When talking with construction leaders about their marketing, I hear things like, “We submitted 50 proposals last year.”

That’s not marketing because proposals aren’t marketing. They’re a sales function. And confusing the two is why you’re stuck at the same revenue, fighting for margins, and working harder for less money.

The Costly Confusion

When I tell construction leaders their proposal coordinator isn’t handling marketing, the response is always the same: “I thought that was marketing.”

Here’s what they’re actually missing: branding and positioning, thought leadership, sales enablement, advertising, jobsite branding, employee recruiting, community involvement, events, and client experience.

All of it.

Marketing creates the proposal template, the brand, and the positioning. But putting together a proposal? That’s business development work.

I’m not the only one who thinks that. SMPS published Blueprints 3.0 (Guides for Marketing and Business Development Professionals and Departments in the A/E/C Industries)  in 2021.

Note proposals in the lower right underneath Business Development.

The Lottery Ticket Mentality

Construction executives treat proposals like raffle tickets. Submit more bids, and get more chances to win.

Here’s the truth: You’ll win more work submitting 20 proposals than 100 if you spend the same total time on them.

Good marketing defines your target clients. It tightens your go/no-go scoring. You submit fewer proposals because you’re not chasing clients you have slim to no chance of winning. [See my view on submitting blind proposals for exposure.]

With good marketing, the proposals you do submit should be better positioned, more personalized, and have a much greater chance of winning.

Competing as a Stranger

When clients don’t know you before the proposal lands, they’re skeptical.

When you don’t know the client’s real reasons for doing the project (aka their concerns and pain points), you’re just telling them you’re qualified.

You’re left competing solely on price.

Real marketing creates the conditions where you know those things before the proposal is written. Thought leadership attracts like-minded clients. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) targets high-value prospects before an RFP exists. Sales enablement gives your team personalized materials.

The key to ABM? Define ideal clients. Rank and tier prospects. Stop chasing everyone.

Not chasing poor fits gives sales more time to pursue high-ranked prospects properly.

The Wake-Up Call

Your proposal coordinator does important work, but calling it “marketing” is why you’re leaving money on the table.

Stagnant revenue. Slipping margins. Increasing turnover. You’re working harder and can’t figure out why.

The answer is simple: Proposals are the end game. Marketing is what makes them winnable before you write them.