The Best Books for Proposal Development Professionals
What are the best books that proposal development professionals should read?
Calculating Proposal Win Rates
How do you calculate your proposal win rate? Begin by recognizing there’s more than one. This blog post argues there are at least eight proposal win ratios most sellers should be calculating.
Average Proposal Win Rate When Responding to RFPs
Sellers ask about average win rates because they’re trying to gauge their performance. They’re looking for some external standard against which they can evaluate how well they’re doing. But is this the best approach?
Proposal Readability: Is Your Proposal Easy to Skim?
Most people do not read a proposal cover to cover. If you want to increase its readability, make it easy to skim.
Proposal Writing Certification
We get inquiries all the time from people seeking proposal writing certification. We don’t offer certification ourselves, but we drafted a high level overview to give you some guidance as you begin your journey. Good luck! 1. Proposal writing certification starts with APMP The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) is the “worldwide authority for …
Archived: David Seibert to Present: “Encouraging Sales Team Involvement in Proposal Kickoff Meetings”
Dave Seibert will be presenting a webinar titled: Encouraging Sales Team Involvement in Proposal Kickoff Meetings. Hosted by the APMP Greater Midwest Chapter, the webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24 at 10:30 Central, 11:30 Eastern. Webinar summary Proposal writers can only write effective, customer-focused content if they understand each buyer’s interests and motivations, and …
Archived: Dave Seibert to Present “Skim-ability” at APMP GMC Webinar on May 27, 2020
If a reader can skim your proposal, and still understand your message, you just leapfrogged past the competition.
Sales Message Continuity Pre-RFP to Post Proposal
Are your proposal writers substantively involved in post-proposal sales presentations? They should be. This helps ensure the continuity of your message.
My New Favorite Book: Secrets of the Selection Committee
My New Favorite Proposal Book: Secrets of the Selection Committee by Gary Coover. If you sell to state and local governments, you need to read this book.
Proposal Writing Training: How to Choose a Program That’s Right for You
Proposal training programs can vary in many ways, so it’s important to choose a training provider and program that is a good fit for your team and your business.
The Proposal is the Closing Argument
Could a lawyer present an effective closing argument if she hadn’t been involved in the case up to that point? Can a proposal writer draft an effective RFP response if she hadn’t been involved in the sale up to that point?
Archived: Dave Seibert to Speak at APMP Greater Midwest Symposium on September 19, 2019
Dave Seibert to Speak at APMP Greater Midwest Symposium on September 19
Why You Should Save and Catalog Every RFP You Receive
Do you save and catalog every RFP you receive? You should. You really should.
How Important is Price in Proposals
How important is price in proposals? It depends. RFPs aren’t always about getting the lowest price. Sometimes, it’s about value. Which kind are you bidding on?
Jargon in Proposals
Jargon is great–as long as everyone understands the jargon you use. If they don’t, though, they’re missing the point you’re trying to make.
Post-Procurement Research and Analysis
How can you get better if you don’t know what you did wrong? Or right? A good post-procurement research and analysis program will show you both.
Proposal Writers Are Salespeople
Too many people in the proposal development world think of themselves as “technical” writers. In fact, proposal writers are salespeople who sell on paper.
Why Professional Salespeople Hate RFPs (and Why They Shouldn’t)
Professional salespeople hate RFPs, and not always for good reasons. It’s time to set some things straight.