Known as “beauty parades” by insiders, interviews following proposals, tenders, and capabilities submissions are de rigeur in many decision processes - competitive or otherwise.
Areas of probable interest to interviewers fall into several categories.
Confirmation that what they have read is what they’ll get - interviewers will want to be certain that you and your team are as presented in your proposal - that you are “the goods” and not just great on paper !
Clarifications of your RFP responses - areas requiring more detail, amplification, illustration.
Extensions and additions to the RFP - things the client has since wished it had asked, including issues arising during the evaluation process.
Concerns and negotiation items - obstacles to being happy to go ahead, plus areas where they may wish to drive for more.
Implementation considerations - interviewers will want to understand whether you and your team have the capacity to absorb additional work volume. In areas you have previously not served them, they want to check whether you’ve figured out how you’ll manage, and how you’ll forge relationships with their business units.
Cultural fit - that you feel right and will be internally saleable to client personnel.
Questions which you may have for them.
To prepare adequately requires that you be prepared for everything even remotely likely to arise in the session. Benefits of this thorough - as opposed to minimalist - approach to preparation are obvious.
A less obvious benefit is that you will embark on the session with calm confidence, knowing that you’re going to put in a great performance, and relax into expressing your personality and engaging interviewers.
Your aim should not be passive acceptance of an “interview”. Rather, approaching the session ready to engage in a conversation and meaningful dialogue to:
- confirm
- clarify
- extend or add
- deal with concerns
- negotiate
- show you can implement
- demonstrate strong cultural fit
and get into a true professional service dynamic - a foretaste of your operating style.
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