A selection that I’ve been working on—there are more rules than five!
- Read the RFQ/P. Read it again. Read it again and take some notes. The RFQ/P is your pursuit Bible. Assume this Bible has an Old Testament type God—One not so willing to forgive mistakes.
- Seek understanding. The worst submittal is not merely bad—it is irrelevant. A client reads it and wonders: Do they have any idea who I am and what we want to do? (Did they read the RFQ?) Every pursuit marketing should seek a basic understanding of both the client and the project before even touching a template file.
- Be clear on responsibilities. Assume that you are responsible for everyone unless otherwise confirmed. Who is reaching out to subconsultants? Does this person know they need to build a fee? Who is outlining the schedule?
- The pursuit is your priority. Marketers have a lot to do…but the pursuit takes precedence. Always prioritize the pursuit over other marketing activity.
- The pursuit is not everyone else’s priority. Your colleagues have other things going on, and they may need to prioritize that work. They often need to “make time” for pursuit tasks. Make this easy for them: give them clear direction, offer plenty of time to get back to you, and don’t be afraid to gently follow up.
Taylor Coe 