Delivery Matters

I’ve been flying far too frequently these days.  On the up side, it means reconnecting with family, friends, and clients from around the country.  On the down side, it means listening to the airline safety announcement over and over – to the point where I can recite it verbatim.  Nonetheless, as a presentation coach, I find myself really listening to the safety instructions, wanting to give the flight attendant an audience to which s/he can deliver this most important presentation. 

This morning, I observed a delivery style that occurs far too frequently on airplanes and in many other types of critical presentations. The flight attendant rattled through her information so quickly, I doubt anyone really heard her, to the point of slurring and missing words.  She used no inflection, delivering her monologue in a monotone, devoid of emotion or interest.  Her demonstration of the safety equipment was lackluster at best, disconnected from the speed-speak flow of the words.  I found myself thinking from the perspective of a first time flyer who really needed to know this information.  “Should I put my oxygen mask on first, or should I help the person next to me?  Where are those exits again?  What if the exit door is behind me? Will anything direct me to the nearest exit? What about the unlikely event of a water landing?”  Though I’ve heard the instructions hundreds of times, I know that in the event of an airline incident in which I were called upon to act on those instructions, only the ceaseless repetition of the instructions would enable me to act.  I fly ten or more times each month; I’m betting most of my fellow passengers don’t have the benefit of hearing the message that frequently and may have to rely on the instructions they heard this morning.

How many presentations in our industry do we deliver like this flight attendant?  I believe that in many cases, the most boring content in presentations is often the most important, despite the fact that many audience members have heard it before.  For example, in short-list interviews, I’ve seen project management presentations that had selectors on the edge of their chairs, and I’ve seen similar presentations that put audience members to sleep.  I’ve witnessed safety meetings where team members were engaged and asking questions; I’ve also seen the same content delivered to an audience whose sole interest was getting out on the jobsite vs. hearing the information.  What’s the difference?

The major difference between a great presentation of common content and a bad presentation of the same content lies in delivery.  A great speaker takes the content and personalizes it: There’s nothing more important than delivering this particular message to this audience.  Great speakers know that even the best content is not enough to make a great presentation; great presentations take passionate, appropriate delivery combined with a genuine interest in the audience and audience members’ understanding.

The elements of great delivery are fairly simple; it involves intentionally focusing on how you move, how you look, and how you sound.  How you move has to do with appropriate gestures, eye contact, and body movement.  How you look has to do with relaxed posture, comfortable and appropriate dress, and orientation to other team members.  How you sound has to do with the pace, pitch, volume, and tone of your words.  While we could write a book about each of these elements, the bottom line is that great delivery involves intentionality – making a choice to adjust any one of these elements to fit the needs of the content, the situation, and the audience.

Most importantly, great delivery involves a genuine interest in the audience and audience members’ comprehension of the material.  This interest changes everything.  Being interested in audience member comprehension forces speakers to really look at audience members.  Being interested makes speakers change their voice to communicate interest, concern, or excitement. And, being interested engages team members, audience members, and the speaker in the importance of the content – collectively and individually.

What if this one presentation of the airplane safety information was the time it really mattered?  Would that knowledge change the delivery of the information?  I’d like to think so.  The takeaway for me is this:  Each time we have the opportunity to speak to an audience, we need to deliver the information as if this time it matters. While many of our presentations don’t have potential life or death implications, they are important.  At all times, in all situations, to all audience members, make a choice to speak like what you are saying makes a difference.

Measuring Partnership

Project partnering has been around for a long time, and candidly, the jury is still out as to whether or not it creates lasting value for projects and teams.  In some cases, I’ve seen partnering deliverables guide team members to more positive, team-based behaviors that have had profound impact on project success.  In other cases, I’ve seen team members revert to pre-partnering norms more protective of their own interests vs. common team needs at times when the project really needed stronger teamwork.  In recent partnering processes both in the public sector with the USACE and in the private sector on some large, high-impact projects, I have been working with teams interested in finding a methodology for improving the “stickiness” of the partnering mindset throughout the duration of the project.

One method we’re using with great success is to create partnering metrics that can be used throughout the project duration to measure team performance against partnering objectives.  While useful to assess team member perceptions, the usefulness of the partnering measurement tool is more in how it drives a conversation about teaming and partnership throughout the project schedule.

