Meg’s Corner: Creating Engaging Short-List Interviews in Today’s Market

In today’s market, it is absolutely essential that firms design short-list interviews that stand out, ones that differentiate them from the competition.  In the context of this depressed economy, competition for work has increased dramatically. And quite simply, companies cannot afford to lose projects because of poor presentation performance.

Each month, I have the privilege of traveling across the United States to coach project teams through the short-list interview process. I’m noticing a disturbing trend in short-list interviews. Because firms are chasing so much more work in hopes that one will stick, the quality of proposals and presentations has gone downhill.

I watched a team rehearsal several weeks ago that took me back easily 15 years to a time when word visuals were the standard, and boards contained so much content that they were unreadable. In this presentation, the team created an outline using Power Point and then proceeded to deliver that outline, word for word, with few deviations. In truth, I am fairly confident that our audiences can read and that they really don’t need to see our speaking notes. Reading verbatim from a slide show presentation is a visual strategy that is both outdated and mind numbing. 

There are a couple of lessons we can take from this experience. First, because there is more work out there to chase, and because the market is more competitive – firms have to find easier ways to create better presentations. For some of my clients, I’m advocating that we create presentation templates that enable us to tailor key parts of the process without having to re-invent the wheel every time. This might include a presentation checklist or even standard Power Point or board templates.

I’m also recommending to my clients that they take a harder look at their Go/No Go processes.  Firms should be vigilant in protecting against the endless exceptions to their Go/No Go rules. Because the cost of chasing a project is so high, firms need to think realistically about the real chances of winning the job and be more strategic and selective in the projects they go after.  Some interesting math might be to calculate just how many lost projects equals one FTE in your organization. In most organizations, it’s 5-6. This means for every 5-6 ineffective proposals and presentations a firm submits, they could be retaining or hiring a staff member. 

Further, the costs of a bad proposal are not just dollars and cents in a marketing budget. The greater cost might be in the firm’s reputation in the industry. A great proposal or a dynamic interview leaves an impression of quality, even if the firm doesn’t win the job.  In some cases, we’ve seen this translate into future work for a project and the firm did not even have to compete for it. By chasing too many projects and diminishing the quality of presentations or proposals, we can project an image of unprofessionalism and sloppy work, which is not conducive to a strong future in the industry.  In short to win new work, firms need to work smarter, not harder. 

Best of luck to all of you working on proposals and presentations this week!

Snohomish County Business Journal Features Communication Resources Northwest!

We were just featured in the Snohomish County Businesss Journal this month. You can check out the article here.

"Communication Resources is a unique organization that helps project teams communicate. Although locally based, the company has clients all over the U.S. and is involved with such diverse projects as the Fantasyland upgrade in Disney World, the National Museum of African American Culture and History in Washington D.C., and the Minnesota State Capitol Dome project.

Something that has made the company especially notable is that it was founded and is owned and operated by a woman and it is primarily staffed by women. Company president Meg Winch started Communication Resources in 1989 when she was four months pregnant with her first child.

“I was working for another consulting company at the time and found that I couldn’t have control of the timing or the quality of my work — consulting agencies sometimes overload consultants— so I decided to go out on my own,” Winch said."  Read more....

Meg's Corner: Tracking the Latest Trends in Short-List Interviewing

Thoughts from Meg Winch, President of Communication Resources Northwest:

Having coached several winning and losing presentations for architectural and construction firms this month and last, I’ve been reflecting on some of the changes this new market is requiring of all of us in working on short-list interviews.

The successful interviews I’m seeing are less focused on the use of Power Point and flashy graphics, and more focused on interpersonal relationships and conversations with clients. While the visuals the project teams used in the presentations were sophisticated, there were fewer of them. These were used to make very specific, compelling points about the process.

In these interviews, the presentation teams were visibly relaxed and even felt comfortable joking with each other. This doesn’t mean that the interviews were informal. Rather, they were very well choreographed and focused on building relationships. The selectors seemed significantly more relaxed and friendly. I think in these tense economic times, selection teams may be looking for people with whom they can communicate, rather than flashy presentations full of unconvincing promises. Successful presentations seem more honest to me somehow. They are not delivered by the best speakers of the firms with the most experience but, by real people who’ve taken the time to understand the client’s needs and the details of the project.

