Fish Out of Water: A Lesson in Business Development Learned on the Tracks
By: Milena Stancati
The charming smell of mom’s homemade chicken soup crossed with dead fish and the never-ending sound of small motorbike engines zooming by welcomed me. What first seemed like a place where I’d count down the days until my flight out turned into a month I wish I could repeat.
I’ve never planned to visit Hanoi, Vietnam. Even when my Remote Year itinerary announced that leg of the trip, I wasn’t too excited about it. It wasn’t necessarily the harsh vibes I get from my parents and their friends who lived through the Vietnam War, and it wasn’t because it was so different from what I was used to coming from the Western world. I just really didn’t know what to expect.
We visited Hanoi’s famous “Train Street” within the first couple of days. While I feared being pinned against a house if a train were to pass, it was interesting to see the excitement of the children running up and down the tracks, while women cooked on their hot pots outside their homes. However, we were lucky enough to meet a 90-year-old local man who made the experience stand out.
Hatred, discomfort and annoyance are what I thought he felt as we passed. Instead, he said “What are a bunch of pretty people like you doing on this old thing? You should be at the Opera House! After all, this is just a train track. Never seen one before?” At that moment, all I could think was that while this man found the tracks boring and unexciting, it was a special and unique experience for me.
Applying this experience to my role in business development, especially as the busy season of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) begins, I’m reminded not to treat any new business opportunity as routine. All too often, folks take them for granted, like the old man sees the train tracks. However, we must remember to approach each lead with a fresh perspective and enthusiasm if we want to win.
To do this, I offer teams this advice:
Immerse yourself. Don’t just read the RFP and respond. Dig deep to truly experience and understand the brand. If it’s a retail client, get out and visit the store. If it’s a food or beverage company, taste the products. Doing so will not only help you understand the brand, but also inspire new thinking on how to approach your response.
Experiment with content delivery. Each prospect is unique. Therefore, your approach to responding to them should be too. Is it a technology company that creates tools that can be used to deliver your response? Are there ways to present your thinking outside of a standard PowerPoint presentation? Thinking creatively about how to deliver your response will help grab the prospect’s attention and set you apart from the pack.
Push for the inside track. In some cases, it’s not possible to develop a personal relationship with the prospect during the RFP process. However, if they’re open to it, make building that relationship your number one priority. You’ll be rewarded with insight that can’t be found on the pages of the RFP and increase your chances of checking the coveted “chemistry” box.
Always go above and beyond. This could mean addressing something they may not have considered in the proposal, but could also relate to what you do after it is submitted. How can you start helping them even before the decision is made? Look for ways to continue the momentum of the process, ensure you’re top of mind and position yourself as someone who is already their partner.
Milena Stancati is marketing + business development manager for Allison+Partners who is currently spending one year working, traveling and living in 12 different cities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