This is not a new concept.  Early partnering facilitators recommended establishing and documenting what they called “partnership expectations” for the team.  However, as partnering has evolved, few teams actually went so far as to create a real measurement tool.  With the costs and benefits of team performance so high, it’s time to “add some teeth” to how we use partnering.  Clearly established partnering metrics are one way to accomplish this.

Establishing the measurement tool requires two things:  a useful and recognized scale and meaningful, discrete “variables” that indicate team performance.  The quantitative scale makes the measurement and subsequent interpretation of the results more objective, resulting in higher quality discourse about team behavior. The variables enable conversation about core team elements in a way that enables behavior change on a more micro level that is more achievable and lasting.

When establishing a scale, I typically prefer a seven-point Likert-type scale that is evenly balanced at the poles.  The scale is broad enough to enable one to see variance across the response population, but doesn’t mimic a ten-point grading scale.  Plus, though others in the industry might disagree, I like having a midpoint between positive and negative ratings since in many cases, “I neither agree nor disagree” is the real answer vs. “N/A – not applicable”.

While there are certainly some common variables teams might use in the creation of a partnering measurement tool, the most valuable metrics are specific to the team and the project, with variables that are meaningful and communicative to team members.  And, these metrics are best created with the team itself. 

As one of the early partnering activities for any project, I divide the team into two groups.  For the first group, after explaining the concept of a metric, I ask them to create a draft measurement tool of discrete items that once measured would give the team an indication of how successful they are relative to partnering. I ask team members, “How would you know partnering has been successful at key stages of the project?”  An example variable might be “Communication of issues at the appropriate level” or “Decisions made in a timely manner.”  Both of these could be measured on a scale through gathering perceptions from all team members.  And, the results would give the team an understanding of how the entire team feels it is doing in each area, and more importantly, would foster a discussion on how to improve.

The second group works on listing, based on past experience and their concerns for this project, risks or roadblocks to success.  This list is used as a test of the measurement tool and the individual metrics:  Given what we know about this project and the real challenges we have ahead, do the items we’ve listed get at the real issues our team is going to face?  For example, if the team is aware that a significant challenge on the current project is going to be the transition of team members from one phase to the next, we might create a metric in our measurement tool, “Orientation of new team members to partnering goals and objectives.”

Partnering takes considerable time and investment at the beginning of a project, and for larger projects, throughout its duration.  Teams that find ways to continue the partnering conversation in productive ways without multiple formal sessions make a wise investment in their future success.  Establishing and using a tailored partnering measurement tool is one way to continue the conversation and target real improvements in teamwork to achieve project goals. 

An Approach to the Approach: Writing a Winning Approach Section

In my experience, clients carefully read four parts of most proposals:  the cover letter (“the invitation”), the approach section (“How can you help me?”), the resumes (“Who are you?”), and the cost or budget section (“And, just how much will this cost me?”).  While the pretty pictures of your projects and descriptions of your work are certainly interesting to most clients, nothing is more interesting to a client reader than the client’s own project or problem.  As a result, one of the most important sections of any proposal that we write is the Approach Section.

The Approach Section, in fact, distinguishes a proposal from a statement of qualifications (SOQ).  An SOQ asks for information about your firm and your experience.  A proposal asks for an approach to doing the work requested and/or solving the problem described.  Experience in a proposal, while important, has a different purpose than qualifying your firm.  In a proposal, experience proves that you can do what you said you could in the approach.

The first step in writing any good approach section is to carefully read the RFP.  Most RFPs are written with clear instructions regarding the information for which the client is looking; sometimes, there are even clear instructions on how the client wants you to organize that information.  Read it, clarify it, underline it, and follow it.  While writers need to bring their creative writing skills to the cover letter, writers need different skills for the approach section.  Approach sections require the very best expository or descriptive writing. 

