The Sport of Winning in Business

Nigel Dennis - Bidwrite 

Sport is a much-loved national pastime in Australia.  As a kid growing up in Adelaide, way before the internet was a thing, I loved sport. I started playing when I was just 8 years old and I couldn’t get enough of it. Was I an elite athlete? No way. But I did pretty well at a community level.

In winter, it was all about football – the AFL variety. In summer, it was athletics and tennis - sometimes both in one day. Later in life I went on to play cricket, albeit very badly!

Through all this I realised it was not the playing but the competing I was passionate about. I loved the thrill and adrenalin rush of winning. The close seconds also built great resilience.

It was hardly surprising that I eventually found a way to compete in business – as a consultant in the art and science of winning tenders. BidWrite, as a specialist national consulting firm, now helps businesses compete and win important contracts daily. Given my sporting background, this is a dream job!

But what about this sport of winning business? What does it take to be successful? There has been much written about the parallels of sport and business. Based on my experiences as a tendering consultant for just over 20 years, I will add to that body of written work with my seven key factors for winning in the sport of business – I call them the 7 C’s.

1. Foster CHAMPIONS around you. You need people you can trust and rely on to perform.

2. Create a great CULTURE. This defines the business values of how you operate.

3. Maintain CASHFLOW. Without cash, most businesses cannot survive, let alone invest and grow.

4. Nurture CLIENTS. Assess their true needs and build service centricity around them

5. Assess the COMPETITION. You are not running your race alone. Do you have strategies to win?

6. Build CAPABILITY. What do you need to develop? Invest in the right skills and competencies.

7. Become a good COACH. It is the leaders in our organisations that instil the core business values.

So there you have it, the 7 C’s of winning in the sport of business based on my life experiences.
I encourage you to find your passion in business sport and pursue it to win. And if you need help with winning that next important tender, I might just know a company that can help!

By Nigel Dennis
Co-founder, Bid Write Pty Ltd
Contact details:
Office: 08 9227 0031
Mob: 0414 273 757
Email: nigel@bidwrite.com.au