When running a small business, there are times in which you inevitably feel like everything that needs your immediate, undivided attention, hits at once. The problem is that you are only one person, and you undoubtedly only have a finite amount of resources – and expertise – under your roof.
For example, let’s say multiple opportunities you’ve been tracking all come to fruition at the same time, and your personnel are completely tapped out in their ability to effectively run capture on any additional opportunities. What do you do? What options do you have to continue with your forward momentum?
If this sounds familiar, you may want to consider hiring a capture management process consultant. The following are some potential scenarios in which you may want to explore this option.
At times when you have identified a must–win opportunity, take a moment to review the capabilities of your current capture personnel. Are they well positioned to support a win? Do they have the requisite gold card necessary to run a successful capture? If not, or if they are available to lead but not facilitate a full capture effort, a consultant could provide some valuable expertise and support to move you towards a win.
Current personnel, based on their particular skills and level of expertise, are typically capable of managing 3-5 captures at any given time. Increasing that load thins out the span of control, and can impact the effectiveness of successful capture for all of the opportunities. If personnel are currently at their max capacity, a consultant can be brought in to help manage additional captures.
Consultants, in addition to providing targeted expertise specific to capture, can be the right solution for situations in which you only need part-time attention for an opportunity.
This option enables you to on-board additional personnel support, without the necessity to pay full salary and benefits. Developing and executing a consulting agreement with a capture management process consultant provides you with an as-needed asset who can be called upon to deliver support in any of the above-referenced scenarios.
Moreover, developing an ongoing relationship with a consultant can provide a temporary, yet seamless, integration with your existing capture staff. They become familiar with your internal capture processes, business targets, and customer focus enabling their contribution to become a worthwhile investment.
