25 years ago, I thought it was the craziest job and sales process that I had ever seen. Looming deadlines, busy phone calls, research work and having to nearly stalk co-workers made my role seem integral to business results. I could deliver under pressure.

And I loved it!

Where we started

As a writer, RFP team manager, content manager and sales support manager, I’ve seen the evolution of proposals go from newly dedicated RFP teams with desk-top printers to global, complex teams with senior writers, dedicated content managers and multiple layers of management.

But the one constant over my 25 years has been a competitive marketplace demand that pushes RFP teams to their limit to deliver more and more in a deadline-driven environment.

Proposal software has evolved over that time too. When I started, teams mostly relied on Word folder libraries sitting on a shared drive. Or, maybe something like an Access database (or RFP Machine) if a team was really cutting edge.

Then along came other providers with increased capabilities. Teams could not only maintain a content library, but also complete documents in the system. They could conduct SME content reviews with sign-offs and system stamps for compliance purposes. Proposal teams became system techies in addition to technical writers.

Where we are now

Most RFP teams find that new system and software capabilities create the expectations of increased capacity and quicker turnaround times. More work comes at the team before they can master new software and system functionalities. It becomes an endless cycle of catch up when you can for most RFP teams; but you can never catch up because there is no time to figure out how the new system works, how to adjust set processes and how to implement best practices or leverage the system to give the team some relief.

Heck, with most of the proposal software, just setting up documents to initiate the response process is a hurdle - not to mention any portal submissions that are deliverables.

So, what to RFP teams fall back to? Using their shiny new system as a content library and cutting & pasting to get the RFP job done. Still routing drafts and comments via email in Word or Excel and still manually capturing any new content or content revisions that happen in the RFP draft cycles.

This is where I step in

I recognize that there is a gap between software vendor servicing - relationship management and standard professional services - and individual RFP teams. I can fill that gap. I am a complement component to your vendor support. We work together for client success.

I can help close that initial conversion productivity gap by doing some pre-conversion work. A lot of teams convert content using legacy architecture and attributes only to realize that the new system functionality is different or allows for a more robust structure. So RFP teams typically train not once, but twice. Once on the old content structure and new system functions and then again on a revised content structure. Teams spend an average of a year and a half of reduced efficiency just trying to get up to speed.

Most vendors have excellent and robust training resources on their core sites. System “universities” and certifications are valuable for system administrators and writers. The only problem is that they aren’t team-specific. They focus on a generalized, out-of-the-box system with default processes. It’s up to the RFP team to fit the generic lessons to internal RFP team SOPs and requirements. Customized training and delivery can speed up getting RFP teams up to speed.

I suggest training your team once. Together, we’ll create a functionality and system adoption roadmap so that your team can leverage all the horsepower that proposal software offers. By creating a plan to onboard system functionality to enhance and improve your team’s processes, you can avoid overwhelming your already stretched team. The team can learn and integrate system functionality in way that makes their jobs easier with minimal frustration. Frustration with any system just leads to adoption failure.

Create proposal software success! Making RFP teams better, more confident and more successful is what drives my passion. It’s a process that I love and admire. I truly think that RFP teams are some of the best and brightest individuals within any organization. I love for them to shine. Shake off the new system blues and hit the ground running!