Capture Planning as a Team

Capture planning is traditionally a left-brain, box-checking exercise, in my experience.

Even when we’re coaching our clients in The Connection Process, it starts out rather logistical. We fill out the checklist:

• Who is the Navigator?
• Who is the Champion?
• What are the business and political issues?
• What are your solutions?

But from there, things get rather right-brained and creative. Because connecting is a human activity – not something you can do on a spreadsheet.

Emotional intelligence comes into play during the entire account-capture process. From connecting to clients, to connecting with partners, to working internally as a team.

Human connection is at the heart of every successful account relationship and every successful project.

Diverse Personalities Make More Effective Teams

Each client and each project is unique – so each situation your team encounters is unique.

Sometimes a skilled talker will move the project forward. Sometimes you need an idea-generator to get past a roadblock. Sometimes someone with a marketing mindset will be your best business developer.

So having a diverse team is a huge advantage. Not only are you more likely to have the right personalities in the room, but you get the benefit of varied perspectives.

The key here isn’t just having diverse people on your team, though. It’s also learning to listen to each member of your team. This can be challenging with the quieter, more introspective or technical people who don’t speak up – but their perspectives are just as valuable as those of the more outspoken members of your team. It’s worth the effort, though, because you might just hear something that changes the game.

The Suits Don’t Always Have the Answers

It’s easy to follow the leader. The “suits” and executives are in leadership positions for a reason – they know how to take point, and they have the know-how to move projects forward. But that doesn’t mean their opinions are the only ones that matter.

People who are lower in the pecking order often have different perspectives. Taking this into account can create a constructive balance on the team which enables you to put together a capture plan which is really a connection plan. It makes your account capture process – and eventually your account relationship – much more robust.

For example, I tell people in design and construction to listen to people in technology. And vice versa. Connection, and therefore successful account capture, is a human process. From the suits to the project engineer to the technician, your team will connect to one another and to the client on a human level. Every human matters in The Connection Process.

The Bottom Line

Though capture planning may look like a logistical activity on the surface, to do it successfully, sustainably and profitably, you must also dive deep into human-connection aspect of it. This means creating diverse teams and listening to people at every level. If you do this, you’ll gain new perspective and more robust account relationships.