Too often we think that our past hard work somehow ensures future success. We take the experience for granted and assume that all the big things that we focus on will make the difference. But, as we already know, all our competitors have had similar experiences and similar success, otherwise they wouldn’t be playing in the same sandboxes as your team.

Tell me if this sounds familiar to you: There is a request for qualifications or an open call for proposals. The opportunity is an attractive one, so you go for it. You have the experience. You have the resources. And you have a creative approach. So … why didn’t you get project?

Been there? Done that? You know you have. And you probably also have had the meeting with everyone involved to find out what went wrong. It seemed like such a sure thing …

It’s Not You … Well It’s Sort of You …

We have all been there. A situation where you were certain that you had everything needed to be the easy choice. So why doesn’t it work out that way?

Let’s look at this from the corporate level: Your company has a long, credible track record. Your team has more than enough experience and skill to tackle the project. Your company has invested millions of dollars in software, training, real estate, and production assets. Your proposal filled in all the right blanks and checked all the right boxes. The attached stack of resumes was impressive.

The problem is … all the competitors had all of that also.

It’s Also Them …

Here is the deal: You have great technology. They do also. You have great resumes. They do also. You have millions of dollars invested. They have also. The barest fact is that all the years of work, all the investment, all the team building is the table stakes. And everyone has paid them.

None of that is going to make you the clear choice over your competitors because none of it matters. It is the bare minimum to even be invited to the party.

So, What Does Matters?

If you can’t rely on these big-ticket checkboxes to bring home the bacon, then what is going to make the difference?

It’s all the small things that make the difference. The competition may have all the same, major boxes checked, but they don’t have all the small details that make your company unique. They don’t have your culture. They don’t have your people. Oh, they have similar resumes, but not the people. And they don’t have life experience of your people.

These “small” things don’t show up on the RFQ. And they damn sure aren’t on any required form for submission, but if you think they don’t matter then you are literally throwing away your competitive edge. It’s the edge that has brought you success over and over when you didn’t even realize you were tapping into it. These small things made all the difference when you won and were what was lacking when you lost.

All that other stuff? The buildings, the tech, and everything else your corporate profile is so proud of? No one cares and they never really did …