Roadmap to Win
The “Roadmap” Concept
A roadmap, whether the old-fashioned fold-up variety or a modern GPS, is designed to show a path from point A to point B. We chose the Roadmap metaphor for business development because it is descriptive of this path in achieving business development goals.
In the Business Development 4P Roadmap™ there are 4 vital areas that help us reach our intended destination – to win and grow!
POSITION
All construction companies must position themselves in the marketplace. Customers must know you are “out there” and have an understanding of what you do. In addition, you must know your market and know what customers have opportunities that you would likely pursue.
But, first, you must know yourself and what your strategy is to be able to highlight your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, take advantage of opportunities, and be aware of threats – this is a SWOT analysis that is a part of your strategic planning process.
In the Position phase you also begin your marketing and branding efforts. During this step you are communicating your capabilities and differentiators to the marketplace. This is especially important in today’s world of technology – your website presence must be compelling and your reputation impeccable. Learn more.
PREPARE
After positioning your company, you must now prospect and identify what Customers you are going to meet and build a relationship. In the Prepare phase you create an account plan that describes who you will pursue and what you path will be in growing a relationship.
This phase is also critical because you are gathering information that will be used to identify and pursue specific opportunities. You also learn more about the Customer’s needs and their perception about how well you fulfill those needs.
The outcome of the Prepare phase is a Win Strategy that is based on what you have learned about the Customer, the relationship you have built, and the opportunities you have uncovered. Learn more.
PROPOSE
Most opportunities from a customer will require a written proposal and likely, an interview or presentation to the customer. During this phase, all you work in gathering information will become beneficial. After analyzing the Request for Proposal from the customer, you will use your win strategy to develop a draft proposal that is compliant and compelling, communicating your understanding of the customer’s needs and why you should be selected to fulfill those needs.
In the event of 
an interview or presentation, you and your team need to be prepared to present your clear understanding of the need and that the customer can clearly differentiate you from your competition and has the desire to work with you.
If you are chosen, you likely will participate in a negotiation that will then lead to the award of the contract to your company. Learn more.
PERFORM
Business development does not end with an award. You should always perform an internal lessons-learned discussion to understand what you did right and how you could improve. Similarly, you will have the opportunity to get a debrief from the customer. Win or lose, always take advantage of the customer debrief to learn why you won or what you could have done differently if you did not win.
Your team’s performance in the field leading the project may be the most critical part of business development. Strive to develop a strong, 
customer-focused relationship with the customer throughout the project. This will not only ensure that you will be given an opportunity to propose on future projects with this customer, but also develop your reputation throughout the industry.
Finally, leaders and managers in the field should always be learning new information about the customer and feeding that information back to the account team. This continues to give you an edge for future opportunities. Learn more.
Summary
The Business Development 4P Roadmap™ is a proven process that will lead you and your organization to success. It may seem like it is a lot of work, with many paths to choose from, but it will position you to prepare and propose on work that you will be able to perform to the highest expectations of your partner – the customer.