I suggest you at least talk with an attorney. I have no idea what the protections or ramifications (both legal and social) are for being a “whistle-blower” like this.

I am writing this because I think I we, as marketers, have an obligation. First, if we see anything that would lead us to believe our firm has some legal exposure, I think we need to alert them to that. Second, if we see an injustice being done in our community…I think we have an obligation to spread the word and tell other marketers what is going on.

Please share this with anyone else you know in the marketing field.

Related Links

• The Fair Labor Standards Act
• Administrative Exemption Fact Sheet
• Professional Exemption Fact Sheet

The post The Case For Paying Marketers More appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I always get a lot of questions about websites. Most of them center around how to improve your firm website.

In the first Design & Construction Marketing Podcast episode of 2015, we talk to Hinge’s Sylvia Montgomery about that very topic. Among many things, we discuss how to know when it’s time to redesign your site and the most important improvement you can make.

Depending on where you are reading this: you can listen to the podcast below, at this episode’s page (where you can also download the mp3), or by subscribing through iTunes.

Show Notes

• Hinge Marketing
• Professional Services Marketing Today
• WordPress

The post Improve Your Firm Website appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

“Yes, it kind of is,” admitted the agency employee sitting across from me. Even they knew it.

And the older I get, the more procurements I’m involved in…

…the clearer it becomes.

Let me explain.

Remember the board games you played as a kid? My favorites were Hungry Hungry Hippos, Monopoly, Risk, and Sorry. As a child, those made up my board game world.

But as a parent, I walk into Toys R Us and I’m confronted by a wall of games. Now there is a mustache game, several princess games, and even an Olaf game.

Each game has a unique set of rules. If you don’t understand those rules, you’ll surely lose. If you don’t use the rules to your advantage, even a child can beat you.

Procurement Is A Wall Of Games

When you submit a proposal, you are participating in a game. And like that wall at Toys R Us, each game has its own rules.

The rules surrounding your proposal to the Maryland State Highway Administration are completely different than the rules used by the California Department of Transportation. And those rules are completely different than those used by the Texas Department of Transportation. And the Army Corps of Engineers has its own set of rules. So does Pfizer, etc.

The subtle differences in these games often have a substantial influence on your chances of success.

Take, for example, how some clients might evaluate your firm’s understanding. One client might rate you on your insight into their project and needs. Another might rate you solely on your ability to spit back what they’ve listed in their RFP. A different client might rate you on your ability to articulate their preferences. Still another, might completely ignore what you’ve written about your understanding and not use it in their evaluation.

How can you win in that situation if you don’t understand the rules used for that particular game?

When price is part of the game, it gets even more complicated. Even in Federal “best value” procurements, a competitor can submit such a low price that it would be nearly impossible for a client to hire you.

What A Fool I Was

When I was a young man starting out in this business, I just assumed you had to go into every procurement with your best qualifications, best approach, and best price. What more could you do, right?

And when I saw a “lesser” firm win, I just figured the client made a stupid decision.

I was wrong. I didn’t understand the game being played around me.

Whether you like it or not, you are playing a game. And games are just that…games.

You must take the time to learn the rules, play strategically, and use the game to your advantage.

When you plan to play your hand in a procurement, you must approach each as a unique game.

Now, it’s your turn. Do you view procurement as a game? If not, why?

If you do, share one example of how one of these games is played by posting a comment below.

The post How Some Winners Think About Procurement appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

The other week I was talking to Brent Darnell, the construction industry’s “emotional intelligence” guru. I asked him if there was one thing people could do to improve their emotional intelligence…one action that would give people disproportionate results…what would it be?

His answer surprised me. He said it was taking time each day to reflect.

How do you get away from the interruptions, the daily havoc, and looming deadlines each day to “reflect?” I guess I should have asked that!

But you and I can certainly find 15 minutes to reflect on our year. What better time than now? So, I’d like you to join me on a journey to reflection town.

My Mistakes And Areas Of Improvement

Reflection isn’t just about what you did well. It’s about being honest with yourself, recognizing the things you could have done better, and where you need to improve.

I hate it when people just tell you the good stuff. Everybody tries to fool you into believing they don’t fail, they don’t trip, and they haven’t identified areas they can improve in.

Hogwash. We all make mistakes. That’s how we learn. That’s how we grow. I’ve found failure to be the best foundation for success.

Take a small chance. Try something new. If it works, great! If it fails, figure out why, make adjustments, and keep testing or move on to a different approach.

I’ve had my fair share of mistakes and failures this year in my professional endevours both at my firm and with my HelpEverybodyEveryday.com ventures.

For example, I tried my hand at affiliate marketing. I decided to pitch the Help Everybody Army a service I swear by called LeadPages, going as far as showing exactly how to use it, divulging my personal results, and getting you a crazy deal. I thought after seeing all that people would be insane not to at least try it.

The result: not one single person bought LeadPages! Honestly, that shocked me.

But I think it taught me that my audience just isn’t focused on internet marketing. And I can’t force them into it.

Then there was the big launch of The Magic of Winning Proposals. Yes, overall, I think it was a success.

But I launched a brand new book on Cyber Monday…

…what was I thinking?!?!

By the time I realized this, it was too late. The wheels had already been set in motion. On a regular day, with the number of books sold, Magic would have easily been in the Top 10 Marketing & Sales best sellers on Amazon. Easily! In fact, it likely would have been #1. But on the year’s most competitive day for book sales, it didn’t pan out like that (more on this later).

I made another terrible mistake with that book launch. I didn’t apply for a new library of congress number prior to publishing, which means libraries won’t likely be able to carry it.

Of course, I still have my “day job,” where the vast majority of my time and attention goes.