On the flip side, I just worked with a team who lost a presentation solely on price despite having delivered the best presentation. This was a hard loss both because it was a strategic project and because the team really needed the boost that a winning presentation can give. What this tells me is that in this economy, we have to look at all the aspects of the deal in order to be successful. While a great presentation with a clearly communicated value proposition can overcome some price difference, we can’t expect to overcome a huge price difference. That said, we have to help clients make sure they are comparing apples to apples and not buying a deal that is really too good to be true.

In this economy, we do know that some firms are winning new clients by undercutting fees. Some of these firms are keeping their commitments for the quote and price and I applaud their willingness to offer the client the kinds of deals that bring these firms the work. I do, however, question whether this is a sustainable marketing strategy. Firms are hoping to draw in new clients with low initial offers assuming that the client will remain loyal even when prices go up on future projects. Firms need to be careful that their promises of excellence are kept along with their promises of low prices. Savvy clients are getting increasingly good at seeing through a low-ball initial offer. So, we shouldn’t assume that the only way to get projects is to engage in price wars with our competition. In fact, when we put ourselves on sale, I’m not sure the industry is better for it. Rather, I think we should be looking at value propositions that are meaningful to our clients to help us understand the competitive difference they get with our organizations and help them overcome the natural urge to be easily seduced by a low ball offer.

For more information on how to deliver compelling, successful presentations, check out Communication Resources Northwest’s new training DVD entitled “Winning the Short List.” This affordable training tool teaches our proven method for delivering winning short-list interviews and includes an Instructor’s Guide and Participant Handouts.

Meg Winch is the President of Communication Resources Northwest, a consulting and communication firm specializing in helping project teams communicate. For 20 years, she has helped project teams from Architectural, Construction and Engineering firms win new work by coaching them through the short-list interview process.

She specializes in the facilitation and training of communication and organizational skills, working with project team members to enhance the communication behaviors critical to their jobs. She is a trained facilitator of formal partnering and public involvement processes. She regularly works with teams to develop presentations, manage messages, and develop communication strategies and agreements. Meg also works with both public and private sector clients to develop comprehensive programs of both qualitative and quantitative research. Meg holds BA degrees in Communication and German from the University of Washington and an MS in Communication and Group Dynamics from Purdue University.

Helping Architects, Contractors, and Engineers Win New Work in the Middle of a Recession

Architects, Engineers and Contractors have been hit hard by the nation’s recession, and Communication Resources Northwest is offering drastically discounted training to help them obtain new projects.

In response to the nation’s depressed economy, we have made our nationally renowned Presentation Coaching available at a fraction of the cost to Architectural, Engineering, and Construction firms to help them win new work. “Winning the Short-List” is the secret weapon firms who have been short-listed for projects need to refine their critical interview skills and edge out the competition.

The state of the nation’s economy has created a deficit of available projects for those in the “building” industry. Firms must fiercely compete with one another to win what little work is available.

Clients who utilize Communication Resources’ Presentation Coaching Service win the projects they are interviewing for 75% of the time.

“Key to our winning strategy for the MN State Capitol project was leveraging critical research and interview coaching by Communication Resources. We have an extremely high success rate on projects when adding their expertise to our team early in the pursuit process. We just hope our competition never learns our secret weapon!” says Communication Resources Northwest client Jeff Callinan, LEED AP and Vice President of JE Dunn Construction.

The methodology showcased in the new training DVD, “Winning the Short-List” has helped teams from large and small firms win billions of dollars in new work across the nation.

Now, instead of spending thousands of dollars on customized interview coaching and consulting services, Architects, Engineers, and Contractors can drastically improve their chances of winning projects for just $350.00. In a tough economy, affordable training is a crucial part of survival for those in the building industry.

“Winning the Short-List” is a short instructional film that provides instruction, examples, and a sample full-length interview. It comes with participant’s workbooks that can be copied as many times as an office needs. The goal of the training DVD is to make interview design and development both easier and more successful for project teams.

For more information, contact Meg Winch at Communication Resources Northwest, LLC at (425) 316-8300, info@communication-resources.com http://www.communication-resources.com