If the RFP asks “how” your team will resolve a problem or accomplish a key scope of work, it’s important to really write about what your team plans to do and how this approach will resolve the problem or accomplish the work.  Anytime you read the word “how”, this should be a clue that the reader expects to know what you are going to do and how it will meet his need.  Too often, when I read an approach section, the section starts with statements of experience or skill:  “XYZ has extensive experience in this type of work, and we are excited to bring this experience to your project.”  The writer then spends considerable proposal “real estate” describing this experience, even though it’s usually also described elsewhere in the proposal. 

Approach sections generally should not include details of your experience, your awards, or even client testimonials.  Rather, the approach section should detail how you are going to do the work.  The key evaluation criterion for any approach section is “responsiveness.” Does your approach to the work respond to the client’s stated problem, need, or request?

Any large document, like an approach section of a major proposal, can seem daunting when one considers writing it all at once. Fortunately, for most proposals, an Approach section can be logically segmented into prompts to make it easier to write, and coincidentally, easier to read.  Generally, the section should be organized chronologically in clear subsections, or should follow the structure dictated by the “prompts” in the RFP.  The first step in writing the approach section is to find the logical structure and define the “bundles” of information.  These bundles – or subsections – can reflect the logical stages of the work (such as Schematic Design Activities, Design Development Activities, etc. ), or they might reflect logical topics that need to be discussed (such as Quality Management, Safety, Communication, etc.).  A writer might even organize the section spatially, bundling content around sections of the site, floors of the building, or areas of the facility.

The writer can then add opening and closing sections to the beginning and end of the approach section.  These might be “Approach Philosophy” in the beginning and “Concluding Thoughts” at the end.

Like the entire document, each subsection should have its own logical organization.  In fact, a savvy writer creates a common organizational template for each subsection of the overall approach. This establishes a rhythm and flow to the reader, and it makes the writing much faster and easier.  There are several common organizational structures a writer might use for a subsection, including:

Problem, Cause, Criteria, Solution:  What’s the problem?  What caused the problem?  What are the solution criteria?  What is your solution?

Vision, Process, Result:  What’s the aspiration or vision for the work?  How are we going to get there?  When we do this, what’s the positive result?

Knowledge, Resources, Solution:  What do we have to know in order to deal with the challenge?  What help or resources do we need to be successful?  What’s the solution we need to bring to the challenge that will meet the client’s goals and objectives?

One other way I make these sections easier to write is to borrow from my work as a presentation coach (writing and presenting are, after all, both communication skills).  When speakers are having difficulty outlining parts of a presentation, I direct them to always use a four part outline:  What are you going to do for the client to solve the problem?  Why is it important to do that?  How are you going to get it done?  Can you prove that this approach will work?

The “What” becomes the topic paragraph for the subsection.  If the subsection were about an early project process such as Partnering, I might start with the following:

“The most important first step in any project is the Initial Partnering Session.  Our team will hold a partnering session during the first week after Notice to Proceed that will set the stage for project success.”  

The “Why” provides the value proposition for the “What.”

For example, I might write, “A well executed partnering session can save a project like yours millions of dollars by avoiding changes and claims while dramatically increasing end user satisfaction.  In partnering, we establish the rules of engagement for all team members, integrating team goals so we are all working cohesively toward the same delivery goals.”

The “How” refers to the “guts” of the subsection.  Fortunately, since the writer wishes to describe the approach to a scope of work, the logic of the work dictates the logic of the subsection.  Each subsection might be organized around the sequential steps it takes to resolve the problem or complete the scope of work.  The easiest way to determine this organization is to refer back to “Project Management 101” – the good, old Work Breakdown Structure or WBS.  A WBS details discrete tasks that in order lead to scope completion, a step-by-step XX to accomplish the work.  The writer can use a WBS to organize each subsection of the Approach. 

For example, continuing my partnering subsection, I’d organize this subsection chronologically by the logical, sequential tasks needed to accomplish a successful partnering:  identify participants, plan agenda, provide facilitation, and document results.

The “Proof” can be examples from projects where the “How” worked.  Remember, these should not be detailed project descriptions, but rather, short statements illustrating success.

For example, “Leaders at Fort XX have found this approach so valuable, they work with us to use it on all projects kicked off at this very busy military training installation.”

Each subsection should stick to its topic and its outline.  This keeps writers from including too much in the subsection and keeps readers “on point.”  Far from being constraining, using a logical, predictable outline helps the writer be more creative and helps the reader understand the finer points of the narrative.

