I’ve been coaching a lot of presentation teams lately. Different markets, different project types, different personalities, but the same patterns keep showing up.
One of the most common? At some point in rehearsal, someone says, “We’ve got the best relationship with the client. They’re really rooting for us.”
We don’t doubt the sincerity. I believe you do have a strong relationship. But after coaching hundreds of presentations in nearly every market sector and every region of North America, I can tell you that every team thinks and says the same things about themselves. They talk about their deep knowledge of the project type and their ability to hit the ground running. They emphasize how they’ll deliver on time and on budget, keep the process well-coordinated, and protect the owner’s interests. They stress their responsiveness, their seamless teamwork, and how easy they are to work with. And almost every team tries to impress with early ideas – site plans, renderings, elevations, preliminary budgets, schedules – because they believe their solution is uniquely theirs and that no other team could come up with anything better. No one walks into a shortlist interview and says, “We’re just okay at this.” Everyone is pitching their strengths, and many of those strengths sound exactly alike from one team to the next.
The truth is, it’s in the client’s best interest to have several strong teams in the running. That’s how they explore different ideas, different approaches, and ultimately choose the one that feels like the best fit for their project.
The firms that remember the interview is a competition are the ones that pull ahead.
I believe great presentations do three things: inform, influence, and entertain. Inform, so the client feels confident you can deliver. Influence, so they see the world through your lens. Entertain, not with gimmicks, but with enough energy and humanity that they actually want to spend the next year or more working with you.
Your resume and your relationships get you invited to the table. The story you tell once you’re there is what wins the work.
And here’s where I see so many firms miss an opportunity. They expect their technical experts to write the pitch themselves. Why are we asking project managers, architects, engineers, and contractors, people with no formal training in writing or storytelling, to craft the very narrative that could win or lose millions of dollars? It’s like asking the actors in a movie to come up with their own screenplay. Not to diminish the incredible talent in our industry, but in the pitch room, you are the talent. The ability to sell that talent is where marketers can help.
That’s why our next SmartSKILLS session is for both the people in front of the room and the people behind the scenes. For the seller-doers, it’s about delivering with impact. For the marketers, it’s about learning how to pull the best story from your team and shape it into something that informs, influences, and entertains. It’s part “train the trainer” and part personal performance workshop, so everyone involved knows how to play their role in a winning pitch.
Because you’re not just competing against other firms.
You’re competing against their best story.
Judy
The AEC Truth Teller