Yeah, I fail and learn from my mistakes there too. Take, for example, our “GSA schedule” contract. I find it to be the most confounding contract I’ve ever dealt with. For years, I’ve been preaching to our team that it was an hourly-based contract. So, I was shocked to learn we can do lump sum task orders through it. I was even more shocked to learn that’s what our contract said the whole time! Whoops.

As always, I end the year with a number of projects and initiatives unfinished. My plans are always bigger than my capacity. Just looking at all the things I’m tracking in my system that didn’t get done…well, it’s a little depressing.

But ultimately life is about making tough choices. And making good choices with your time is a skill you have to cultivate.

Those are just a few of my many failures this year.

My Blessings

It’s important to count your blessings, and I have many.

I love everyone who subscribes to this website. I call them the Help Everybody Army.

I’ve learned more from them than I could ever teach. This year, the Help Everybody Army grew from 1,080 soldiers to 2,817. That’s over a 160% year-over-year increase.

You guys/gals are a force to be reckoned with. Together, we helped raise over $24,000 for a little girl battling an aggressive cancer! Here’s an update on the experimental treatment little Aven has been going through

We resurrected the best proposal writing manual ever written, gave it to over 155,000 people, and still managed to make it the #1 Business Writing and #13 Sales & Selling book on Amazon’s best sellers list on Cyber Monday, the single most competitive day for online book sales.

These things couldn’t have been done without you.

I also have to be thankful for my coworkers at TRAUNER. I’ve been there for over a decade (which is a long time for a marketer or business developer in this industry). I’ve spend more cumulative time with some of these people than I have with most of my immediate family members.

It’s a very symbiotic relationship. I sell their time for a living. And they deliver. And they sort of, kind of, get me…which many people don’t. That’s valuable.

I presented my first keynote and met a lot of wonderful people at SMPS’s Southeastern Regional Conference.

I also have a new child, which is also a blessing. I have an awesome wife and kid. And I have some close friendships that have lasted decades.

I even reunited with my old high school garage band and spent my 40th birthday in the recording studio.

Recognizing Accomplishments and Improvements

Just as my recent failures will fuel future success, I’ve learned from my past failures and was able to accomplish quite a bit this year.

Helpeverybodyeveryday.com traffic grew 21.53% this year. I attribute much of that to my epic SF330 post, word of mouth, LinkedIn, and lots of testing.

Not to jinx anything, but I’m certain to make my money back on the publishing of The Magic of Winning Proposals. It will likely be a profitable venture that will help me fund more experiments to help more people.

At my firm, we’ve had arguably our most successful year with proposals. Although, we did end up losing a big one on price.

We made some tweaks to our firm’s website. Traffic grew over 50%, it now loads faster than google.com, and has become a fairly reliable source for lead generation.

I’ve been able to refine my approach to sending emails to potential clients. This sounds like a minor thing, but it is huge. My response rate when emailing important people who don’t know me has jumped dramatically.

As a result, I’ve been able to get meetings with some important prospects who probably wouldn’t have responded to me before.

Since I started using Omnifocus, I’ve been faithfully doing weekly reviews. My boss is still probably wondering why my desk has been so unusually clean lately.

I also learned a ton about Federal procurement this year…and here I thought I already knew a lot (What’s a BPA?).

I’ve also had a lot of fun with and learned a lot about outsourcing. I outsourced the entire design and layout of the Magic of Winning Proposals.

Failing Rules

When I think about the failures that led to me learning and achieving more, I can’t help but be excited about what my 2014 missteps and screw ups will lead to in 2015.

Looking Ahead

I’m looking for Big Wins in 2015! “Big Wins” are the projects and activities that will give me and my firm disproportionate results.

Now It’s Your Turn

Ok, I’ve reflected. I’ve spilled my guts. Now it’s your turn. Take 15 minutes to reflect on your year. Then share one personal success and one failure by posting a comment below. Don’t be shy!

The post Failing Rules (Here’s Why) appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Along the way, we discuss how our approaches to this problem meet and diverge. We share the tools that help us get through the day. Cesar also shows us why you don’t have to take a cookie cutter approach and how someone can customize a productivity system that works for them.

Shownotes:

Getting Things Done

Cesar’s Conversation With David Allen

Evernote

OmniFocus

Nozbe

GTD Plugin for Outlook

SaneBox

MailActOn

MailTags

GTD Notetaker Wallet

PM For the Masses Podcast

Construction Industry Podcast

Depending on where you are reading this: you can listen to the podcast below, at this episode’s page (where you can also download the mp3), or by subscribing through iTunes.

The post Trying To Get It All Done When You Know You Can’t appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Today, I want to share another excerpt from The Magic Of Winning Proposals that illustrates an important point. While this book is largely about proposals, it also gives you the answers for everything from capture planning to presentations and debriefs. It’s really a total solution.

But for now, here is another excerpt. This one relates to debriefing after a proposal loss (or win).

—Begin Book Excerpt—

One Approach To Proposal Debriefs

Put yourself in the client’s shoes. They want the best service or solution, but they’ll have no interest in giving you an unfair advantage over your competitors. Likely, your clients have debriefed many consulting firms and have established a common script they recite to losers. It’s not in their best interest to give one losing firm more information than another.

One approach is to come at them with open-ended questions they are not expecting. If you make them pause and think, you’ll either break them from their script or get them to admit there is someone else you should be talking to.

One good question to ask is, “If you could only point to one thing that set the winner apart, what would that be?” Another question you might ask is, “If there was one key area we came up short in, what would that be?”

Questions like that force them to think. When you force them to think, you’ll break them from the script. If they can’t answer these questions, you might ask them if there is someone else who could.

Always Fact Check Client Debriefs

Take what your client says at face value, but always try to verify that their comments correlate with how your proposal was scored. For example, if they tell you the winning firm had better qualifications, but scored your qualifications higher…you can be sure there is more to the story.

