The Wrong Stuff!
This is the second in a series of items about some of the marketing actions A/E/P/CM/Environmental firms take that are most often a waste of staff time and other resources.
No Plan? No Way!
Your firm is chasing every solicitation it learns about. It doesn't matter what kind of work, or what kind of facility, or what kind of client.
You have a "Go/No Go" process, and sometimes your senior folks actually follow it. But you lack a major tool which would make your "Go/No Go" process truly efficient: a PLAN!
The "Go/No Go" process is designed to help you say "no" when "no" is the appropriate answer. The hard part is determining when "no" is the appropriate answer. With a Strategic Plan, Marketing Plan and/or Business Plan, this determination is much easier.
For example, when the project's primary disciplines are of a type you would have to subcontract, the facility is a type you've never designed, and/or the client is one you have identified as not wanting to pursue, you can say "no" because the solicitation goes counter to your strategic plan. This solicitation may be a great opportunity for someone, but that someone is not you.
Moreover, since a good Strategic Plan helps you define "who" your company is, what it does and where it is going, it also gives you strong clues about what type of work you should be pursuing, for what type of facility and for what type of client. These items say a lot about where to look for solicitations that are truly opportunities for you.
Knowing where to aim is very important; but sometimes, knowing where not to aim can be as important. How to recognize what is an effective and efficient use of your limited staff/financial resources is one of the most important lessons you can learn as you move up the marketing and corporate ladders.
In general, it costs less to develop a Strategic Plan than it does to write one moderate-sized proposal. But over time, the investment in a Plan has a much bigger payoff than almost anything you can do for your business.
