Effective Proposal Management: 5 Strategies for Success
Tina Benson suggests in an article published on the Chartered Management Institute website
that, “By and large, team reflect their management. So being an effective,
proactive manager increases your team’s changes of achieving success.” In line
with Benson’s suggestions, as a Proposal Manager, you can make great strides in
increasing the motivation level of your team with the following five steps.
1. Contextualize the
Contributions of the Team. We write proposals to win business. This means
that the contributions of your proposal team create (or keep) jobs—often for
those participating in the proposal development. Proposals drive revenue growth
and maintenance for companies, and ultimately support keeping the company in
business. Remind your team that their contributions are critical to the company
in these important ways!
2. Ensure Assignments
Are Matched to Each Contributor’s Strengths. Your team will perform best
when contributors are delivering pieces of the solution that align with their
individual strengths. Because contributors are often assigned to support
proposals by line-specific leadership, you may not always have seasoned proposal professionals
supporting your team. Often, you also don’t have any previous experience
working with the individuals supporting the effort. When this is the case, it
becomes critical to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your team members.
Use your initial strategy sessions and storyboarding exercises to test the
skillsets of your team. As you complete various exercises, note 1) who in the
room drives the solutions with solid ideas and thought-leadership; 2) who
drives development (takes notes, develops complete storyboards, etc.); and 3)
who really doesn’t seem to be contributing much at all. Keep this in mind as
you adjust assignments for the initial draft development, being sure to pair
thought-leaders with development-drivers to support quality proposal content development.
3. Instill a Sense of
Ownership to the Final Outcome. Building on the contextualization of the
team’s contributions, encourage a winning attitude among the team. Submitting
the highest quality product possible will increase the team’s chances of
winning; make sure to reinforce this fact regularly. Winning can mean different
things for different contributors: a bonus, a new job opportunity on the
upcoming contract, retaining work on a current contract, etc. Remind your team
that all parts of the proposal process are meant to support the win, and
encourage individual contributors to work as a team to achieve that goal.
4. Keep Meetings and
Strategy Sessions as Brief as Possible. According to an article published
by Time Magazine in May 2015, “The
average attention span for the notoriously ill-focused goldfish is nine
seconds, but according to a new study from Microsoft Corp., people now
generally lose concentration after eight seconds, highlighting the affects
[sic] of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.” For this reason,
and because people are generally busy, you should strive to make meetings as
short and effective as possible. Come with a set agenda, as well as slides or
prompts to drive the discussion, and limit your meeting to the time allotted.
Daily stand-up meetings should be no more than 15 minutes. Try to limit
strategy sessions and other meetings to 30 or 45 minutes. You can always
schedule additional time later if necessary.
5. Keep Things
Interesting. Proposals are stressful and difficult tasks. Especially for
contributors with other day jobs,
proposals can mean long hours, and time spent away from family or friends. Some
of the most successful Proposal Managers I know find ways to break the monotony
and keep things interesting. I’ve
seen this done with mini contests, boasting prizes like $5 Starbucks Gift
Cards, coffee mugs, company swag, and other small items; short team-building
exercises; and special treat days (e.g., donuts, cookies, etc.). These small
efforts go a long way in maintaining positive morale and keeping the team
motivated.
Remember, a motivated proposal team starts from the top.
Positive proposal leadership can go a long way in delivering the win. Find ways
to encourage your team and make them feel appreciated. If your team stays
happy, they are more likely to work hard and deliver for you!
Written by Ashley Kayes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-kayes-cp-apmp-a3750413/
Written by Ashley Kayes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-kayes-cp-apmp-a3750413/
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