Bid & Proposal Professional’s Survival Kit
Bid and proposals can be a tough profession, and sometimes we need a little extra motivation and support to help us through the chaos. I love this Bid & Proposal Professional’s Survival Kit—I generated it using inspiration from similar survival kits out there for other professions. This is a great little kit you can put together to brighten a coworker’s day, to use for holiday give exchanges in the office, or to welcome a new coworker to the team. I have personally used a version of this survival kit in several office holiday gift exchanges. And if you’re needing just a little extra motivation yourself, I’ve included a few extra words of encouragement with each item below for this week’s blog.
Marker: To remind you to leave a good mark—with your
team and with the customer. As bid and proposal professionals, we have the
ability to influence our teams, our coworkers, and our customer. It is critical
for us to use this influence thoughtfully and conscientiously. We must lead our
teams with grace, help one another to be the best that we can be, and provide
the best value to our customers as possible.
Sponge: To remind you to soak up new knowledge and
continually learn. Our profession is continually evolving and growing. We
must strive to learn continuously, seeking out best practices and process
evolutions. As new trends emerge, we must educate ourselves and understand the types
of organizations that can best benefit from these tools, technologies, and
processes. To be the best at what we do, we must continually learn, continually
grow, and continually improve our skillsets and capabilities.
Penny: To
remind you that you are valuable and your thoughts are important. Sometimes
it may feel like your ideas are constantly being shot down or you are having
trouble getting through to your team or leadership. It’s okay! Sometimes we all
have difficulties being heard and effectively communicating our ideas and
opinions. Even if you’re not getting through to your team or your leadership,
remember that you are a valuable contributor and your thoughts are important.
Keep pressing forward. Eventually you will be heard!
Eraser: To remind you that it’s okay to make
mistakes—just remember to learn from them and move forward! We’re all
human, and mistakes happen. Don’t dwell on mistakes or beat yourself up for
making them. But remember to own up to your mistakes, recognize what you should
change next time, and apply those lessons moving forward.
Animal Cookies: For when your proposal room seems like a zoo.
Sometimes you may feel like your proposal room is a zoo. SMEs may be MIA, writers
may be at their wits end trying to write sections without SME input, and the
price volume lead may be struggling to get the necessary quotes to compile the
price. Remember to be the calming force throughout all of this chaos—help
provide the solutions to your team so that they can deliver the necessary
components for the win. Be able to laugh at your situation, but be vigilant in solving
problems so your team can succeed.
Lotion: For when things get a little rough. Sometimes
bids and proposals just don’t go as smoothly as we’d like. We run into hurdles,
have multiple fires to put out, and find ourselves struggling to stay on
schedule. We have to smooth things over and keep marching forward as if
everything is hunky dory. When you feel like you’re at your wits end, know that
you’ll get through it—you’ve don’t it before, and you’ll do it again.
Coffee: For those nights where you just end up
burning the midnight oil. We put schedules together, we plan out the
perfect scenarios, but frequently something out of our control happens, and we
end up burning the midnight oil to make sure we meet the delivery schedule.
Late proposals are losing proposals, and we all know we like to win. Coffee, or
your choice of caffeinated beverage, will help you through it.
Rubber Band: To remind you to stay flexible. It’s so
important to stay flexible in our profession. RFPs will change: requirements
are amended, proposals are extended, and our schedules are impacted. Being able
to roll with the punches will save your sanity in the long run. When changes
happen, adjust the plan, communicate the changes with the team, and move
forward. Failure is not an option. You’ll get it done.
Paper Clips: To help you hold it together. Bids and proposals
can be stressful. We face the challenge of dealing with team conflict; putting
out fires on a daily basis; and adjusting to changes in the team, organization
chart, and solution—all while keeping the team on track and on schedule. We tackle
these daily challenges all while leading the team gracefully and holding it
together. This is a reminder from me to you that you’ve got this. You’re strong
and you’re capable. And you can lead your team to the win.
Bubble Gum: To remind you to stick with it and never
give up. With all of the challenges you face, you may want to give up.
Remember to keep pushing forward—you will make it through even the toughest of
challenges. You’ll learn from missteps, and continually get better moving forward.
Just stick with it and don’t give up. You’ve got this!
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt about it—bids and proposals are not easy. It
takes a motivated, driven, and persevering individual to pursue such a
profession—and these qualities will carry you through even the toughest of
times. Hopefully this article—and similar resources out there—will give you
that extra encouragement you need when you start to doubt yourself.
Remember—you are strong, you are capable, and you will get through even the
toughest of challenges. Cheers!
Written by Ashley Kayes, CP APMP
Senior Proposal Consultant, AOC Key Solutions, Inc. (KSI)
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