A tech map and a career hack

This is a recap of the most valuable ideas we talked about in September 2024.

Below, you'll find:

• A bit about technology and AI in proposals
• An insight for doing better in our profession
• The bidding short video of the month
• The proposals billboard of the month

The Proposals Tech Bit of the Month

Today, I want to share some perspectives on how the field of AI in proposals is evolving, particularly from the point of view of tool types and how these influence the professionals' experiences.

So, you've been warned: geeky content ahead.

I consider to be three big types of tools:

• Use case-based tools: these are tools that do one thing only and do it very well. Choose the tool, provide your inputs, and get your output. Easy.

Both the interfaces and the AI models have been optimized for particular use cases, so the quality you get is higher.

The approach is common in many sectors, but only DeepRFP offers it for bidding and proposals. Yes, it's my company, and yes, it's the only toolkit taking on this approach for proposals.

• Chatbots and copilots: these are the ChatGPTs and Microsoft copilot-like tools.

These support your workflow as virtual assistants and are often integrated into the programs you already use. Very flexible, are not optimized for any use case in particular, and need you to know how to steer them to provide decent performance.

Most of the disappointment I see among pros comes from using these, where almost all of the bid-tech tools are now focused. I think it's a shame because it prevents many from benefiting, but anyhow.

• Agents or coworkers: these are, at the same time, like nothing you have seen and like everything you're used to.

These don't look like tools except for a simple interface where you select the one you want to use and provide your input. After that, the agent goes on its own, planning and executing, coming back with your outputs. In the future, maybe even interact with other colleagues on their own to gather contributions and feedback (AI is not that capable yet).

I believe this is where we're headed and where all my R&D is going right now.

When you think about it, DeepRFP's AI RFP Analyzer is a primitive version of this: you provide your RFP, the AI goes through a plan to develop your analysis on compliance, risks, etc., and come back with your results. Anyhow, I think that will look very dumb compared to what we're working on right now.

That's what I wanted to share. Feel free to share your thoughts!

The Proposals Tip of the Month

This is one of the serious topics that gets more engagement from proposal peers on LinkedIn.

When on social media, the post must look something like this:

Stages of proposal writing.

Beginner: say yes to everything, plenty of corporate jargon, parrot RFPs.

Intermediate: still say yes to everything, cut down the jargon, actually answer RFPs.

Advanced: challenge nonsense requirements, write like a normal person, show what the client really wants.

Master: lead the conversation, enter the client's mind, close the sale.

Now, since you're reading this in a newsletter, I want to expand the insight a little bit.

We all have been beginners at proposals at some point and, to be honest, intimidated by RFPs plenty of technical and legal jargon.

RFPs are too formal not to be taken seriously, and it's easy for a newbie to lose perspective. At this stage, everybody tends to be too formal, abusing corporate jargon and, of course, challenging anything is out of the question.

It's understandable; you don't want to mess up, and you're not taking any risks. The problem, though, is that with that mindset, it is easy to lose perspective on what all this is about: people buying stuff from people.

If there's one thing that differentiates top proposal professionals is exactly that, they have the "closing a sale" mindset always ON.

They have already gotten much more comfortable with RFPs and so can focus on what matters, communicating in a clear and direct style (remember, procurement are people), and challenging requirements when they are sure the client is wrong and needs guidance.

I don't think you can jump to the master level even if you know what it requires, but knowing this stuff early on can help you fast-track through them.

One final thought: "years of experience" mean nothing. It is what you do with those years that matters.

I know peers with 20+ years of experience stuck in the intermediate phase and under thirty-year-olds playing it like masters.

Now, I know you don't have time to proactively work on improving because you're just jumping from rush to rush.

I don't have a recipe for your particular case, but I've built something that helps proposal peers get some time back.

A toolkit that I provide in the less corporate-like way possible, because I know you are people (amazing people, by the way).

Make some time for your career hacks >>

The Bidding Short Video of the Month

The Proposals Billboard of the Month

Thanks!

And this is it for this edition of this newsletter.

To keep updated on what's going on, join 3500+ proposal pros here:

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Besides the valuable insights, tips, and ideas, you'll get access to top proposals stuff such as:

?? Top Jobs in Proposals—fully remote positions with salaries disclosed at companies with excellent ratings—featured in the emails.

?? Exclusive access to The AI in Proposals one-pager—a 5-minute read about the status of artificial intelligence in bidding that I keep up to date.

?? Exclusive access to the GPT use cases in Proposals compilation—the most practical AI uses that proposal pros and businesses can implement today.

?? Exclusive access to DeepRFP trials.