A/E/C Business Development Bootcamp - Agenda

A/E/C Business Development Bootcamp

Detailed Course Agenda

First Day

Launch (30 minutes)

  • Opening remarks by one of the leaders of the firm
  • Personal introductions and objectives
  • Defining marketing and business development
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Self-evaluation forms for marketing and business development

Differentiation and Positioning (100 minutes, 130 minutes cumulative)

  • The importance of brand and storytelling (Tell, don’t sell)
  • How to be different in ways that matter
  • The role of pricing in client decisions
  • What you need to know in order to position effectively
  • DISCUSSION & INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Understanding and Conveying Your Brand
  • Win on your strengths, tie on your weaknesses
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Positioning

Clients (90 minutes, 220 minutes cumulative)

  • Understanding and selecting markets
  • Trends in clients’ needs and expectations
  • Communicating with clients
  • Focus on the right clients
  • Keeping your best clients
  • Targeting and snagging new clients
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Targeting and Developing Clients
  • Identifying cross selling opportunities
  • How and when to cross sell
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Cross Selling

Direction (50 minutes, 270 minutes cumulative)

  • Vision and leadership
  • Creating a client-focused culture at your firm
  • Have a plan
  • Roles, responsibilities, and accountability
  • Benchmarking performance: Using PSMJ surveys
  • Finding the time to do this
  • Budgets
  • DISCUSSION: How It’s Done at Your Firm

                    (This section could include a presentation by someone from the firm)

Marketing (45 minutes, 315 minutes cumulative)

  • A deeper dive into considering your brand
  • It’s not just done by surrogates anymore
  • Thought leadership and content marketing
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Developing fresh ideas and spreading the message
  • Marketing tools and techniques

Relationships and Opportunities (90 minutes, 405 minutes cumulative)

  • The why and how of networking- It’s OK to be an introvert
  • Managing networking
  • Information is currency
  • DISCUSSION: Overcoming the Roadblocks
  • CRM and other networking tools
  • Finding, tracking, and strengthening leads
  • Chase less, win more
  • How to really understand an RFP
  • Selecting the best opportunities
  • Focus on WINNING, not just getting to the short list
  • How to learn what you need to know about the client and project
  • It’s critical to maintain a high hit rate
  • Using your firm’s go / no go form and process (If there is one)
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Go / No Go (Using actual current RFP)

Wrap Up for Day One (5 minutes, 410 cumulative)

Second Day

Tell a Gripping Tale—It is THE Key to Winning (100 minutes)

  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: You be the Client
  • Addressing RFP questions AND telling a story
  • Share their vision, solve their problems
  • Focus on real issues and solutions
  • Developing and using win themes
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Telling THE Story (Using actual RFP or mythical project)

Proposal Strategy and Management (45 minutes, 145 minutes cumulative)

  • Roles, responsibilities, and accountability
  • Using a red team
  • Strategic teaming
  • When you’re the prime, when you’re a sub
  • Following up

Proposal Language and Style (60 minutes, 205 minutes cumulative)

  • Make them want to read your proposal
  • Make it easy to read your proposal
  • Layout and Language
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Proposal Writing Skills Development
  • Looking at proposals by your firm and other firms
  • Templates
  • Dealing with page limits

Section by Section Guide to a Strong Proposal (70 minutes, 275 minutes cumulative)

  • The all-important cover letter
  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: How Strong is Your Message?
  • Looking at proposals by your firm and other firms

Time to Red Team YOUR Proposal (30 minutes, 305 minutes cumulative)

  • INTERACTIVE EXERCISE: Proposal Red Team Exchange

Winning Presentations (45 minutes, 350 minutes cumulative

  • What clients want to hear
  • Roles, responsibilities, and accountability
  • Preparing for the presentation
  • Using tools and telling a story
  • Delivering the presentation

Wrapping Things Up (20 minutes, 370 minutes cumulative)

  • Lessons learned
  • What are you going to do tomorrow?