On the other hand, if they said your technical approach could use some work and they scored your technical approach low, you’ll have to admit that technical approach hurt you.

Remember to ask for a debrief even if you’ve won. You’ll need to know the information they provide for future proposals.

When you have the debrief information and have verified it (to the extent you can), put it through the same process you did with your internal debrief.

If you choose to “skip” the debrief process, the lack of improvement will eventually catch up to you and hinder your success rate.

—End Book Excerpt—

I’d like to hear from you. Shoot me an email or post a comment below about your WORST proposal debrief experience. I read every email and every comment!

The post One Approach To Proposal Debriefs That You May Not Have Considered appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Last week, I told you about a game-changing book about proposal writing that I obtained the rights to.

Today, and over the next two weeks, I want to give you an advanced sneak peek and share some of my favorite excerpts with you right here on HelpEverybodyEveryday.com.

The first excerpt illustrates the tactical nature of this book. And this particular section hit home with me when I was first reading it.

Here it is…

—Start Book Excerpt—

Proposal Ghost Stories

Sometimes you may know who your competition is, and while you certainly don’t want to “trash” them and appear, at the least, impolite, you can still take the opportunity to emphasize your strengths and contrast them against those your competition lacks.

For example, if you find out that a competitor has been given a warning by a government agency or independent auditor because of poor financial management, or if they were cited for contract violations, wouldn’t it be helpful to show that you have never had such problems? A Ghost Story offers an excellent way to do it.

A properly presented Ghost Story can cause the reader to stop and think. And the conclusion the reader draws can effectively wound the competition.

A Ghost Story is a subtle way of pointing out your competitor’s shortcomings without actually pointing a finger directly at them. It simply raises questions in the reader’s mind which, when answered, will not flatter the competition.

The Ghost Story makes a veiled reference to something you know about the competitor’s practices which may already be known by the reader or which may prompt the reader to look into the circumstances.

For example, if you knew that a competitor had been warned on an audit because they “padded” their budget in order to buy some sophisticated equipment that they then kept for their own use, you might include a Ghost Story like this:

Lease or Purchase? We Know When To Do Which!

We want to keep costs down. That’s why we won’t waste your money on expensive equipment that has a short-term use, expecting to keep it for ourselves. The technique we’ve proposed is especially economical because it only requires leasing equipment for the duration of the work, rather than purchasing the equipment and selling it at a loss later. This approach is far better (and definitely more ethical) than the “spend and keep” philosophy of some companies.

The reader of such a story may look closely at other proposals to see if they promote a “spend and keep” philosophy. They’re more likely to scrutinize the techniques your competitors might use and even ask questions about equipment purchased under their past contracts.

Obviously, having a particular bit of intelligence about a competitor makes a Ghost Story very effective.

—End Book Excerpt—

I hope you found that interesting. Next week, I’ll drop another book excerpt your way. You can also purchase the book at this link.

If you’re a subscriber, I want to hear from you. Tell me about a time when you could of, should have, used a ghost story in your proposal. Send me an email or post a comment below. I read every single one.

The post Proposal Ghost Stories: How To Spook Your Competition appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

How can my proposals compete against the big firms? That’s a question people always ask me. And I get it. I work for a small firm (under 50 people) that competes with firms who have tens of thousands of people. And we certainly win more than we lose to those guys.

But here’s the thing. No client says:

“Let’s choose XYZ Firm because they have __ thousand people and __ offices!”

That just doesn’t happen.

The reason these firms are so successful at winning competitive procurements has nothing to do with their size. It’s really the other way around. They’re big because they win a lot.

So, How Do You Compete With Them?

The answer is pretty simple. You do what they do. You level the playing field.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Well, duh, Matt. If I knew what they did, I’d do it.”

That’s good because I’ve got an exciting, game changing, announcement that you’re gonna love.

The Holy Grail of Proposal Writing

There is a handbook in existence that details the tactics large firms (including two of the top five consulting engineering firms in the world) use to dominate competitive procurements.

It’s not publicly available.  No hardback or paperback edition has ever been printed. In fact, right now you couldn’t buy it even if you had $10M burning a hole in your pocket.

I’ve acquired the rights to this book. And I’ve spent thousands of dollars of my own money to update, redesign, and publish this book.

The Real Deal

The more I learn about this book, the crazier it gets. I’ve been getting amazing emails from people, including an executive at a firm that generated $20B in revenues in 2013, who have used the tactics in this book to outstanding success.

So, I’ve got the rights to the holy grail of proposal writing. This book could easily make firms millions of dollars.

I could announce my retirement and live on some tropical beach drinking gin rickies, right!?!?

Come on, you know me better than that!

The Epic Announcement

Later this month, I’ll be GIVING IT TO YOU FOR FREE!

That’s right. I promised some of you a free book this year and I’m going to deliver. And boy, am I going to deliver in an EPIC way…

…probably the most epic thing I’ve ever done.

Later this month, I’m going to send this book to every HelpEverybodyEveryday.com subscriber.

If you’re not reading this in your email, click on the button below so you don’t miss out.

Click Here to Subscribe

But first, I’ll be posting some of my favorite excerpts right on HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. So make sure you open every email this month.

But That’s Not All

It would be enough to give you a manual that detailed a proposal system that I could guarantee will help you win more contracts. But I’m going one step further and adding a dash of awesome sauce. I’ll be giving you all the tools you need to to implement this system.

Thanks to this amazing resource, the Help Everybody Everyday Soldiers are going to be formidable proposal gladiators in 2015.

And Then There Is Something Even Cooler

If you’re a faithful soldier of the Help Everybody Army, you’ll remember I said I was working on TWO game-changing endeavors.

Well, after I deliver the holy grail of proposal writing to you, absolutely free, at my expense…

…I’ve got another game-changing surprise exclusively for HelpEverybodyEveryday.com readers.

