Today at 1 pm EDT, Matt Handal will present the first Construction Marketing Ideas webinar. His topic:?How to Give Your Proposals the Edge They Need, explores the critical process of creating RFP response documentation: How to ensure your proposal isn’t culled out, and how it can set the stage for your advancing to the final shortlist and ultimate selection.
The process of winning work for architects, engineers (and in the design-build and integrated project delivery environment) contractors is challenging because of the complex interplay of relationships, reputation, technical and regulatory guidelines, and competition. The proposal is one part of the process, and it is an important one, at that.
Matt has developed expertise through first hand work and connections/relationships through the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). While he isn’t the first consultant to tackle the proposal challenge, he has certainly achieved leadership in the field — and his book has received really solid positive Amazon.com reviews. (Webinar participants receive a free copy of the book, in either electronic or hard-copy format.)
The CMI Webinar program is off to a good start. Next month, Bobby Darnell will look a step forward in the sales/marketing cycle, to the challenge of effective prospecting — for geniuses at topics other than prospecting. If you wish to participate in both webinars, you can save a bit of money by attending both.
As we set the stage for today’s event, I also learned about reputation, branding, and quality control on the supply side. I had learned about an alternative service to Citrix’s Gotowebinar.com that seemed to be much less expensive and offered the features we were seeking.
I signed up for the service, priced at 1/10th of Citrix’s. Initially, things looked promising. The alternative service offered an easy-to-follow introductory email, and all seemed in order for the test run, which Matt and I co-ordinated last Friday.
Within minutes, I could see that cheaper isn’t necessarily better. The audio quality was scratchy, and you could not use VOIP direct from your computer — you would need to use a dial-in number. Controls were hard to understand, and I couldn’t be confident that the ‘recording’ function would work. Within two minutes, I knew the inexpensive solution wouldn’t work and quickly set up a trial subscription with Citrix. Sure, the service will cost $100 a month, rather than $120 a year — but if visitors are paying upwards of $120 to attend a webinar, I cannot risk a top quality speaker losing the ability to connect with the audience because of unreliable communications technology.
Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing you at today’s webinar, and the others to follow.
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