I have found this week difficult. Harder than I expected. Talking about ‘green shoots’ generates a cruel sense of hope. 6 months ago, being asked to contribute for work happened as often as being asked to be a sponsor. Without a doubt, the New Year was brutal. Little work and less hope of doing it.

6 months and our market is picking up a bit. Opportunities for competitive bidding come up regularly, but the business landscape is very different from before. One of the problems is that we all have to relearn how to pitch.

When we are asked for a tender, we are faced with 2 other, maybe 3, agencies. Right? Really bad. We were going to launch a project, but then we discovered that we were part of a ‘short list’ of at least 10 agencies (and on one occasion up to 15). Fortunately, in the previous case I discovered this before we had committed time or resources for our tender. My co-directors and I decided right away to spend no more than 1 hour of study on this presentation craze.

Do not misunderstand. Bidding is the logical and responsible thing to do, given the current economic outlook. However, I like to think that I do it with a sense of respect and ethics that seems to be diminishing. When I launch a job, I select 2 maybe 3 comparable companies. It’s the right thing to do.

Inviting 15 agencies to bid for the same job is a bit excessive, abuses the client’s supply relationship and devalues ​​our service. I do not think that anyone’s objectivity can remain consistent with 15 proposals.

I also have a hard time thinking of more than a handful of agencies in our locality doing what we do. I guarantee that the person preparing the short list call also faced the same dilemma.

So to get more than ten agencies, you need to expand the network. To be sure, much larger and much smaller agencies were also invited to the table. Larger agencies with their endless creative resources can afford to spend days on a presentation. Also bedroom companies that have yet to license their software, who are more than happy to pass on the lack of overhead to their new customers at bargain prices.

Potential customers in these situations don’t seem to understand the concept of like for like. When faced with a reasonable number of our pears, dealing with victory or loss is just part of business life. However, when we are part of these wicked beauty shows, the best we can hope to feel is that the right is being taken advantage of and, in the worst case scenario, abused.

Yes, I’m clearly taking it very personally. My business time is the time I take from my family. Things don’t get more personal than that. So how do we avoid these dangers? Well, we don’t, but we can learn to manage wasted time and effort. Sorry, spent on them.

I have compiled the following points as a personal reminder and as a resource for all of you the next time you are asked to make a presentation.

• Be sincere. Ask the potential customer how many other companies are involved. I even go so far as to ask who the other companies are, and when the client side takes a step, I push. Remember, no one missed an appointment for asking basic, honest questions.
• Evaluate the competition and decide if your customer is evaluating the same for the same. If you’re dealing with Job Bloggs in your back room, this one might be worth putting aside.
• See the summary. Not all tenders are created equal and the attention given to your informational document should reveal the game at any Tire Kickers. Are they serious about the project? Have you thought carefully about the details?
• Please select carefully. Times are still tough, but there are projects out there. If you are asked to cast for several at the same time, it might be worth deciding which one to choose. Concentrated effort is better than scattering valuable resources too much.
• To be disciplined. Look at the pros and cons of the launch and indeed the project. Decide, given your current workload, how much time can and should be spent preparing and stick with it.
• To be on time. Return your tender to the customer when you say you will. I can’t count the times I kept hitting a bid deadline only to hear that they are still waiting for some prices to come in. Don’t let this be you. The client will wonder if he will be so relaxed with the actual deadline for projects.
• Grow thick skin. It doesn’t matter how hard you try. It doesn’t matter how competitive you are or who you know. Accept that sometimes you will fail for no seemingly logical reason. Get up, forget about it and move on to the next one.
• Be on the lookout for patterns. Remember that customers are creatures of habit. What is your history of success in launching into working with this client? We regularly receive inquiries from a particular company. We had unsuccessfully launched 7 times to work with them. We decided that there would be no eighth.
• Learn from history. Have you worked with this client before? If so, was it hard work? Notice the prices too low for a customer who knows it will be a manual job. Sometimes it is better to let your competitors handle the problem.

Go for it. If after your evaluation you decide to bid / launch, be sure to give everything you have within the time you decided to dedicate to it. Sixteen the day!