Oscar nominations: it’s about losing in front of the right audience

February 3, 2010  |  Blunders  |  0 Comments

Courtesy of Paste Magazine

CNN wrote an article today about the potential accolades that come with just being nominated for an Oscar versus actually being the winner.  You know the scene…six beautiful actresses featured on screen in all their charm and grace.  And then the presenter only reads one name…

I’ve always wondered why more of them don’t cry? A longstanding Hollywood career just seconds away…maybe we miss the emotion because they pan to the winner. Maybe actors practice their stealth, unemotional reaction to what could have potentially been a major lift to their career.

And so the question remains – does a nomination mean anything?

As small business owners or as agency PR people, we’re often finding ourselves in competitive RFPs and/or the big boardroom flipping through a PowerPoint to a new lead.  If we don’t win the account, is there anything to be said for being invited to the dance?

As the recession loomed last year, agency battles heated up in competition mainly because there were so few opportunities out there. From Tech Valley to Silicon Valley, we’re hearing that opportunities are increasing again.

Let the games begin.

For our local PR and marketing teams, it means copious amounts of work with a gamble that you won’t get the business. On the other hand, it’s one of the few viable source of getting new business — so we grin and bear it.

But the question remains: if we lose, is all lost?

Here are a few lessons I take away with loss:

1. To present great ideas, you have to brainstorm great ideas. These ideas can be re-purposed and keeps a team fresh on their toes thinking about new ways to get results.

2. RFPs and presentations often make us evaluate the current work we’re doing and what the results are. You are forced to update case studies, pull references and update reports — something we should all take a moment to smell the roses and do.

3. Sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise. Perhaps you’re already at bandwidth, or perhaps you can more easily up-sell a current client than ramp up a new one. Either way, you’re looking at an opportunity to evaluate and direct yourself to new efforts.

4. As funny as it may sound, it also brings new business — even a reference from the company that didn’t choose you. I can’t tell you how many times you get a call about X Company who heard from Y Company that we were great. And I thought to myself — Y Company didn’t pick us! It means you made a good impression and that there were a lot of factors at the decision table. Or maybe too many cooks in the kitchen. Either way, you were given an opportunity to showcase your skills and you impressed someone.

5. I love to gauge who the competition is.  Even when you don’t get the client, you usually know who you were up against by the time you’re at final cut. Mark off the names of those who keep meeting you at the finishing line and closely monitor your competition, it’s good insight for any company.

So let’s be honest, if I was up for an Oscar and lost, I would cry. But in business development, at least in my past life, there were no tears. Like Hollywood, a nomination just means losing in front of the right audience.