Winning big design projects requires strategy, preparation, credibility, and connecting authentically with decision-makers to secure long-term success.
Selling big design projects is what most of our readers are all about. We all need big projects with big fees that go for a long time. They provide the base of revenue necessary to meet our big payrolls and overhead expenses, and help each of us sleep better at night.
We spend a lot of time and money going after these projects. Accounting for the time for meetings with expensive people, travel expenses for multiple people, costly design concept models and more, it could be $100K or $200K alone in marketing time and expenses to go after one of these bigger projects. Yet historically, most firms have about a 15%-20% win rate on them. That means for every one you win, you lose four. The money spent and the morale-killing disappointment can really add up.
I have been one of the people selling these jobs and I have also been on the other end hiring the architects and engineers. Here are a few of the things I have learned over the 45 years I have been in this business about what it takes to land these big projects:
- Understand the totality of the situation. Who is in charge? Do you know this person or these people? How did the last project you did for this client go? What will people inside the client firm be saying about you? Will political contributions come into play and have you done what you need to in order to be on “the list” if that ever comes up? Is there going to be pressure to “pass the work around” and have you already “had your turn” such that may keep you from going after the project in the first place? What is the most important thing to accomplish on the project? There is a lot to know versus just showing up out of the blue with your SOQ hoping to make a short list.
- Put the right team together. The right team has so many potential dimensions to it that it takes a lot of serious thought. Do you have the right local firm that is respected by the client if that is a consideration? If you are the local firm, did you bring in the right experts from out of town for the project type if that is needed, or did you just go to the firms you know and have always worked with that have some experience but don’t look like they are the best? Have you got the right subject matter experts involved or is it your usual consultants? How does your client feel about these other firms? Critical stuff here.
- Bring the people who will work on the job to the presentation. They have to be experienced enough to be credible yet energetic enough to create enthusiasm. A mix of young and old versus all young or all old may help your team connect with those on the client end who will be making the decision. The CEO stating they are committed to the job probably means very little – sorry. The client knows that is probably going to be the last time they see that person. And can these people communicate effectively? It’s not just good enough to have the resume when the language usage and body language of the presenters is all wrong.
- Show you have done your homework. Have you done any research you can share that is relevant here? Have you done any research on end users of this type of facility and what their wants, needs, and complaints are? Have you done any research to see how these projects are holding up over time. If you haven’t done any research yourself, is there other research you can reference? Get into the details here. I would not underestimate the importance of research, whether primary (you did it) or secondary (you found what others have done). It just makes you so much more credible.
- Show you have done similar work and don’t stretch too far afield to prove that. Getting very granular about the client type, project type, and nuances of this specific potential project is what it takes. I know we all know in our gut that all clients want to know if we are going to be learning at their expense. Most don’t want to have to educate their design professionals. The client wants to learn from your experience, not the other way around.
- Connect with the decision makers or selection committee. When you are at the presentation, try to address and meet each member of the group that you will be presenting to. Don’t wait to make those introductions for when the presentation actually starts – seems too impersonal. Hand out something that shows a picture of each team member, what their name is, what company they are with, what their role will be on the project, etc. Be open to interruptions along the way to answer questions versus telling them to hold all questions to the end of your spiel.
- Keep the BS to a minimum. Most of these clients couldn’t care less about your design process or charts showing how this project dovetails perfectly with your other jobs that will be winding up at the exact right time to work on theirs. They know this stuff is cooked up and means very little because it’s always the same. And keep the acronyms and buzzwords down that not everyone who is there will understand. They probably aren’t all design professionals themselves. Respect that.
- Bring up and address the most likely concerns. Don’t hope certain questions won’t come up. You know what these are. Instead, raise them yourselves and answer them. They may not all be vocalized. Better to confront.
- Don’t be a cliche. Engineers who show up looking like engineers with plastic pocket protectors or ill-fitting jackets, and who look at their feet when they speak aren’t going to sell the job. Ditto for architects with their all-black outfits with turtlenecks or capes. Leave the costumes at home. Try to be as much like your likely audience as possible.
As always, I could go on here but am out of time and space. But really – please consider my advice here if you want to be more successful. This stuff may seem common sense to you, but my experience is that common sense is not always so common!
Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.