I can’t wait to share it with you. And I’m doing this all because HelpEverybodyEveryday.com readers are awesome! We’re going to end 2014 with a bang.

We’ll start the ball rolling next week with the first excerpt, so keep an eye out!

If you’re not a subscriber yet, take this opportunity to join us.

Click Here to Subscribe

If you are a subscriber, I want to hear from you. Tell me about a competitive procurement that it sucked to lose. Shoot me an email or comment below. I read every email and comment.

The post How Can Your Proposals Compete Against Big Firms? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

This time I’m talking to Doug Reed. I first met Doug at a SMPS conference we were both speaking at. His story fascinated me and I think it will do the same for you.

Here was, by all accounts, an engineer who grew his firm dramatically during the heights of the recession. And it wasn’t the first time he’d done it.

His unique approach centered around an accounting mechanism that most of our firms use (the timesheet).

In this podcast, Doug shares his story, explains how we can implement this system at our firms, explains why Principals and accounting folks “get it,” and even provides insight into why firms fail at growing their business in tough times.

It’s really an amazing discussion that is worth your time.

Depending on where you are reading this: you can listen to the podcast below, at this episode’s page (where you can also download the mp3), or by subscribing through iTunes.

Show Notes

Doug’s Website

Doug’s Resources

The post Growing A/E/C Firms With Doug Reed appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Last week, I let you in on the secret weapon I’ve been using for the last year to grow my lists of potential clients. I even shared with you my personal results. If you didn’t read that and you have any responsibility for your firm’s or organization’s corporate communications or internet marketing, I urge you to go back and read that article.

Today, I’m getting even more personal. I’m going to show you how I implement Leadpages and the exact strategies I use to grow my lists.

As many of you know, I’m just like you. I’m an in-house marketer at a construction consulting (engineering) firm. I also run this blog/community and a few other websites I use to test new ideas. I maintain several lists for these sites.

Let’s look at how I’m using LeadPages on these sites.

404 Error Pages

Even though this first type of landing page is by NO MEANS the highest converting one I use, I tend to think it is the coolest. That’s because it actually converts potential clients who accidentally stumble onto your website.

A 404 error page is a page visitors see when they try to reach a page on your website that doesn’t exist.

“But Matt, all the pages on our website exist!”

Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But let me ask you this. Has your firm’s website EVER been redesigned? Has it been redesigned multiple times over the years? Have you ever taken any pages down?

If so, there is likely a link somewhere on the web that points to a page on your website that no longer exists. People who follow that link go to your 404 Error Page.

Let’s look at a few examples 404 error pages.

Here’s HOK’s:

Here’s AECOM’s 404 error page:

And even SMPS Philly’s 404 error page:

When people stumble upon your 404 error page, it’s probably not because they wanted to visit your site. They clicked on something and got there. You’ve probably visited sites that way thousands of times. Let’s face it. With the industry standard 404 error page, you are losing those visitors/potential clients.

In contrast, lets look at TRAUNER’s error page.

Yes, we’ve turned it into a landing page with LeadPages. Instead of losing those visitors, about 10% actually opt in.

Not to mention, look how specific that lead magnet is. If you are interested in that, you’re probably a potential TRAUNER client.

Webinar Giveaways

We do a lot of webinars. At the end of each webinar, we direct attendees to a special landing page where they can get some pretty useful bonus material. These pages typically convert anywhere from 40-75%.

Followup and Direct Response Emails

Sometimes when I meet people who fit a specific demographic, I’ll send them an email that directs them to a landing page. Here’s an example of such a landing page.

This particular page converts 54% of traffic.

Book Promotion

I’ve been known to sell a book or two. Here’s a landing page I put on my website to promote my book and give out a fee chapter.

A lot of traffic hits this page. But it converts about 30% of those visitors.

Post Blog Opt-In Boxes

As I went over in the last article, LeadPages has a function called “LeadBoxes” where you can put an image anywhere on your website that acts as an opt-in box. Here’s a custom lead box we put at the end of blog posts over at TRAUNER.

61% of people who click on this box opt-in.

Where You Can Learn More About This

Don’t forget. I’ve invited the entire Help Everybody Army to a special private webinar, this Tuesday, where LeadPages founder Clay Collins will share some new features and offer you a crazy deal. If you are at all interested or curious, you should really check it out.

In a recent email exchange with Kevin over at LeadPages, he told me some details about the deal Clay will offer those who attend the webinar. This one is pretty crazy. And frankly, if I didn’t already have two separate LeadPages accounts…I’d be on that webinar grabbing this deal. And I think I’ve explained why.

Here are some of the details…

Kevin tells me if you purchase an enterprise 2-year membership by September 30th at midnight, you’ll get access to six different incentives (valued at $12,450). These include…

1. A Custom LeadPages Template You Can Sell in the LeadPages Marketplace. This is the big one. And I’m sure Clay will explain why on the webinar.

2. Bob Jenkins aka “Bob the Teacher” will jump on the phone with you for 45 minutes to help you face any marketing challenges and utilize every aspect of LeadPages in your business.

3. Private On-Boarding Webinar: Starting next week, you’ll be invited to a private webinar for enterprise members only, where Bob the Teacher will walk you through absolutely everything you can do with your LeadPages account — so you get the maximum ROI for your LeadPages investment.

4. Weekly Mentorship Q&A Calls with the LeadPages Team.

5. A New Kindle Fire HD 6: After your new custom landing page template is loaded into our Marketplace, they’ll send you a new Kindle Fire HD 6 that you can use immediately to download apps, browse the web, read ebooks, watch movies, keep your calendars, or anything else you’d like to use our favorite tablet for.

