No one owes us a living...

When it comes to pitching for business, behaviour ranks ahead of process and knowledge.

Story by Bryan Holliday

In most areas of business competitive tendering is a fact of life. Whether it’s countries pitching for the right to host a soccer world cup or companies wanting to supply goods or services to third parties, everyone has to sing for their supper. It’s also becoming an art form in trying to understand why some bids are successful and others are not. Conventional wisdom decrees that competency gets you to the short-list, relationships win you the job.

In an article published by management consultants Rogen International, surveyed organisations listed the Top 10 attributes they look for when issuing requests for proposals: quality of staff, reputation, enthusiasm, capability, listening for buyer needs, quality of interactions, initiative, capacity to work together, price and creativity. It’s interesting to note that behaviours rank ahead of process and knowledge.

If you’re looking for a business partner, what do you want?

• You want a team of people who get on well and who spark off each other
• You want people who have made the effort to understand you and your organisation
• You want to work with people who will make it interesting, stimulating and fun
• You want people who share your ambition for your goals
• You want value for money
• You want people who get the answers right and solve your problems creatively.

Once the job is won, managing clients can be more challenging than organising events. The best way to accommodate different client personalities is to maintain core values whilst being flexible in style. Good event managers become radios who remain true to themselves but change their station in response to differing demands.