Proposals thoughts, tips, and stories - Part III

This is a recap of some of the conversations we had on the jescartin email list in 2022.

If you're in proposals, being on this list may interest you ?? jescartin.com

Now, if you're in proposals and wonder how you could use AI today to save bidding time, this really interests you ?? DeepRFP.com?

In this article:

• The real world doesn’t exist, it’s an excuse
• Half of your today's ToDo list won't be needed in 10 years
• Risking easy business with poor proposals
• Perfect is the enemy of good, also in proposals
• Telling your internet provider how many engineers they need
• Your day is under siege; fight back!
• What most proposal pros don't see coming
• Silliest excuse for not going remote in proposals
• My vision for Proposal Management
• Get the resources you need, always
• Primal instinct preventing proposal management from going remote
• Remote is good; async is life-changing
• Next time you get a badly placed deadline, do this

The real world doesn’t exist, it’s an excuse

Some of the ideas I share are uncommon in the proposal space.

Not saying these are always new and innovative, but their application in proposals hasn't been broadly discussed.

Some people think these are fresh. Others think these are bonkers.

From the latter, I usually get the "that wouldn't work in the real world" type of response.?

You are a proposal pro, so I bet you have heard about this place before.

It's a place where improvement ideas always lose, when new approaches always fail. It's depressing because the only things that work in this place are those that people have been doing for ages, and every inhabitant is a pessimist about change.

This place called the real world is so wicked that the same effort their inhabitants can't invest in imagining better futures gets wasted in discouraging anyone with new ideas.

Guess what? The real world doesn't exist.

Isn't a place.

Isn't real.

It's an excuse.

So, next time someone tells you about something not being possible in the real world, reframe the conversation by clearly labeling the true meaning of their response: "the real world is an excuse for not trying new things, let's discuss why this idea can or cannot work indeed".

Half of your today's ToDo list won't be needed in 10 years

I agree; that's a bold statement.

Also it's a bet that at least half of your work today is about managing data with technology tools.

If I'm wrong, and your today's workload is about thinking creatively and making strategic decisions, then you're a proposal pro from the future. I would love to hear from you!

Most of us are not from the future, and so we need to be very aware of the following:?

If you're doing something over and over with a technology tool, it's likely humans won't be needed for that.

Let me explain.

From time to time, there is an innovation that permeates every aspect of technology.

There was a time when we electrified everything—although if you're reading this, you can't remember.

One that you can likely remember is when we did everything mobile—the apps boom.

A coming wave is narrow artificial intelligences adding a smart layer to every application you can think of, including your proposals toolkit.

So, and here is my prediction that gives sense to this email,:

Every tool you're using to complete proposal management steps will become smarter and smarter until the point where you're not needed at all (repetitive, admin-like tasks, menial paperwork) or where your contribution is limited to collaborative guidance (win strategy, key writing touches, pricing).

I deeply believe this scenario will realize sooner than we expect, and that's why I launched DeepRFP, because it's time for narrow AIs to save proposals teams time on unproductive tasks and free them to focus on winning.

We're still some years away from this email subject to be a reality, but if preparing a compliance matrix is part of your ToDo list for today, you need to check our AI Compliance Matrix Generator.

Risking easy business with poor proposals

If you have been a while in the proposals space, you know some good stories.

There is one particular type of story I'm sure you're familiar with.

The story of the comfy incumbent.

You know how it goes, some shortsighted director decides that a particular proposal is just pushing paper and—surprise, surprise—the client changes vendors.

I'll save my best comfy incumbent stories for another email because today, I want to talk about what wrong belief is under this type of decision.

That belief is thinking proposal is an administrative process, not understanding that proposals is closing sales.

This belief makes upper management constantly underestimate:

The increase in wins that can be unlocked through excellent proposals once you are in the competitive zone;

The risk of losing contracts your company is well-positioned for because of poor proposals.

I've found it's much easier to convince management to put investments and drive internal changes using the second approach—you know, losses loom larger than gains—highlighting the risk of underestimating proposals, of missing that sure-to-win contract.

Perfect is the enemy of good, also in proposals

Most proposal pros are perfectionists, and that hurts proposals and pros.

To do well in the profession, you need to have an eye for detail. That's a must up to some level but then becomes a burden.

You have seen it for sure, even do it yourself sometimes: endless reviews, typos discovery, format alignments, double-spaces detection, punctuation symbols coherence, you name it.

We all want our proposals to be perfect and many professionals tend to waste too much time on activities with zero return.?

Even if it hurts a little, let me repeat that: much time is wasted in correcting minor details that have no impact on the proposal result. No procurement team has cared about a minor typo, a double space, or a different style title ever. Therefore, proposal pros shouldn't either.

I had a boss that gave me this lesson when I was still working in corporate, and I've applied since then, also in my career as a consultant. I can summarize the result in three points: less stress, more proposals, more wins.

My tip today is that for the next proposal activity you address, ask yourself, "is this really contributing to winning, or is it just satisfying my perfectionism?"

If it's the latter, be brave and ditch it. You'll live better. You'll win more.

Telling your internet provider how many engineers they need

Some RFPs always make me think of this absurd situation.