6. Your Seat at All the 2015 Masterminds: In 2015, LeadPages is hosting quarterly masterminds at their new Minneapolis office. You’ll be invited to every 2-day mastermind, where you can work directly with Bob the Teacher and other LeadPages users to get the critical feedback you need to take your business to the next level.

Go Here To Sign Up For Tuesday’s Webinar

I arranged this webinar and deal for you through the affiliate program that comes with my LeadPages membership because, as I explained, I think it’s crazy nobody in the design and construction industry uses landing pages.

Let me be clear. Nobody in my family works at LeadPages. They are not holding my loved ones hostage in some warehouse. I have no ownership stake in their business (I wish I did). And I’ve shown you my personal results and explained why you should or shouldn’t even consider buying it.

One of the things people always ask me for is “product and service reviews” on this site. Well, me introducing you to the products that have changed my life or career, showing you my results, and giving you both the pros and cons of buying them, and trying to get you some crazy deal is the closest you are going to see.

Go Here To Sign Up For Tuesday’s Webinar

And as always, feel free to email me or post a comment with any questions about this landing page and conversion business or about my personal experience with LeadPages. I’m open to any questions or comments. If you feel I’m pushing LeadPages too hard here, let me know. If you hate all this recent stuff about internet marketing and just want me to write about proposals, let me know. If you’ve been loving this series about internet marketing, let me know. All your comments and emails help me make HelpEverybodyEveryday.com a more useful resource. And I do read every one.

The post 5 Ways I Use Landing Pages To Identify Potential Clients appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

• How To Set Up An Opt In On Your Firm’s Website To Convert Visitors
• How To Put Together A Lead Magnet and Useful Content To Send Potential Clients

Now it gets really fun because I’m going to show you how to convert the greatest number of website visitors. And I’m going to:

1. Show you the super easy tool that I use to do this.
2. Explain everything you need to know to use this tool.
3. Plus, I’ll share some of my own results.
4. And I’m going to invite you to a webinar where you can learn about some of the latest features straight from the guy who created it.

Yes, this is going to be an in-depth post. But I think you’ll thank me.

Increasing Your Conversion Rates

Listen, converting website visitors is an art and science. There are many experts out there testing and coming up with new ways to get the best conversion results.

My best advice about conversion is to accept that you are not, nor will you ever be, the expert on conversion.

Rather than starting from scratch, I believe you should literally copy what others are doing. That’s why I use landing pages.

What Are Landing Pages?

Landing pages, sometimes called “squeeze pages,” are web pages designed solely for conversion.

They are designed so the only thing a visitor can click on is the link you want them too. These landing pages increase conversion rates dramatically.

So, this is a marketing tactic that we know works. Time and time again, landing pages have been proven to increase opt ins. And they’re cheap to implement. It’s not going to cost you thousands a year to implement landing pages at your firm. You can do this for as low as $17 per month.

Yet, I can’t think any other firm in the design and construction industry that uses these “squeeze pages.” Can you? In my mind, that’s a huge opportunity for the Help Everybody Army and their firms.

How Do You Create Landing Pages?

Technically, I really have no idea. That’s because I use Clay Collin’s LeadPages service.

LeadPages is constantly testing and creating the highest-converting landing pages. The easy-to-use service:

• Provides you with high-converting landing page templates that anyone who can upload an image and type a few words can customize in minutes.
• Integrates landing pages on your wordpress or Facebook site
• Gives you the HTML files if you don’t use WordPress
• Instantly delivers your lead magnets as soon as someone subscribes.
• Integrates with every major email marketing service, including Mailchimp

Let’s Talk About LeadPages

I’ve been using LeadPages for over a year now. And I’m ready to share a little bit about my personal results.

I think I’ve said before that a good goal would be to convert about 2% of your overall website visitors. But let’s talk about the conversion rate for specific pages.

This one might look familiar to some of you…

This is the landing page I used after a recent SMPS Webinar. The conversion rate for this page is 48%.

But that’s not my highest converting page…this is…

This is a page that people who have read my book can go to get bonus chapters. This page converts 89%.

Obviously, I didn’t design these pages. I just customized them. They are not designed to “look pretty.” They are designed for one thing, and one thing only, CONVERSION. Over the last year, I’ve converted thousands of visitors using LeadPages.

I started using LeadPages in September of last year. Let’s look at my list from a year ago.

In the span of four months, my list grew 50%. My list has almost grown 300% since I implemented LeadPages.

What Is LeadPages and How Does Someone Like You Use It?

I’ve pulled a few videos so you can see exactly how stupid easy LeadPages is.

First, let’s look at using LeadPages with WordPress:

Next, let’s look at how to connect your Mailchimp Account to Leadpages:

In case you want to use LeadPages with Facebook, here’s the video on that:

Lead Magnet Delivery

For me, LeadPages’s killer feature is lead magnet delivery. This is the only way I know that you can easily deliver different lead magnets to the same list.

Lead Boxes

Another feature I use is LeadBoxes. This is basically an image that you put on your site that, when users click on it, works as an opt-in box.

Why Not To Buy LeadPages

I’m sure this has sounded like a big old ad for LeadPages. So, let me spend a minute explaining why you should hold off on buying LeadPages.

Yes, I use LeadPages. I think it’s great and I’ve shown you my results. But there was a reason I posted about setting up your website for opt-ins and building a lead magnet first.

It’s because I believe you must do these things BEFORE you implement a service like LeadPages.

Get your Mailchimp account together first! Get your lead magnet created first! Put a simple opt-in box on your site first! Create some useful content first!

Using a service like LeadPages is not the first step. Get those other things done FIRST!

You have to crawl before you can walk.

About The Webinar

Here’s my invitation to that webinar. On Tuesday, September 30th, Clay Collins is hosting a LIVE one-time-only webinar to show you a few of the things that LeadPages has done to add over 30,000 customers (me being one of them) in under two years.

