Crack The Proposal Time-Saving Nut, Part 1: Time-Saving Proposal Prep

Are you still managing a proposal project using a spreadsheet or other manual “tools”? Then your team is no doubt spending more time trying to figure out what tasks to work on and when they are due than actually working to complete their proposal tasks. 

That, combined with the time it takes to coordinate their time, is eating into what little time, and budget, you have to develop your proposal.

In the age of technology, manual proposal organization, coordination, and communication shouldn’t slow down your proposal process. Isn’t it time you positioned yourself and your team for success with the integrated proposal management and document collaboration tools you need to save time, reduce costs and deliver the quality evaluators crave for the win? 

Over the next four blog posts, we’ll give you ways to save proposal time, get your team focused on their tasks instead of the process, and position your team for success that is not only repeatable, but scalable.

According to the Seibert Group, “40% of your success as a proposal manager comes down to all of your pre-RFP sales efforts.” In other words, the info you gather during business development and capture, RFP evaluation, and bid analysis is pure gold for the team tasked with writing your proposal. 

The “time suck" lies in how effective you are at capturing and transitioning that information and intelligence from sales to proposal team. 

• Stop emailing RFPs. Save time by inviting your team to review RFP materials online. With triggered notifications from the online, centralized source, you’ll know who is reading – and who is not. 
• Capture the RFP discussion. Save time by centralizing the RFP discussion online. Your team will skip the email fumbling, and the inevitable confusion that ensues, while automatically capturing the details needed to flesh out your capture plan.
• Bridge the gap. Save time by letting information flow automatically between sales and proposal teams with out-of-the-box integration with Salesforce and CRM. 

Bottom Line: Don’t let manual data entry, spreadsheets, and email slow down your team when you can save them valuable prep time with proposal management-specific tools.

In part two, we'll take a look at why manual coordination shouldn't slow you down when proposal management-specific tools can help save time and keep your team in sync and on time.