I imagine myself talking to sellers from internet service providers in my area—you know, the ones that call you at unreasonable times to pitch you discounts for switching—and telling them that in order to win me, they need to appoint X engineers to my area, with Y & Z qualifications and N years of experience in the field.

Then, back to reality, another RFP stating specific requirements for key personnel roles and qualifications. Again? Come on! Are you serious?

Let's revisit the process. That client doesn't know how to do well enough what they want to buy, yet is telling their vendors the specifics of the team that they should appoint to do what they do best, and threatening with disqualification if, for example, some random position has less than 10 years of experience!

It happens all the time, everywhere, and it's why being in proposals is hard. Because no matter how easy your life would be just going down the way of pure compliance, your duty is to challenge that RFP, that procurement non-sense.

I believe—because I've tested it—challenging non-sense in RFPs is the way to win more.?

Taking control of the technical conversation.

Highlighting the critical message: "we understand what you need, we know how to do it, here's how—we're not a partner that will let you do silly things."

Offering maximum value and asking for something less valuable is my definition of value creation, my view in business.

Your day is under siege; fight back!

Unless you are on vacation—if that's the case, stop checking email right now—you need to get some difficult work done today.

That work requires resources, one of which is endangered.

Alone time.

A long stretch of alone time.

Time "in the zone".

This special type of time, when you're most productive and best proposals happen, is constantly eroded by interruptions that force your brain to shift between various tasks.

Now, you could blame the modern world, remote work, neighbors, amazon delivery, and whichever of the other million sources of interruptions we suffer. Still, as a proposal pro, it's your responsibility to get and protect quality productive time.

Broadly, this is done by two main strategic actions:

• Getting into the zone. You can't switch immediately to "amazingly-productive" mode; it takes time and intentional steps.
• Protecting the zone in advance. Once you're there, you're the most vulnerable to interruptions, and you can't avoid them proactively, so preparation is much needed.

It's like getting good sleep; you can't go to the REM phase instantly; you have to wind down, go to sleep, and "sleep" your way into it. And you need to prepare the environment, so you don't get awed up unwantedly once profoundly slept.

There are many tactics to achieve this; I have mine—to be shared in future emails—and would love to know about yours. So, reply back and share them!?

What most proposal pros don't see coming

When I talk to our proposal colleagues about the future of the profession regarding automation and technology, I often see a common belief:

Professionals think humans are absolutely necessary for doing their job.

And I agree.

I feel the same way about what I do.

but

But

BUT

We all miss an important point: our jobs may not be needed at all.

Or at least big parts of our jobs, which will transform what we understand by a Proposal Manager.

I get it's a bold statement, so here's the reasoning:

First, the same wave of making proposal tools smarter will happen on the procurement side.?

Technology, powered by very narrow AIs—the type that is able to do only one thing but extraordinarily well—will take care of most of the activities involving data and tech tools. The RFP-Proposal process will be similar to today but much more efficient.

Second, once this is the new normal, it'll be a matter of time before tools on both sides interchange data in new ways—think, for example, new RFP-Proposal standards for requirement definition and cost estimations.

And then, my proposal buddy, our job will change forever towards one mostly about leadership and creativity.

Proposals preparation won't be near as important as securing the best strategic position and having the best tools and data.

We're at least 10 years from all this happening, but there is an opportunity waiting for the first movers. Here's my tiny bit:

If you're still doing compliance matrices manually, I have good news for you: DeepRFP has the best narrow artificial intelligence for that, so you can take advantage of the future, today.

Silliest excuse for not going remote in proposals

I've heard this from directors but also many professionals.

Home is full of distractions

Don't get me wrong; that is true. And so are offices. And so is the modern world.

The problem comes when that is used as an excuse to avoid remote proposal management.

The benefits of remote work are so huge that using that problem as a blocking excuse is nonsense.

Distractions are the problem, not remote operations, so the focus should be on finding solutions. Here're some ideas:?

Ensure fulfilling work that engages people, which should be easy in proposals—potential wins as clear output, a sense of completeness, set deadlines, etc.?

If proposal work is boring somewhere, there's a leadership problem, and pros will look for another job anyhow.

Avoid challenging willpower constantly with places and systems.?

Help your team set up working spaces at their homes or local coworking, invest in training targeted at improving remote work, communicate openly about the challenges of remote proposal management, and constantly improve.

My vision for Proposal Management

The RFP-Proposal process is common in almost every industry you can imagine. It's also one of the most inefficient processes in business overall.

Every day, millions of procurement and sales professionals dedicate countless hours to dealing with archaic information exchanges. The waste of such a vast amount of human potential makes me sad.

Computer technology has transformed drastically many business areas in the last three decades. Artificial intelligence is called to revolutionize many more in the coming years.

I believe the potential for improving the RFP-Proposal process with current state-of-the-art artificial intelligence is enormous. This is why I launched DeepRFP, to bring AI advancements to proposal management step by step, but this email is not about this endeavor, so let's refocus.

My vision for Proposal Management is one where pros can invest most of their time thinking about better solutions and crafting better proposals, where the administrative part of the job is reduced to a minimum, and where the profession's creativity area takes it all.