Plus, Clay will demo the latest innovations inside LeadPages live — including the brand new LeadPages Marketplace.

GoToWebinar will only allow 1,000 people to be on this webinar, and LeadPages expects it to fill up. So I recommend you register right now and show up early on September 30th to claim your spot.

I’m telling you about this webinar because, without fail, at the end of the webinar they give you some sort of crazy discount on the product. So, if you are interested…

Claim your spot for LeadPages’ live webinar right now. <–

If you have any questions about my personal experience with LeadPages, leave a comment of shoot me an email.

The post What Is LeadPages? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

Building Your Lead Magnet

The first thing you’ll send a subscriber is the lead magnet you already promised them.

One common misconception about lead magnets is they have to be long, like a research study or ebook. Nothing could be further from the truth.

People don’t always want another ebook they won’t have time to read (and you won’t have time to write). A one-page checklist or list of tips will work just fine.

The key thing is that your lead magnet provides information that only potential customers would want and want BAD! It might be something like:

5 Things To Consider Before Your Next High School Renovation

Or

3 Ways To Build Sustainability Into Your Parking Garage

Or

4 LEED Platinum Projects You Could Learn From

You really need to define your audience and build a simple, but useful, lead magnet they would kill (or at least click a button) for. Let’s look at some real examples:

10 Incredible Proposal Insights

This is one of the primary lead magnets for helpeverybodyeveryday.com.

8 Easy Ways To Improve Your CPM Schedules

This was originally a PowerPoint slide our firm President presented at a lunch and learn. Sitting in the presentation, I knew the information was so useful I had to do something with it.

How Do You Get This Information

But Matt, my architects/engineers aren’t experts. They’re not thought leaders. Heck, they’ve never even been published.

So how could I possibly get useful content to send clients?!?

Yes, all those things might be true. But getting content is not as difficult as it appears. I’ve already provided you an easy tactic I use to get content from my technical staff.

Always be on the lookout for that slide someone presents or that thing you overheard someone say that would make a great one-page lead magnet or blog post/email.

Monthly Emails

Let’s say someone has signed up on your website and you’ve sent them your lead magnet. Now what?!? How often should you send them information?

Here’s my personal take. You should send them an email at least once a month, but no more than twice a week.

How I do this is by setting up a firm blog and scheduling a post to show up once per month.

Then I set up a RSS campaign in Mailchimp to deliver that blog post (in its entirety) to my subscribers. Here’s a quick primer on setting up a RSS campaign in Mailchimp.

General Philosophy On Sending Subscribers Regular Information

Let’s tackle this one because it’s a counterintuitive concept (at least to some people).

Only send subscribers useful information. Don’t send them your firm’s stupid newsletter.

I’ve ranted about firm newsletters in the past. So, I won’t spend too much time on this.

Does it sound sane to send your clients emails about how great you are?

Man, if I sent my subscribers an email that went into detail about my qualifications and the recent success I’ve had…you folks would unsubscribe so fast my head would spin.

So what makes it OK to send clients that drivel?

If you are going to capture contact information and send out emails, they better consist of really useful information.

Ultimately, your reputation will be based on what you teach…not what you tell.

Later this week, I’ll cover the tool I use to tie this all together and invite you to a special webinar on September 30th where you can see it in action.

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage. If you want to give us your thoughts on this topic, please leave a comment below. 

The post What Information Should You Send To Potential Clients? appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

In an earlier post, I explained why your website doesn’t have a traffic problem. I told you the real problem with your website is one of conversion.

In this post, I’m going to give you step-by-step directions to fix that problem.

What Is Conversion?

That might be a new term for you. But conversion basically means you take a website visitor to the next stage. For example, if a visitor subscribes to your email list that’s a conversion. If a website visitor calls you up, that’s a conversion. If an email subscriber becomes a client, that’s a conversion.

You want to continuously move the visitors on your website closer and closer to becoming your client.

The first conversion we are going to focus on is converting visitors to subscribers. But before we dive into that, let’s talk big picture.

The Philosophy Behind This

If you are selling architecture, engineering, or construction services, this whole concept of conversion might sound crazy. People don’t buy these services from a website like they buy books from Amazon.com!

In fact, your clients have likely already used an architect, engineer, or contractor in the past (i.e. your competition). They may also have complex systems set up to procure your services.

Think of this whole conversion thing like getting a child to go down a playground slide for the first time. It can be daunting for the child to do something new, something that may seem scary. Rather than trying to get them to go down the slide, we’re going to take it step by step.

The first conversion would be to get them from the grass to up the ladder. With each conversion, it will become easier and easier for the child to go down the slide and into your arms. Likewise, as we convert your website visitors, it will be easier and easier for them to select your firm for contracts.

The underlying concepts behind this are heavily rooted in psychology. Let’s talk about some of the principles here.

1. Commitment/Consistency: If you get someone to take a small action, it is going to be easier to get them to take a much larger, but logically consistent action. For example, if someone has agreed to subscribe to your email list than it is easier for them to agree to send you an RFP or talk to you about their challenges.

2. Reciprocation: The more value you provide your potential clients, the more eager they will be to reciprocate by giving you contracts.

3. Liking: By creating a regular flow of valuable content that comes their way, you are building familiarity and trust. Clients are much more likely to hire firms that are familiar and trusted.

The Simple Conversion Flow

The plan couldn’t be simpler. People are already coming to your website. We are going to:

1. Determine which of those visitors are likely to buy your services.
2. Convince those people to give you their contact information.
3. Build trust and familiarity by providing useful information.
4. Then, we’re going to sell them on your service.

Converting Visitors To Subscribers

People are already coming to your website. You want to figure out which visitors are likely to buy your services and convert them to subscribers.

