Debriefing is one of the least used and, and the same time, one of the most valuable items in the marketer's toolkit.
- It is a way to find out why the successful firm won—what they did that you didn't do, or what you did that you shouldn't have.
- It is a method for assessing how your strengths and weaknesses are perceived by the client.
- It is a great way to demonstrate your continuing desire to work with that client and to find out about upcoming solicitations.
Debriefing requires that you set aside your ego, screw up your courage, request an in-person meeting and prepare thoroughly for that meeting. If you are organized, if you determine in advance what you would like to know, you will get more of your questions answered, you will stay on topic and you will probably get more valuable information.
If you conduct the debriefing in person, you can ask to see the actual scorecards of each reviewer. This will confirm and further explain the information you are getting and provide additional details about what each reviewer thought.
You can ask follow-up questions to make sure you understand what you are being told, and to obtain further detail about how your submittal was scored.
Consider having someone who was not associated with the proposal conduct the debriefing session. This person will not have emotional triggers attached to the outcome, and that will prevent the discussion from becoming an argument.
Make sure the client understands that you would use the debriefing as a learning experience, and not as an attempt to second-guess his/her selection.
At the start of the debriefing, express your desire that they be candid and not try to spare your feelings. This will make it more likely that you will learn things that help your next proposal effort for that client.
What do you want to talk about? There are six discussions I think are worth pursuing:
- The client's selection process;
- The client's general impression of the prime firm;
- The client's perception of the proposed team (both the individual staff and the subconsultant firms);
- The client's perception of the team's relevant experience;
- The client's thoughts about your short-list interview/presentation; and
- The client's future opportunities and your prospects.
Having determined what the client likes and doesn't like in proposals and short-list interviews/presentations, the last item becomes particularly important. Knowing the projects that client has coming up in the near- and mid-term futures is your first step toward determining what projects you might pursue and the kind of subconsultant help you will need, as well as the contemplated time-frame for such project(s). You might even get details about the budget and/or the solicitation requirements.
In addition, you can ask the client to identify the person with whom you should speak about each of those projects. This will give you an opportunity to build a relationship before the RFQ/RFP is released, so you won't be a stranger to that procurement leader.
In the past, I have shared a set of sample questions for a debriefing. If you would like to review these questions, please email me at [email protected].