Once I worked with an organization where sales figures were declining, running projects were comming to an end and there were no new projects in the pipeline.
This organization panicked. They decided that they will aim to win public sector tenders. However, the only crieteria that mattered for the company to decide whether to go for the tender or not was “what is the deal size potentially”. This approach resulted in the following: if the number was big enough, the organization would prepare and submit proposal, regradless of how strong they are in that particular area.
They focused on everything. They could do that in fact. Given the skills distribution in that organization, they could focus on pretty much any area in their industry.
In the end of the day, they were not winning any new business. They spent most of their energy on writing proposals, only to realize they did not win the tender. Why there were not winning public tenders? In most cases, those public tenders tend to have only one winning criteria. The total price.
So instead of focusing on their core strength, this organization chose to play the “me too” game. Instead of developing business in areas where they were most competent, they wanted to win everything, which resulted they did not win anything.
They did not prioritize. They did not stop and think “what do we do best?”. “What should we really focus at?” They were not aware of their true value. This resulted in them to compete with price against many other players in the market.
Imagine what could have happened if this organization prioritized. Imagine they focused on 3 areas in which they are the best. Imagine if they acknowledged they are not there out there for everybody. Dear Mr. Customer, you do not like our pricing model? Are we too expensive for you? Fine. It’s not for you. Our services are not for everybody.
That way they would have saved their energy to focus on opportunities where they could add value. That approach would be the key for them to re-start their success.
The original version of the cover image is from the book “Essentialism, The Discipline Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown.
It’s a great book that I have read recently. You can get your copy on Amazon by clicking on the image below.