There are certainly many more ways to write an approach section, and I’m sure many of my readers have extensive experience to share as well.  My goal with this short blog is to propose ideas to make the whole writing process easier so readers can clearly understand the value your team brings to the project. 

When writing the approach, writers need to think like readers.  In today’s economy, clients receive numerous proposals – 20, 30, 40 for a single project.  As a result, readers need to review multiple proposals very quickly. Yours needs to stand out by being easy to read and telling a clear, cohesive story.  Far from making your proposal more mechanized or simplistic, these logical organizational techniques will make your Approach Section easier to absorb and eminently more memorable.

The Art of the Cover Letter

The cover letter is the first part of any proposal that any potential client will read. As such, the cover letter should be the most engaging, interesting part of your proposal. Too often, the cover letter is nothing more than a glorified transmittal memo. In its worst form, a cover letter contains legalese language that creates a negative impression for the reader. What a wasted opportunity! Sometimes, it’s the only thing a potential client has time to read and will read in any detail. Make it count.

There are three elements of any good letter: the content, the writing style and structure, and the formatting. While content is certainly the most important, all three elements combine to create a letter that gets read and leaves a positive impression.In its best form, the cover letter creates an image of your team and firm in the mind of the reader and encourages him/her to continue to read to learn more about your approach to the project.

The content of the letter needs to communicate a strong set of value propositions:  what the client “gets” as a result of hiring your team. The value propositions need to differentiate your firm and they need to be what the client wants or needs from his/her project. I believe that a strong letter should lead with the strongest argument for hiring your team. Consider the following two examples:

Pursuant to the Port’s Request for Proposals, RFP #12345, Communication Resources is pleased to submit the following proposal for consulting services.  Herewith this letter, our firm commits the necessary resources to perform the work for the Port on this project in a superior manner. [Note:  Unfortunately, I don’t have to make this stuff up; I really read this in a client’s proposal and changed the name to protect the truly guilty.]

The Port has an incredible ability to garner public support and engagement for a vibrant redevelopment of the Portland waterfront. As a regional leader in public outreach and engagement, Communication Resources is ready to be the Port’s partner in creating enthusiastic support for this project.

Which introduction would encourage you to keep reading? If you said the first one, stop here. I can’t help you. In the second example, the topic sentence transforms what our research tells us the Port wishes to achieve with the current project into a strong claim (a “value proposition”). The second sentence establishes us as a regional leader and a potential partner in getting the Port staff what they want (e.g., the message is, “You want the value from the first sentence, hire us as your partner.”).

The content of the cover letter should preview the major “Win Points” in the proposal.  The content should set the expectation for what is to come in the pages beyond the cover letter. As a result, the main points of the letter should be clearly articulated in the body of the proposal as proof of the claims that were made in the letter.

While from a style standpoint, I could write volumes, let me instead suggest three key writing skills. First, the cover letter should include strong topic sentences. The topic sentence represents the “announcement” of the topic of a paragraph and makes a strong claim that will then be supported in the body of the paragraph.  [Note:  For much more detail on this subject, any writer should reference the writing “Bible” – Strunk and White’s Elements of Style – really, read it; you’ll be amazed at how your writing improves!]

Second, the cover letter should use grammar and punctuation consistently. When you don’t know how to use a particular convention – such as the comma after the “and” in a list – either look it up or use/misuse it consistently. Nothing is more frustrating to me as a reader (and to other readers, I’m sure), than the inconsistent use of a grammar or punctuation convention.

Third (and there are so many more from which to choose), the cover letter should be checked for common mistakes such as “their” vs. “there” or that each pronoun has a referent (i.e., who is “they” or “he” or “it”?).

Finally, the third element of an effective letter is its formatting. An effective cover letter draws the reader in through a perception of clarity and ease of reading. The writer uses bullets and bold type to draw attention and highlight key claims. No formatting technique is over-used, inconsistent, or confusing. I recommend the “rule of three” – choose three formatting techniques for your cover letter, use them consistently, and use them throughout the entire proposal. This encourages the eye to land on content for which you want additional attention. 

