EP018: A Simple, Focused Strategy for Business (and RFP) Success – with Gina Catalano
Strategy is the highway for vision. The problem is, too many business owners spend a lot of time developing a complex roadmap that a) never gets finished, b) never gets communicated, or c) is too difficult for frontline workers to understand. So, how do you design a simple, focused business development strategy that leads to RFP success—and growth in your business at large?
Gina Catalano works with CEOs and leadership teams to improve operations and increase business value. With 20-plus years of experience leading and consulting with businesses, she is an authority on the integration of business development and operations. Gina serves as a volunteer for Startup Tucson’s Thryve mentorship program, and she is the author of the Amazon bestseller Tandem Leadership: How Your #2 can Make You #1.
Today, Gina joins us to discuss the benefit of a simple, well-explained business strategy, offering advice around narrowing your focus to a single vertical. She describes how to write an RFP through the lens of the client and identify your champion within a particular organization. Gina also covers the Lean Startup concept of customer discovery, explaining how to leverage the people in a company who touch the customers in this process. Listen in for Gina’s insight on framing strategy as an exercise in choosing what NOT to do and learn why implementation is more important than trying to craft a perfect strategy.
Key Takeaways
Gina’s reputation as the CEO Swiss Army Knife
How Gina helps leadership teams next-level their business
Gina’s definition of strategy as the ‘highway for vision’
The benefit of a simple strategy that is well-explained
Gina’s advice around focusing on one vertical or client
How to write an RFP through the lens of the customer
The value in understanding who a prospect is buying from
How to identify your champion within an organization
How to recognize your customer’s ‘dream come true’
The Lean Startup concept of customer discovery
How to leverage the people that touch your customers
How to frame strategy as choosing what NOT to do
The mistake in trying to create strategy that serves everyone
How to create strategy that aligns with your values
Gina’s advice on creating a filter for the decision-maker
Why implementation is more important than perfect strategy