The Capture Plan, Your Toolbox For Winning Work
Posted by Website Director on Nov. 10, 2022 / Blog / Subscribe 0
Before you start chasing a must-win project, you need to take the time to be strategic about how to win. A capture plan is your toolbox for key pursuits. It holds the information and tools you need to win the targeted work. While this post is focused on winning a project, it can be applied to winning clients as well.
Capture planning is not new. However, many capture plan templates are more complex than they need to be. Which means they are not easy to use or update and, as a result, are rarely used.
We want to make capture planning easier. Let’s start by breaking it down into three main parts:
- The What – intelligence gathering and documentation
- The Why Us – defining our differentiators
- The How – influencing the decision
The What
Information is an important tool. What do you know? What do you need to find out? It is beneficial to obtain information from more than one source so it can be vetted. There is nothing worse than relying on info that turns out to be incorrect. Get the intel and document it in your capture plan (see page 1 of the capture plan template):
- General project info such as location, timing, funding, and delivery method
- Firms that have already been selected to be part of the design and construction team
- Key decision makers AND their hot buttons
- Project issues, wants, and needs! – this is critical because your capture strategy MUST be based on what the decision makers care about.
A brainstorming session is a great way to start the capture planning process, with questions such as:
- How and when did we find out about the project?
- What professional services firms have been involved in any way so far?
- Why is the client doing this project? What do they want to gain and/or prevent?
- What do decision makers see as the key issues of the project?
The Why Us?
Differentiators are the benefits your firm can provide, better than the competition, and that the decision makers truly value. Each differentiator should address at least one of the project issues, wants, or needs.
A Competitive Analysis (see page 2 of the capture plan template) that focuses on ISSUES, WANTS, and NEEDS, helps identify where your firm is better than the competition, related to what the decision makers care about. Be honest about how well you, and the competition, can address each issue. Once you’ve completed the competitive analysis, look for the areas that you can mark as green – the Winning Zone! These are your differentiators.
The How
As you work through your capture plan, you are adding tools to your toolbox. You now have intel on the project, the decision makers, their hot buttons, our competition, and our differentiators. The next step is to develop strategies and action items. (See page 3 of the capture plan template.)
Action items need to be influential! You’re not trying to change how someone thinks but influence what they think about, by framing information in a way that shifts the message to highlight your differentiators. For tips on ways to influence decisions using neuropsychology, check out the SMPS Foundation’s “The Neuropsychology of Influence and Decision-Making” and “Theory Into Practice: The Neuropsychology of Influence.” Both publications are free to members through the SMPS bookstore.
When is your capture plan complete?
A capture plan is a living document. It should be reviewed, updated, and shared regularly. It is technically finished when your pursuit is complete, but even then, you can turn it into a new capture plan and start strategizing for your next big project or client. Additionally, make sure the intel from your capture plan has been transferred to your CRM for future reference.
About Cindy Culbertson, CPSM, MBA
Director of Brand Strategies, ERMCO
[email protected]
Cindy brings a strategic focus to marketing, branding, and communications. She has 30 years of professional experience, which includes engineering, marketing, and sales for a construction manager, an architectural-engineering firm, and a chemical manufacturer. She is an SMPS Indiana Past President and a Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) with a mechanical engineering degree from UMR (MS&T) and an MBA from Washington University St. Louis.
About Heather Cox, CPSM
Vice President & Principal, CE Solutions
[email protected]
Heather is focused on establishing long-lasting relationships with CE Solutions’ clients and staff. Always interested in increasing her knowledge, Heather learned every aspect of the industry she could, including drafting, electrical and architectural design, accounting, human resources, administration, and project management. She eventually found her passion in marketing and cultivating relationships.
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