In "Installment 30: Solving the Proposal Dilemma," we recommended that you invest in building a database of up-to-date resumes and corporate experience and actually keep it updated. You Proposal Manager can oversee this provided he or she has the right software. However, as will be discussed later, management must implement the right carrots and stick to (i) actually get the technical staff to write their resumes and keep them updated, and (ii) get project managers to write corporate experience descriptions.
Resumes and the descriptions of a company's corporate experience are the core elements of a proposal that demonstrate a company's capabilities. If a business has actually taken the time to draft them, the documents are often outdated. The company's Proposal Manager often has to scramble at the last minute to get what he or she needs for a proposal going out the door tomorrow only to find that the resumes and corporate experience descriptions are not tailored to the customer's requirements. As a result, proposal quality suffers and nerves are frayed.
Companies that prepare more than 4 or 5 proposals a year should have a full-time Proposal Manager. The Proposal Manager can use the time between proposals to refine the proposal process and keep the resume and corporate experience database current. An up-to-date database will:
- Eliminate the panic that occurs at crunch time when you don't have resumes.
- Allow time to tailor resumes and corporate experience to the customer's requirements.
- Improve the quality of the overall proposal because it will be responsive to the RFP.
Technical staff members must understand the critical parts that resumes and corporate experience descriptions play. Keeping both current should be made a component of the technical staff's job descriptions and annual reviews should include a critique of each staff member's performance in meeting these responsibilities.
You can build your integrated sales and proposal-writing processes in-house or you can purchase CRMFederal, Fedmarket's new web-based software product. The new CRMFederal product includes the Proposal Architect, our current proposal writing product. Current owners of the Proposal Architect will be provided with access to CRMFederal at no charge.
CRMFederal is comprised of ten web-based tasks. Upon completion of the tasks, the user will have a completed proposal. Processes within tasks are activated through a web browser. Model proposal text and templates are provided in downloadable Word format.
Call Matt Hankes at 301.652.9507 for additional information on CRMFederal.
Sharpen your proposal-writing skills by attending one of Fedmarket's seminars at the Federal Sales Academy in Bethesda, Maryland. We offer two proposal courses, "Writing and Managing Winning Proposals" and "Capture Planning/Advanced Proposal Writing." Visit our seminar calendar for upcoming dates and locations or call our seminar coordinator, Suzie White, at 301.652.9504.
If you need help with any other product sales, call or write as follows: (888) 661-4094 x8 or sales@fedmarket.com.
Regards,
Richard White
President
Fedmarket.com
The Federal Sales Academy
rwhite@fedmarket.com
(301) 652 - 9506 (office)
(434) 962-9508 (cell)
Free Informative Whitepaper by Richard White: 
