Quick Win + Pro Tip: Don't Fall Into A One Size Fits All Approach

You likely don’t have the same approach for every event you support for one obvious reason: different events have different needs and goals.

The same approach wouldn’t make sense for a non-profit fundraising gala and a multi-day pharmaceutical sales team event with several general sessions, breakouts, and an awards ceremony. And that internal meeting would look and feel very different than an association meeting where the focus is education, a shareholders event, or conference open to anybody in a certain field or discipline.

The length of the meeting, the budget, the type of venues, and even whether or not attendees pay to attend are different for each type of meeting and the different organizations that may be hosting or funding it. As the AV or production team supporting the event, you know that your approach will only be successful if it’s designed to meet the individual needs of the event.

And yet, so often, AV partners take a one-size-fits-all approach to the proposal process.

They pull from the same list of discovery questions, some of which may not be relevant for certain types of events or be too broad to really dig into the needs of the customer.

They use the same template, regardless of whether or not it’s the best way to paint a picture of what it will be like to work with them.

They frame the budget the same way, regardless of who will be reviewing the proposal.

How you communicate with your prospective customers matters, especially in response to a competitive RFP, so make sure you’re being intentional about how you present yourself.

One helpful thing to keep in mind is buyer personas.

There are a number of different types of customers who may contract you for an event. It could be a meeting planner, the venue’s staff, the organization’s meeting planner, or even a production team that needs to source local equipment and talent.

By understanding who is making the hiring decision and who you’ll be working directly with, you’ll be able to determine the best way to connect with and support them.

If you’re selling to somebody who is on the organization’s meeting planning or leadership team, focusing too heavily on the technical details will feel like speaking a language your customer doesn’t fully understand. Yes, they may understand that it sounds like you know what you’re talking about, but they’ll likely struggle to picture what the event will look like or what the partnership will entail. Instead, the best approach with this type of client is sharing the outcome you’ll create and giving light details on how you’ll bring it to life. Your goal is to help them envision their event and give them reassurance that they won’t have anything to worry about with you as their AV supplier.

On the other hand, if you’re working with a production team that needs to source local equipment and talent, sharing specific technical details becomes your greatest selling tool. They understand the technology for live events and what labor they want. They also know what a good process and workflow looks like. Confirming that you understand the specifics of their ask and are able to deliver it gives them confidence in your ability to collaborate to create a successful outcome.

​It may take more work than utilizing a standard proposal template and process, but implementing a more intentional and specific proposal process to fit the buyer persona and event’s needs allows you to position yourself as a better fit and makes you a more attractive potential partner.