• Home
  • About
    • Recent clients & projects
    • The Team
    • Supporting Good Causes
    • Post Workshop Survey Results
  • Why Coaching Works
  • Services
    • Bidding Process
    • Presentation Skills Coaching
    • Competitive Dialogue Coaching
    • Behavioral Assessment
  • Sectors
    • Construction & Built Environment
    • Utilities
    • Professional Services
    • Health & Social Care
    • SMEs
  • Case Studies
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Members
    • Members Blogs
The Bid Coach
Call (01963) 240555

The Judges are Always Right. Plus Nine other Lessons Bid Teams can Learn from ‘Strictly’

10/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Strictly Come Dancing has become compulsive autumn viewing for many. While it’s great entertainment it’s also a fiercely competitive contest.

This, naturally, means there are lessons you can reflect on if you’re involved in the competitive world of bids and tenders.

There’s Only One Winner
Many of us struggle to remember the names of winners of previous series. Ask us who came second and we haven’t a clue. With a formal tender there is one winner and one shot at being the winner. So, if you’re going to take part, leave nothing to chance with your preparations.

But Even Losers Learn
Contestants can’t deliver the top performance every week (some never do); but there’s always something to learn. Being honest about things that went wrong and where you should have done better is the first step towards improvement.

Improvement is Always Possible
And continuous improvement is what it’s all about. On ‘Strictly’ your competitors get better every week (even Ed Balls). In business your competitors are also getting stronger. Learning quickly and improving will keep you competitive. No matter how well you do on one tender, you need to be even better next time around.

Learn how to Listen
‘Strictly’ judges always tell contestants how they need to improve. Learning how to listen, take the advice on board, and not jumping into self-justification or disagreement will help you improve. Always ask for feedback on your bids and be objective about what you’re told.

Whether you agree with the ‘judges’ or not is irrelevant. They are telling you what they want to see and you’d better listen.

Play to your Strengths
The professional dance partners are highly skilled at observing the strengths and weaknesses of their celebrity partners. They devise clever routines that avoid things they find difficult and allow contestants to look as good as possible. 

In any bid you are likely to have strengths and weaknesses. Make sure your strengths shine through and try to make the decision hinge on the things you are good at.

Judges have Different Perspectives
Craig gave it 4 and Bruno gave it 8. This doesn’t mean either of them is wrong - they were just looking for different things. The client’s team will have several members. They will have their own interests and priorities. There’s no point in getting full marks for one aspect of the bid if one of the panel members doesn’t see anything they like. 

​You Can’t Win in Week 1
But you can certainly lose. As with a lengthy bidding process there can be many stages. Give it your best shot at every stage to make sure you stay in the contest.

You Can Achieve More than you Think
How often do you see somebody without much dancing experience really excel? Think of some of the previous winners: Mark Ramprakash, Chris Hollins, Darren Gough. They probably never saw themselves as dancing champions until they committed to giving it a serious go to see what they could achieve.

The Right Training is Vital
All of the winners will tell you that they couldn’t have done it without their professional dancing partner. It’s more than just having expert guidance; it’s also about the personal chemistry that makes somebody receptive to advice and motivated to improve. Without expert input to push you on it’s too easy to settle for mediocrity and something that’s ‘good enough’ (which hardly ever is).

Perform Under Pressure
Success or failure is all about the performance on the night. Knowing your routine so thoroughly that you don’t have to think about the next step is essential. That way you won’t slip up and you can relax a bit more and express yourself. 

If you need to make a presentation, you need the same level of preparation, practise and confidence.

So there you are. No need to feel guilty about watching ‘Strictly’ on Saturday evening - it’s just work, after all.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    I have many years of senior sales and account management positions.  

    This experience taught me how to interpret exactly what clients are seeking, and what they need and expect to see and hear from the successful bidder. We draw on this experience to give your team an additional competitive advantage by building on their existing strengths while improving their team-working and self-awareness.

    About Hugh Graham

    Subscribe to our Blog updates

    * indicates required

    RSS Feed

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughgrahamthebidcoach/Bid Coach

    Categories

    All
    Behavioural Assessment
    Bidding Process
    Bid Feedback
    Bid Writing
    Building Rapport
    Communication Skills
    Competitive Dialogue
    Construction Tenders
    Corporate Social Responsibility
    Effective Listening Skills
    Equality And Diversity
    Networking
    Non Verbal Communication
    Presentation Skills
    Presentation Structure
    Questioning Skills
    Social Value
    Use Of Images

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    Posts by Title

    Pigeon holed by your customers? Don't blame them - You built the hole!

    Keep calm and carry on - until your business fails.

    You need to understand confirmation bias, if you want to win more tenders.

    Client Presentations: The moment your online image encounters the real you.

    Do your competitors know something you don't?

    Why we can never be better than we think we are.

    The power of pause - or how to make your customers hang on every word of your presentation

    Eye contact - the skill used by all successful presenters

    Want to win more tenders? Try taking the We out of your proposals.

    What people are really thinking when you read your presentation.

    Can past performance be a guarantee of future performance?

    What's really going on behind your customers smile?

    Is it time to ditch PowerPoint and try something different?

    When the RFQ doesn't give the whole picture what do you do?

    Elite presenters and the art of small improvements.

    Because business isn't all about making money.

    The critical moment in Englands Rugby World Cup demise?

    Why last minute changes shouldn't throw you off course.

    Is success in rebidding all down to the salesforce?

    8 tips for rebidding success

    New business or retaining what you have - where should you focus?

    Are your driving skills 'above average'?

    Out with the old and in with  the new! Surely not everything you did to win new business was wrong?

    What is BIM? And what can it tell us about interview planning?

    How to engage a tired audience and engage your clients.
Connect with us
The Bid Coach Ltd | Hornblotton Hall | Hornblotton  | Shepton Mallet | Somerset TA4 6SF       Legal Disclaimer & Privacy  © 2013 The Bid Coach Ltd        Website by Word Gets Around Design
Photos used under Creative Commons from attivitoso, Brett Jordan, Claudia M Eastman, oxfordian.world, amandabhslater, simonw92, goatling, gordontarpley, foxypar4, dullhunk, Annie Christabel, Dell's Official Flickr Page, wagnerinno, bogenfreund, aaronHwarren, Banalities, SuperFantastic, shanim, chidorian, torbakhopper, koolmann1, graffiti.freiburg, bibliojojo, Silly Little Man, Scott Clark, FutUndBeidl, History In An Hour, Tim Morgan, acaben, Arya Ziai, John Loo, juhansonin, xJason.Rogersx, Walt Stoneburner
✕