
Tired of Trivial Proposal Conversations?
05.10.2022
-4 min

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Cheryl Smith
05.10.2022
-4 min
Are you tired of trivial proposal conversations about formatting and numbering? While compliance is lacking, content is missing and win strategy is weak? Lucius Seneca, the Roman philosopher, believed these types of conversations often derive from people who are “at a loss for topics of conversation.”
As a proposal professional, I would never call formatting trivial. It’s critical to readability and engagement and oftentimes compliance. Reviews, however, are important too; with the right topics of conversation they help us advance proposal quality.
So, let’s give our proposal reviewers some topics of conversation that drive productive revisions - and let’s automate our formatting and numbering so they never have to comment on it again.
Is the review value-add pointing out a table’s missing number? Or is it providing expert insights for strengthening the bid? Whether we go “pens down” or write and review in parallel, the goal of reviews is content insight, not formatting and numbering critique.
Get reviewers to the value-add:
Giving reviewers context and intent focuses their time on their value-add contribution to the process. Adding a Layout Template eliminates formatting distractions so they can focus on content quality.
Reviewers are typically part of the strategy team, articulating how the bid can be won. So the review is intended to confirm the strategy they helped establish is articulated in the proposal narrative.
Get reviewers to the value-add:
Win themes as framework guide the reader, helping them connect the dots between their problem and our solution. Woven into the narrative, they entice the reader to imagine their world with our solution.
Do they understand our business? What success looks like to us? Answering unspoken questions keeps doubt from lurking in the readers mind, and affecting their feelings about our proposal.
Get reviewers to the value-add:
By identifying questions as they read, reviewers reveal where and how our team can increase our score by section - actions contributors can then prioritize during revisions.
We know we have the best solution and the best people. But, are we just claiming that? Or do we prove these claims? Without evidence, evaluators must question every claim before they can read on.
Get reviewers to the value-add:
Claims are the main points in our proposal narrative. Evidence is the facts that prove our claims are true. By proving our claims, we remove doubt and establish expertise.
As they read, evaluators are comparing proposals, often side-by-side. While we don’t want to rail on our competition, we do want to help the reader compare and weigh our proposal in our favor.
Get reviewers to the value-add:
It’s easy to get stuck in our own bubble, where what’s important to us, like our solution, must be important to everyone. People, however, care more about solving problems. Reviewing with problem-solving in mind helps our proposal walk more firmly in our readers shoes.
Get reviewers to the value-add:
When we help the reader connect their experiences to ours, we naturally shift their focus away from the troubles they experience with the problem and on to solving the problem.
So, let’s get our reviewers focused on how they can help us win - and automate our formatting so we have more time to invest in value-add reviews. Sometime Seneca agreed with when he referred to time as invisible; it's easy to spend without proper consideration to its value.
Related article: What is proposal management and how to make it easy
Cheryl Smith
Cheryl Smith is our Senior Content Writer. She has additionally been writing and managing proposals since 1998. Shipley trained, she has helped establish proposal centers and advised on capture strategy, coached orals teams and lead marketing, communications and knowledge management programs. Cheryl is a graduate of The George Washington University with degrees in Theatre, Communications and Literature. When she’s not sharing her passion for work, she loves drawing, writing, cooking and exploring the Virginia woodlands with her husband, their dog Chase and the fuzzy guests they host for Rover.