Building Interview Skills to Improve Win Rates
I’m in the middle of a really fun project right now with a design firm whose marketing leader reached out several months ago looking for an interview skill-building program. The leadership team recognized that they wanted their win rate to be higher, so we had a robust conversation about what they were hoping to achieve. I asked what they needed most — better presenters, stronger communication, more concise delivery, and more compelling messaging. The answer was yes to all of it.
Then I asked about strategy: “Do the people leading the interview prep have a consistent process?” The answer was no. “Do they need to get better at leading the prep process?” Absolutely yes. That opened the door to a much broader conversation about how we could help not just presenters, but leaders as well. We discussed our Presence Champion Program, which trains in-house champions — marketing or BD staff — to support and reinforce interview preparation across the firm.
Discovering the Real Challenge: Too Many Interviews
As we talked further, the marketing leader added something insightful: “I think we’re just doing too many interviews.” The firm is an ESOP, so many senior staff members act as seller-doers. They pursue nearly every opportunity, and as a result, team members get pulled in many directions. People were stretched thin, working on multiple pursuits at once, and the quality of their interview preparation suffered.
When we ran our workshops, both presenters and leaders said the same thing was getting in their way — there just wasn’t enough time. Presenters didn’t have enough time to design and deliver their messages well, and leaders didn’t have enough time to strategize or lead interview prep effectively.
The Go/No-Go Process Conversation
During a session with the leaders, I asked, “Do you have a consistent go/no-go process to determine which projects you should pursue?” They admitted they didn’t. While this wasn’t part of the original training scope, it became clear that this issue was central to their challenge. The marketing leader explained that she leads regular meetings to discuss potential pursuits, but the process was informal — mostly just listing projects. One senior leader acknowledged that it wasn’t ideal and suggested taking more time to vet opportunities carefully.
That’s when the marketing leader sat up and said, “Oh, you think so?” — a moment of genuine validation. It was clear she had been advocating for this kind of process improvement for a while, and now the leadership team was finally listening.
Listen to Your Marketing Leaders
The reason I share this story is to celebrate marketing leaders everywhere. Your marketing leader probably knows what’s best for your firm and often isn’t being heard as much as they should be. I encourage you to reach out to your marketing leader and ask, “What do you think we could and should be doing better?” The answer will likely be a fantastic suggestion — and could be the key to improving your firm’s strategy, efficiency, and win rate.
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