You’ll need a few things here:

1. An Email Marketing System
2. A Mechanism to Capture Visitor Information
3. A Lead Magnet

Let’s look at these in more detail.

An Email Marketing System

Since visitors are going to give us their contact information, we’ll need someplace to automate the process and store it. You’ll want to use an email marketing service.

I’m going to recommend Mailchimp simply because that’s what I use and it’s free to start with.

Here’s a video on how to set up your Mailchimp Account.

A Mechanism to Capture Visitor Information

Now that you have a place to store visitor information, you’ll need a form for them to enter the information.

Although this is a little bit different than what I do, I’m going to suggest you collect both visitor email addresses and first name. Those are the two fields you’ll want in your sign up form.

Here’s a video detailing how to create a form in Mailchimp and integrate it with WordPress.

Once this form is created, you can paste the code anywhere on your website. And the video shows you how to do that in WordPress.

A Lead Magnet

Now you have a mechanism in place to capture client information. But how are you going to:

1. Figure out which visitors are potential clients.
2. Actually convince them to give you their information.

Well, we’re going to bribe them. That’s right! We’re going to bribe them with something it will be impossible for them to assign a monetary value to…information.

You are going to create some document that solves a problem or provides insight into a challenge that only a potential client could have.

Let’s look at how people across the web bribe you all the time.

Every day many people are trying to bribe those of us who work for A/E/C firms. Let’s look at some of the best bribers we know. And we’re going to refer to these bribes by the more politically correct term, lead magnet.

Hinge

Hinge is probably one of the best out there at creating lead magnets that we’re likely to want. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Here’s another one…

…and another one…

Who would want that but someone responsible for marketing at a professional services firm? Nobody. But Hinge’s target market is certainly going to want that information, right?!?

Me

And, in all fairness, I use this tactic all the time. In fact, on HelpEverybodyEveryday.com I’m extremely aggressive with it. Here’s an example from my website.

If you are responsible for working on proposals, why wouldn’t you want this?

But wait a minute Matt…that’s fine for you or Hinge, but what about people who work for prestigious A/E/C firms? Well, let’s look at how some A/E/C firms use lead magnets.

Trauner Consulting

I know for a fact that these guys have a top notch marketer! TRAUNER’s lead magnet is tailor made for their potential clients.

Fosdick & Hilmer

Fosdick & Hilmer provides a useful guide for those who might be, you know, on the fence about building a cogeneration plant. That’s a pretty specific audience.

There you go. I’ve provided you everything you need to get started. In upcoming posts, I’m going to cover easy ways to build lead magnets, discuss conversion metrics, and share an awesome tool I use to increase conversions and deliver lead magnets.

So, was this the first time you’ve ever heard of a lead magnet? Have you used lead magnets before? Let us know by posting a comment!

The post Convert Your Website Visitors Into Clients With Lead Magnets appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I’ve been experimenting with podcasting lately. I recently appeared as a guest on two construction-related podcasts.

I thought I’d share these with you because I drop some proposal wisdom and I clear up any misconception about what I do for a living (spoiler alert: I have a job just like you).

Construction Industry Podcast

In this first one (which you can hear here) I speak with Cesar Abeid about proposals.

And being the flag waving, bald eagle flying, ugly American that I am…I instantly give US specific examples and narrowly avoid causing an international incident.

We discuss my career and what I do for a living, the most common proposal mistake, my $1M piece of proposal advice, my groundhog problem, using templates, one of the big things I’m working on now, and a few other topics.

A/E/C Business Podcast

In the second one, (which you can hear here) I speak with Philip Wylie on the same general topic. This time, I have a little fun with my interviewer. Fortunately, he’s a good sport.

We discuss proposals and the experiences that shaped my perception about them, social psychology, common complaints about proposals, the economics of proposals, again delve into my groundhog problem, and debate smoke signals vs. email.

The post Listen to Me Share Proposal Wisdom And Make A Fool Of Myself appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

As Tim Ferris likes to say, email is everyone else’s priorities for your time. And frankly, email overload is something I struggle with.

I’m sure I’m not alone. Maybe you have hundreds or thousands of unread emails nagging at your psyche.

Over the last several months. I’ve seen several high profile people declaring “email bankruptcy.” They’ve simply admitted defeat and deleted all their emails.

That’s not an option for me. And that’s probably not an option for you.

So, I’m writing this with the hopes that some piece of my insane email workflow will bring you closer to this…

…inbox zero.

I’m going to lift the veils and show you how I achieve this, certainly not every day, but enough.

My Best Email Advice

My best email advice is to stay out of email at least a couple hours per day. I don’t think your boss’s expectation is you are in your email waiting for his or her message. I think the expectation is you are getting something done. That’s why I typically reserve the first few hours of my day (at least until 10am) to have my email closed.

If you don’t read someone’s email until 10am, the world is not going to explode.

The Problem With Outlook

I no longer use Microsoft Outlook. Yeah, I used it for years. But Outlook, at least older versions, has a hard time dealing with large email accounts. And mine is several gigabytes. My Outlook got to be so slow and unresponsive, we had to get a divorce.

When I did use Outlook, I used the Outlook GTD Plugin, which does some of the stuff I’ll tell you about.

Bring It, Email!

If you are going to deal with email, you might as well deal with them all. So, I have all my email accounts go into one email client, Apple’s Mail (commonly referred to Mail.app).

At this point, most of it is garbage. I turned off Apple’s spam filter and installed my own, Spam Sieve.

Spam Sieve probably takes care of 95% of my email. And I am BRUTAL about marking stuff as spam.

People are always coming up to me and saying, “Hey, we sent you our newsletter. It gets to everyone else at your firm, but it never gets through to you.”

My response is always, “Why would I want your firm newsletter?” Nobody has ever given me a good response.

