From finding potential new projects to getting a timely go/no go decision and producing winning proposals, this is a round-up of my best proposal management articles to date. Each article gives you a brief introduction with to the topic and many include checklists, tools, and templates for free to get you started today.
I hope these articles start getting you prepared for my upcoming master class series: The 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Manage Winning Proposals. This free training series kicks off next week. In this master class series, I am sharing how to truly differentiate your firm in your proposals, overcome go/no go decision fatigue, and master the proposal production schedule to the get information you need. Make sure to reserve your seat here: https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/masterclass/
Top 10 Proposal Management Articles (plus a bonus)
1. Three Steps to Find RFPs Before They Advertise
One of the common questions I get from marketing professionals is how to find RFPs (or potential projects) before the RFP is advertised. In this article, I am going to share some ways to find projects before they advertise. Read to the end to get a research template freebie. Read the full article.
2. How to Develop a Go/No Go Evaluation Process
I think that go/no go evaluations have a purpose, I just don’t want you to get hung on the process or a form. This article walks through why you need a go/no go evaluation, steps to develop a process and sample evaluation questions. Read the full article.
3. Intro to Proposal Coordination
An introduction to proposal coordination, specific to the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. I cover the five areas involved in proposal coordination: win strategy, proposal management plan, scheduling, content development and getting information from technical staff. Read the full article.
4. When a Win Strategy Works
I thought I would shift gears a bit and share a personal story about a time when having a documented win strategy paid off for our firm. I guess I just spoiled the ending of this story for you. Our firm did win the project; however, I still encourage you to read to the end to learn how exactly having this in writing worked for our team. Read the full article.
5. Five Items to Watch Out for When Reading RFPs
Whether it’s your first or hundredth proposal, it all begins with reviewing the RFP. I provide five items to watch out for when reading RFPs. These items can disqualify your proposal or provide a hidden advantage. I also provide you with an RFP Review Cheat Sheet to use as a reminder when reading RFPs. Read the full article.
6. Does the Competition Matter?
When you are putting together proposals, how much attention should you give your competitors? Does competition matter? Yes, but maybe not in the way you think it does. I share how you can do competitive analysis in the pre-proposal and proposal phase and provide a template to get you started. Read the full article.
7. Five Ways to Infuse Creativity Into Your Proposals
We want our proposals to be unique and stand out to put our firm at an advantage. We also want our proposals to clearly communicate why the client should select our firm in a convincing and easy-to-read way. To achieve this takes a bit of creativity. In this article, I share five different ways to infuse creativity into your proposals. Read the full article.
8. Managing Project Information
This article shares various methods for managing project information for A/E/C firms. It goes through the various methods and ways to automate managing project information. I also share a case study of how a construction firm uses field visits to gather robust project information. Read the full article.
9. Managing Resume Information: Annual Updates
This article shares how to set up a system for annual resume updates for your A/E/C firm. It also provides some best practices and templates to automate the resume update process. Read the article here.
10. Managing Resume Information: New Hires
Our firms don’t sell widgets or consumer goods. What makes your A/E/C firm different than your competitors is your firm’s people, their specialized expertise, and previous experience. It is important for us as marketers, to make sure we capture all this information to highlight in our proposals and marketing materials. Often times, this starts with managing resumes which can be an overwhelming task. In this article, I share my approach to using some systems that are already in place and working with your HR partner to share some of the workload. Read the full article.
Bonus: Calculating Proposal Costs
As a marketing leader in your firm, you may want to know how much it is costing your firm to submit proposals and how effective that spending is. Here are some questions to help you decide what factors to consider when calculating your proposal cost-effectiveness. Read the full article.
Your Turn
This was my round-up of the best articles about proposal management? What topic is missing from this list? What future articles would you like to see? Comment below and let me know.
The 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Manage Winning Proposals
If you want to learn more about these strategies, make sure you reserve your spot in my new master class series: The 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Manage Winning Proposals. It begins soon and won’t be available long. Reserve your spot by clicking here: https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/masterclass/
