The Role of Intensity in New Business Pursuits

We’ve spoken with hundreds of B2B buyers over the years. When we ask them to talk about their decisions, there’s a consistent theme that emerges. They can tell which competitor put legitimate, even extra, effort into the pursuit and which didn’t. There’s a high correlation between this observation and winning or losing.

We refer to this as “intensity.”

Intensity is more than the amount of time you put into a pitch. It’s the depth that you’re willing to explore to learn more than the other guys about the decision-makers and what really matters to them. It’s the perception you create that communicates your passion for the project and for the well-being of the prospect and their business. It’s the replacement of generic materials and decks with bespoke communications.

Ultimately, it’s how much you show that the entire pursuit was about them and not about you.

As we said, your prospect can tell the difference between the firm that had a high level of intensity and the firm that didn’t. They might not use the word, “intensity.”  But it’s clear to us that that’s exactly what was meant, especially when we compare the feedback of the prospect with the activities and outputs of the pursuit itself.

“Low intensity” is usually the conclusion we can draw when we see a pursuit that’s loaded with generic materials. Where proposals and orals start with tons of information about the pursuing organization, not about the prospect. When pre-submission questions from the pursuit team are a mile wide and an inch deep. When there’s little rehearsal. And there’s plenty more.

Sure, the process was percieved to be efficient, but if the results aren't there, could it really be seen as efficient? You could handle a lot of other work while still being on time with the proposal. But perhaps people are confusing efficiency with laziness, or a lack or prioritisation in which opportunities should be pursued.

“High intensity” is obvious from the deep understanding the pursuit team demonstrates about the opportunity, the prospect, the issues that matter. It’s there in the discussion or document that feels like it was prepared just for that prospect. And from the easy connection a well-prepared, and knowledgable pitch team has with the prospect.

Intensity might not guarantee a win. But a lack of intensity almost certainly guarantees a loss.