Some writers leave the cover letter to the very end of the proposal writing process, thinking that they’ll write a great cover letter when they know all of the elements of the proposal. Big mistake! The cover letter should be written first as it sets the most important claims for the proposal. The proposal should support the letter, not the other way around.

Finally, the tone of the cover letter should be neither too formal, nor too casual. All communication is intentional; this includes your writing. Determine the tone you wish to convey, and then write intentionally to convey that tone. Choose words carefully and make your writing a reflection of who you are and the firm you represent.

A cover letter is like the first chapter of a novel; it either draws you in or makes you put it down. Write a cover letter as if it were an invitation. It’s an invitation to read more, to learn about your team, and to discover the opportunities your team brings to the client’s incredible project.

Another Call for Civility in Customer Service – and at Airports

I’d like to add my voice to the ranks of businesspeople calling for a renewed focus on civility in the workplace. Work should be a place where people are able to do their best work to the best of their talents and capabilities, not a place where they feel harassed, put down, or treated poorly. This topic comes to the top of my mind – and my blog – because I’m writing this entry while I fly back from O’Hare after a very negative encounter with TSA.

Let’s address the TSA issue first and why it made me think about customer service and civility. I travel a lot through most of the major airports in the country, so I have become very familiar with the challenges of traveling. Most TSA agents are quite nice; in fact, I’ve been amazed at the courteous and professional behavior at a couple of airports like Minneapolis and my hometown, Seattle. Both of these are very busy cities and hubs for a major air carrier. With few exceptions, I’ve found these agents to be comprehensive, courteous, and kind, despite the inherent challenges of doing a job most members of the travelling public don’t understand and don’t appreciate. These agents understand how to do their difficult job with grace and professionalism. They remind me that we should all work this way, regardless of the task or the audience.

Today at O’Hare, however, I encountered something totally different from what I hope is the norm:  an entire security checkpoint of what appeared to be unhappy agents, none of whom smiled at passengers and many of whom barked orders to get passengers to do what they were supposed to do. In the urgency to get to my flight, I forgot to remove my phone “ear-bud” from my ear, but no sirens went off and I proceeded through the checkpoint to gather my belongings. Moments later, from across the checkpoint, I hear a very loud and adamant, “You!  Madam!  Take that out!  Now!” I’m not sure O’Hare has had terrible problems with tall blond terrorists (madams?) of Scandinavian descent sneaking explosives into airports through ear-buds, but I was nonetheless subjected to a lecture on how I’d held up the line and how my ear-bud would now have to be rescanned through the belt – this was accomplished with much rolling of eyes by the agent for my apparent stupidity.  Risking being subjected to a full body cavity search for making a suggestion, I took the chance as an educator to calmly let the supervisor know that he might consider some training for his staff in basic customer service, starting with “Please”, “Thank-you”, and “I’m sorry." And, I’m using this rather unpleasant experience to think about how these basic customer service skills might apply to my work.

In most of our firms, we often must ask busy professionals to do things they’d rather not do – like write a section of a proposal, attend a strategy meeting, or “perform” in a presentation. And, we often have to ask for these things in chaotic and challenging circumstances. In public agencies as well, also a large percentage of my clients, city and county professionals often deal with members of the public who are not at their best.  And, they, too, must work under very challenging and chaotic circumstances while serving the public. It’s hard to be civil all the time, it’s hard to be nice, and it’s hard to be kind when we don’t get what we want or need. Despite this, most of the time, most of us do very well by way of civility, regardless of circumstance, but for those situations when it’s harder than others, I’d like to propose some basic guidelines that I hope you all will join me in adopting for our various organizations:

• ·       We don’t have to be like our customers all the time, but we do have to be polite and professional.  This is particularly challenging when our customers – internal and external to our organizations – are not at their best.

• ·       Basic courtesies of “Please”, “Thank you”, and “I’m sorry” will go a long way toward diffusing difficult situations.  Because human beings are natural mimics (we tend to unconsciously adapt our behavior to the environment), being courteous generally elicits more courteous behavior in response.  If you don’t believe me, find the sourest looking person at an airport and smile.  Chances are, you’ll get a smile back – most people can’t help it. Similarly, if you model courteous behavior, even in a challenging situation, most people will respond in kind.