If it’s not going to help me get something done (including helping people), or help me do something more effectively, I don’t want to see it. To me, spam is what I don’t care to see.

Rules Rule

Whatever email left in my system then gets hit by a bunch of rules.

The most important is one I learned from a busy executive. Every time I’m CC’d on an email, it gets sent to my “Read/Review” folder. If it was critical to my life, it would have been sent to me. I’ll get to it eventually.

Every newsletter I’ve subscribed to goes into a “Read/Review Personal” folder.

All those emails from LinkedIn get sent to their own folder. Man, LinkedIn sends a ton of email!

And all the random RFP notifications go into another folder.

Certain people who email me are defined as VIPs in my system, so their emails get flagged as important.

Again, this all happens automatically through a series of rules. Every email client has rules, Outlook and Gmail included. Don’t be afraid to use them.

What’s left is the email I’ll have to deal with. And even after all of that, the number of emails is still not insignificant. And that’s where two really neat tools come in.

The Email Game

What’s going to happen to these emails in my inbox? Well, a couple things.

• I’ll reply to some and be done with it.
• I’ll reply and await a response.
• It will prompt me to do something.
• It will prompt me to ask someone else to do something.
• I’ll read it and delete it.
• I’ll glance at it and mark it as spam.

Think of this as a game. The game is to get these emails out of my inbox. Not necessarily out of my email application, but out of my inbox. That’s the goal.

In reality, most of these emails end up staying in my system…just not in my inbox. Trust me, I probably delete less than you do.

MailActOn

Back to those really cool tools. Where one ends and the other one begins is a bit hazy. But I’ll try to explain the best I can.

With a few keystrokes (and sometimes without any), MailActOn simply applies rules to any email message I have selected. For example, remember I said I have this folder of random RFP announcements. In the video below, MailActOn uses a bunch of keywords to filter these emails, only leaving the ones I might be remotely interested in.

I mainly use MailActOn to quickly send email into several main folders:

• @Home
• @Work
• @Action
• @Taxes

We live in a world of search, so you don’t really need a ton of different folders. And later, I’ll show you how these email essentially organize themselves once they are in the folders.

Outbox Rules, Canned Responses, and Scheduled Email, Oh My.

MailActOn includes a powerful set of outbox actions. So, I don’t just use inbox rules. I also use outbox rules.

For example, I want to capture conversations with my business contacts in my CRM (which these days is Zurmo ). I set an outbox rule that says when the “To:” field has an email address that doesn’t include “traunerconsulting.com” or “gmail.com” or “yahoo.com,” automatically BCC a special email address. This special email account adds that email message as an activity to the appropriate record in my Zurmo system.

I’m not going to get too detailed about this, but needless to say I automatically generate a record of my conversations with business contacts in my CRM.

I also use MailActOn to send canned responses to people. For example, I have a rule that sends a thank you response.

MailActOn can also schedule your emails. This is great when I’m emailing people I can guarantee will not email back the first time. I’ll send an email, then immediately schedule another followup email to be sent three days later.

Another great way to use scheduled emails is when someone says, “Follow up with me in a month.” Wow, now I have to remember to do that? No way. I’ll just write that email now and schedule it to be sent in a month.

MailTags

In a nutshell, Mailtags organizes my email so nothing gets lost. It does this by assigning keywords, tickle dates, and projects to emails.

Here’s my most powerful example. Let’s say I send you an email and I know I want a reply in the next three days. I’ll send you the email and tag it with “@Waiting” and assign a tickle date of three days from now.

If and when you respond, the “@Waiting” tag will turn into a “@Reply” tag. That way I know I’m no longer waiting for a reply.

If you don’t reply, that message will eventually land in an area of my system called “Today.” These are the emails I must follow up on today.

This is, by far, the coolest part of my system.

I can tag any email with any keyword. For example, people all over the world are always sending my boss technical questions after he presents a webinar or writes an article. He often copies me on the emails answering these questions.

I’ll tag some of these emails as “Content.” I know these emails can someday be turned into articles or blog posts.

Through MailTags, I can also tag emails to one of the many projects I’m working on.

I don’t need to have seperate folders for different projects. MailTags creates an area in my email that automatically organizes my email by project.

After I tag emails, I can use MailActOn to quickly file email conversations in my @Work or @Home folders. Again, even though I just dumped all these emails in one or two folders, MailTags automatically organizes them for quick retrieval. Plus, I can also search specifically for tags.

It’s kind of complicated, but that’s my system. Maybe some of the concepts or tricks I use might be useful for you.

And speaking of you, how do you deal with email overload? Do you get too many emails? Does it frustrate you? How do you deal with it?

Let us know by sharing a comment!

If you liked this article, please subscribe below or on the right side of the homepage. If you want to give us your thoughts on this issue, please leave a comment below. 

The post The Systems That Help Me Deal With Email Overload appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.

I struggled with whether or not I should publish this next podcast. The audio isn’t great. But after a ton of editing and post processing, I think I’ve got it listenable. And I think the topic and conversation is important enough to post in this less than perfect state.

My guest on this podcast is Scott Braley, one of the people behind the Society of Marketing Professional Services Foundation’s book, “A/E/C BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – The Decade Ahead.”

Scott details how the book, and research, came together; what was left on the cutting room table; why the book is so important; and who should read it.

It is a very interesting conversation and I hope you like it.

Depending on where you are reading this: you can listen to the podcast below, at this episode’s page (where you can also download the mp3), or by subscribing through iTunes.

Shownotes

• Scott Braley’s Website

• SMPS Foundation

• Buy A/E/C BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – The Decade Ahead at SMPS

• Buy A/E/C BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – The Decade Ahead at Amazon

The post The Present and Future of Business Development in the A/E/C Industry appeared first on Help Everybody Everyday.