Why You Lost That Pitch

I’m always surprised when teams pitch business, lose, and then can’t tell me why they lost when I ask. Chances are you lost for one of three reasons, and I’ll get to those in a bit. For now, ask yourself while you lick your wounds: What type of bidder was I? All vendors in competitive-bid situations fall into three categories. Not all three are present in every competitive process, but you can plug every competitor (and yourself) into one of the three for any given bid:

• The team which, going into the presentation, is the project owner’s favorite;
• The team seen as due for a win, for a variety of reasons; and
• The team that gets it — that understands not just the owner’s project, but the owner’s mindset.

The first two are not defensible positions — they rely on externals you can’t control. The only defensible position is to be the team that gets it, and that means understanding far more than the technical requirements of the project.

Ask yourself: Is your presentation an exercise in ticking off requirements of the RFP? Does it sound forced and does it reek of CYA?

The presentation pitch is the opening of a courtship. Can I trust them? Will they respect my rules? Are they fair? Would I take them home to meet the folks? These are not just questions for the Dating Game — they have relevance in all but the most regimented low-bid situations.

So, reason No. 1 why you probably lost is: You lost because you could not get beyond technical understanding to something more binding and resonating with your potential client.

You may have lost because your people talked about process too much. Everyone — everyone! — who comes into that room can talk about process; it’s a lowest common denominator. Instead, talk about results, outcomes and savings. Talk about what the project (and your approach) will mean to their business, to their stakeholders and to the bottom line. Let everything you say and do in the presentation reflect that this project is important to them, not just a piece of work you re trying to win. Review committees (particularly at public agencies) never have anyone tell them how important their work is… remind them that it matters.

So, the No. 2 reason you may have lost is: You lost because you talked about the trip instead of the destination, and undermined your own value by not elevating the project’s importance to those who would own it and be affected by it.

The No. 3 reason is brevity itself: You lost because your people seemed nervous and your graphics were poor. As a potential client, I’m not inclined to trust you with my project if you can’t work up the gumption to look me in the eye and speak in a confident tone of voice.

Like the man said in the movie: “Go and do likewise, gents…”