• ·       Remember, someone else’s bad behavior isn’t about you, and you don’t have to respond accordingly.  I’m convinced some people were raised by wild animals because that’s the only way I can explain their behavior.  Despite this, I’m challenging myself and others to be consistently courteous – and even nice – even in the face of really bad behavior. 
  
  

Sometimes our customers are not from the outside; they are from our own firms and organizations. Just because these customers are “family” doesn’t give us a ‘bye’ on behavior. Courteous, civil behavior is the cornerstone of any successful business.  Organizations that support rudeness, harassing, or discriminatory behavior are bad places to work – and I suspect there are many other problems in those organizations that will eventually come to the surface. Great organizations support courteous and professional behavior, within their organizations and to their customers – all the time.

So, I have a proposal – one that I’ve made to my clients over the years. I think all of us should take initiative to drive civility and professionalism back into the workplace in places where it’s absent. In other words, I don’t believe we will create more courteous workplaces simply through policies or training. I think all of us – at all levels of our organizations – need to model civil/courteous behavior to each other, demonstrate consistently what we want from others. 

I think we should no longer tolerate bad behavior. This doesn’t mean responding in kind. But, it does mean making professional behavior part of our promotion and teaming decisions. It means requesting the behavior we want when we don’t get it – in a calm, professional manner. And, it means taking a deep breath in chaotic or challenging situations and responding to others in ways that are calm, professional, and reinforcing of a positive image for our organizations.

And, I think we should practice thanking people for the difficult jobs that we need to do ours. While it might not make people nicer, more courteous, or even more professional, we’ll feel better about our work and how we interact with others. So, to my TSA agent from ORD: Thank you for your service to keep the flying public safe. I know you have a hard job and I appreciate what you do, even when I have to take off my shoes, coat, watch, hair clip…..and ear-bud.

Father’s Day: Relationship Rules from Meg’s Dad

In honor of Father’s Day, I’d like to share some insights about relationships, writing, and communication from my mentor and father, Robert S. Gruhn.  Dad was an attorney practicing labor law for more than 50 years in addition to volunteering legal advice and services to a variety of public agencies and museums around the Puget Sound.  He was an old-school attorney, focused on helping his clients preserve relationships and reputation. 

Dad had three rules he lived by and that he taught his children and clients:

1) Never write anything you wouldn’t want read back to you in court.  This is sound advice in any context, particularly in this age of rapid email and social media that gives little time for contemplation and the development of a cogent, well-thought-out line of reasoning.  We should all think before we hit send, avoid use of the “reply all” button, and write each email or post as if our words could come back to us in some form, some day. 

In fact, my Dad took this “rule” a bit further in reminding us that there was one reader worse than any court of law, and that was my mother.  He reminded me never to write anything I wouldn’t want my mother to read.  Oddly, this was not because of the obvious maternal consternation over content, but because my mother is a linguist.  As a result, I am more careful than most to proofread carefully, and to avoid mistakes in grammar and punctuation.

2) Never do or say anything that might welcome the unwanted attention of the Coroner.  This piece of advice caused me no small amount of confusion when younger, but as I age, it makes perfect sense. Dad was trying to tell me to be aware of the repercussions of my behavior, even behavior that didn’t seem all that dangerous at the time.  He wanted me to think before I act, not to make me afraid of risk, but rather to consider the consequences and make sure I was willing to pay the price for my actions.  Again, sound advice. What if in business, leaders considered both the short and long-term consequences, for their organizations and employees, of the actions they take or recommend?

We should all take the long view, understanding how our corporate actions impact the world around us, including employees, clients, and stakeholders.  We should consider the risks, weigh them carefully, and then act with clear knowledge of risks, costs, and benefits.  In other words, we should “own” our decisions and be responsible for our actions.

3) Always preserve the relationship because in the end, that’s all that matters.  Dad was known as a “gentleman lawyer”, one who wisely advocated communication over litigation.  And, because he chose his battles wisely, when he did have to go to court, he rarely lost.  Over the years, I’ve learned that my Dad was right; relationships matter and we can win more in business through talking and negotiating than we can through steadfastly arguing for our own point of view.

