Whenever we win or lose a job, we almost always ask what we did right and what we could have done better. Sometimes we get answers we're used to, and sometimes we're surprised. We were recently surprised to find out that a client chose us, at least in part, because they liked our proposal. That is, they liked the actual proposal, rather than just what was proposed in the proposal. This caught me off guard because I thought our proposal had lacked detail and had many errors in it. But the client's point of view made more sense when he told us that one of our competitors (a major ad agency) had delivered a proposal that required running Word's spelling and grammar check on it just to make it halfway understandable.

While I don't pretend to know all the keys to winning jobs, and certainly what wins you one job might lose you another, here are some of the things I've picked up over the years that seems to do more to help you win than the other way around. Oh, and I also don't pretend to always follow my own advice, but I try.

1. Respond. You all know the Woody Allen quote "90% of success in life is showing up" right? Good, I won't repeat it then.

2. Respond quickly. I think Woody said something about how the other 10% of success was showing up on time.

3. Do some research. You can often impress a client with what you learn in just a half hour. Not to mention that it will help you do a better job if you win the work.

4. Meet the client face to face. This isn't always possible, but in the world of actions and consequences more jobs are won by those who meet the client face to face than the other way around. There are things that will happen, words that will be said, and committments made when you speak to someone in person that would never happen over the phone or by email.

5. Be friendly. Don't chit chat for a half hour, but get to know your potential client a little bit if possible. But be sensitive to what they're interested in. If they have something in their office from Alaska, chances are they like something about Alaska. Talk to them about it...that is, if Alaska is interesting to you. Don't be fake.

6. Smile. People like people who smile. I have to try extra hard at this because when I think I'm smiling people tell me I look depressed.

7. Ask questions. Some people are so anxious to present their pitch they fail to ask any questions or get to know the potential client they've only just met. Sometimes the client will tell you something about their business that lets you know that you shouldn't spend 10 minutes explaining how your content management system works because this client's job description includes HTML work on the site and your CMS represents a threat to their job security. And clients will trust you more if they feel that you understand them, and people feel understood when they can talk. And being asked questions can be flattering. Most people like to talk about what they know.

8. Speak slowly and use a minimum of words. Nervous people speak quickly and say too much when they should keep their mouth shut. Don't explain things three times in a row with only slightly different words. Don't ramble.

9. Be confident. "Did I say $50K? Well, I mean, I could come down on that...possibly, that is, if $50K is too much, we could probably squeeze things a bit." At best, this will get you the job for less money than you originally wanted or maybe even needed to do a good job. At worst, the client will figure you don't know what you're talking about and are going to waste their money. "Yes, it costs $50K, and I realize that is a healthy sum of money, but it represents quality and value we have built into the system over a 4-year period, and it can pay for itself in as little as 12 months although its useful life can be as long as six years." Sounds a little better, doesn't it?

10. Praise your competitors. The best way to lose a job is to talk bad about your competition. Follow the Bambi rule. Even if you win the job you'll lose respect.

11. Stay in touch, within reason. Let the client know that you're alive, still in business, and interested in their project. Don't be pushy, manipulative, or bothersome.

12. Be sincere. If you go through the actions but don't mean what you say or do, that's called being manipulative, and clients can see through that as easily as you can see through a piece of paper that's been sitting between a bun and a Filet-o-Fish pattie from McDonald's.

13. We end where I began. Follow up, whether you win or lose. Ask the client what you did right and what you could have done better. You might think you lost because your price was too high when in reality you lost because the marketing director was friends with your competitor and the decision was made from the beginning.

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