Where we use strategic growth to our advantage.
We often use a simple but often underutilized tool in the game – figuring out who your target client is and the myriad of ways to get your name memorably in front of them (while knowing you won’t be winning their work any time soon).
Let’s look at another winning strategy. Here’s an idea:
Submit your resumes KNOWING you don’t have the right talent (while in your strategy and waiting in the wings there is an intentional hire intended to fill that gap).
First Strategy: You’d like to get into (market sector) but you know to fully engage in that area you’ll need to make some strategic hires. You’ll need a leader – someone with a great reputation, history and win rate and initially, maybe a few others to support the effort. Once in motion, you make your move.
The Magic: You’ve submitted an RFP and since it’s (market sector) and you have very little of that in your company resume, you have an obvious gap that would make it pretty hard to win. You set up a debrief after you haven’t been shortlisted for the project and of course, lacking specific talent comes up. Here’s the fun part. You share how they are a part of your strategic growth plan, and that no matter what it takes, you will prove yourself and how important it is to work with them and for them. And to prove that you will hire an incredibly talented team just to do it.
Psychology 101
The Follow-Through: This is psychology 101 and it’s an important tool in our bucket. Remind the client you are filling it to meet THEIR needs. And then do it. And then submit again. They will notice and you will be one step closer to being front of mind for projects coming down the pipeline.
Sitting down and creating those strategic plans is fine. It’s what you DO with that plan that creates the mojo that will grow and thrive your practice. And making a client, end-user, owner, team see that you are putting things into place because they are worth your time and money and effort…
that un-gettable-get just got a little closer to the win column.
Share what you’ve done to creatively get in front of a client – I’d love to hear your thoughts.