Dad taught me how to look at conflict from different perspectives; he believed that everyone has a point of view and everyone deserves to be heard, no matter how strange or unconventional their perspectives seem at the time.  As a partnering and facilitation consultant, I’ve found this to be particularly true:  team members come to projects with a broad range of perspectives and needs.  If we take the time to listen and seek to build understanding of real needs and expectations, we can avoid conflicts and build stronger, more positive relationships across the duration of any project.

I’m a lucky daughter.  Though Dad passed away three years ago, I get to remember him through his wise words every day (and through the 22 boxes of law books in my garage).  By passing his advice on to teams around the Country, I’m helping him continue his goals of preserving relationships, building stronger teams, and keeping people out of the courtroom by negotiating in the board room.

Find the Pain; Make the Sale

The title of this blog, “Find the Pain; Make the Sale,” is an old marketing axiom – and it’s one of the most important things we learn in AEC business development and marketing. It’s also the super secret of developing client relationships and designing winning proposals and presentations. This seems so basic, yet time and again we hear of firms taking valuable face time with clients to talk about themselves and their history. Firms frequently write proposals that are generic and unfocused and deliver interviews that lack substance. If more business development and marketing professionals took the time and interest to “find the pain”, they would more often “make the sale”.

Finding the pain means that we have to start with a genuine interest in our client’s business, instead of simply trying to sell them services or respond to an RFP. It means knowing what problems a client is trying to solve with a project and what “pain” that client will experience in getting the work done.  Teams can differentiate themselves with how well they understand the client’s pain and in how well they target their responses to resolve it. Successful AEC marketing professionals should be more like surgeons; they don’t deal with surface symptoms. Rather, surgeons ask questions, they listen, and they devise effective strategies to resolve the patient’s real issue.

Clients have three types of pain:  product, process, and personal. Product pain deals with the tangible process needs of a project:  technical quality lapses, regulatory issues, schedule and budget challenges, and operational requirements. Process pain refers to the pain experienced by clients in getting work accomplished:  lack of teamwork, coordination with other departments/stakeholders, a need for responsiveness, team changes, and challenging procedures. Personal pain is the pain a client experiences on a project that hurts him/her personally by way of reputation, image, or engagement.

In the earliest stages of business development, BD professionals need to be asking good questions, and probing for detailed information from their clients. Then, marketing professionals need to translate that information into focused proposals that offer a clear value proposition – in other words, that articulate how their team will “resolve the pain.”

To get at product issues, I always ask my teams to “unpack” the selection committee, to understand the project technically at a much deeper level, going well beyond the obvious. I ask them, “Why would the client want to go through the effort it will take to make this project happen?” In other words, why is this project being done and why is it being done now? I probe further to ask my teams to think about what the client hopes to be able to accomplish with this new project that can’t be done now. We talk about funding streams, stakeholder requirements, and regulatory processes – three common areas of pain.

To get at process issues, I ask my teams to think about how we can work with the client to make his/her life easier. What tools, techniques, processes, procedures, etc. can we provide that would differentiate us from the competition? Sometimes the most painful part of any project has nothing to do with the technical, measureable aspects of the project; it has to do with the team and the team leadership hired to perform the work. I want my teams to demonstrate a different way of doing business that makes work easier and processes more enjoyable for clients.

Many of our clients are personally invested in their projects either through excitement for new changes, new processes, or new facilities. Others are invested by way of fear – fear of a loss of reputation or image in the organization or the industry. Savvy teams understand that for many of our clients, the Godfather was wrong – it isn’t just business; it is indeed personal. We need to understand that the potential for personal pain for many clients is very real and that these clients will hire AEC teams that understand how to make the client look good through their work.

While projects are exciting and fun to consider, in business development and marketing, we also need to focus on what’s painful about our business. Projects can be amazing and they can bring much excitement and joy to clients, but they can also be stressful, difficult and painful. We need to take a deep dive into our projects to understand what is and what could be painful to our clients. By finding our clients’ pain – or potential pain, clients will see us as their preferred solution to avoid or resolve the pain so they can become excited about their projects.