Example: Department of Defense Contract Win
I received a call from an east coast client who was very concerned about the orals phase of a
lucrative contract that was a 'must-win' in their business plan. It was highly classified work with DOD.
I arrived and immediately went into data gathering mode by interviewing all the key players.
This gave me the history of the contractor in this arena, the overview of the RFP, the
capabilities the client had, and their view of the competition.
The next step was assessing each member of the proposal team, their background presentation
skills level, and determine the degree of their collective cohesion. From that assessment,
I worked with the proposed program manager and selected the principal members of the orals
team by interviewing and observation. When this group of seven (plus two alternates) was
finalized, I spent three days molding them into a unified team by letting them experience
real, measurable synergy through several team exercises. Over the course of those several
days, the team gelled together and each member began to support each other as they learned
of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Obtaining this level of understanding and
cohesion is the first essential plateau of creating a successful orals team.
The coaching process continued as I placed each team member in front of the camera.
I use extensive video feedback, so it is helpful to get each person comfortable with
the technique early on. This initial video taping session not only gives each person
greater self awareness and helps them overcome initial speaking anxiety, but it also
helps them feel at east with me as their coach.
While the team building and camera work was happening, I concurrently worked with key
members of the proposal writing team to determine and highlight essential discriminators
that we could emphasize graphically and orally. The client valued the external and
objective perspective I brought, since their in depth knowledge of the project sometimes
hindered a big-picture view.
Once all of this needed groundwork was laid, we developed a schedule. The orals
preparation timeframe identified the dates for the pink and red teams and included
flexibility to cater to customer changes. Because most of the orals members were
also key players in the proposal team, we had to frequently adjust the scheduled
times for the oral preparations, and the times allotted, to design the charts for
the final drafts of the written pricing and tech volumes. I was also concerned
about maintaining the health of each team member, allowing for adequate sleep and
a decent diet whenever possible. Much like any orals coaching experience, this
stage ended up being a day/night marathon-bordering on exhaustion.
As the heavy pace continued, we intensified the focused one-on-one video coaching
in preparation for pink team. For a ten-day stretch, we met as a team twice a day
and practiced speaker order, smooth transitions, emphasis, chart familiarity, and
spotlighting discriminators. In between the two meetings and during the evenings,
rehearsals and peer critiquing occurred.
Once the critiques from pink team were all digested, we applied the suggestions
and moved ahead in preparation for red team with the same zeal and demanding schedule.
In the video coaching we relied even more on peer coaching. The quality I desired was
beginning to emerge.
Red team went well with more positive than negative feedback. Now it was a matter of
polishing the entire multi-hour presentation. We started spending considerable time
rehearsing for Q & A. We studied the individuals most likely to sit on the source
selection board and the questions they would most likely ask. We also analyzed all
possible 'Murphys' that could go wrong at any stage. In view of these 'Murphys,'
each presenter had been assigned a back up from the beginning. Each presenter and
his/her backup spent considerable time together rehearsing. I required a few team
presentations with only the back-ups. At this point, we were practicing seven days a week.
Around this time we were hit with schedule changes from the customer. That was a
real challenge since the team also had "real" jobs that were waiting for them.
The falling dominoes of major time adjustment had to be worked out and it wasn't
easy. We had previously learned where the orals would be held and were able to
get into the room at night to observe the surroundings. From this intelligence,
we recreated the room on our premises and had our dress rehearsals there. This
included placing masking tape on the floor indicating walls, fixtures, and barriers.
Then we duplicated the positioning of tables, chairs, risers, electrical equipment,
doors, and windows. It was our 'war room.'
We even had a wardrobe check one week prior to the event. Some team members had
never owned a suit or tie nor did they know what shoe polish was. All that changed.
D-Day finally arrived. The team performed tremendously well! I was so proud of them.
The only glitch was a spilled glass of water on an important cue card. Luckily,
the 3x5 'cheat sheet' note card was laminated - one of a huge list of our 'Murphy Contingencies.'
We had tried to anticipate anything that could go wrong and our efforts worked.
After the event we celebrated with a big meal. A feeling of accomplishment hung in the air.
We were confident we had done the needed job. The team was exhausted but relieved.
Client Results
Weeks later they learned they had WON! Intensely working day and night for six weeks
had paid off. Because of their efforts, their company was awarded a $400 million job,
over a 3 year period, with 5 renewal options. It also opened the door for more
contracts with the same customer. The coaching process was demanding, but it brought
great results. It was all worth it!
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