AI-powered technology will enable this vision and also reach the procurement side.

Proposals will be one of the most creative professions of the future.

Get the resources you need, always

You may remember me talking about reputation and its impact on proposal management.

Well, today is no different.

I want to share yet another point of why working on reputation is so important for long-term success of proposal teams.

Don't believe it? Let me give you two scenarios:

• A company where everyone thinks proposals is just pushing paper
• A company where everyone knows proposals make wins possible

You know in which company your life would be much easier: the one without crazy workloads, in which rushing is not the norm and working after hours is truly an exception.

Why? Because when everyone knows you're making wins possible, investments and resources follow.

Extra staff, software tools, training, consultancies, and other good things are much more likely to happen when everyone, including the upper management, is aware of how vital is your proposal department.

Now that you've read this, it may seem obvious. It is indeed.

What is not so obvious is how to change the idea that key players in your company have about proposals, and for that, working proactively on your reputation as a business is a must.

Where to start? Make sure everyone in your team is ready to pitch and defend "proposals make wins possible" whenever talking roles with colleagues.

Primal instinct preventing proposal management from going remote

It's curious how many business decisions are justified with made-up explanations but based on internal fears.

The fear preventing many companies from managing proposals remotely is one of them.

Many directors use different excuses you're familiar with, like "I can't ensure my team is working if not in the office" or "homes are full of distractions".

However, what almost no boss speaks out clearly is their fear of losing control.

For too many, being the Big Boss is about having that direct, physical control, literally seeing your subordinates. It's a primal instinct that unconsciously comes from the reptilian brain, which some alpha personalities need to satisfy.

Precisely because of this, it's so hard to talk bosses out of it. In lucky cases, the upper direction steps in to convince them with a bigger fear—being replaced or fired—but in organizations where the upper management suffers from the same primal fears, teams have a hard time.

Let's be clear, if all your upper hierarchy suffers from this, you're better off looking for a new job. The job market is hot for proposal pros.

However, there're often cracks that can be used to move people out of fear step by step, like therapy to cure phobias. Let's all think about it.

Remote is good; async is life-changing

I've been asking part of the bidding community on LinkedIn, and the numbers leave no doubt: proposals is now a remote by default job.

It was always a job very well suited for remote work, but a pandemic had to happen to make it mainstream. It's hard to change the way we work! ??

Anyhow, we're here; less than 8% of the bidding teams are fully back at the office. And that's good.

However, how teams organize workflows hasn't changed much; we've moved online but have more or less the same processes to manage proposals.

I believe the next frontier, the one that really changes how we work, is asynchronous work (async), and it's so good and fits so well with remote work that we may not need a global crisis to make it happen.

Async, very shortly, is being able to work without having to wait for someone's answer.

Remote gave us the freedom to choose WHERE to work. Async will give us the freedom for WHEN.

Here's an introduction to the three key benefits I think will drive the async adoption in proposals:

• Boosts productivity: fewer interruptions and more deep work in the "flow state" leads to better proposals and more wins.
• Good for health and happiness: sleep patterns that fit your natural rhythm, absolute location independence, doing things off-peak with lower prices and fewer crowds, etc.
• It fits perfectly with remote bid management: our job is prone to do well with async workflows—many unlinked tasks, fixed deadlines, last-minute bugs are not that common, and so on.

I want to go deep into async and start conversations in the proposals community so we all can find better ways. Stay tuned!

Next time you get a badly placed deadline, do this

RFPs with evil deadlines are a common concern in the proposal professionals community.

With evil, I mean, really poorly placed, like the ones that ask for the proposals the first day after holidays or on a Monday.

There is no need to clarify why these are a pain source for the proposal pros; it's obvious how these mess with our work-life balances. These shouldn't be happening. But they do. Next time it happens to you, do this:

Contact the RFP manager right away and highlight how that deadline will end, damaging the quality of the proposals they get and ultimately the value they will procure.

Don't talk about you, how it affects your team, or how it messes with your holidays' plans. Focus on why this is bad for them, how having bidders working during what should be their free time is a source of problems down the contract road.

Ask them to change the deadline to a more reasonable date, not trying to win time but to solve the problematic situation. If possible, ask for an earlier date, that works much better. So, if the deadline is set for Monday 9 AM, ask for previous Friday 7 PM.?

Make sure it's clear you are not asking for an extension, just ensuring work-life balance for bidders and how that's positive for them.

And if you contact them by email, use a subject line that gets your email opened. For example: this RFP deadline is costing you money

Believe me; it works around 50% of the time.

Before you go,

You must be in proposals, so being on this list interests you.

Every week, I send two emails to the pros here ?? jescartin.com, one on how to do better at proposals and one about proposals technology.

The coolest thing on this list is the emails, yet the hundreds of proposals pros on it also get exclusive access to top proposals stuff for free.

Like what?

Like access to the Top Jobs in Proposals—a job board including only fully remote positions with salaries disclosed at companies with excellent ratings—or the GPT use cases for RFPs & Proposals compilation including the most practical AI uses that proposal pros and businesses can implement today.

One-click on, one-click off. Easy.

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